Slither

by Edward Lee

The trichinosis worm is one of nature’s most revolting parasites. Certain types of this tiny worm alter a host’s DNA by injecting a virus which mutates the reproductive system. This forces the host to bear the worm’s young. Typically these worms are never longer than a few millimeters. But guess what? Now there’s a subspecies that’s thirty feet long...

When Nora and her team arrive at the island, she expects a routine zoological excursion...but it doesn’t take her long to realize they’re not alone. Are her lurid sexual dreams making her paranoid...or is she being watched? The dead bodies they find are bad enough, but then her own team members begin to disappear, and when they return, they’ve...changed. Indeed, there are other people on the island...along with something else far worse.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Fiction, Adult, Ebooks

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.

Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.

He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.

Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.

Reviews

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Is this book good? No.
2. Did I burn through it in just a few days? Yes.
3. Did it contain any redeemable qualities? Hardly.
4. Was I thoroughly entertained? 100%.
5. Would I ever read it again? Never.
6. Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit reread number three. I am bumping this up to 5 wormy stars!
Slither is a nasty novel albeit a fun, quick read! You know if you pick up a Lee novel, it will not be butterflies and puppies. The bulk of this takes place on an isolated Key off the West coast of Florida, which was formerly a missile base and still owned by the US Army. A pair of researchers (Professor and TA) and a photographer are helicoptered in under the guide of a Army Lieutenant for a week long trip to try and find a rare marine worm and photo it for National Geographic. Unbeknown to the group, there are others on the island (teens looking for a place to party) that have been infected by a strange, worm like parasite, apparently some sort of gene spliced thing being tested by the military on the isolated island as a bioweapon.

Lee put together a rather motley cast of characters here-- drunken rednecks with boats, Nerdy prof and TA, super hot photographer, hormone riddled teens and so forth. The POV changes frequently and the story really moves along. No spoilers, but you can expect lots of gore, strange sex and perhaps a nascent worm phobia by the time you are finished.

This was my first Lee novel and I have read it several times now. A creature feature as only Lee could write. The outstanding feature of this one concerns the dark humor on almost every page, plus the dialogue among the characters. Lee even gives this a nice twisty plot and the denouement is out of this world. Highly recommended for creature feature lovers and anyone who loves a good splatterpunk with lots of body horror.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The island of Pritchards Key is home to plenty of wildlife including a new strain of worm as well as several groups of people who are all on the island for different reasons. The scientists, Nora and Loren, are there to find a specific worm for the National Geographic to photograph, there are redneck brothers who are on the island to harvest their pot plants and military personnel who are conducting deadly experiments.
As the worms begin infecting people on the island, all hell breaks loose as each group becomes desperate to find a way off the island to safety. Nora and Loren try to find out more about this new strain as well as why the military are running surveillance on them. What they find out could spell doom for civilisation.
This was a great 'B' movie type read that was a lot more subdued in content that some of Lee's other work such as his backwoods horror series. There is still plenty of cringe worthy scenes full of disgusting gore and sex but they don't even begin to touch on the depravity of say, Bighead. The only thing that slightly spoiled the story was the overload of science talk about worms which got a little boring to be honest. The ending was nicely done with a nice twist.
The characters were fairly well done, the good guys were realistic and flawed enough to be believable, the bad guys were pretty despicable and it was easy to cheer when things went pear shaped for them.
Great fun and a slightly tamer Lee read for the uninitiated.

[Adam Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any other Edward Lee book I have read, I knew what I was getting into with this one. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was surprised Slither was a hell of a fun read. B-movie creature feature fun, and did I mention it is Edward Lee? Throw a bunch of party - seeking teenagers, a couple of murderous backwoods cretins, some scientists, a slutty photographer, an army guy, and some shady military types on the same secluded island; plenty of opportunity for mayhem, right? Dump a bunch of mutated worms all over the place, and now it's a party.
I burned through this in three sittings. Sadistic, disturbing fun. Good stuff, if you are in the mood for that kind of thing.

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leave it to Edward Lee to write something that is both funny and scary and beyond addictive to read once the book is open. The writing style involved wit and charm and totally fascinating scientific jargon that I always enjoy learning something from as he made a tale that was gross enough to raise a few hairs and a tale which made me stay up reading until I was dead tired and count even think of going to work the next day but it was all worth it.

Pritchard's Key was a seemingly deserted lush tropical island right off the coast of Florida. It was the perfect place for polychaetologists such as Nora and Loren who spend their entire academic lives studying segmented worms to take a National Geographic photographer Annabelle for a rare photo shoot revolving around the very rare bristle worm. The island was a non operating military reservation with running water, electricity and barracks, the perfect place to relax, catch a tan and photographs some of nature's most beautiful creations but then there was something else, something unnatural and dangerous, something beyond the crews wildest nightmares that slithered in the shadows and wasted no time...

Along with the scientist and the photographer came Trent, the army warrant officer who was in charge of keeping them safe and because he was responsible for checking in on the island every month to make sure it was in tact as it was closed off to the population. Right off the bat Nora and Annabelle hated each other, the scientist was tall and thin, pale with frizzy hair while Annabelle was a blonde bombshell with stellar physique that turned heads and enjoyed playing dumb to get all the male attention. It was staggering how Edward Lee wrote both of the characters are they were as opposite as night and day and the bickering and the fighting was one of the best parts of the book. The comments were clever and hilarious while an ominous and dreadful atmosphere started to spread. Pretty soon after getting to the island strange things began to happen as the crew started to notice some unusual behavior involving species of worms and insects they have never seen before. The whole island seemed to be crawling with yellow ova which are mobile worm carrier attacking fish and crustaceans in the water and mammals on land

What the parasites did to the human hosts was unimaginable but it only made the mystery of their origins deeper as figures clad all in black ran around the island watching everyone form the shadows. The gore and the disgusting mutations happening to human victims who seem unaware at first of what was going on were pretty fascinating. The people in the book turned out to be the lab mice and only the ending, glorious and imaginative brought with it the relief and the horrendous answer to al the questions raised along the way.

Great tale that really sucked me in and had me hooked until I finished the last page and sat back amused. Now I can't wait to read more of Lee, for he always surprised with his silky smooth writing that is corroded with darkness and mischief.

[TK421 · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is really only one thing to say about this book: O, hell no.

Read this one at your own risk.

SPOILER: This is splatterpunk porn, nothing more. I thought I had a constitution for this type of stuff...I don't.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

If LOST taught the world a lesson is that weird things happen on the islands. And in Edward Lee's capably demented hands, the weird things are spectacularly gross. The man can certainly spin an entertaining gross out fest with his customary blend of sex, voluntary and otherwise. So when a reporter accompanied by a military person and two scientists go on a photographic expedition to an island off the coast of Florida, of course the situation turns deadly in a spectacularly disgusting fashion involving...things that slither, obviously. The book was actually elevated from plain gore silliness by the fact that Lee has obviously done his research in a seriously repelling field, so it was actually even somewhat educational. Although of course that was never a point with a book like that, it's always nice to learn something new. Fun very quick utterly revolting and not for the faint of heart sort of read that horror fans could certainly enjoy.

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back to back with Monstrosity and there were too many similarities for me to fully enjoy it. Not just the story but the characters, the sex scenes... it was all practically the same. If I had reversed the reading order I may have reversed the ratings.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small group of people arrive on a supposedly long-abandoned island, for a zoological excursion. Their mission is to photograph and study a rare marine worm.
However, when they get to the island they begin to notice strange things. There are cameras planted in the trees, one of the team members seems to be keeping secrets, and of course, the worms. Not the ones they're come to study, but a new species entirely. Not even the professor recognizes these strange worms. They're parasitic, they grow at exponential rates, and they're absolutely everywhere on the island, just looking for a host... and any one will do.
Soon it becomes obvious that something like this couldn't possibly exist in nature, and the group realizes they are not alone on the island at all, but instead have become part of a sick, genetic manipulation experiment.
"Just a field research exercise, I guess. A scientific test on their equivalent of laboratory animals."
"Only in this case the rats were us."

So, another great book by Edward Lee; I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read of his so far, and this was no exception. It was entertaining, funny, and sick. Everything you come to know and love from him.

[Daniel Volpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another typical Ed Lee book full of violence, sex and plenty of gross scenes. If you need a short, easy horror novel and don't mind some nasty things, this is for you.

[That Horror Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I expected from an Edward Lee, and I burnt through it in 24 hours. Good thing it was the weekemd, because I sure was hyperfixated on this one! It was trashy and campy, but so much fun!

All of the characters were unlikable in their own way. I think the most redeemable was Loren. I would have liked just a few more redeemable qualities.

Definitely check your triggers for thing one. It is full with SA, violence, gore and all such things. I expected it, having read more of Edward Lee’s books, so I wasn’t surprised. At some points, there was so much sex I was thinking they deserved to die!

The epilogue was great! I lovedddd the ending.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this fun book! old school horror at its finest with a super fun twist at the end thet I never saw coming. Loved loved loved this!

[Alenna Burleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

They’re already in your body.

In this muiltiple pov and timeline book. We follow the events of an off shore island in Florida. On this island teens sneak on to party, an army man is sent weekly to make sure no one is on the island, and a group of researchers and a photographer come to learn and photograph a type of worm, oh and don’t forget rednecks growing weed. This island used to be a military base and housed bombs back in the day. That has since been cleared. In the main story we follow two worm experts studying a specific type of worm a photographer sent to capture the footage of said worm for a magazine, and an army man who is charge of doing rounds on the island even after the military are no longer using it. Once on the island they start noticing lots of duel characteristics of combined worms that wouldn’t normally be possible. They believe they have found a new species of worm, but when they realize this species of worm get about 20 feet long in less than two days a bigger problem seems at hand.


This was one of my top three reads of the year for sure. Muiltple povs and timelines is something that i don’t found done right in a lot. This was not the case whatsoever. Not only were the characters fully developed and personalized they were all completely fleshed out and made me like them all of separate for reasons (even the characters you aren’t supposed to like). Overall this book was phenomenal, not my normal type of read, which makes it even better. Definitely a five star read and a must read!

[Kenny Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by extreme horror writer Edward Lee and I absolutely loved it. It is about a couple of polychaetologists (worm scientists) accompanied by a member of the Army, and a slutty photographer who travel to a tropical island off the coast of Florida to study a rare type of worm. The island is a closed down military facility and supposed to uninhabited, but college kids often go their to party and fornicate, making good fodder for the 30 foot long parasitic genetically altered hybrid worms that now occupy the island. There is also a pair of low life murdering brothers on the island, along with their girlfriend that they share. We first meet them while they revive a woman who almost drowns, only to robbed & raped and then thrown back in the water to get eaten alive by alligators. Such is life.

Overall, I really liked this book and thought it was very fun to read. I had to set it down a couple times though, its pretty gross.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!}]

DNF on page 13. For the internalized misogyny. Constantly. Also the way the author writes female characters sucks. So the horror of parasitic worms is not enough to keep me reading. I have so many books to read so this is getting discarded. Bye.

@ Nora:



Me @ this book, in general:

[J.W. Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy wow, thats all i can say, if i thought Flesh Gothic was twisted, this took 2 steps past, then started doing a line dance.

3 seperate stories that are constantly crossing paths on this little infested island.

The twist, i so didn't peg.

The ending was both fitting but a little cliche in its own way

[A.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a really good story, especially the ending, but it had some info dumps and ran a bit too long. Very entertaining, with plenty of personality. Sick as hell if you’re a sicko like me.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gross-out wormy fun that's not trying the be anything more than what it is. Refreshing, raunchy, and ridiculous in the best way.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wonderful world of worms

This book was really good!! I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The characters are realistic and I love how there wasn’t a dull moment in this book. This book is about a species being discovered by some unlikely people and another group of people that will protect their project at all cost. This book isn’t for someone that has a weak stomach.

[William M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars might be a generous rating for what is, without a doubt, the worst book Ed Lee has ever written (and I've read most of them as you can see by my other reviews). This story only has enough material in it for a 100 page novella, not a 350+ page novel. Instead, Mr. Lee found himself in a jam and had to meet the minimum requirements of the publisher and stretch it out much longer than it should have been. Repetitive dialogue and plot information runs rampant throughout Slither. Mix in a bunch of ridiculously cliched rednecks, overused medical jargon, and a group of people lacking common sense, and you understand why this might be a frustrating read.

If anyone actually believes this book deserves five stars, then they obviously haven't read Richard Laymon's IN THE DARK, Jack Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, or Bentley Little's DISPATCH (which, by the way, was recently listed on Stephen King's top 10 books of the year!) Anyway, if you want to read the best of Edward Lee, check out his CITY INFERNAL and the sequel INFERNAL ANGEL. Or, if you really want his hardcore best, read TERATOLOGIST. Lastly, I was surprised at Leisure Books for having missed so many spelling/grammar mistakes throughout the book, especially since this novel was previously published in hardcover. They had an opportunity to fix it but unfortunately did not.

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars not because it is great literature, but because it was incredibly fun to read. This is Edward Lee at his most lighthearted, which is still incredibly gross and nasty. The book read like a genius late night B-Movie, like a Henenlotter film with a limitless budget. The heart of the book is right there in the gleeful bad taste of a good B-Horror flick, but the vision is incredibly imaginative and wild. Its a perfect mashup of not just horror and sci-fi, but many different types of horror and horror cliches as well. You have gross worms, hot college kids partying, secret government operations, scientists and babe photographers, evil rednecks, zombie style stuff and many more aspects to the novel that I can't give away without spoiling the book for you. If you love B-movies, and horror writing that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is schlock at its finest. It is actually pretty brilliant, as well, where the science is involved, Lee definitely did his research, or at least made it seem like he did! Highly recommended.

[Jeannie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sex, drugs, aliens and worms, OH MY! Edward Lee's "Slither" is a mindless little horror novel that may make you squirm momentarily, but its cliche sex, booze and marijuana-happy slithery rompings are ultimately quickly forgotten. If you absolutely must indulge this piece of fluff, take it to the beach...and beware the water!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splatterpunk.

It started off with similar vibes like The Ruinsand then the author included way too many sub plots under it.

1. Bunch of poachers growing pot on the uninhabited, remotely inaccessible island.
2. Bunch of military guys conducting live human experiments on the island on visitors.
3. Zoologists trying to find a rare specimen of a different worm.
4. Of course multiple college jocks coming here & partying.
5. Let's not forget to add the new worm species or whatever the fuck it is as part of a genetic experiment.
Then bringing all of this together , then the polarizing twist.

Last 50 pages twist was good but otherwise just expect sex at every 10th page -_-

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Lee, Slither (Leisure, 2006)

Every once in a while, when you're crushed by multiple heavy tomes where every page takes five minutes to digest, you need something light, easy, and quick. There may not be a better, more satisfying press for that sort of thing these days than Leisure Books. I've read a whole lot of Leisure novels, from the very early days of the press right up to the present, and I've found very few to be less than I expect: good, solid, quick, escapist reads. And that's about as good a definition of Slither as I can find.

Premise: various groups of folks converge on a supposedly deserted island in the Gulf of Mexico, a couple of miles from St. Petersburg, that used to be an old army base. Problem is, some other paramilitary types have turned it into an experimental breeding ground for really, really nasty things. I wouldn't tell you what, but the big spoiler is in the first three words of the back matter, so I won't beat around the bush: worms. Big, ugly worms. Worms that like to infect things like sea life. And possums. And partying college students. Needless to say, if nematodes squick you out, stay far, far away form this book; I'm still poking and scratching and obsessively checking myself for parasites.

In any case, I finished the novel last night, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the OMG BIG PLOT TWIST. It's generic and silly (and the kind of thing that, when sprung on a reader, usually destroys a book for me), but Lee integrates it so well into the story that I have to admit I'm grudgingly impressed; this is the most fun I've had reading Ed Lee's stuff since “Doing Colfax” back in the mid-eighties. Decent characters, tight plot, some great descriptive writing (even if it does go over the top now and again). It's not deathless literature, but you don't go to Leisure for deathless literature. You turn to Leisure for books that will gross you out. And Slither delivers mightily. ***

[Pyropatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Fun and disgusting science fiction horror. Lots of sex, unlike any other story I have ever read. Should be a hoot as a movie.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turning to some light Halloween reading, I decided to give another shot at an Edward Lee novel.

Professor Nora Craig and her research assistant, Loren are America’s foremost authorities on the intricate study of worms. They’ve been chosen to accompany a National Geographic photographer and an Army Lieutenant onto an island off the Florida Keys in search of the rare “Scarlet Bristleworm”. What they find there is something all together different, a previously undiscovered worm which has the capability to grow extremely rapidly, can eat through metal and concrete, and likes to spawn eggs in moist warm places like human bodies. Two other small groups of island visitors have preceded the main foursome and have already discovered the horror to be found there. There is also a military presence on the island which leads us to believe they are conducting biological experiments.

The first three quarters of this novel is a pretty standard movie-of-the-week style horror yarn. Sort of a combo of a creature feature and swamp sleaze. The photographer is a young, beautiful girl who happens to be as promiscuous as can be so there are ample opportunities for sexual innuendo morphing into full-on sex scenes. Later, as the worm infestation comes into fruition, the sex stuff morphs once again into gross-out sex, with all kinds of eggs, larvae, etc. leaking out of various orifices….ugh…you get the idea.

The final quarter of the novel seems to be a case of the author writing himself into a corner and seeking a solution that will make some kind of sense for how these worms came to be. I won’t spoil that in this review but suffice it to say that it works if you can suspend every shred of disbelief in your brain. I did appreciate that the ignorant and arrogant souls on this island get what they deserve while the intelligent ones are able to rationally think through possibilities for survival. That doesn’t always happen in these sorts of stories.

I will likely read more of this author's stuff as I still have at least three more of his books on my shelf. But much like Richard Laymon, I'll need plenty of time between them to shower and recuperate, lest I go insane.

[JL Shioshita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard a lot about Edward Lee, but this is my first actual foray into his work. I went into this expecting to be utterly grossed out, but that didn't happen. Maybe I'm cynical, maybe I'm desensitized, maybe I'm a combo of both, but I found it all fairly tame. It was like when I first went to see The Human Centipede in theaters. Yes, there was a lot of "nipple" descriptions. If you don't like hearing about nipples, then don't read this book. If you do like hearing about nipples, you'll love it. There was also some sex, not as much as you would think, and some pretty vulgar acts by some pretty vulgar individuals. Yes, there were worms, lots and lots of worms, so if that's a trigger or a phobia for you, look out. There's a few little nasty moments, a lot of horny people, and a twist at the end I didn't see coming that was fun. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you'll get into it. The characters are annoying as **** and for the most part I couldn't wait for them to die off, but about halfway through the book, I was engaged and wanted to see how it ended. It was kind of like a softcore Cinemax after hours offering, but with lots of squirming worms.

[Bailey Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I finally gave this one a read. It’s definitely not my favorite from Lee, but it’s still a good one overall. This book made me so uncomfortable numerous times (in a good way)… I absolutely abhor even just the thought of parasitic worms, so this book definitely gave me the heebie-jeebies! This one didn’t have hardly as much crude content that he normally has in his books, but I actually found it to be a nice change of pace from his typical writing. I also loved the setting of this story. It made it even more creepy! I do have to admit that the big twist near the end of certain identities was a bit of a disappointment for me… it would’ve been much scarier to keep it natural and not supernatural in my personal opinion. But overall, great read!

[Melanie Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diese Geschichte nahm am Ende Ausmaße an, mit denen ich nicht gerechnet hatte. Ja, bei Edward Lee muss man auf alles gefasst sein, aber damit hab ich nun wirklich nicht gerechnet.
Die Charaktere gingen hier durch jede Gesellschaftsschicht und selbstverständlich dürften Rednecks nicht fehlen. Auch S… kam hier natürlich vor, doch fand ich es tatsächlich wenig für Edward Lee, bin da anderes gewohnt.
Die Geschichte riss mich mit, sie war spannend , abgedreht und mit unter musste ich auch schmunzeln. Der Ekelanteil war ok, also nichts dramatisches.
Ich fühlte mich hier wieder einmal gut unterhalten

[Unapologetic_Bookaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Edward Lee book. It was a buddy for a group and I had never read anything by this author. It was pretty engaging and near the end I certainly didn't predict the ending! Overall I liked the story and for as many characters as there was. They were basically set dressing for the creatures to hunt. Which is very typical of horror. I was happy to read something other than zombie horror. I'd read another Edward Lee book.