The Living Legend of Literary Mayhem

Thus sayeth Richard Laymon of Edward Lee. And Laymon is no wallflower of twisted and demented.

I was about ready to leave Half-Price Bookstores (TM) when I thought, OK, one more pass down the horror aisle. There, wonders of wonders, were TWO volumes from Deadite Press (division of Eraserhead Press, a bizarro outfit). The titles might make you squeamish, but one was Brain Cheese Buffet, and the other Bullet Through Your Face.

With the waning of horror, and Leisure Books' demise, I wondered where Mr. Lee would head. These are reprints, and I had collected several in previous incarnations, but some are new.

Ed Lee has a way of challenging me to see what I am made of. Much as Robert Bloch used humor in twisted ways, so does Lee. He just ramps up the ecch. However, in many of his stories he finds a way to bring nobility to a character in the midst of the most heinous evils.

This is very different than Brian Keene (another favorite) where EVERYONE dies horribly at the end, but the question is whether they will die with nobility, or in humiliated, abject, quivering terror.

Sexuality is also a current in Lee's work, and what is offensive to some, is erotic to others. Mostly, though, Lee's explosions of sexuality are extensions of gore. More I can't say since I don't use that language on the HPL blog. It's not for the squeamish.

I also like that from time to time, Ed Lee injects ufology into his fantasy fiction.

Oh, and I got each book for $4.98 - and we had a $5 off coupon, too. If one day there is no blog entry, it's because a stack of books fell upon me and crushed me. I am sitting, typing this, surrounded by horror, ghost, ufology, weird beast, cryptozoological, and Lovecraft books.

_____

As I type this (Sunday, 2 January 2011) yesterday on the way to the bookstore I got a call with a most intriguing offer. Always one to over commit, I have half-promised to engage in a new endeavor. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead to see what comes of this.

My resolution is to start whipping my Lovecraft notes into shape, and get some published. I also have a desire to write more horror fiction, and since there is mostly no place to publish it, some will end up here!