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City Infernal #4
Lucifer's Lottery
Just before he's about to enter a seminary, a young man learns he's the winner of Lucifer's Lottery, a lottery held ever 666 years, in which the winner receives eternal youth and wealth and a personal tour of Hell.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2010
54 people are currently reading
785 people want to read
About the author
Edward Lee
267 books1,450 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
March 27, 2015
Not my favorite by a long shot. I actually read the ARC of this one. Very much what I expected, but so much so that I skimmed a lot just to get to the ending and see if there was anything redeeming there.
Obviously, I was not impressed.
Obviously, I was not impressed.
July 8, 2013
Brainycat's 5 "B"s:
boobs: 3
blood: 5
bombs: 4
bondage: 2
blasphemy: 5
I liked this book enough to finish it, but it's not Edward Lee's best. The book follows Mr. Lee's formula impeccably: an introductory vignette, then a series of unrelated plotlines that are clearly headed for a calamitous finale that unfolds with predictable and horrific results.
Unlike his other stories, though, Lucifer's Lottery doesn't "gel" effectively. The disparate plotlines are interesting enough in their own ways, but the way they intersect seems forced - it's like the ending was written first, and the rest of the story was forced to fit it.
I had very high hopes for Mr. Lee's description of the goings-on in Hell, but it came across as a bit theatrical and even tawdry. For example, a bridge made of living humans that cars drive across - the humans are screaming, but a few words about the agony they experience lashed together and crushed under tires for an eternity would have been a good counterpoint to the civilized conversation happening in the car. Each page missed opportunities to heighten the agony and despair stemming from the grotesque perversions; the writing is especially sensual (vision, smell, etc) but the punishments meted out wholescale are experienced so abstractly by the protagonist I didn't get any sense of horror or revulsion. It feels like Mr. Lee was trying too hard to describe the scale of Hell, at the expense of the experience of Hell.
If you like stories about temptation and paranormal horror involving the Christian mythos with a triple helping of gore and violence, this could be a good introduction to Edward Lee's corpus. However, if you're a longtime fan of Lee (especially his Appalachia series) you'll probably read this book just to complete the canon.
boobs: 3
blood: 5
bombs: 4
bondage: 2
blasphemy: 5
I liked this book enough to finish it, but it's not Edward Lee's best. The book follows Mr. Lee's formula impeccably: an introductory vignette, then a series of unrelated plotlines that are clearly headed for a calamitous finale that unfolds with predictable and horrific results.
Unlike his other stories, though, Lucifer's Lottery doesn't "gel" effectively. The disparate plotlines are interesting enough in their own ways, but the way they intersect seems forced - it's like the ending was written first, and the rest of the story was forced to fit it.
I had very high hopes for Mr. Lee's description of the goings-on in Hell, but it came across as a bit theatrical and even tawdry. For example, a bridge made of living humans that cars drive across - the humans are screaming, but a few words about the agony they experience lashed together and crushed under tires for an eternity would have been a good counterpoint to the civilized conversation happening in the car. Each page missed opportunities to heighten the agony and despair stemming from the grotesque perversions; the writing is especially sensual (vision, smell, etc) but the punishments meted out wholescale are experienced so abstractly by the protagonist I didn't get any sense of horror or revulsion. It feels like Mr. Lee was trying too hard to describe the scale of Hell, at the expense of the experience of Hell.
If you like stories about temptation and paranormal horror involving the Christian mythos with a triple helping of gore and violence, this could be a good introduction to Edward Lee's corpus. However, if you're a longtime fan of Lee (especially his Appalachia series) you'll probably read this book just to complete the canon.
January 27, 2022
This was ok. I really enjoyed the first 3 books in the Infernal series, so rating this 3 stars was rough. I love Edward Lee, but this was a miss for me.
September 12, 2025
Bonusstern für Kreativität
January 23, 2011
The only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one is because I happen to like Edward Lee's Infernal series. However, this latest addition didn't live up to my expectations.
The premise was good enough - a young man on his way to becoming a priest finds out he wins hell's "lottery" and gets a tour of hell. Sounds great. But for me there were too many plots and too many characters that got in the way of the original storyline. Also, it seems like more thought was put into ways to gross the reader out than into the actual story itself. I agreed with the "tour guide" in that the profanity was over the top and unbelieveable for the main character.
An unsatisfying read that I found myself skimming over to get to the end.
The premise was good enough - a young man on his way to becoming a priest finds out he wins hell's "lottery" and gets a tour of hell. Sounds great. But for me there were too many plots and too many characters that got in the way of the original storyline. Also, it seems like more thought was put into ways to gross the reader out than into the actual story itself. I agreed with the "tour guide" in that the profanity was over the top and unbelieveable for the main character.
An unsatisfying read that I found myself skimming over to get to the end.
June 3, 2018
Edward Lee sets the stage for a one way ticket into the construction and royalty of Satan and all the minions that dwell in the fiery underground confinements of everyday living, in which the reader is forced to roam the everyday macabre vices of hell. Lee once again captures the readers curiosity of morbid decadence and spins his usual web of “can’t look away” mentality into words that form a disgusting mental picture of a prioritized evil mission.
June 6, 2011
A what's what of hell and what you see and can do when you get there or are tricked there. Not my favorite Lee. Perversity and degradation are included~
July 19, 2020
I read this to finish off the series, the first book was the best and it slowly went down hill from there this one well didn’t impress me two stars
June 28, 2011
Lucifer’s Lottery was a fun read but, even though I’m sure it is supposed to be, is nothing special as far as horror fiction goes. The main character’s name is Hudson Hudson (not making it up) and he is a soon-to-be priest who is chosen by “Lucifer’s Lottery” to live in Hell in the highest class, not including Lucifer himself. It is an intriguing story and Edward Lee writes it very well, but as with the Bighead and many of his other novels, the violence and grossness is so over the top that it really isn’t even horror for me. I laughed countless times while reading about all of the brutal things that take place in Lee’s version of Hell. Even in the prologue (in which a character named Slydes from another, better Lee novel is sent to hell) men shit out their dicks, pregnant women give girth out their mouths, pregnant men give birth to demonic creatures out of their asses and so on and so on.
It is a fun read and I was glad to revisit the city from City Infernal, but I just can’t give this more than three stars. I only mildly enjoyed it but I am glad I read it anyway.
It is a fun read and I was glad to revisit the city from City Infernal, but I just can’t give this more than three stars. I only mildly enjoyed it but I am glad I read it anyway.
May 5, 2022
This one was pretty cool, very imaginative. Not as gross as some of Lee's books are, this one deals with more of a moral fibre theme...
What would you do if you were offered literally everything you ever wanted in the afterlife? All you have to do is sell your soul to the Devil. This question is posed to a very religious fellow, one about to enter the seminary but there is conflict and discord within him.... the Infernal lottery he has won will set him up lavishly for his remaining years on Earth and forever in Hell, once he dies. Castles, women, family money, everything he wants...forever.
His illustrious host is none other than H.P Lovecraft, who takes him on a tour of Hell, and attempts to sway him into forsaking God and joining Satan's League. I have to say I really enjoyed this book, the descriptions of Hell were absolutely what you might think they would be, if you believe in such things. Even if you don't, this is a unique tale on the sins of the flesh... Galatians 5:19-21.
What would you do if you were offered literally everything you ever wanted in the afterlife? All you have to do is sell your soul to the Devil. This question is posed to a very religious fellow, one about to enter the seminary but there is conflict and discord within him.... the Infernal lottery he has won will set him up lavishly for his remaining years on Earth and forever in Hell, once he dies. Castles, women, family money, everything he wants...forever.
His illustrious host is none other than H.P Lovecraft, who takes him on a tour of Hell, and attempts to sway him into forsaking God and joining Satan's League. I have to say I really enjoyed this book, the descriptions of Hell were absolutely what you might think they would be, if you believe in such things. Even if you don't, this is a unique tale on the sins of the flesh... Galatians 5:19-21.
July 1, 2016
the book was great. Edward really knows how to make a girl gag hahaha. his description of hell truly amazes me. He continues to find ways to make things horribly disgusting and exciting and that quality of his has got me stuck on to him like a cannibal to a meaty fresh corpse. The protagonist's life was depressing like horribly depressing hahahahaaha sooo the lesson learned is never trust the prince of lies!
September 11, 2015
The only reason why I read this was because I was bored and my boyfriend didn't have any other books on is iPad. It was disturbing. Like, puke your heart out disturbing but lucky for me I love that stuff. I didn't like the plot or the characters but the gore was entertaining enough to keep me interested. But this book isn't for the faint of heart.
March 12, 2012
Wow! What an imagination Edward Lee has. There's an interesting story line in the first place--will the young man choose God and the seminary, or become a big shot in Hell, but the picture Edward paints of Hell and it's many and varied 'citizens' is really great. Very interesting book.
December 27, 2012
Hudson Hudson is about to enter the seminar in a few days. Hudson is told by the Deaconess Wilson that he has won the Senary. This only happens once every 666 years. All Hudson has to do is take a tour of Hell and then make up his mind whether to accept or decline the Lottery.
August 25, 2023
Edward Lee is an author I admire so much that I've now read 30 of his contributions to fiction, a few novellas here and there, and a ton of novels. He isn't for everyone since his novels can be incredibly graphic and violent with a very dark and crude sense of humor. But there is intelligence there all the same which allows for some really creative and fascinating stories.
Theology student Hudson Hudson (yes seriously) is hoping to become a priest but shortly before being sent off to a seminary, he wins the lottery. But not just any lottery - Satan's lottery. Soon he is to take a tour into hell led by the controversial and famous author of the macabre - H.P Lovecraft. But there's a whole lot going on in Hell and it seems that Satan has another plan to invade the Earth...
Lucifer's Lottery I feel is often regarded as the weakest link in Edward Lee's Infernal series and just having finished it, I can understand why. It's still a really solid story, but it's very laid back I feel when compared to the prior novels in this series. It's a tale about a priest with the most powerful sense of faith possibly succumbing to Satan's trickery. The characters here are fun, the story is disturbing yet absolutely funny at times as well and the ending is really solid.
What I didn't like so much is a certain couple of scenes to do with a subplot that eventually becomes significantly important to the story. After trying to off himself Gerold is sent out to get sectioned in a mental health ward, after struggling from the fact he lost his legs during a war. Now the reason I have an issue with this is that all the characters who are meant to be caring and understanding in their profession at a mental health ward are a bunch of dicks who essentially gaslight and belittle him despite his obvious struggles. I don't know if this is an attempt to mock how corrupt and unsafe the psychiatric system has been turned into, but the way it was handled felt very insensitive and as someone who was a psychiatric patient, it didn't sit well with me.
Overall: A really solid novel, but not anything special when you compare it to the other three installments prior. Still a fun read with a good cast of characters and a great ending. 8/10
Theology student Hudson Hudson (yes seriously) is hoping to become a priest but shortly before being sent off to a seminary, he wins the lottery. But not just any lottery - Satan's lottery. Soon he is to take a tour into hell led by the controversial and famous author of the macabre - H.P Lovecraft. But there's a whole lot going on in Hell and it seems that Satan has another plan to invade the Earth...
Lucifer's Lottery I feel is often regarded as the weakest link in Edward Lee's Infernal series and just having finished it, I can understand why. It's still a really solid story, but it's very laid back I feel when compared to the prior novels in this series. It's a tale about a priest with the most powerful sense of faith possibly succumbing to Satan's trickery. The characters here are fun, the story is disturbing yet absolutely funny at times as well and the ending is really solid.
What I didn't like so much is a certain couple of scenes to do with a subplot that eventually becomes significantly important to the story. After trying to off himself Gerold is sent out to get sectioned in a mental health ward, after struggling from the fact he lost his legs during a war. Now the reason I have an issue with this is that all the characters who are meant to be caring and understanding in their profession at a mental health ward are a bunch of dicks who essentially gaslight and belittle him despite his obvious struggles. I don't know if this is an attempt to mock how corrupt and unsafe the psychiatric system has been turned into, but the way it was handled felt very insensitive and as someone who was a psychiatric patient, it didn't sit well with me.
Overall: A really solid novel, but not anything special when you compare it to the other three installments prior. Still a fun read with a good cast of characters and a great ending. 8/10
July 18, 2018
This is the only book in the series that I rated a 5. Maybe because before reading this I have had to painstakeningly sit through Jack Ketchum's Ladies Night.
It was nice to read about references to the previous installments for sure. I love the way the author spins out characters of hell with vivid illustration. I love reading about the different horrors of hell. Most of all, I love how the story kept close to the true nature of evil, where a seemingly reliable contract made with the devil was just another bunch of lies. The prank played on Hudson was wonderfully concepted; allowing him to believe at first his immunity against harm only to die minutes later by such a trivial reason. I enjoyed that little cruel twist.
However I am unconvinced of Hudson's easy temptation to the senary rewards. In his shoes, I would not have accepted it. Maybe a more believable approach would be him accepting to prevent the awful fates of his family and friends in hell.
Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed this book and really hope that there will be a next installment!
It was nice to read about references to the previous installments for sure. I love the way the author spins out characters of hell with vivid illustration. I love reading about the different horrors of hell. Most of all, I love how the story kept close to the true nature of evil, where a seemingly reliable contract made with the devil was just another bunch of lies. The prank played on Hudson was wonderfully concepted; allowing him to believe at first his immunity against harm only to die minutes later by such a trivial reason. I enjoyed that little cruel twist.
However I am unconvinced of Hudson's easy temptation to the senary rewards. In his shoes, I would not have accepted it. Maybe a more believable approach would be him accepting to prevent the awful fates of his family and friends in hell.
Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed this book and really hope that there will be a next installment!
August 3, 2020
This is the second time I’ve read this book. I loved the tour of Hell. Although I read Infernal Angel, Infernal City, and House Infernal- I still found the tour of Hell to be interesting. Edward Lee’s vision of Hell as a city is exactly what I would imagine Hell to be like. I would imagine it being full of violence, perversities, blasphemies, and unimaginable torture. The Infernal series is still my fave of all time, but I def enjoyed this book enough to read it for a second time now. I would def love for Edward Lee to write more books about Hell. A little surprised that some of the others reviewed it so low.
November 14, 2022
A lot of funny phrases that made it relatively enjoyable but ultimately, it’s just not a good book. It should have described more of the gross horror rather than the sci-fi elements of Hell. I ended up skimming the B-plot (that was kind of the main plot?) because Satan’s minions are boring as hell. And for a book with such an absurd amount of nude women, there is almost no descriptive sex. Lack of book sex isn’t something I would usually list as a negative quality, but there was a certain expectation that wasn’t met here. The book was not as horrific as advertised.
October 4, 2018
Meh... I was really hoping or more from the book but it was a little disappointing just because I did have high hopes for it.
Found one ( one of the many side story lines) to be left unfinished, in my opinion.
One the positive note the descriptions of hell was very... descriptive. I had to put the book down a few times just to grasp the full picture that the author was painting .
For that reason I would say give the book a read.
Found one ( one of the many side story lines) to be left unfinished, in my opinion.
One the positive note the descriptions of hell was very... descriptive. I had to put the book down a few times just to grasp the full picture that the author was painting .
For that reason I would say give the book a read.
December 30, 2020
Enthralling
This is truly a book that has you captivated and enthralled. The more you read the more you are immersed into the world of lucifer. This book is so descriptive that everything else around you disappears. The imagination of the author is unbelievable as you can incision each and every character and place in the book. And there are some truly disturbing and grotesque places in hell as well as the characters. All this wrapped together with an amazing storyline, you can't ask for much more. Well worth every penny and I would definitely recommend.
This is truly a book that has you captivated and enthralled. The more you read the more you are immersed into the world of lucifer. This book is so descriptive that everything else around you disappears. The imagination of the author is unbelievable as you can incision each and every character and place in the book. And there are some truly disturbing and grotesque places in hell as well as the characters. All this wrapped together with an amazing storyline, you can't ask for much more. Well worth every penny and I would definitely recommend.
February 23, 2019
Certainly an interesting concept- would one willingly give up salvation to be among the ruling class of hell, with abundant graphic details that is the trademark of Ed Lee's style. However, the character development is rushed and the ending predictable. Still enjoyable and recommendable, if you like Lee's style.
March 30, 2018
This is a pure escapest literature. Gore and deamons and raunchy sex...may I introduce you toe Edward Lee. This one took a more lighthearted tone than some of hisi other works e.g. Big Head. Read at your own risk.
July 3, 2019
Too much profanity and details which distracts from the main storyline. I couldn't finish the book although the idea of the story seemed rather interesting. I would love to find out what happened but I just didn't have the patience to read through all that dialogue and profanities to find out.
February 1, 2020
Another great from Edward Lee. It's some twisted stuff but honestly, it all feels humorous to me as it's so over the top. Somewhat predictable in angles and a bit of the 'tour' of Hell did annoy me in places. But it was a solid addition to Lee's stories in this series.
May 14, 2020
So much of the content of these books is just a repeat. He feels the need to explain Hell the same way over and over again. I'd like to say it's only between books but it's not. Sometimes it is even from one chapter to the next. It gets old and dull rather quickly.
February 7, 2019
hack writer, don't even bother with this cunt he sucks dirty hairy Taliban balls
February 25, 2019
An amazingly vulgar trip through Hell. Essential reading!☠️
November 27, 2019
couldn't have cared less about any of the characters or what lucifer's up to.
March 16, 2020
This was definitely just a time killer.. I only finished this series because I had already started it.. the first 2 books were really decent.. these last 2 were bland
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews