I was in the mood to read a horror novel, and having heard good things about Edward Lee’s work, I decided to try one of his. I knew his books have a reputation for containing a lot of extreme violence and a considerable amount of sex, so I wasn’t really surprised to encounter both of those things in THE BACKWOODS. It’s the story of high-powered Washington D.C. attorney Patricia White, who returns to the small town in rural Virginia where she grew up for her brother-in-law’s funeral. What she finds there are all sorts of sinister, dangerous secrets, including a clan of mysterious backwoods folks who practice an ancient religion of their own and a series of bizarre murders that have no rational explanation.Well, those of you who have read very many horror novels will know right away where some of these plot elements are going, and I was somewhat disappointed that there weren’t more plot twists along the way. Lee does include some surprises in his story, though, and tells it in fast-paced, evocative prose that’s fun to read. I found enough to like here that I’m definitely interested in reading more of his books. Although it’s not for everybody, I’d recommend THE BACKWOODS to anyone who likes the novels of, say, Richard Laymon – which I do, quite a bit.
I’d like to pass this book along to someone else who might enjoy it. So if you’re an Edward Lee fan and don’t have a copy of THE BACKWOODS, or if you haven’t read him but would like to try his work, it’s yours if you’re the first one to email me and ask for it. The email link is in my profile, if you don’t have the address already.
9 comments:
I haven't read anything by Lee. My favorite horror novels are probably "The Nightrunners" by Lansdale, "Ghost STory" by STraub, "The Haunting of Hill House" by Jackson. A great "in the woods" horror work is "Where the chill waits," by T. Chris Martindale. I may be biased but I happen to think my "Cold in the Light" is a pretty decent woods related horror novel. Plenty of gore in that one, though not so much sex.
One of Lee's best backwoods novels is The Bighead.
His latest Leisure paperback is Brides of the Impaler, set in New York City and concerning yuppies, not hillbillies. It's a fun read.
You got me interested. I've placed this on hold at my library and look forward to checking it out.
I read SLITHER by Lee and it was...well...not very good at all.
Nice to see a shout-out for Laymon, whose works are, for want of a better phrase, challenging to recommend. There are plenty of well read folks who are not going to be able to enjoy even his best work.
John Hocking
John,
I find Laymon's work really inconsistent. I liked some of his novels a lot, and some of them I didn't care for. And I haven't read all of them, by any means. I really ought to write a whole post about his books one of these days.
My favorite of his books is probably his memoir about his career, which I think is called A WRITER'S LIFE or A WRITING LIFE, something like that.
Yeah, Laymon is uneven, more so since some of his only marginally finished stuff was released after his untimely death.
But his best work is just demonically intense. Like Paul Cain novelizing the most heartless slasher film ever made. Sharp, brittle sentences that can twist the plot in mid-paragraph, often with a line that strikes the reader like an open-handed slap.
I used to read his stuff exclusively when travelling by air, as I knew it would be horrific enough to take my mind off the fact that I was thousands of feet in the air.
John
I just checked my library queue and Backwoods is available for pickup! Looking forward to checking it out--sounds like suitably dark material for the forthcoming winter solstice. :) I'll check back later with my initial thoughts.
My 2 favorite novels by Ed Lee are The Chosen and Creekers. mtm
Okay, just read the first 50 pages and am really into it. It's a pretty weird transition from Louis L'Amour, but I have to say it's nice to read something a bit more contemporary for a change of pace. I'm racing through this one in a way I almost never do with the L'Amour I've been reading. You used the word "fun" in your review, and I'd have to agree with that description. It's not deep, but I'm having a blast!
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