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Sleep Disorder
The first collection of collaborations between Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee
149 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2003
About the author
Jack Ketchum
199 books3,091 followersDallas William Mayr, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels included Off Season, Offspring, and Red, which were adapted to film. In 2011, Ketchum received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award for outstanding contribution to the horror genre.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 11, 2018
This hardcover is numbered 183 of 750 copies produced and is signed by Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee.
Contents:
"I'd Give Anything For You"
"Love Letters From the Rain Forest"
"Masks"
"Eyes Left"
"Sleep Disorder"
"Good Seeing You" -by Jack Ketchum
"I Would Do Anything For You" by Edward Lee
Afterword - by Jack Ketchum
Contents:
"I'd Give Anything For You"
"Love Letters From the Rain Forest"
"Masks"
"Eyes Left"
"Sleep Disorder"
"Good Seeing You" -by Jack Ketchum
"I Would Do Anything For You" by Edward Lee
Afterword - by Jack Ketchum
August 2, 2026
SLEEP DISORDER (2004) EDWARD LEE & JACK KETCHUM
My Review Five Stars
al·chemy [ˈalkəmi]
(noun) a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
Sleep Disorder was published by Gauntlet Press in 2004. It was a Limited Edition in Hardcover format. It was later released by Crossroad Press in April 2011 with Kindle format available at a cost of less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It was noted that Used hardbacks of the Gauntlet Press run in 2004 begin at $215.00.
This was the first and only collaborative short story collection by the immortal horror legend Jack Ketchum and his friend and an early pioneer of the splatterpunk subgenre Edward Lee. This unique compilation features a total of five original collaborative stories. CONTENTS include Sleep Disorder which is the title story and was written expressly for this special collection. It is my favorite story among the five exceptional short works which comprise their collaborative efforts made over two decades ago.
Frankly I did not immediately grasp the nature of the manner in which this extraordinary story collection was created. The FIRST DRAFT was entitled Good Seeing You by Jack Ketchum and this story is the basis for the Ketchum/Lee collaboration which produced the outstanding horror short renamed Sleep Disorder .
In the Afterword By Jack Ketchum you become privy to the machinations that took place between the two friends and how they matched wits to create a far superior final product in the story renamed Sleep Disorder and credited as written by Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee. The finished story by Ketchum he had titled Good Seeing You was “complete” but Jack was simply not satisfied with his ending to the tale. Lee read the story and informed Ketchum that he could “work with the ending as-is or conceive a new one which would have more kick”. When you read the “collaboration” with Edward Lee it is remarkably more effective and as I said earlier, my personal favorite.
In a second example, we find Ketchum going back to Lee with a long narrative fragment of a story titled Eyes Left . Jack had originally conceived the idea for the horror short with John Skipp’s Mondo Zombie anthology in mind but had contributed another story instead. In any case, Ketchum just could not get a handle on where the story was leading, which is where Edward Lee stepped in and collaborated with Ketchum of the final destination of the story. I loved it and the meeting of their minds made it the chilling read it was always intended to be.
There are noteworthy requests for collaboration which emanated from Edward Lee. I liked the background of when he sent Jack a finished story of his titled I Would Do Anything for You . Ketchum suggested changing the title itself to I’d Give Anything for You and additionally made edits to the narrative. Both Lee’s original story and the results of the collaboration with Ketchum are included for your reading pleasure. Their combined writing talent produced the superior story which was hardly a surprise at that point.
The CONTENTS of this remarkably insightful collaboration between the legendary master of horror Jack Ketchum and the Godfather of Extreme Horror Edward Lee contain a total of five original stories which are products of these two great authors and friends sharing their writing styles and imaginations to make the creative output of both their works better.
• I’d Give Anything for You
• Love Letters from the Rain Forest
• Masks
• Eyes Left
• Sleep Disorder (the title story, written expressly for the collection)
• It also includes two first drafts from each author:
• Good Seeing You (by Jack Ketchum)
• I Would Do Anything for You (by Edward Lee)
It is likely obvious by now that the Afterword by Ketchum earned the awarding of a Five Star Read for me. Editorial Reviews state my sentiments just more eloquently.
A PRICELESS COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES BY TWO HORROR LEGENDS
My Review Five Stars
al·chemy [ˈalkəmi]
(noun) a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
Sleep Disorder was published by Gauntlet Press in 2004. It was a Limited Edition in Hardcover format. It was later released by Crossroad Press in April 2011 with Kindle format available at a cost of less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It was noted that Used hardbacks of the Gauntlet Press run in 2004 begin at $215.00.
This was the first and only collaborative short story collection by the immortal horror legend Jack Ketchum and his friend and an early pioneer of the splatterpunk subgenre Edward Lee. This unique compilation features a total of five original collaborative stories. CONTENTS include Sleep Disorder which is the title story and was written expressly for this special collection. It is my favorite story among the five exceptional short works which comprise their collaborative efforts made over two decades ago.
Frankly I did not immediately grasp the nature of the manner in which this extraordinary story collection was created. The FIRST DRAFT was entitled Good Seeing You by Jack Ketchum and this story is the basis for the Ketchum/Lee collaboration which produced the outstanding horror short renamed Sleep Disorder .
In the Afterword By Jack Ketchum you become privy to the machinations that took place between the two friends and how they matched wits to create a far superior final product in the story renamed Sleep Disorder and credited as written by Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee. The finished story by Ketchum he had titled Good Seeing You was “complete” but Jack was simply not satisfied with his ending to the tale. Lee read the story and informed Ketchum that he could “work with the ending as-is or conceive a new one which would have more kick”. When you read the “collaboration” with Edward Lee it is remarkably more effective and as I said earlier, my personal favorite.
In a second example, we find Ketchum going back to Lee with a long narrative fragment of a story titled Eyes Left . Jack had originally conceived the idea for the horror short with John Skipp’s Mondo Zombie anthology in mind but had contributed another story instead. In any case, Ketchum just could not get a handle on where the story was leading, which is where Edward Lee stepped in and collaborated with Ketchum of the final destination of the story. I loved it and the meeting of their minds made it the chilling read it was always intended to be.
There are noteworthy requests for collaboration which emanated from Edward Lee. I liked the background of when he sent Jack a finished story of his titled I Would Do Anything for You . Ketchum suggested changing the title itself to I’d Give Anything for You and additionally made edits to the narrative. Both Lee’s original story and the results of the collaboration with Ketchum are included for your reading pleasure. Their combined writing talent produced the superior story which was hardly a surprise at that point.
The CONTENTS of this remarkably insightful collaboration between the legendary master of horror Jack Ketchum and the Godfather of Extreme Horror Edward Lee contain a total of five original stories which are products of these two great authors and friends sharing their writing styles and imaginations to make the creative output of both their works better.
• I’d Give Anything for You
• Love Letters from the Rain Forest
• Masks
• Eyes Left
• Sleep Disorder (the title story, written expressly for the collection)
• It also includes two first drafts from each author:
• Good Seeing You (by Jack Ketchum)
• I Would Do Anything for You (by Edward Lee)
It is likely obvious by now that the Afterword by Ketchum earned the awarding of a Five Star Read for me. Editorial Reviews state my sentiments just more eloquently.
Tremendous talent is not even a strong enough word for what has been trapped within these pages. -- Horror-Web.com
Both (Ketchum and Lee) are supremely entertaining... this is a slick effort that brilliantly melds their styles and themes. -- Chi Magazine
A PRICELESS COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES BY TWO HORROR LEGENDS
March 5, 2017
I'd Give Anything For You - Roderic is desperate to show Clare how much he wants her back, so desperate he would give her anything to prove his love. Gory start to collection with a heavy dose of sex thrown in.
Love Letters From the Rain Forest - Great revenge story, a bit slow to get started but nice twist at the end.
Masks - Uninteresting story about a couple that likes to wear masks whilst having sex. Pretty pointless and doesn't go anywhere.
Eyes Left - Three friends spend happy hour checking out woman, identifying the living from the dead in the new world order. Enjoyable story that incorporates different stories around zombies being part of society and has a particularly nasty ending.
Sleep Disorder - A slimy stock broker starts to have problems with his sleep, he's mortified to find out he talks in his sleep. Since he has spent his life screwing people over he is worried about saying anything incriminating. He records himself and plays it back with interesting results.
Good seeing you - a rought draft of Sleep disorder with a different ending.
I would do anything for you - a rought draft of I'd give anything for you which includes more sex if that can be believed.
Enjoyable short story collection that features some very strong woman and some very nasty people get their come uppance in grand style.
Love Letters From the Rain Forest - Great revenge story, a bit slow to get started but nice twist at the end.
Masks - Uninteresting story about a couple that likes to wear masks whilst having sex. Pretty pointless and doesn't go anywhere.
Eyes Left - Three friends spend happy hour checking out woman, identifying the living from the dead in the new world order. Enjoyable story that incorporates different stories around zombies being part of society and has a particularly nasty ending.
Sleep Disorder - A slimy stock broker starts to have problems with his sleep, he's mortified to find out he talks in his sleep. Since he has spent his life screwing people over he is worried about saying anything incriminating. He records himself and plays it back with interesting results.
Good seeing you - a rought draft of Sleep disorder with a different ending.
I would do anything for you - a rought draft of I'd give anything for you which includes more sex if that can be believed.
Enjoyable short story collection that features some very strong woman and some very nasty people get their come uppance in grand style.
December 3, 2024
Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee.
What's not to love?
I especially loved near the end of the book how the collab was explained and how first drafts of certain stories were included. It was really neat seeing how the change of a few words, or a single idea, can really improve a story
What's not to love?
I especially loved near the end of the book how the collab was explained and how first drafts of certain stories were included. It was really neat seeing how the change of a few words, or a single idea, can really improve a story
January 8, 2017
I did like all the stories in this anthology, some more than others. Ketchum and Lee seem to work very well together. I am looking forward to reading more of their work, either together or separately.
February 19, 2020
According to the afterword Ketchum and Lee has a ton of fun writing these stories together. I bet they did although fun isn’t the exact way I would describe it. Sticky maybe, but not fun.
September 3, 2017
This was the second Ed Lee book I've read and the first Jack Ketchum, so though I don't have a lot of experience with both author styles, I will say that the collaboration had some wincing moments but overall was very enjoyable.
I listened to part of it on Audible while on a road trip with the family. That should tell you Ketchum and Lee fans how naive I am to their writing. My wife turned to me from the passenger seat and angrily asked me what the hell was I listening to when the sex scene I thought would be brief turned into an entire story (Story #3). I turned Audible off and read the rest when we got to the hotel. That night, after everyone else was asleep and my wife and I were alone smoking cigarettes on the hotel balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, she secretly admitted that the story I was playing on Audible contained some of the best prose ever, despite the "Sleeping Beauty" and "Shades of Grey" buggery.
And she's right. All the stories in this collection are about love affairs gone wrong, with emphasis on the love and the wrong, which both get equally graffic. But the overall product is quite a fun ride, well-written in a multitude of styles, and genuinely hilarious and horrible.
Considering this is a compilation of each author's unpublished earlier works revisited and consulted upon by each other, I think the book is surprising in the fact that it is overall very tight and satisfying. So probably my favorite part of the book is Ketchum's description of how the collaboration was done in the first place. The final sentence refers to the authors as "just us having fun." And fun it was.
I could not have imagined how anyone could turn such diametrically opposed literary features as pulp, smut, porn, gore, mystery, horror, Victorian gothic, and humor into a cohesive whole. But somehow, these two authors pull it off in this collection. You will at one moment cringe and say, "I shouldn't be reading this--this is retarded," and then say after reading the next line, "but wow, these guys are good!"
I listened to part of it on Audible while on a road trip with the family. That should tell you Ketchum and Lee fans how naive I am to their writing. My wife turned to me from the passenger seat and angrily asked me what the hell was I listening to when the sex scene I thought would be brief turned into an entire story (Story #3). I turned Audible off and read the rest when we got to the hotel. That night, after everyone else was asleep and my wife and I were alone smoking cigarettes on the hotel balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, she secretly admitted that the story I was playing on Audible contained some of the best prose ever, despite the "Sleeping Beauty" and "Shades of Grey" buggery.
And she's right. All the stories in this collection are about love affairs gone wrong, with emphasis on the love and the wrong, which both get equally graffic. But the overall product is quite a fun ride, well-written in a multitude of styles, and genuinely hilarious and horrible.
Considering this is a compilation of each author's unpublished earlier works revisited and consulted upon by each other, I think the book is surprising in the fact that it is overall very tight and satisfying. So probably my favorite part of the book is Ketchum's description of how the collaboration was done in the first place. The final sentence refers to the authors as "just us having fun." And fun it was.
I could not have imagined how anyone could turn such diametrically opposed literary features as pulp, smut, porn, gore, mystery, horror, Victorian gothic, and humor into a cohesive whole. But somehow, these two authors pull it off in this collection. You will at one moment cringe and say, "I shouldn't be reading this--this is retarded," and then say after reading the next line, "but wow, these guys are good!"
June 26, 2016
I honestly liked this book because it is not as graphic and disturbing as Edward Lee's usual pieces.
June 8, 2023
Sleep Disorder.- Jack Ketchum & Edward Lee
"The masks separate the chaff from the real seeds of the soul. But what they forget, and what we know, is that all they're doing is tapping into a kind of vestigial power based on a much, much earlier magic. When the powers that the masks invoke weren't just psychological. They were far-reaching. Cosmic, limitless, without parameter."
Dos especialistas del lado oscuro humano. Dos autores sumergidos en el terror más visceral. Dos mentes del horror trabajando en conjunto para shockearnos con sus creaciones. Cinco cuentos escritos a cuatro garras.
Sleep Disorder es una antología que consta de cinco relatos escritos en conjunto entre Jack Ketchum y Edward Lee y en la edición digital aquí comentada incluye también los borradores de dos de las historias incluidas. Los cuentos incluidos son:
*I'd Give Anything To You:
¿A qué extremos puede llegar alguien para ser amado?
*Love Letters From The Rain Forest: amor, hongos, muerte y venganza.
*Masks: una pareja tiene revelaciones ancestrales al colocarse cada uno una máscara en la intimidad de su habitación.
*Eyes Left: los zombis conviven en la sociedad. Dos amigos son seducidos por una No Muerta en un bar ¿ que puede salir mal?
*Sleep Disorder: un hombre mientras duerme realiza actos que no recuerda al despertar.
Quién haya leído alguna vez a los autores de la antología pueden tener una idea bastante aproximada de lo que pueden encontrar acá. En estos relatos (algunos mejores otros peores, pero disfrutables todos) no hay economía de descripciones sangrientas y violentas, aunque tampoco exageran en poblar la totalidad de los relatos con ellas. De todas formas siempre vale la pena aclarar: gente impresionable y peques, abstenerse…
🤘🤘🤘
"The masks separate the chaff from the real seeds of the soul. But what they forget, and what we know, is that all they're doing is tapping into a kind of vestigial power based on a much, much earlier magic. When the powers that the masks invoke weren't just psychological. They were far-reaching. Cosmic, limitless, without parameter."
Dos especialistas del lado oscuro humano. Dos autores sumergidos en el terror más visceral. Dos mentes del horror trabajando en conjunto para shockearnos con sus creaciones. Cinco cuentos escritos a cuatro garras.
Sleep Disorder es una antología que consta de cinco relatos escritos en conjunto entre Jack Ketchum y Edward Lee y en la edición digital aquí comentada incluye también los borradores de dos de las historias incluidas. Los cuentos incluidos son:
*I'd Give Anything To You:
¿A qué extremos puede llegar alguien para ser amado?
*Love Letters From The Rain Forest: amor, hongos, muerte y venganza.
*Masks: una pareja tiene revelaciones ancestrales al colocarse cada uno una máscara en la intimidad de su habitación.
*Eyes Left: los zombis conviven en la sociedad. Dos amigos son seducidos por una No Muerta en un bar ¿ que puede salir mal?
*Sleep Disorder: un hombre mientras duerme realiza actos que no recuerda al despertar.
Quién haya leído alguna vez a los autores de la antología pueden tener una idea bastante aproximada de lo que pueden encontrar acá. En estos relatos (algunos mejores otros peores, pero disfrutables todos) no hay economía de descripciones sangrientas y violentas, aunque tampoco exageran en poblar la totalidad de los relatos con ellas. De todas formas siempre vale la pena aclarar: gente impresionable y peques, abstenerse…
🤘🤘🤘
September 16, 2025
This is a short story collection I really enjoyed both stories very much but the one that stood out to me was . Love letter from the rain forest - a rich man loves a girl who doesn’t love him back. When he is in the rainforest looking for new plants and such he comes across a new mushroom breed, when he touches it it infects him. Claira, the love of his life isn’t interested anymore and is excited to hear of his death in the rainforest, until she receives his last letter.
All and all this collection was phenomenal I really enjoyed Jack Ketchums writing this is the first that I have read from him so far and I am excited to check out more from him! Edward lee absolutely crushed it as usual and I really enjoyed reading something these two made together!
All and all this collection was phenomenal I really enjoyed Jack Ketchums writing this is the first that I have read from him so far and I am excited to check out more from him! Edward lee absolutely crushed it as usual and I really enjoyed reading something these two made together!
July 5, 2011
The title story was pretty solid, everything else was fair to bad. I've got a lot more experience with Ketchum (primarily positive) than with Lee, so I don't know if it was a problem with the collaboration in general, or these stories in particular, but it wasn't a strong collection.
And maybe it's just because I'm coming directly from reading a Christopher Bram novel, who is one of the best writers of sex (and an all-around amazing writer in general), but the sexuality in these stories felt like it was written by a 12-year-old. I don't remember that from Ketchum's other work, and from looking at the drafts (and the afterword) at the back of this collection, it looks like Lee is the culprit.
I don't know where to point you for great Lee work, but if you're looking for some of Ketchum's best stories, check out "Peaceable Kingdom".
And maybe it's just because I'm coming directly from reading a Christopher Bram novel, who is one of the best writers of sex (and an all-around amazing writer in general), but the sexuality in these stories felt like it was written by a 12-year-old. I don't remember that from Ketchum's other work, and from looking at the drafts (and the afterword) at the back of this collection, it looks like Lee is the culprit.
I don't know where to point you for great Lee work, but if you're looking for some of Ketchum's best stories, check out "Peaceable Kingdom".
November 1, 2018
Nice collection of short stories. I could tell just by the writing style and type of gore content that “I would give anything for you” was written by Edward Lee. I preferred his style compared to Jack Ketchum’s.
So this was the 2nd best story in that book. I think the best goes to the story where the dead are living. Honestly this was a good idea and could have been explored further and more in depth as a stand-alone novel.
I really do not understand the story with the masks. What on earth is that ending about?
The climax and ending was blended so homogeneously and to not fail that you have to write legibly. Just my 2 cents worth. I finished that story feeling frustrated.
So this was the 2nd best story in that book. I think the best goes to the story where the dead are living. Honestly this was a good idea and could have been explored further and more in depth as a stand-alone novel.
I really do not understand the story with the masks. What on earth is that ending about?
The climax and ending was blended so homogeneously and to not fail that you have to write legibly. Just my 2 cents worth. I finished that story feeling frustrated.
November 19, 2021
Cant say i really liked the stories. I like one of them i think but the rest was eaither not to my taste or just full speed ahead. I would have liked some up and downs to create more tension and build ups. I get its hard with shorter stories but they just didnt work for me.
September 13, 2012
I'd Give Anything for You - This first short story in the collection is a great start. Loser guy, sexually insatiable girl. Grisly finale. Classic Ketchum.
Love Letters from the Rain Forest - Very similar to the first. Some might say too similar. Nerdy guy, sexually insatiable girl. Great ending. I love Ketchum's stories where every character is morally absent!
Masks - After two good stories this one was a real dud. Just about two people having sex with masks on. Yawn.
Eyes Left - An excellent take on the zombie apocalypse. Definitely unique, disgusting, depraved, and awesome!
Sleep Disorder - I just realized that all of these stories contain very strong female leads. This story is another great one. A man talks is in sleep and is also a scumbag. Both end of working to his discredit. Not as gross or as sexual as a typical Ketchum/Lee tale but very good.
Good Seeing You - This is the first draft of "Sleep Disorder" written by Ketchum alone. Ketchum builds the premise just as it appears in the real story but the climax is completely different. I would say this version is not nearly as good. Interesting to see the progression though.
I Would Do Anything For You - This is Lee's first draft of the story "I'd Give Anything for You". As expected this contains a lot more completely unbelievable sex than the final story. Other than that it sticks pretty closely to the final draft. Bonus points for using the word "peckersnot".
Love Letters from the Rain Forest - Very similar to the first. Some might say too similar. Nerdy guy, sexually insatiable girl. Great ending. I love Ketchum's stories where every character is morally absent!
Masks - After two good stories this one was a real dud. Just about two people having sex with masks on. Yawn.
Eyes Left - An excellent take on the zombie apocalypse. Definitely unique, disgusting, depraved, and awesome!
Sleep Disorder - I just realized that all of these stories contain very strong female leads. This story is another great one. A man talks is in sleep and is also a scumbag. Both end of working to his discredit. Not as gross or as sexual as a typical Ketchum/Lee tale but very good.
Good Seeing You - This is the first draft of "Sleep Disorder" written by Ketchum alone. Ketchum builds the premise just as it appears in the real story but the climax is completely different. I would say this version is not nearly as good. Interesting to see the progression though.
I Would Do Anything For You - This is Lee's first draft of the story "I'd Give Anything for You". As expected this contains a lot more completely unbelievable sex than the final story. Other than that it sticks pretty closely to the final draft. Bonus points for using the word "peckersnot".
February 21, 2017
Story #1 - This story highlights the extreme consequences of dumping a momma's boy. The explicit sex does not come without humor. I had to chuckle when the main character said she was wearing her fling's balls like sunglasses...
Story #2 - Another breakup with a man with money who can't take a hint, an overly romantic sad-sap. Amused to see a Clockwork Orange slang word is used in this one. Terrifying biological conclusion.
Story #3 - Not too sure what's going on here. Animalistic sex in masks.
Story #4 - Mammiferous (I've learned a new word today). The dead are among the living in this one, and I guess dead lives matter. I'll refrain from using the Z-word. The lesson? If you're willing to bang the dead, you cannot discriminate.
Story #5 - "I hear the secrets that you keep when you're talking in your sleep"
There are a few quips that are used across all stories. Big dick and explicit sex are also a recurring theme.
Story #2 - Another breakup with a man with money who can't take a hint, an overly romantic sad-sap. Amused to see a Clockwork Orange slang word is used in this one. Terrifying biological conclusion.
Story #3 - Not too sure what's going on here. Animalistic sex in masks.
Story #4 - Mammiferous (I've learned a new word today). The dead are among the living in this one, and I guess dead lives matter. I'll refrain from using the Z-word. The lesson? If you're willing to bang the dead, you cannot discriminate.
Story #5 - "I hear the secrets that you keep when you're talking in your sleep"
There are a few quips that are used across all stories. Big dick and explicit sex are also a recurring theme.
August 24, 2013
A mediocre selection of stories redeemed by some really great prose. None of the five tales in this collection is particularly memorable or ambitious, but they are all fun, which, according to Ketchum's Afterword, was all the authors were really shooting for. (The Afterword, by the way, is one of the highlights of this book, revealing who contributed what to each story.) I'd probably have awarded this collection an extra star had the authors dialed down the sex a bit. I know this is "extreme fiction," but jeez. There's stuff in the first couple stories that would make the editors of PENTHOUSE blush.
September 25, 2013
I enjoyed it but I barely remember the horror since it was secondary to the graphic sex which is the main theme of the stories. This was my first read of Edward Lee. I apparently have led a sheltered life and don't travel in Edward's circles, but it was enlightening.
December 2, 2012
Rather boring.
August 26, 2025
I'm not really a fan of Edward Lee's writing style, but I enjoyed Jack Ketchum's contributions, as always.
July 22, 2022
I'd Give Anything for You
Love Letters from the Rain Forest
and Sleep Disorder were all really good shorts. I enjoyed them in their complete form, and you can feel how the collaboration makes sense.
Eyes Left was easily my favorite story in this book. Apparently it was originally going to be for Skipp and Spector's Zombie anthologies (which makes complete sense) and I kinda wish it was in there, but I'm just glad the story got collected. It's really fun and an interesting concept. This story by itself is a five star for me.
The Mask...I might have to read again. It just wasn't doing anything for me. I realize it was trying to point to a lot of symbols to pick up on more information, but I may not have been in the right headspace, so it just felt like a throwaway.
The Last two stories are just the original concepts for I'd Give Anything for You and Sleep Disorder. It's interesting to see how they changed with the collaboration, but I mostly skimmed through them because they weren't that different. Sleep Disorder had a bit of a different ending though.
Solid overall collaboration from two guys I've come to respect.
Love Letters from the Rain Forest
and Sleep Disorder were all really good shorts. I enjoyed them in their complete form, and you can feel how the collaboration makes sense.
Eyes Left was easily my favorite story in this book. Apparently it was originally going to be for Skipp and Spector's Zombie anthologies (which makes complete sense) and I kinda wish it was in there, but I'm just glad the story got collected. It's really fun and an interesting concept. This story by itself is a five star for me.
The Mask...I might have to read again. It just wasn't doing anything for me. I realize it was trying to point to a lot of symbols to pick up on more information, but I may not have been in the right headspace, so it just felt like a throwaway.
The Last two stories are just the original concepts for I'd Give Anything for You and Sleep Disorder. It's interesting to see how they changed with the collaboration, but I mostly skimmed through them because they weren't that different. Sleep Disorder had a bit of a different ending though.
Solid overall collaboration from two guys I've come to respect.
February 20, 2025
2.5/5
This short collaborative collection between Ketchum and Lee was a long time coming when it arrived more than 20 years ago. And I’m kinda disappointed in the results.
Each author writes very differently, and I felt those differences were quite obvious, sometimes jarringly so, when reading individual stories. It was generally very clear which author was responsible for specific sentences/paragraphs. There wasn’t a real melding of the styles, which I found rather grating.
And although I’m a huge fan of Lee, and to a slightly lesser extent, Ketchum, I vastly preferred the obviously written Ketchum pieces/portions. The title story was the standout and the rest just fairly common splatter.
This short collaborative collection between Ketchum and Lee was a long time coming when it arrived more than 20 years ago. And I’m kinda disappointed in the results.
Each author writes very differently, and I felt those differences were quite obvious, sometimes jarringly so, when reading individual stories. It was generally very clear which author was responsible for specific sentences/paragraphs. There wasn’t a real melding of the styles, which I found rather grating.
And although I’m a huge fan of Lee, and to a slightly lesser extent, Ketchum, I vastly preferred the obviously written Ketchum pieces/portions. The title story was the standout and the rest just fairly common splatter.
July 29, 2022
A very enjoyable collection of short stories that were, for me, very reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt which was a staple in my childhood. They all had a little twist in their conclusions.
Jack and Ed work well together as can be seen in the story Sleep Disorder. The ending is much better after they collaborated. I like the fact that they include drafts to really illustrate that these stories were better with both working on them.
This is my first read by either Jack Ketchum or Ed Lee and I'm very excited to read more by both of them.
Jack and Ed work well together as can be seen in the story Sleep Disorder. The ending is much better after they collaborated. I like the fact that they include drafts to really illustrate that these stories were better with both working on them.
This is my first read by either Jack Ketchum or Ed Lee and I'm very excited to read more by both of them.
February 15, 2022
While I’m a fan of both authors, and also a fan of extreme horror, this collection somewhat underwhelmed me. The farther I got into the stories, the more repetitive and…gasp…boring they became. That is not to say they aren’t good stories, or poorly written, but perhaps this might be better ingested by putting a few days between reading each story.
Fans of Lee, Ketchum and extreme horror will absolutely enjoy this one.
Fans of Lee, Ketchum and extreme horror will absolutely enjoy this one.
March 21, 2017
This was interesting in the aspect that it was, admittedly, written just for fun. Lee is mostly great in his own writing, so is Jack. I think they ended up taking away the most interesting parts of each other's writing when collaborating. Jack captures emotion and Edward makes you squirm. Together it turned the extreme emotion and extreme violence into something kind of bland. This is good for hardcore horror writers to read though. It had the originals of each story and the finished product after the collaboration. You get to see where each author made changes. Interesting but not their best work.
January 1, 2022
I was expecting horror, but this delivered only badly written and tedious sex stories. (I can't even call it erotica.) I couldn't finish it, but what I read did not leave me scared OR horny--only bored.
October 23, 2024
Being an anthology from these two masters of extreme horror, may bar was too high. Ketchum streamlines some of the most off-puting content by Lee, and the latter freshens out new perspectives for the former. The collabs are a good mix of them, very testosteronic and hypersexually charged.
January 20, 2020
I'd give anything for you 4/5
February 5, 2020
Collaboration of short stories from two of the best
I enjoyed this but was expecting more gore
Well narrated and worth checking out
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
I enjoyed this but was expecting more gore
Well narrated and worth checking out
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
May 22, 2021
A rather pedestrian and predictable set of short horror stories.
March 3, 2023
Not a fan of Edward Lee
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