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The Haunter of the Threshold
How many fetishes can you name? . . . because Hazel Greene has them all and more. Others may find her rape fantasies and water sports off-putting but she doesn't care - she needs them. After a fight with her boyfriend, she gets just what she wants - a road trip with the very pregnant love of her life to the middle of nowhere. But there is something very wrong with this backwater town. Suicide notes, magic gems, and haunted cabins await her. Plus the woods are filled with monster, both human and otherworldly. And then there are the horrible tentacles . . . Soon Hazel is thrown into a battle for her life that will test her sanity and sex drive. The sequel to H.P. Lovecraft's The Haunter of the Dark is Edward Lee's most pornographic novel to date!
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
30 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Edward Lee
276 books1,482 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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May 23, 2021
Edward Lee meets cosmic horror. It doesn't get any better than that. This story has some of the most disgusting imagery in any Lee book I've read, but it's all for a purpose. The mix of gross and cosmic horror was blended well, keeping me guessing until the end. A great read from the master of extreme horror.
February 26, 2019
Just a friendly warning. Some of the stuff I'm going to discuss in this review isn't for the delicate. Or anyone who likes their horror sanitized. Or anyone really. In fact, what the fuck are you still doing here?! Rack off!
....You're still here?! Okay, don't say I didn't warn you....
If you're at all familiar with my reading list, you're probably wondering what the fuck I'm doing reading a book like this. But then you'd notice that one of the books on my reading list is called 'Everytime we meet at the Dairy Queen, your whole Fucking Face Explodes!' and then you'd realise...."OHHHHHH, he's like that!"
Which I certainly am. Like that.
But not like THAT. You pervo.
When I was younger, I read the works of Richard Laymon and got hooked. His unique blend of sex and violence had me enthralled - probably because I was a teenager and anything with boobs in it had my attention. Nowadays I still enjoy the occasional Laymon novel, but I'd liken them to B-Grade slasher flicks, the sort of thing you read for a quick cheap thrill of gore and tits. Now what does all this pointless faffing about have to do with THIS particular book?
Quite a bit actually. Laymon has a distinct style. His fans know and love his style for what it is, much as Ed Lee's fans know and enjoy his style for what it is. This book isn't my first foray into Ed Lee's work. That goes to "The Pig/The House" combo and when you read a story where a character has penile elephantiasis or another story with a woman and what she can do with a half-full bottle of Yoohoo and your eyebrows shoot up to the ceiling, you know you're in unfamiliar territory. So for me The Haunter of the Threshold was an experiment. I wanted to see how far I could push my own boundaries, before I would get scared, grossed out or offended.
So what happened here?
Honestly....I don't know. Maybe I've got a heart of ice, maybe I hit my peak when I read Chuck Palahniuk's story "Guts" and everything since then has been a drop in the bucket. Maybe the Yithians have secretly switched my mind out for one of their own, in which case:
HELLO HUMANS! I AM A FELLOW HUMAN DOING THIS REVIEW DOCUMENT LIKE ALL HUMANS DO!
But at the end of the day, I didn't come away from this book shocked, horrified, offended or even sickened. It's not the best book, but given its genre it's not the worst either.
So the above blurb should give you an idea of what's going to happen. Hazel Greene (a nod to Lovecraft's wife Sonia Greene) is a woman with more than a few problems. She's also in love with her college professor friend who is very pregnant. Her friend invites her on a trip to some backwards shithole out in the glorious Good Ol' US of A for some field research. But spooky Lovecraftian things are hiding out in the backwoods along with psycho hillbillies, lunatic cultists and all those tentacles.....
I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this book. Like I said, I had some idea of Ed Lee's grossout style, but I found myself kind of surprised at how engaged I was getting into the story. Much of the main thrust - ooh-er - of the narrative is around Hazel and her fucked up mentality. Lee writes her in a way that made her surprisingly sympathetic. She's knows she's screwed up in the head, she knows there's something wrong with her, but she feels powerless to stop it. Her friend - forgotten her name, its been a while since I read this - also for the most part was engaging enough a character that I found myself caring about her. It made her ending all the more shocking when shit went south quickly and horrifically.
From what I've read of Lee's work, he seems to write with his tongue planted right inside his cheek. You can tell that he enjoys his work and he knows who his audience is. When you have Hazel and her friend compliment the chef on the town's special deep-fried swamp rat, you know that Lee's writing this with a nod and a wink.
The horror scenes from what I remember are a mixed bag. There are some moments where there is some tension as Hazel realises that something is wrong with the town, but I also found there were some moments where the tension was ruined by a strange choice of words or Lee's penchant on going for the grossout.
Couple of examples: at one point, Hazel has a nasty dream where the local hillbilly hunk is transforming into....something. The transformation is pretty graphic and nasty and unsettling. Hazel asks what he is. He responds with some wordy pseudo-science bollocks that I can't even remember. It took me completely out of the scene.
At another point, Hazel is attacked by a couple of scumbag hillbillies, typical characters in an Ed Lee book. They start molesting her and Hazel being Hazel, she starts getting turned on. This prompts them to go even further to the point where - and I kid you not - one of them has her propped up in the air, his foot up inside her and she's howling out her orgasms.
I think for me, that's the biggest detriment to Ed Lee's work when it comes to horrifying me. The level he goes for when it comes to pushing the envelope is so far removed from anything I could realistically take seriously, that it crosses over into straight parody. Ed Lee doesn't just cross the line, he leaps over it, trailing his prolapsed intestines behind him, streaming piss, shit, blood and puke in a glorious rainbow of bodily fluids.
Now whether you consider that a good thing or not, that's up to you. I found I didn't mind it after I got into the right mindset, but people looking for a scare will be disappointed and people looking for something sexy will be disappointed also. Again it comes down to knowing what to expect.
The other big problem I found with this story is ultimately, the book just kind of ends. It know it's going for that bleak Lovecraftian atmosphere and the book does end on a bleak note, but it all felt less like some depressing, bleak ending and more like a cheap copout. Lee had blown his load, wiped his dick on the curtains, his ladyfriend had hit the roof and now he's conked out on the couch, leaving me feeling like I got cheated.
I think the biggest problem though was that Lee was trying to hard to co-opt Lovecraft's work specifically. Lovecraft specialised in slow building dread, unsettling unseen imagery and a bleak cosmic world. But Lee's style is very much about the grossout and those two styles don't really gel that well together, especially with Lee's penchant for grossout horror. Personally I think it would have been more interesting to see Lee build his own version of Lovecraftian horror, use the concepts and ideas but create his own Great Old Ones, create his own alien races with nasty tentacles. It would have fit a lot better.
The Haunter of the Threshold isn't a book I'd recommend to just anyone. You have to have a particular kind of interest in horror to get anything out of this. I enjoyed it for its small character moments, its tongue in cheek humour and seeing what line Lee would cross next in his attempts to gross me out/freak me out. But the clunky writing, sometimes bizarre word usage and lackluster ending broke it a little for me. If you can stomach hardcore horror and you can stomach having your sensibilities snapped in half and pissed on, give it a go.
Otherwise go do something more wholesome. Like watch Salo's 120 Days of Sodom.
....You're still here?! Okay, don't say I didn't warn you....
If you're at all familiar with my reading list, you're probably wondering what the fuck I'm doing reading a book like this. But then you'd notice that one of the books on my reading list is called 'Everytime we meet at the Dairy Queen, your whole Fucking Face Explodes!' and then you'd realise...."OHHHHHH, he's like that!"
Which I certainly am. Like that.
But not like THAT. You pervo.
When I was younger, I read the works of Richard Laymon and got hooked. His unique blend of sex and violence had me enthralled - probably because I was a teenager and anything with boobs in it had my attention. Nowadays I still enjoy the occasional Laymon novel, but I'd liken them to B-Grade slasher flicks, the sort of thing you read for a quick cheap thrill of gore and tits. Now what does all this pointless faffing about have to do with THIS particular book?
Quite a bit actually. Laymon has a distinct style. His fans know and love his style for what it is, much as Ed Lee's fans know and enjoy his style for what it is. This book isn't my first foray into Ed Lee's work. That goes to "The Pig/The House" combo and when you read a story where a character has penile elephantiasis or another story with a woman and what she can do with a half-full bottle of Yoohoo and your eyebrows shoot up to the ceiling, you know you're in unfamiliar territory. So for me The Haunter of the Threshold was an experiment. I wanted to see how far I could push my own boundaries, before I would get scared, grossed out or offended.
So what happened here?
Honestly....I don't know. Maybe I've got a heart of ice, maybe I hit my peak when I read Chuck Palahniuk's story "Guts" and everything since then has been a drop in the bucket. Maybe the Yithians have secretly switched my mind out for one of their own, in which case:
HELLO HUMANS! I AM A FELLOW HUMAN DOING THIS REVIEW DOCUMENT LIKE ALL HUMANS DO!
But at the end of the day, I didn't come away from this book shocked, horrified, offended or even sickened. It's not the best book, but given its genre it's not the worst either.
So the above blurb should give you an idea of what's going to happen. Hazel Greene (a nod to Lovecraft's wife Sonia Greene) is a woman with more than a few problems. She's also in love with her college professor friend who is very pregnant. Her friend invites her on a trip to some backwards shithole out in the glorious Good Ol' US of A for some field research. But spooky Lovecraftian things are hiding out in the backwoods along with psycho hillbillies, lunatic cultists and all those tentacles.....
I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this book. Like I said, I had some idea of Ed Lee's grossout style, but I found myself kind of surprised at how engaged I was getting into the story. Much of the main thrust - ooh-er - of the narrative is around Hazel and her fucked up mentality. Lee writes her in a way that made her surprisingly sympathetic. She's knows she's screwed up in the head, she knows there's something wrong with her, but she feels powerless to stop it. Her friend - forgotten her name, its been a while since I read this - also for the most part was engaging enough a character that I found myself caring about her. It made her ending all the more shocking when shit went south quickly and horrifically.
From what I've read of Lee's work, he seems to write with his tongue planted right inside his cheek. You can tell that he enjoys his work and he knows who his audience is. When you have Hazel and her friend compliment the chef on the town's special deep-fried swamp rat, you know that Lee's writing this with a nod and a wink.
The horror scenes from what I remember are a mixed bag. There are some moments where there is some tension as Hazel realises that something is wrong with the town, but I also found there were some moments where the tension was ruined by a strange choice of words or Lee's penchant on going for the grossout.
Couple of examples: at one point, Hazel has a nasty dream where the local hillbilly hunk is transforming into....something. The transformation is pretty graphic and nasty and unsettling. Hazel asks what he is. He responds with some wordy pseudo-science bollocks that I can't even remember. It took me completely out of the scene.
At another point, Hazel is attacked by a couple of scumbag hillbillies, typical characters in an Ed Lee book. They start molesting her and Hazel being Hazel, she starts getting turned on. This prompts them to go even further to the point where - and I kid you not - one of them has her propped up in the air, his foot up inside her and she's howling out her orgasms.
I think for me, that's the biggest detriment to Ed Lee's work when it comes to horrifying me. The level he goes for when it comes to pushing the envelope is so far removed from anything I could realistically take seriously, that it crosses over into straight parody. Ed Lee doesn't just cross the line, he leaps over it, trailing his prolapsed intestines behind him, streaming piss, shit, blood and puke in a glorious rainbow of bodily fluids.
Now whether you consider that a good thing or not, that's up to you. I found I didn't mind it after I got into the right mindset, but people looking for a scare will be disappointed and people looking for something sexy will be disappointed also. Again it comes down to knowing what to expect.
The other big problem I found with this story is ultimately, the book just kind of ends. It know it's going for that bleak Lovecraftian atmosphere and the book does end on a bleak note, but it all felt less like some depressing, bleak ending and more like a cheap copout. Lee had blown his load, wiped his dick on the curtains, his ladyfriend had hit the roof and now he's conked out on the couch, leaving me feeling like I got cheated.
I think the biggest problem though was that Lee was trying to hard to co-opt Lovecraft's work specifically. Lovecraft specialised in slow building dread, unsettling unseen imagery and a bleak cosmic world. But Lee's style is very much about the grossout and those two styles don't really gel that well together, especially with Lee's penchant for grossout horror. Personally I think it would have been more interesting to see Lee build his own version of Lovecraftian horror, use the concepts and ideas but create his own Great Old Ones, create his own alien races with nasty tentacles. It would have fit a lot better.
The Haunter of the Threshold isn't a book I'd recommend to just anyone. You have to have a particular kind of interest in horror to get anything out of this. I enjoyed it for its small character moments, its tongue in cheek humour and seeing what line Lee would cross next in his attempts to gross me out/freak me out. But the clunky writing, sometimes bizarre word usage and lackluster ending broke it a little for me. If you can stomach hardcore horror and you can stomach having your sensibilities snapped in half and pissed on, give it a go.
Otherwise go do something more wholesome. Like watch Salo's 120 Days of Sodom.
June 15, 2012
More of Lee's Lovecraft-influenced horror, and one that adds to his growing reputation as the King of Hardcore Horror. To those unfamiliar with Lee, his notorious body of work contains plenty of unforgettable scenes, gore and sex, but deftly done and well-written, despite the graphic nature of much of his work. Sprinkle in black humor here and there, and you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended!
July 21, 2014
Full review on BBB
How many fetishes can you name?
I thought I was pretty adept in my knowledge of the perverse, but I learned a thing or two in this book!
‘Mopery’ was a new one to me.
Luckily, I recently found a list of 547 forms of paraphilia, because it came in pretty handy! Is it frightening to know that I’ve used this list three times in the past month – for different books? Eh, whatever!
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, so – perverted knowledge makes me… powerfully perverted? Smut Smart?
This turned out to be a little different than I’d imagined – in a good way. I guess I was imagining something a little more science-fictiony, but, whether it’s because of the setting, or my lack of knowledge in Lovecraft style writing, I enjoyed the end result.
Of course, you have to know what you’re getting into – be ready for everything to be taken to the next level. Extreme sex, extreme violence, extremely violent sex, everything you enjoy from reading Ed Lee!
How many fetishes can you name?
I thought I was pretty adept in my knowledge of the perverse, but I learned a thing or two in this book!
‘Mopery’ was a new one to me.
Luckily, I recently found a list of 547 forms of paraphilia, because it came in pretty handy! Is it frightening to know that I’ve used this list three times in the past month – for different books? Eh, whatever!
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, so – perverted knowledge makes me… powerfully perverted? Smut Smart?
This turned out to be a little different than I’d imagined – in a good way. I guess I was imagining something a little more science-fictiony, but, whether it’s because of the setting, or my lack of knowledge in Lovecraft style writing, I enjoyed the end result.
Of course, you have to know what you’re getting into – be ready for everything to be taken to the next level. Extreme sex, extreme violence, extremely violent sex, everything you enjoy from reading Ed Lee!
October 28, 2019
This novel truly altered my mind intellectually, and though one can argue whether or not for the better, the fact that I am still thinking about it and wanting to talk about it means the author accomplished his mission.
From everything I heard and read about Ed Lee, I expected to hate this writer's work. But I was sucked in by all the talk about how over-the-top his depictions of sex and gore were in his novels that I set out to prove I could stomach it.
Less than 1 year later, I have read 6 of Lee's novels and a collection of short collaborations with Jack Ketchum. Now, the creep I knew I could hate with all the Wrath of the Gods behind me has become one of my most-read authors.
This novel falls somewhere between the infamous "Bighead" and my favourite of his works, "The Minotauress." While the "Bighead" truly broke ground as one of the sickest and most vile thing ever put to print, the prequel, "Minotauress" was still gross, but was a more self-reflective, comedic, meta-analysis of Lee's work, of the origin of myth, and writing in general. Both novels were genius. So I decided to keep diving into more Ed Lee. When I discovered a Deluxe Signed Edition of "Haunter," complete with lush illustrations and gorgeous bindings, I jumped to buy it. I won't say what I paid for it, because it still upsets me (and my wife.)
The story itself steals from previous Lee works and Lovecraft's "Haunter of the Dark." In fact, this is really a sequel of Lovecraft's short story, and continues the story of one of the most awe-inspiring gods of the Lovecraft mythos, Nyarlathotep. It is a downright terrifying piece of cosmic horror. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, the depiction of mysterious storms and the unsympathetic destruction laid upon humankind was all too real to me. And the "Gray Cottage" of unfathomable origins and history, with the only door situated flush against the edge of a deep cliff, was a perfect vehicle of weird fiction to link two worlds.
Unfortunately, this otherwise brilliant novel has problems.
First of all, cosmic horror is effective because it suggests unknowable intelligent civilizations above us, just as humans looking at a colony of ants are unknowable to the ant. Lovecraft was effective because he did NOT fully reveal his monsters. They remained Unknowable and Mysterious, at least for the most part. But Lee, claiming to be inspired as a horror writer by Lovecraft, misses this essential element of his muse. He happily depicts the Old Ones being preoccupied with tentacle-sex as much as a stunted gamer-nerd. It is as if Lee thinks the images of the original Godzilla, wading slowly and silently through a Tokyo skyline of bleak black-and-white darkness, would have been improved if Godzilla were wielding a lube-dripping dildo instead of atomic breath.
Another problem is with Lee's usage of his own old material. Two characters were introduced early in the "Haunter" that I was sure would be revealed to be Dicky and Balls from the aforementioned "Bighead" and "Minotauress." But no, Lee basically took everything that embodied these two guys and made them completely boring. Except for the following lines:
PROTAGONIST: "...you rednecks that flunked out of 4th grade!"
ANTAGONIST: "Make that 7th grade, sister!"
Otherwise, these two nitwits repeated pretty much the same acts as Dicky and Balls in "Bighead." But mostly in dreams. So anyone who has read "Bighead" would find nothing new here.
In addition, the protagonist is a mash-up of the nymphomaniac and the priest characters from "Bighead." Hazel is a smart-mouthed tough guy who makes fun of her variety of assailants, rapists, and tentacled monsters throughout the story, much like the "Bighead" priest, but unlike his character, she not only survives her molestations through incredible wit, she even solicits her attacks because she enjoys them.
This quality about Hazel does not make her the most sympathetic character, but does point to one main theme of the book--where is the line between a good person and an evil person, pleasure and pain, art and trash?
Hazel, with a cross around her neck, a cleric father, a friendly personality, and indomitable hatred for the sufferings of others, is also enslaved by an uncontrollable urge to suffer and be humiliated. She hates herself and God, but relies on both to battle the "eldtritch" evils she encounters. And most often, her heroics lead to even more disaster. Fascinating.
And the real genius of Ed Lee is that his main character is in fact the Reader. In this case, each time Hazel submits to her addiction, she berates herself with, "Sick, sick, SICK!" At the same time, the Reader wonders why he or she subjects themselves to reading such smut and disgusting porn. But somehow Lee invites those who have "crossed the Threshold" to keep reading... and buy even more books about people eating feces and being tortured by rednecks and raped by tentacled "Old Ones."
This book forces us to ask, "What is wrong with us for reading this?" just as Hazel asks herself what is wrong with her for delving into her own mysteries, dreams, and fantasies. The Reader can't help but identify her as Good, but her choices are anything but good. But you cheer her actions nonetheless, especially when she starts getting even with the "Bad Guys."
By the end of this novel, you will feel dirty. In my case, I took a nice long soak in the whirlpool tub. This is because of the power of this novel to force you to question who you are, and it leaves you with no answers. It leaves you disgusted at the smell of your own bio-scents. You pause slightly at your own basic needs to eat, defecate, fornicate, and even to cuddle. Thus, the unease and terror that comes from true Cosmic Horror.
This basic philosophical dilemma, along with a hearty dose of the mysteries behind non-Euclidean mathematics, are salted with some of the spookiest examples of weird fiction I've ever read (a la M.R. James). For example, I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the clicking of someone typing on a computer keyboard for days after reading a particular scene in this novel.
But this is far from the best of Ed Lee I have read. The pacing is slow, and the gore porn scenes, which are mostly reused from other Ed Lee books, fill up the majority of what could have been an otherwise creepy short-story and perfect homage to Lovecraft's masterful original. And Lee proved his audience prefers reading about the slimy phalluses of Lovecraft's monsters more than the actual subliminal horror of the writing of Lovecraft.
In summary, if you are a fan of Lovecraft who has grown frustrated with the Master's work being associated primarily with blob monsters, tentacles, and Cthullu mythos role-playing games, don't read this book.
If you are a horror literature fan and have only heard of Ed Lee, but are somehow drawn to his work like someone gazing into the Shining Trapezohedron, this may not be the book to start with... but if you do start here, you WILL STILL be fan of this crazy writer for life.
If you are already a Lee fan and still have not read "The Haunter," you MUST read it. You will most likely love this book, and find yourself thinking about it more than you planned.
Finally, if you are easily offended, grossed out, and scared--stay away from this book and Ed Lee in general--you have been WARNED!
"Haunter of the Threshold" will bridge that philosophical and experiential gap for both casual and dedicated readers of Horror fiction. Despite its faults, I still rate this a solid 4 stars only as a Horror selection.
From everything I heard and read about Ed Lee, I expected to hate this writer's work. But I was sucked in by all the talk about how over-the-top his depictions of sex and gore were in his novels that I set out to prove I could stomach it.
Less than 1 year later, I have read 6 of Lee's novels and a collection of short collaborations with Jack Ketchum. Now, the creep I knew I could hate with all the Wrath of the Gods behind me has become one of my most-read authors.
This novel falls somewhere between the infamous "Bighead" and my favourite of his works, "The Minotauress." While the "Bighead" truly broke ground as one of the sickest and most vile thing ever put to print, the prequel, "Minotauress" was still gross, but was a more self-reflective, comedic, meta-analysis of Lee's work, of the origin of myth, and writing in general. Both novels were genius. So I decided to keep diving into more Ed Lee. When I discovered a Deluxe Signed Edition of "Haunter," complete with lush illustrations and gorgeous bindings, I jumped to buy it. I won't say what I paid for it, because it still upsets me (and my wife.)
The story itself steals from previous Lee works and Lovecraft's "Haunter of the Dark." In fact, this is really a sequel of Lovecraft's short story, and continues the story of one of the most awe-inspiring gods of the Lovecraft mythos, Nyarlathotep. It is a downright terrifying piece of cosmic horror. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, the depiction of mysterious storms and the unsympathetic destruction laid upon humankind was all too real to me. And the "Gray Cottage" of unfathomable origins and history, with the only door situated flush against the edge of a deep cliff, was a perfect vehicle of weird fiction to link two worlds.
Unfortunately, this otherwise brilliant novel has problems.
First of all, cosmic horror is effective because it suggests unknowable intelligent civilizations above us, just as humans looking at a colony of ants are unknowable to the ant. Lovecraft was effective because he did NOT fully reveal his monsters. They remained Unknowable and Mysterious, at least for the most part. But Lee, claiming to be inspired as a horror writer by Lovecraft, misses this essential element of his muse. He happily depicts the Old Ones being preoccupied with tentacle-sex as much as a stunted gamer-nerd. It is as if Lee thinks the images of the original Godzilla, wading slowly and silently through a Tokyo skyline of bleak black-and-white darkness, would have been improved if Godzilla were wielding a lube-dripping dildo instead of atomic breath.
Another problem is with Lee's usage of his own old material. Two characters were introduced early in the "Haunter" that I was sure would be revealed to be Dicky and Balls from the aforementioned "Bighead" and "Minotauress." But no, Lee basically took everything that embodied these two guys and made them completely boring. Except for the following lines:
PROTAGONIST: "...you rednecks that flunked out of 4th grade!"
ANTAGONIST: "Make that 7th grade, sister!"
Otherwise, these two nitwits repeated pretty much the same acts as Dicky and Balls in "Bighead." But mostly in dreams. So anyone who has read "Bighead" would find nothing new here.
In addition, the protagonist is a mash-up of the nymphomaniac and the priest characters from "Bighead." Hazel is a smart-mouthed tough guy who makes fun of her variety of assailants, rapists, and tentacled monsters throughout the story, much like the "Bighead" priest, but unlike his character, she not only survives her molestations through incredible wit, she even solicits her attacks because she enjoys them.
This quality about Hazel does not make her the most sympathetic character, but does point to one main theme of the book--where is the line between a good person and an evil person, pleasure and pain, art and trash?
Hazel, with a cross around her neck, a cleric father, a friendly personality, and indomitable hatred for the sufferings of others, is also enslaved by an uncontrollable urge to suffer and be humiliated. She hates herself and God, but relies on both to battle the "eldtritch" evils she encounters. And most often, her heroics lead to even more disaster. Fascinating.
And the real genius of Ed Lee is that his main character is in fact the Reader. In this case, each time Hazel submits to her addiction, she berates herself with, "Sick, sick, SICK!" At the same time, the Reader wonders why he or she subjects themselves to reading such smut and disgusting porn. But somehow Lee invites those who have "crossed the Threshold" to keep reading... and buy even more books about people eating feces and being tortured by rednecks and raped by tentacled "Old Ones."
This book forces us to ask, "What is wrong with us for reading this?" just as Hazel asks herself what is wrong with her for delving into her own mysteries, dreams, and fantasies. The Reader can't help but identify her as Good, but her choices are anything but good. But you cheer her actions nonetheless, especially when she starts getting even with the "Bad Guys."
By the end of this novel, you will feel dirty. In my case, I took a nice long soak in the whirlpool tub. This is because of the power of this novel to force you to question who you are, and it leaves you with no answers. It leaves you disgusted at the smell of your own bio-scents. You pause slightly at your own basic needs to eat, defecate, fornicate, and even to cuddle. Thus, the unease and terror that comes from true Cosmic Horror.
This basic philosophical dilemma, along with a hearty dose of the mysteries behind non-Euclidean mathematics, are salted with some of the spookiest examples of weird fiction I've ever read (a la M.R. James). For example, I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the clicking of someone typing on a computer keyboard for days after reading a particular scene in this novel.
But this is far from the best of Ed Lee I have read. The pacing is slow, and the gore porn scenes, which are mostly reused from other Ed Lee books, fill up the majority of what could have been an otherwise creepy short-story and perfect homage to Lovecraft's masterful original. And Lee proved his audience prefers reading about the slimy phalluses of Lovecraft's monsters more than the actual subliminal horror of the writing of Lovecraft.
In summary, if you are a fan of Lovecraft who has grown frustrated with the Master's work being associated primarily with blob monsters, tentacles, and Cthullu mythos role-playing games, don't read this book.
If you are a horror literature fan and have only heard of Ed Lee, but are somehow drawn to his work like someone gazing into the Shining Trapezohedron, this may not be the book to start with... but if you do start here, you WILL STILL be fan of this crazy writer for life.
If you are already a Lee fan and still have not read "The Haunter," you MUST read it. You will most likely love this book, and find yourself thinking about it more than you planned.
Finally, if you are easily offended, grossed out, and scared--stay away from this book and Ed Lee in general--you have been WARNED!
"Haunter of the Threshold" will bridge that philosophical and experiential gap for both casual and dedicated readers of Horror fiction. Despite its faults, I still rate this a solid 4 stars only as a Horror selection.
June 28, 2017
Having read a lot of Lee's tamer works, I was wondering at how he got the reputation he had gotten about being a writer of extreme themes. This novel proved to me that the reputation was very, very well deserved.
Lee's crafted possibly one of the more Lovecraftian stories I have read in awhile, and in it, has mixed it with extreme sex and varied horror elements. The sexual elements push the envelope further by switching to a second person point of view, dragging the reader into what is taking place kicking and screaming. (and I will be frank, even as an avid horror reader, there were points where I had to skim over the scenes due to the sheer graphic nature of them)
But what struck me the most about this story was the Lovecraft element. Lee actually does a really good job with pulling it all together, and giving it a very otherworldly, greater than mankind, feel to it. Things are set into motion that are mind bending and horror inducing to say the least. He does Lovecraft a good service with this story, and I really quite enjoyed it.
I could complain about the graphic sex, but honestly, Lee is known for it, and as mentioned, has a reputation for material like that. Even some of his tamer stories still contain elements that toe the line just a little too hard. Sure, if you are someone that needs trigger warnings for stories, this would have a page or two of those (and they would be well deserved), but as I mentioned, the graphic nature of the violence and sex actually lend a lot to the horror of the story. They aren't shock elements, as most writers would use them. Instead, they are woven into the story and play a role in the unfolding tale. This is why I am okay with it being in the story.
What I will mention though, is the slow pacing of the story. Often it felt like things were getting bogged down, the pace slowed to a crawl as Hazel tries to find out just what is going on in the weird little town. This made the story far longer than it had to be in my mind. It killed some of the horror that was building, and a lot of the mystery as Hazel got sidetracked with various details/sexual escapades.
Still, in the end, this is how you do shock gore/sex to good effect, and Lee did an amazing job crafting a story to horrify the reader and to make them wince or turn away while they read. So if you are looking for a really good horror story and aren't afraid of limits, try this one out!
Lee's crafted possibly one of the more Lovecraftian stories I have read in awhile, and in it, has mixed it with extreme sex and varied horror elements. The sexual elements push the envelope further by switching to a second person point of view, dragging the reader into what is taking place kicking and screaming. (and I will be frank, even as an avid horror reader, there were points where I had to skim over the scenes due to the sheer graphic nature of them)
But what struck me the most about this story was the Lovecraft element. Lee actually does a really good job with pulling it all together, and giving it a very otherworldly, greater than mankind, feel to it. Things are set into motion that are mind bending and horror inducing to say the least. He does Lovecraft a good service with this story, and I really quite enjoyed it.
I could complain about the graphic sex, but honestly, Lee is known for it, and as mentioned, has a reputation for material like that. Even some of his tamer stories still contain elements that toe the line just a little too hard. Sure, if you are someone that needs trigger warnings for stories, this would have a page or two of those (and they would be well deserved), but as I mentioned, the graphic nature of the violence and sex actually lend a lot to the horror of the story. They aren't shock elements, as most writers would use them. Instead, they are woven into the story and play a role in the unfolding tale. This is why I am okay with it being in the story.
What I will mention though, is the slow pacing of the story. Often it felt like things were getting bogged down, the pace slowed to a crawl as Hazel tries to find out just what is going on in the weird little town. This made the story far longer than it had to be in my mind. It killed some of the horror that was building, and a lot of the mystery as Hazel got sidetracked with various details/sexual escapades.
Still, in the end, this is how you do shock gore/sex to good effect, and Lee did an amazing job crafting a story to horrify the reader and to make them wince or turn away while they read. So if you are looking for a really good horror story and aren't afraid of limits, try this one out!
July 31, 2023
What I expected:
Sequel to The Haunter of the Dark by H.P. Lovecraft
What I got:
Piss, piss piss piss piss piss piss.
Fem MC who can't stop thinking through her crotch long enough to do literally anything outside of guzzling copious amounts of piss and other bodily byproducts, be they liquids, chunky or solid..
Piss, piss piss piss piss piss piss.
A smidgen of Lovecrafty type stuff...and a lot more piss.
Did I mention piss? There's a LOT of piss sex. There should be a Gatorade commercial at the end of this book because I swear some mofo's have to be dehydrated.
This should be called The Pisser on the Ho-bag.
Sequel to The Haunter of the Dark by H.P. Lovecraft
What I got:
Piss, piss piss piss piss piss piss.
Fem MC who can't stop thinking through her crotch long enough to do literally anything outside of guzzling copious amounts of piss and other bodily byproducts, be they liquids, chunky or solid..
Piss, piss piss piss piss piss piss.
A smidgen of Lovecrafty type stuff...and a lot more piss.
Did I mention piss? There's a LOT of piss sex. There should be a Gatorade commercial at the end of this book because I swear some mofo's have to be dehydrated.
This should be called The Pisser on the Ho-bag.
Read
September 20, 2016OK, for those of you that know Edward Lee's work, or have at least know about how he writes have a pretty good inkling of the content of those novels and stories. And from his first works inthe early 90's to present day, they keep becoming more and more severe each time he writes. Not that its a bad thing at all, if you like his subject matter. Like Tanqueray Gin, it is an acquired taste.
Edward Lee writes with a ferocity from within, his love of the macabre and horror stemming from one of his favorite authors; H.P.Lovecraft. Lee's novels reek with monstrous horror stemming from both the demonic and other dimensions, of a Hell that no one has ever envisioned before and the nether dimensions of the older gods. And at the heart of it a tremendous amount of sexual overtones that goes hand and hand with it all.
It does seem that with each novel and story, the horror, gore and sex becomes more intense. Once again, knowing all that, Edward Lee's novels are not for everyone. But if you are willing to leave the sanity of everyday reading for a temporary trip to the insanity of Edward Lee's worlds, then please do so. His writing is descriptive and well thought out. he knows what he wants to say and he doesn't pull any punches at all.
The Haunter of the Threshold is his somewhat direct sequel to Lovecraft's Superb story "The Haunter of the Dark". He has done several different stories based in Lovecraft's world, but this is the one that is directly related to one of the stories.
It begins in Providence, Rhode Island, right where Lovecraft was born and lived and makes it way to the start of the White Mountains in Laconia, New Hampshire. Hazel Green has for all intents and purposes Paraphilia which is a condition characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving extreme or dangerous activities. Hazel tried to set herself up inthe most dangerous of circumstances just so she can sexual relief. She is also in love with her pregnant best friend, Sonia.
When Sonia has to meet her fiancé up at a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire to straighten out the affairs of an old scientist acquaintance that committed suicide, Sonia invite Hazel along for the ride.
But in a very backwoods suburb of the town, much deeper inthe woods, the residents resemble more like backwoods hillbillies than anything. Once at the cabin, Sonia and Hazel receive a curious phone call from Frank telling them that he wouldn't be there until the following day as he was hiking up to a private and long forgotten cottage on a mountain owned by his dead friend.
Sonia and hazel decide to go into he town to grab a bite to eat and when ready to leave, hazel decides to walk the distance back to try to take her thoughts off of Sonia.
On the way, two masked backwoods men find her and decide to have fun with her, realizing that no matter what they do to her, she cant get enough of it even bringing her close to death. Before anything permanent can happen, a woodsman finds them and chases them off. He brings her back to the cabin. While Sonia sleeps, Hazel decides to investigate the laptop left behind by Franks friend. She finds that his suicide is connected to a long forgotten crystal. paragraphs and words which seem unworldly to her only furl her fire to investigate what it all means.
The more she looks into it, the worse her situations become, at least to an outsider.
Once again, to say more would be a disservice to anyone that likes his work or is curious about his work and wants to read this. For anyone that reads Lovecraft, this is a direct sequel. This is a story filled with sex, gore, sexual atrocities, dark Gods and Armageddon. Once again, its not for everyone, but knowing what the dark gods like and what Lovecraft readers like, this is a treasure trove of grisly, supernatural sexual fun.
Edward Lee writes with a ferocity from within, his love of the macabre and horror stemming from one of his favorite authors; H.P.Lovecraft. Lee's novels reek with monstrous horror stemming from both the demonic and other dimensions, of a Hell that no one has ever envisioned before and the nether dimensions of the older gods. And at the heart of it a tremendous amount of sexual overtones that goes hand and hand with it all.
It does seem that with each novel and story, the horror, gore and sex becomes more intense. Once again, knowing all that, Edward Lee's novels are not for everyone. But if you are willing to leave the sanity of everyday reading for a temporary trip to the insanity of Edward Lee's worlds, then please do so. His writing is descriptive and well thought out. he knows what he wants to say and he doesn't pull any punches at all.
The Haunter of the Threshold is his somewhat direct sequel to Lovecraft's Superb story "The Haunter of the Dark". He has done several different stories based in Lovecraft's world, but this is the one that is directly related to one of the stories.
It begins in Providence, Rhode Island, right where Lovecraft was born and lived and makes it way to the start of the White Mountains in Laconia, New Hampshire. Hazel Green has for all intents and purposes Paraphilia which is a condition characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving extreme or dangerous activities. Hazel tried to set herself up inthe most dangerous of circumstances just so she can sexual relief. She is also in love with her pregnant best friend, Sonia.
When Sonia has to meet her fiancé up at a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire to straighten out the affairs of an old scientist acquaintance that committed suicide, Sonia invite Hazel along for the ride.
But in a very backwoods suburb of the town, much deeper inthe woods, the residents resemble more like backwoods hillbillies than anything. Once at the cabin, Sonia and Hazel receive a curious phone call from Frank telling them that he wouldn't be there until the following day as he was hiking up to a private and long forgotten cottage on a mountain owned by his dead friend.
Sonia and hazel decide to go into he town to grab a bite to eat and when ready to leave, hazel decides to walk the distance back to try to take her thoughts off of Sonia.
On the way, two masked backwoods men find her and decide to have fun with her, realizing that no matter what they do to her, she cant get enough of it even bringing her close to death. Before anything permanent can happen, a woodsman finds them and chases them off. He brings her back to the cabin. While Sonia sleeps, Hazel decides to investigate the laptop left behind by Franks friend. She finds that his suicide is connected to a long forgotten crystal. paragraphs and words which seem unworldly to her only furl her fire to investigate what it all means.
The more she looks into it, the worse her situations become, at least to an outsider.
Once again, to say more would be a disservice to anyone that likes his work or is curious about his work and wants to read this. For anyone that reads Lovecraft, this is a direct sequel. This is a story filled with sex, gore, sexual atrocities, dark Gods and Armageddon. Once again, its not for everyone, but knowing what the dark gods like and what Lovecraft readers like, this is a treasure trove of grisly, supernatural sexual fun.
November 1, 2025
Nope. Sorry but this just doesn't hit the target. It's hard to believe that it is the same author of The Bighead and not a cheap, rushed, copycat
I knew exactly what I was getting into and what to expect, the problem is not how gross this book is. It is how flat and dull its whole delivery falls. The big issues that can be pinpointed are more than a few. On the most superficial level, the pastiche between extreme sexually charged disgust and cosmic horror feels like a mere collage of these constitutive elements kept together with the cheapest and least effective glue on the market while building the little plot as a sequel to an already extant Lovecraft story just did not pay off as an idea, and had the author made up his own Great Old Ones, would have surely felt more organic and a genuine attempt at provoking genuine narrative tension. As it is this just feels as a goofy homage. On another level, the few characters (Not that Lovecraft ever cared too much about character-building) are one-dimensional, flat and dull. A whole encyclopedia of hard to believe paraphilias on one of them is not enough to make the cast interesting to read about. But the biggest problem here is just how the supposed horror, disgust and depravity is written and delivered, because the horror is nowhere to be found, just utter disbelief. Yes, several sequences and acts are supposed to be some of the grossest and most depraved ever put to paper. They surely are, as one specific pages long scenes after some tens of them. Still, they are made hyperbolic and exaggerated to a point of utter ridiculousness, starting to feel cartoonish with humanly impossible anatomical details and actions but also a lack of fantasy from the author's and depraved scums' side when they just get repeated and repeated. The thing is that this story, with its building on Lovecratian mythos, does not attempt for a second to be funny or some sort of splatter comedy but rather with themes and vivid descriptions of paraphilias, rape fantasies and rape with the addition of some gross para-sexual actions takes itself so damn seriously in a way that ends up being offensive.
I'd also gloss over the very bad case of r/menwritingwomen as it feels like shooting on the Red Cross.
In short:
What I expected: stomach twists, disgust, grossness, extreme violence coupled with existential dread and cosmic horror
What I got: piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, some other piss, a whole lot of more piss, more piss than what would be humanly possible, piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, too much fucking piss and more piss and also bad writing.
I knew exactly what I was getting into and what to expect, the problem is not how gross this book is. It is how flat and dull its whole delivery falls. The big issues that can be pinpointed are more than a few. On the most superficial level, the pastiche between extreme sexually charged disgust and cosmic horror feels like a mere collage of these constitutive elements kept together with the cheapest and least effective glue on the market while building the little plot as a sequel to an already extant Lovecraft story just did not pay off as an idea, and had the author made up his own Great Old Ones, would have surely felt more organic and a genuine attempt at provoking genuine narrative tension. As it is this just feels as a goofy homage. On another level, the few characters (Not that Lovecraft ever cared too much about character-building) are one-dimensional, flat and dull. A whole encyclopedia of hard to believe paraphilias on one of them is not enough to make the cast interesting to read about. But the biggest problem here is just how the supposed horror, disgust and depravity is written and delivered, because the horror is nowhere to be found, just utter disbelief. Yes, several sequences and acts are supposed to be some of the grossest and most depraved ever put to paper. They surely are, as one specific pages long scenes after some tens of them. Still, they are made hyperbolic and exaggerated to a point of utter ridiculousness, starting to feel cartoonish with humanly impossible anatomical details and actions but also a lack of fantasy from the author's and depraved scums' side when they just get repeated and repeated. The thing is that this story, with its building on Lovecratian mythos, does not attempt for a second to be funny or some sort of splatter comedy but rather with themes and vivid descriptions of paraphilias, rape fantasies and rape with the addition of some gross para-sexual actions takes itself so damn seriously in a way that ends up being offensive.
I'd also gloss over the very bad case of r/menwritingwomen as it feels like shooting on the Red Cross.
In short:
What I expected: stomach twists, disgust, grossness, extreme violence coupled with existential dread and cosmic horror
What I got: piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, some other piss, a whole lot of more piss, more piss than what would be humanly possible, piss, piss, piss, piss, piss, too much fucking piss and more piss and also bad writing.
November 7, 2017
Edward Lee meets Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Bei „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ handelt es sich um das erste Buch, dass ich mir damals vom Festa Verlag gekauft hatte. Und ich habe echt lange mit mir damals gerungen, da das Buch immerhin 39,99 € gekostet hatte!
Mittlerweile bin ich natürlich froh darüber, denn so habe ich den Festa Verlag schätzen und lieben gelernt! Und nicht nur das, denn „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ ist nach wie vor eines meiner absoluten Lieblingsbüchern a) von Edward Lee und b) aus dem Festa Verlag!
Darüber hinaus handelt es sich bei „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ von Edward Lee auch um das erste Buch aus dem Extreme Horror Bereich, dass ich damals gelesen habe. Zu Beginn wurde ich auch etwas überrumpelt. Meine Gefühle beim Lesen schwankten zwischen Ekel, Fassungslosigkeit und Faszination. Und letztendlich hatte die Faszination für Edward Lees Werke die Oberhand gewonnen!
In „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ findet man deftige (Hardcore-) Erotikszenen, eine spannende Geschichte, welche im Cthulhu Mythos angesiedelt ist und Gewalt im Überfluss!
Leider ist das Buch als Printausgabe nur noch gebraucht erhältlich, da es sich um eine limitierte, signierte Ausgabe handelt. Allerdings ist das Buch mittlerweile auch als Ebook erhältlich und empfehlenswert für alle Extreme Horror und Edward Lee Fans!
Leute mit schwachen Nerven und/oder empfindlichem Magen sollten nicht unbedingt zu dem Buch greifen.
Für mich gehört „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ nach wie vor zu den besten Büchern, die ich von Edward Lee gelesen habe!
Bei „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ handelt es sich um das erste Buch, dass ich mir damals vom Festa Verlag gekauft hatte. Und ich habe echt lange mit mir damals gerungen, da das Buch immerhin 39,99 € gekostet hatte!
Mittlerweile bin ich natürlich froh darüber, denn so habe ich den Festa Verlag schätzen und lieben gelernt! Und nicht nur das, denn „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ ist nach wie vor eines meiner absoluten Lieblingsbüchern a) von Edward Lee und b) aus dem Festa Verlag!
Darüber hinaus handelt es sich bei „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ von Edward Lee auch um das erste Buch aus dem Extreme Horror Bereich, dass ich damals gelesen habe. Zu Beginn wurde ich auch etwas überrumpelt. Meine Gefühle beim Lesen schwankten zwischen Ekel, Fassungslosigkeit und Faszination. Und letztendlich hatte die Faszination für Edward Lees Werke die Oberhand gewonnen!
In „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ findet man deftige (Hardcore-) Erotikszenen, eine spannende Geschichte, welche im Cthulhu Mythos angesiedelt ist und Gewalt im Überfluss!
Leider ist das Buch als Printausgabe nur noch gebraucht erhältlich, da es sich um eine limitierte, signierte Ausgabe handelt. Allerdings ist das Buch mittlerweile auch als Ebook erhältlich und empfehlenswert für alle Extreme Horror und Edward Lee Fans!
Leute mit schwachen Nerven und/oder empfindlichem Magen sollten nicht unbedingt zu dem Buch greifen.
Für mich gehört „Der Besudler auf der Schwelle“ nach wie vor zu den besten Büchern, die ich von Edward Lee gelesen habe!
June 18, 2012
Edward Lee's HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD is classic horror and extreme gore. This is a rare kind of horror story. The story is built upon H.P. Lovecraft's last published work, The Haunter of the Dark and while it is not necessary to read that story to understand this one, it sure does lend to the mood and lore of this story.
One can imagine what might be involved with a story of Lovecraftian nature. Gothic settings and beings of a supernatural and/or inter-dimensional nature. Lee sets forth in the prologue that this story is a sort of 'part 2' to Lovecraft's Haunter of the Dark. Having read said story I can say that I did not find it so much as a continuation of that story as so much an homage to the story.
There is a note of warning if your inexperienced with Edward Lee's work. It is graphic, it deals with taboos and it is extreme. You need an iron constitution to get through some part of this story. I have read a great many scenes of disturbing nature and this book contained some of the most physical evoking responses to a story I've ever read. Yes, I gagged physically. It can get rough.
Horror your deal? Read this. Love Lovecraft? Read this. Like to test the limits of your moral barometer? Read this. You will without a doubt be treated to a classically crafted, intimately described and memorably told story of the most vile nature.
One can imagine what might be involved with a story of Lovecraftian nature. Gothic settings and beings of a supernatural and/or inter-dimensional nature. Lee sets forth in the prologue that this story is a sort of 'part 2' to Lovecraft's Haunter of the Dark. Having read said story I can say that I did not find it so much as a continuation of that story as so much an homage to the story.
There is a note of warning if your inexperienced with Edward Lee's work. It is graphic, it deals with taboos and it is extreme. You need an iron constitution to get through some part of this story. I have read a great many scenes of disturbing nature and this book contained some of the most physical evoking responses to a story I've ever read. Yes, I gagged physically. It can get rough.
Horror your deal? Read this. Love Lovecraft? Read this. Like to test the limits of your moral barometer? Read this. You will without a doubt be treated to a classically crafted, intimately described and memorably told story of the most vile nature.
July 29, 2023
Great read
Yet another great read from the amazing Edward Lee. This has all the for the depravity the gross and undeniable amazing storyline that goes with Mr Lee's work. Loved the character, Hazel being one you cannot admire but also makes the story so grotesque in parts you yourself feel like vomiting. This character has some personal issues but if it wasn't for them, she wouldn't of been able to continue. He whole story wraps around a special stone which has some worth in the wrong hands. Can she find it and if so hold on to it and succumb the maddening depths of evil intent it holds. Hazel and her heavily pregnant best friend Sonia, and her best friends husband Frank, go to a cottage in redneck country due to Frank looking a very close colleague. But things all get twisted and whilst Frank embarks on his own journey, Hazel and Sonia discover their own, in more ways than one.
A brilliant story with great characters, filled with lust and desire to blood, gore and atrocious actions that has your stomach reeling. Definitely recommend.
Yet another great read from the amazing Edward Lee. This has all the for the depravity the gross and undeniable amazing storyline that goes with Mr Lee's work. Loved the character, Hazel being one you cannot admire but also makes the story so grotesque in parts you yourself feel like vomiting. This character has some personal issues but if it wasn't for them, she wouldn't of been able to continue. He whole story wraps around a special stone which has some worth in the wrong hands. Can she find it and if so hold on to it and succumb the maddening depths of evil intent it holds. Hazel and her heavily pregnant best friend Sonia, and her best friends husband Frank, go to a cottage in redneck country due to Frank looking a very close colleague. But things all get twisted and whilst Frank embarks on his own journey, Hazel and Sonia discover their own, in more ways than one.
A brilliant story with great characters, filled with lust and desire to blood, gore and atrocious actions that has your stomach reeling. Definitely recommend.
September 21, 2018
this was definitely a weird book. the scenes was at times unbearable I had to put the book down and forget about it. Coming back to it and its the same gruesome scenes over again. What bored me to hell is all the mathematician talk.
August 3, 2017
Sick
Very informative in the art of perversions and fetishes. This story would make lovecraft proud! Should include barf bag, left me parched.
Very informative in the art of perversions and fetishes. This story would make lovecraft proud! Should include barf bag, left me parched.
August 22, 2017
This necessitates revisiting. Fetish and perversion were never this hot and explicit.
November 3, 2024
The Haunter of the Threshold is Edward Lee's homage to H.P. Lovecraft, but with a distinctive twist that only Lee can deliver. While he takes inspiration from Lovecraft’s mythos of cosmic horror, Lee adds his own brand of extreme horror, blending supernatural terror with visceral, grotesque elements. The result is a novel that stays true to Lovecraftian themes while pushing boundaries in ways that Lovecraft himself never would have imagined.
The story follows a man who inherits a remote property in the backwoods of New England, only to discover that the land harbors something ancient and evil. As he begins to explore his inheritance, he encounters bizarre and horrifying entities, encounters disturbing rituals, and slowly uncovers the chilling truth behind the property’s dark history. The deeper he digs, the more he realizes that he’s not just facing a simple haunting—he’s up against forces beyond human comprehension.
Lee's writing in The Haunter of the Threshold is steeped in atmosphere. The isolated setting and creeping dread capture Lovecraft’s style of cosmic horror, but Lee takes things several steps further. Where Lovecraft often hinted at horror through suggestion, Lee lays it bare, describing scenes of horror with unflinching detail. It’s a combination of atmospheric dread and explicit horror, where every page is filled with tension, and readers are confronted with both psychological and physical terror.
What’s remarkable about The Haunter of the Threshold is Lee's ability to make you feel the smallness and insignificance of humanity in the face of ancient, otherworldly powers. While Lovecraft evoked this through vague descriptions and unknown forces, Lee does it by placing his protagonist directly in the path of these horrors, creating a personal, immediate sense of terror. It’s cosmic horror you can feel, touch, and smell—a truly immersive experience that draws you into Lee’s twisted vision of Lovecraft’s universe.
But make no mistake: this is extreme horror, and Lee doesn’t hold back. There are scenes that are brutal, disturbing, and graphic, challenging readers who are accustomed to Lovecraft’s more restrained style. Yet, Lee’s unflinching approach adds a new layer to the Lovecraftian mythos, one that’s visceral and raw. The horrors in The Haunter of the Threshold are not just hinted at—they’re described in vivid, disturbing detail that makes you feel every moment of the protagonist’s descent into madness.
The story follows a man who inherits a remote property in the backwoods of New England, only to discover that the land harbors something ancient and evil. As he begins to explore his inheritance, he encounters bizarre and horrifying entities, encounters disturbing rituals, and slowly uncovers the chilling truth behind the property’s dark history. The deeper he digs, the more he realizes that he’s not just facing a simple haunting—he’s up against forces beyond human comprehension.
Lee's writing in The Haunter of the Threshold is steeped in atmosphere. The isolated setting and creeping dread capture Lovecraft’s style of cosmic horror, but Lee takes things several steps further. Where Lovecraft often hinted at horror through suggestion, Lee lays it bare, describing scenes of horror with unflinching detail. It’s a combination of atmospheric dread and explicit horror, where every page is filled with tension, and readers are confronted with both psychological and physical terror.
What’s remarkable about The Haunter of the Threshold is Lee's ability to make you feel the smallness and insignificance of humanity in the face of ancient, otherworldly powers. While Lovecraft evoked this through vague descriptions and unknown forces, Lee does it by placing his protagonist directly in the path of these horrors, creating a personal, immediate sense of terror. It’s cosmic horror you can feel, touch, and smell—a truly immersive experience that draws you into Lee’s twisted vision of Lovecraft’s universe.
But make no mistake: this is extreme horror, and Lee doesn’t hold back. There are scenes that are brutal, disturbing, and graphic, challenging readers who are accustomed to Lovecraft’s more restrained style. Yet, Lee’s unflinching approach adds a new layer to the Lovecraftian mythos, one that’s visceral and raw. The horrors in The Haunter of the Threshold are not just hinted at—they’re described in vivid, disturbing detail that makes you feel every moment of the protagonist’s descent into madness.
January 29, 2023
I'm sorry, but this was extremely badly written. I don't know if the author just wanted to disgust us (the reader) or write down his fantasy's and how he thinks women need to be treated or think what they want. It is really disgusting to read something like this; if that was the goal than congratulations. I dropped the book 39% in. The characters were boring, the plot non-existent und where was the horror? If your book takes pages and pages to get the horror going - why saying it's a horror book? Or did they mean his bad writing of his bad attempt on writing a novel about sex? I could rant on an on, but to be bluntly: this should be burned
(And the fact that a man did write, well... Even more disgusting)
(And the fact that a man did write, well... Even more disgusting)
December 23, 2022
Unless you're into advanced mathematics, with an indepth knowledge and understanding of geometry, this book is probably not for you. I found it incredibly hard going, with all the technical detail, conversations written in 'Redneck' speak (hard work when you're English) and even parts written in Latin. This was not worth the money at all and left me extremely disappointed and utterly bamboozled.
May 31, 2023
I enjoyed this for exactly what it was. A super weird cosmic horror full of super weird sex. Am I 100% sure what it was about? Nope. I just remember rapey rednecks and lots of piss. But I enjoyed the ride along the way.
December 17, 2024
Not enough Lovecraft and too much piss. lol this was definitely an Ed Lee book and knowing what I was going into prepared me but dear lord the characters, science, and decisions made in this book are so comically ridiculous…so in other words…loved it. Seriously though, too much piss. 4.5⭐️
January 8, 2021
not sure why I decided to give this author another try, the dialogues are just as bad as in his other works, and the shock factor is just too over the top to work
September 22, 2021
Halloween 2021 Read 14/20
November 25, 2021
An H.P. Lovecraft pastiche that requires the reader to have the stomach of a concrete rhinoceros.
November 8, 2022
Not for me.
January 21, 2026
Classic lovecraftian Lee, though there's way too much noncon and watersports for my liking. But I really appreciate to name the main characters Sonia Heald and Hazel Greene - if you know, you know.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2022
This was my first Edward Lee book I came across. I didn't know what I was dealing with, since I just wanted to read an Lovecraftesque book and got something I did not expect.
If you have never read these kind of books it will surprise you how explicit things can be explained and how disgusted you can feel reading it.
Since I expected Horror, I got something that shocked me in different ways.
If you have never read these kind of books it will surprise you how explicit things can be explained and how disgusted you can feel reading it.
Since I expected Horror, I got something that shocked me in different ways.
January 31, 2023
Ever read HP Lovecraft? Sure you have, he's a master of suspense and world building horror.
Ask yourself, once you finished the story, did you think, "Hey this was pretty good, but you know what would make it great? Exhaustively descriptive scenes of sex and violence!".
GOOD NEWS! Edward Lee's got your back (and likely your front).
Things just haven't been the same since a tornado, stronger than anything we've ever seen before, hit Saint Petersburg Florida, killing everyone in sight - except one man. That man, some months later took his own life. Was it trauma from the tornado? Was it even a tornado?
We follow people who are staying at the cabin where this suicide took place. They meet a bunch of interesting, if a little crazy people at local restaurants. It's strange though - one of our cabinmates was supposed to be there with her husband, but her husband keeps saying he'll be late because he's in the middle of a forest researching things that the now-dead man insisted no one should attempt. That's probably going to go as well as you expect.
Lovecraft's way of marrying religious cults with vengeful gods and sadistic clergy is in full effect. Who - or what - is behind it. But Edward Lee's claim to fame is being one of the most extreme authors in the world, taking stories where others would never dare, and you can expect more than a little of that in here. Expect graphic sexual situations (not always consensual), visceral gore, torment, torture and all around mayhem with no filter.
I originally rated this 4/5, but when I got around to writing a review I upped it to 5. Don't take that to mean that this is a classic that all people should read. No, this is certainly not meant for all - or even most- readers. But, clearly Edward Lee had a plan with this book, combining his unique "extreme horror" writing with the already well-documented worlds built by HP Lovecraft. Taken by those standards, he's succeeded in that task fully. If you love the gothic world-building that Lovecraft excelled in, but also enjoy your horror on the sleazy side, this is a novel explicitly made for you.
You know who you are. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Ask yourself, once you finished the story, did you think, "Hey this was pretty good, but you know what would make it great? Exhaustively descriptive scenes of sex and violence!".
GOOD NEWS! Edward Lee's got your back (and likely your front).
Things just haven't been the same since a tornado, stronger than anything we've ever seen before, hit Saint Petersburg Florida, killing everyone in sight - except one man. That man, some months later took his own life. Was it trauma from the tornado? Was it even a tornado?
We follow people who are staying at the cabin where this suicide took place. They meet a bunch of interesting, if a little crazy people at local restaurants. It's strange though - one of our cabinmates was supposed to be there with her husband, but her husband keeps saying he'll be late because he's in the middle of a forest researching things that the now-dead man insisted no one should attempt. That's probably going to go as well as you expect.
Lovecraft's way of marrying religious cults with vengeful gods and sadistic clergy is in full effect. Who - or what - is behind it. But Edward Lee's claim to fame is being one of the most extreme authors in the world, taking stories where others would never dare, and you can expect more than a little of that in here. Expect graphic sexual situations (not always consensual), visceral gore, torment, torture and all around mayhem with no filter.
I originally rated this 4/5, but when I got around to writing a review I upped it to 5. Don't take that to mean that this is a classic that all people should read. No, this is certainly not meant for all - or even most- readers. But, clearly Edward Lee had a plan with this book, combining his unique "extreme horror" writing with the already well-documented worlds built by HP Lovecraft. Taken by those standards, he's succeeded in that task fully. If you love the gothic world-building that Lovecraft excelled in, but also enjoy your horror on the sleazy side, this is a novel explicitly made for you.
You know who you are. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
April 16, 2024
Edward Lee has probably the most disturbing and fascinating imagination I've ever witnessed from a horror writer and surprisingly despite how gruesome and horrifying his work can get, most of his stories are brilliant. A very intelligent author who can tell a great story, whilst making your stomach turn with some of the most despicable and demented imagery imaginable. It's no surprise that Lee is a massive fan of Lovecraft and since I wasn't too keen on Trolley No. 1852, I wanted to give another one of his attempts at the Lovecraftian genre a go. So here I am reading his sequel to H.P Lovecraft's, The Haunter of The Dark.
Hazel Greene is a sexually obsessed woman with some really disturbing fantasies. She's also in love with another woman by the name of Sonia who doesn't reciprocate her emotions and is heavily pregnant. After the suicide of Professor Henry Wilmarth, Sonia's husband Frank has gone to take care of Henry's last requests. Hazel and Sonia follow behind him into a backwoods town but they soon find out that not everything is as it seems. Suicide plagues the house they're staying in, magic gems are showing up, and a mysterious cottage on top of a hill stands still whilst lurking in the darkness are deadly tentacles. Hazel's sexual desires are about to be put to the test.
The Haunter of The Threshold is by far Edward Lee's most demented and sexually horrifying novel to date, but unlike Trolley No. 1852 it has an actual story, interesting ideas, atmosphere, and really likable characters. It's also a really solid sequel to Lovecraft's original story. But I will warn you of the triggers now: r*pe, abortion, mutilation, torture, murder, and a shit ton of gore.
This novel is by far the most my stomach has flip-flopped and turned, grossing me out as no other novel has before. Some of the demented imagery here is so explicit I had to turn away at times and take a breather, something I haven't really had to do before when reading a book, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I will say however the approach to a certain 'scene' in the earlier half of the novel, could have been better handled, and the reactionary consequences from it more realistic. I also felt some of the gross scenes could have been dialed down a little bit, but I'm aware that's just a preference of mine. It's splatterpunk, it's going to be violent, gruesome, and downright horrifying and I'll admit whilst I enjoy the genre it can get a bit much for me at times, but it's my funeral or so they say.
Overall: DO NOT READ THIS, IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH. I say this a lot with Edward Lee, but here I truly feel it's earned. Whilst it's a fantastic story with some terrific horror and atmosphere, it is by far one of the most gruesome books I have ever read and it has a lot of potentially triggering content, so be careful. I for one really liked this book however and aside from a couple of issues, I honestly think it's a great read. 9/10
Hazel Greene is a sexually obsessed woman with some really disturbing fantasies. She's also in love with another woman by the name of Sonia who doesn't reciprocate her emotions and is heavily pregnant. After the suicide of Professor Henry Wilmarth, Sonia's husband Frank has gone to take care of Henry's last requests. Hazel and Sonia follow behind him into a backwoods town but they soon find out that not everything is as it seems. Suicide plagues the house they're staying in, magic gems are showing up, and a mysterious cottage on top of a hill stands still whilst lurking in the darkness are deadly tentacles. Hazel's sexual desires are about to be put to the test.
The Haunter of The Threshold is by far Edward Lee's most demented and sexually horrifying novel to date, but unlike Trolley No. 1852 it has an actual story, interesting ideas, atmosphere, and really likable characters. It's also a really solid sequel to Lovecraft's original story. But I will warn you of the triggers now: r*pe, abortion, mutilation, torture, murder, and a shit ton of gore.
This novel is by far the most my stomach has flip-flopped and turned, grossing me out as no other novel has before. Some of the demented imagery here is so explicit I had to turn away at times and take a breather, something I haven't really had to do before when reading a book, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I will say however the approach to a certain 'scene' in the earlier half of the novel, could have been better handled, and the reactionary consequences from it more realistic. I also felt some of the gross scenes could have been dialed down a little bit, but I'm aware that's just a preference of mine. It's splatterpunk, it's going to be violent, gruesome, and downright horrifying and I'll admit whilst I enjoy the genre it can get a bit much for me at times, but it's my funeral or so they say.
Overall: DO NOT READ THIS, IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH. I say this a lot with Edward Lee, but here I truly feel it's earned. Whilst it's a fantastic story with some terrific horror and atmosphere, it is by far one of the most gruesome books I have ever read and it has a lot of potentially triggering content, so be careful. I for one really liked this book however and aside from a couple of issues, I honestly think it's a great read. 9/10
March 8, 2012
THE HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD by Edward Lee
The Haunter of the Threshold is Edward Lee’s pornographic, mystically fetish lined lovechild sequel to Howard Phillip Lovecraft’s 1935 tale called The Haunter of the Dark. I, as well as Lee, recommend you go back and re-read the classic HPL version before diving into this one (Trust me, I did just this and the satisfaction and pleasure of re-reading the original and then reading Lee’s sequel enhanced the experience somehow… Possibly through some act of eldritch sex magic, no doubt.)
The Haunter of the Threshold is about a group of three people who take a trip into a hillbillies infested backwoods. The protagonist is Hazel Greene, a woman who is inflicted with every known fetish in the universe. She goes on the trip with her pregnant professor friend Sonia, whom she is in love with, to a cabin to meet up with Sonia’s fiancé ‘Frank (Who just so happens to be a math freak and also a professor as well.) Frank inherited the Cabin from his recently dead friend Henry. The three characters quickly find out that not all is right in hick land as Sonia and Hazel start having weird sightings and encounters while all the while Frank pores over his dead friend’s papers adamant that he must destroy his friends work because it contains a horrible truth! This is just the beginning of the craziness, not to mention all the things that happen to Hazel…
:: Shudders::
Eventually, tentacle people wearing robes start showing up and the name Nyarlathotep is becoming more and more prominent around the backwoods New Hampshire town.
A sign of bad things to come?
Yup.
I won’t spoil the ending for you but just know that it can never end well with Lee at the helm. There are twists and turns and surprises waiting for you betwixt these book covers, but only if you can take the gratuitous, nasty sex acts of delightful depravity. Oh, and the mind shattering terror of the Old Ones.
Over all, I admit I had fun reading it; I winched, I laughed, I tasted some puke in the back of my throat but if you’re a fan of Lovecraft and hardcore horror, this is one not to be missed.
Good luck reading it, and to paraphrase Edward Lee in the intro:
“My H. P. Lovecraft and God forgive you.”
The Haunter of the Threshold is Edward Lee’s pornographic, mystically fetish lined lovechild sequel to Howard Phillip Lovecraft’s 1935 tale called The Haunter of the Dark. I, as well as Lee, recommend you go back and re-read the classic HPL version before diving into this one (Trust me, I did just this and the satisfaction and pleasure of re-reading the original and then reading Lee’s sequel enhanced the experience somehow… Possibly through some act of eldritch sex magic, no doubt.)
The Haunter of the Threshold is about a group of three people who take a trip into a hillbillies infested backwoods. The protagonist is Hazel Greene, a woman who is inflicted with every known fetish in the universe. She goes on the trip with her pregnant professor friend Sonia, whom she is in love with, to a cabin to meet up with Sonia’s fiancé ‘Frank (Who just so happens to be a math freak and also a professor as well.) Frank inherited the Cabin from his recently dead friend Henry. The three characters quickly find out that not all is right in hick land as Sonia and Hazel start having weird sightings and encounters while all the while Frank pores over his dead friend’s papers adamant that he must destroy his friends work because it contains a horrible truth! This is just the beginning of the craziness, not to mention all the things that happen to Hazel…
:: Shudders::
Eventually, tentacle people wearing robes start showing up and the name Nyarlathotep is becoming more and more prominent around the backwoods New Hampshire town.
A sign of bad things to come?
Yup.
I won’t spoil the ending for you but just know that it can never end well with Lee at the helm. There are twists and turns and surprises waiting for you betwixt these book covers, but only if you can take the gratuitous, nasty sex acts of delightful depravity. Oh, and the mind shattering terror of the Old Ones.
Over all, I admit I had fun reading it; I winched, I laughed, I tasted some puke in the back of my throat but if you’re a fan of Lovecraft and hardcore horror, this is one not to be missed.
Good luck reading it, and to paraphrase Edward Lee in the intro:
“My H. P. Lovecraft and God forgive you.”
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