INCUBI [1991] By Edward Lee
My Review 5.0 Stars
“Good and evil weren’t opposites—they were the same, they were twins. Horror was as much a monarch as God.”
I started this novel on Christmas Day and finished it after the New Year rolled in. It was an outstanding read from some say the “Master of Horror”. It could be said that I can remember reading mythology when I was in grade school. I believe it was a subliminal prompt while I was thinking about which Edward Lee books I wanted to read in the near future. This novel was penned in 1991, a year prior to SUCCUBI (1992). I bought the edition published by Crossroad Press October 23, 2022.
The reviews were good based upon Amazon’s small sample size of only 40 ratings. Three-fourths of these readers rated the book 4 or 5 Stars. Obviously, these book readers knew whose work they were buying. Conversely, Goodreads provided nearly 300 ratings, and the novel averaged 3.6 Stars. I would love to see a renaissance at Goodreads that would encourage the current generation to read his works for they are memorable and/or outstanding in many instances.
TRIGGER WARNING: “Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.”
Many if not most readers know that this is an old book. A censored version of the novel was originally published by Berkley/Diamond in 1991. However, Necro Publications stepped up to the plate and published Ed Lee’s original story for the first time. The uncut edition printed by Necro was not altruistic from the way I read it. Necro saw at the time that there had been a virtual explosion of explicit gore, sex, and violence in the splatterpunk explosion that was all the rage at that time. It struck me as both fortuitous that Ed Lee was going to be able to surf that wave, but it was also a disappointing affair in my opinion. Why? Because one review I read stated that it was impossible to pick a horror novel that did not contain “30% gratuitous crap”.
This was my fourth Ed Lee novel, and I have not read any “gratuitous crap” tossed in for a quick thrill. The reason is because Edward Lee is more than a competent, intelligent, and imaginative author who can write beautiful prose as well as he can pen the most visceral and penetrative horrors inflicted on the human body I have ever read. His vivid imaginary in this particular novel is unrivaled in my experience. It is so vivid and visceral that the reader can almost feel the horror as well as see the imagery in three dimensions.
The prose in this one is tight, dialogue is realistic and interesting, and at times I simply could not put the book down. The pace was alive with electricity, and it was perfectly paced so that you moved along from one interesting development to another. I will be honest and state for the record that before I read “Portrait of a Psychopath as a Young Woman” I was unaware of just how talented an author Edward Lee happened to be. This was reaffirmed with this novel and “Succubi” which I read prior to this second novel which also explores mythology.
I believe that the genre designation for this book is Occult Horror, but it impressed me as more of a police procedural, albeit quite an unorthodox case. I might add that I read the unabridged novel, which was published by Crossroad Press in the Fall of 2022. I love a really good police procedural, and this novel met that niche in spades but with a great deal more to offer with the occult nexus and the ritualistic horror of the cases.
Police Captain Jack Cordesman is a sincere, honest guy, but at least initially more pitiable than likeable. There was a long period of time whereby the “good guys” (usually cops) were alcoholics, drug addicts, pill poppers, and were carrying around guilt from past professional mistakes, still mourning dead lovers, wives, or husbands ad infinitum. It is difficult to like a main protagonist who is carrying more than his own body weight in emotional baggage. But oddly, Jack got to me and I started to like his bad jokes and black humor.
Jack is a very savvy detective when he isn’t emotionally debilitated, and he is ready to propose to his girlfriend. That is sweet, but she is ready to dump him. Veronia is an artist, and she is breaking into the big time with no time for the likes of mopey Jack. She needs “experience”. Lucky Veronica meets an enthralling European named Khoronos at her art opening. He is simply magnificent to see, hear, or touch, and exudes charisma like a fine sensual and seductive cologne. She experiences a “meltdown” the first time she encounters him. He invites her to a private retreat which he hosts every year with a few promising artists. She and her best friend are truly sexcited and salivating to go.
There is a ritualistic murder right out of the gate. It was superbly done, and the trained investigative team of specialists are so professional and true to what they do that it is like being right there with them at the scene.
Enough about the plot, I think. Simply stated, this Ed Lee occult horror thriller was steeped in the occult in general but the male succubus of mythology in particular. There was a wealth of research information about an obscure cult which involved the male succubus and the worship of the lesser god Baalzephon. Khoronos and his two minions were making sacrifices to their god which entailed ritual sacrifices of beautiful women who were artistically inclined. The details of the police investigations into these ritualistic killings were fascinating, realistic for the times, and I loved all of the psychology, forensics, lab, DNA and research that Ed Lee included.
It was a pretty straight forward investigation into the murders and tracking down the man responsible for the heinous mutilations. There were clever plot twists as the investigation deepened, in addition to interesting surprise developments.
The ending and the Epilogue provided an intriguing climax to the case, and emotionally a good finale for the two main protagonists in the novel. Ed Lee, simply put, is an outstanding writer. I was initially planning a rating of 4.25 but the ending was especially memorable, and I realized that this book for me was a tedious yet fascinating read because of the author's schooling on the occult. The heavy detail was necessary to the exquisite plot twists and the cunning surprise ending. Rating 5.0 Stars.
ENTERTAINING OCCULT HORROR THRILLER FROM THE LEGENDARY EDWARD LEE