Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Ushers by Edward Lee ISBN: 1-891480-03-0 Publisher: Obsidian Pub Pr Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.12 (8 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A shocker feast for sure
Comment: The Ushers by Edward Lee is a dark, collection of stories, that verge on excess, but somehow Mr. Lee seems to take them right to the edge and leaves you high and dry, dangling like a hangman in the wind. A very over the top novel for sure, this is not for the week of heart: containing more then it's fair share of violence, graphic depictions of gore, sexuality, and many other human depravations that seem to blur the line between human and animal. A shocker feast for sure. His work has so much potential, but his insistence of pushing things to far over the edge turn this work of art into nothing more then an attempt to cram as much vulgarity and crudeness into a single bound edition then any other author. I didn't particularly enjoy this book, despite its dark overtures, and anticipatory hype. If nothing else, I felt as if I had wasted several hours of my time trying to make sense of these stories. I guess I'm just not that much of a horror kind of guy - just a twisted, techno noir distopian reality kind of guy.
Rating: 5
Summary: Lee is a Master!
Comment: I am an Edward Lee fan. Although I have only read a few of his novels, his smorgasbord of unsettling violence, intense erotica, and whiplash prose make his writings enormous fun for a dedicated horror fan. The biggest problem facing a reader is how to acquire many of his books and short stories. Nearly all of his mass-market efforts are out of print, many other novels and collections are available only through wallet crushing small press editions, and the subject matter of a majority of his tales virtually insures much of his work will remain in at least partial obscurity. In other words, I am an Ed Lee fan insofar as my meager funds allow. That is why I was very happy to stumble over a copy of "The Ushers," a 1999 collection of Ed's short stories. A reasonable price permitted me to pick this one up, and I am glad I did! My opinion of Lee as a writer shot into the stratosphere after I explored the depths of this impressive anthology. In fact, I simply couldn't put this book down after I started reading it.
Lee is primarily a horror writer, but as "The Ushers" aptly proves, he can write as effectively in other genres as well. For example, "Grub Girl in the Prison of Dead Women" shows the author easily pulling off a plot that is as much science fiction as it is horror. Then there is "The Decortication Technician," a groovy yarn about space exploration and a most unusual discovery found in an abandoned alien spacecraft. Again, this tale is just as effective as a sci-fi story. Another tale dealing with science fiction elements is "Secret Service," a primer about the dangers of protecting a former president suffering from mental decline. After reading the stories in this book, I have few illusions that Ed can write just about anything he wants if he puts his mind to it.
Of course, horror is Lee's forte. "The Ushers" overflows with gruesome tidbits while offering personal revelations about why the author wrote a particular story. Fans of "The Bighead" or "Monstrosity" have recognized Lee's fascination with backwoods folk. Ed's the "redneck" guy, the horror author who frequently inserts rural yokels with a penchant for gory violence into his stories. In a personal note at the end of "The Man Who Loved Clichés," we finally discover why this author relies so heavily on these character types. According to Lee, James Dickey's novel "Deliverance" had a deleterious effect on him, as the book and subsequent film version reminded him of particular "outer elements" he recognized from his youth. Finally discovering the reasons for this author's love of country bumpkins is worth the price of the book alone. His statement that he will continue to write stories about hillbillies is great news for his fans. "Mr. Torso," a Bram Stoker Award nominated story written in 1994 and containing one of these beloved rural types also makes an appearance in this collection.
Do you like reading about sociopaths, psychotics, and serial killers? Pull up a chair and get ready to read some crime thrillers. In "Hands," we get a grim whodunit about a murderer who likes to collect trophies from his victims. This one is a gem of a yarn with a great big twist at the end that's sure to please. "Scriptures" delves into the world of a family plagued by sociopathy and is particularly forbidding in its mix of religion and violence. And don't forget to read "Please Let Me Out," about an aging female lawyer and her seemingly foolproof plan to keep her young boyfriend from straying far from home. Ed Lee definitely has little aversion to writing a thriller once in awhile, although his versions always stray far from the mainstream with politically incorrect dialogue, over the top scenery, and wacky characters.
In my opinion, the absolute best story in the book is the one that describes why Lee writes horror. Split into two separate stories in this collection, Lee describes the horrors of everyday life in vivid detail, the shocking, sad, nauseating inhumanity man shows towards fellow man. The author's fascination with the dark side of reality informs his horror stories, which usually deal with the pettiness of mankind and the resulting disaster that befalls those who are vain, greedy, evil, and self-righteous. Ed Lee argues that there is a relevancy in studying the nether regions of the human spirit, and several of these stories accomplish that quite nicely. This story should have won a Bram Stoker Award.
If I seem overly enthusiastic about "The Ushers," it is because these are entertaining stories from a maturing master in the horror genre. I'm still hoping most of Lee's works will find mass-market release soon, but even if they don't I am more inclined to shell out a few dollars more to get them after reading this collection. Yes, he is that good. Oh, I almost forgot: this book also includes an Ed Lee bibliography stretching back to his first stories and novels. It should go without saying how helpful this is to those fans who wish to obtain more books written by this author.
Rating: 2
Summary: Poppy Z Brite this ain't!
Comment: Prior to reading this collection of short stories by Edward Lee, I had encountered his Grub Girl shorts in the Hot Blood series. I was intrigued, even impressed. However, after finishing this collection I am rather disappointed. I had no problem with the "extreme horror" aspect of Lee's writing - Skip and Spector's two collections of Zombie fare are treasured books in my collection. Rather, many of the stories seemed forced and too many relied upon the same "gross outs" time after time. There is just so much that you can do with the topics of child pornography, dismemberment and a particularly nasty strain of sexuality to keep an otherwise conventional plot of "you picked the wrong guy/girl/child to mess with" interesting. A couple of stories were reasonably good ("The Decortication Technician", Hands) and least one had a modicum of humor ("Secret Service"). As far as satisfying the need for literate grue, this one falls short... back to Poppy Z. Brite, I guess. On a final note, the editors at Obsidian Press REALLY need to pay more attention. There were more spelling errors than in a freshman English paper.
 |
Title: The Bighead : Author's Preferred Version by Edward Lee, Erik Wilson ISBN: 1892950138 Publisher: Overlook Connection Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Teratologist by Edward Lee, Wrath James White ISBN: 0972915796 Publisher: Medium Rare Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
 |
Title: Duet for the Devil by T. Winter-Damon, Randy Chandler ISBN: 1889186163 Publisher: Necro Publications Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
