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Coven
Born in darkness, they arise. Seductive angels of murder, madness, and horrors beyond imagining. COVEN Bathed in moonlight, they feed their darkest hungers in a festival of perversion and death, demented orgies that serve a cruel, unspeakable will... COVEN They are irresistible sirens in black, corrupting the living and raising the dead. Now the silent town of Exham will surrender to their loving embrace, their haunting beauty, and their ravenous need for human flesh. Surrender--and die... COVEN Beauty is only skin deep. More like a revved-up gross-out '70s B-movie, COVEN revels in its ultimate editorial no-no: it's science-fiction dropped into a contemporary horror plot, something that horror editors seem to never buy. Maybe this one sold...because it works. Originally entitled THE WOMEN IN BLACK, this "turgid," original take on the There's Something Fucked-Up At The College plot highlights Lee's gross-out skills early on and demonstrates that pulp horror writers really can create fresh, well-developed, easy-to-realize characters. Cameos of Lee's then-favorite beers--during his beer-snob days--appear in abundance, and Lovecraftian symbols abound (it's fun just picking them out), but wait till you meets the gals in this book. This is the only existing novel that Lee wants to sequelize.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Edward Lee
317 books1,289 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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September 15, 2017
"Οι γυναίκες με τα μαύρα"
Τίτλος και περιληπτική ανάλυση στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου ιδιαιτέρως ατμοσφαιρικά, σε προδιαθέτουν για μια ευφάνταστη ιστορία τρόμου ή κάποιο διφορούμενο μεταφυσικό βιβλίο θρίλερ.
Τώρα αν σκεφτούμε και τον πρωτότυπο τίτλο
"σύναξη μαγισσών", αυτομάτως φανταζόμαστε μια ιστορία με σκοτεινές δυνάμεις που σπέρνουν τον όλεθρο, συνυφασμένη με θρύλους νεκροζώντανων πλασμάτων ως μεσάζοντες μεταξύ θεών και θνητών. Μια παρέα διαβόητη, με δαιμόνια και παγανιστικές μεσαιωνικές κουλτούρες.
Ωστόσο, αυτό δεν συμβαίνει. Η ιστορία ξεκινάει αρκετά καλά όμως σιγά-σιγά η πλοκή γίνεται όλο και πιο αφελής (αποφεύγω το χαρακτηρισμό σαχλή τιμής ενεκέν στο συγγραφέα που διατείνεται πως λατρεύει τον Lovecraft).
Εδώ βέβαια έχουμε να αντιμετωπίσουμε την προσπάθεια του συγγραφέα να μας γοητεύσει με φθηνές επινοήσεις εξωκοσμικού τρόμου και συμπαντικές συνομοσίες εξωγήινων υπερόντων.
Το μόνο που καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει είναι μια εμπορική, δευτεροκλασσάτη ταινία με θεματική τρόμου επιστημονικής φαντασίας, ανεπαρκή σε όλα τα επίπεδα,με μπερδεμένα το επιτηδευμένο φθηνό χιούμορ της ανοησίας και την ακατάπαυστη εμμονή στη βιαιοπραγία.
Γυναίκες με μαύρα ρούχα και γυαλιά ηλίου που πεινάνε...- και είναι φρικαλέα παμφάγα τέρατα-για ανθρώπινο κρέας ( ιδιαίτερα προτιμητέο ότι έχει να κάνει με εντόσθια και ανδρικά μόρια).
Γυναίκες-κτήνη που είναι στην ουσία θύματα και θύτες.
Ιδιαίτερα προκλητικά σκηνικά τρόμου, λαβύρινθοι,
νεκροταφεία, έρημες και σκοτεινές λεωφόροι, εγκαταστάσεις πανεπιστημιακών εργαστηρίων όπου συμβαίνουν όλα τα κακά με τον χειρότερο τρόπο.
Σαν να απευθύνεται σε ανοήμονες που θα γελάνε τρώγοντας και βλέποντας σφαγές, αποκεφαλισμούς,κανιβαλισμούς και τεμαχισμούς ανθρώπων με μεσαιωνικούς πέλεκεις... έτσι για την ιστορία, για να αναβοσβήνει η λεζάντα
"ΤΡΑΓΕΛΑΦΙΚΑ-ΚΡΑΥΓΑΛΕΑ-ΑΗΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΑ".
Και φυσικά οι χαρακτήρες μονοδιάστατοι κομπάρσοι, κυνηγοί της βαριάς τους μοίρας και ιδιαζόντως ανεγκέφαλοι. Ριψοκίνδυνοι και απερίσκεπτοι προχωρούν μες την πλοκή και δεν σταματούν την παράτολμη και θαρραλέα συμπεριφορά των ηλιθίων ακόμη και μπροστά στο πεπρωμένο της αιματοβαμμένης καταδίκης τους.
Ένα είδος επιφανειακής γραφής καθόλου παραισθητικής και εμβληματικής όπως την περίμενα. Φανταζόμουν να βουτήξω στον ωκεανό ενός αποκόσμου αναγνώσματος που θα με παραξενέψει και θα με κατευθύνει σε αναλύσεις και εμβαθύνσεις.
Δεν αποζημιώθηκα στο ελάχιστο.
Μια ρηχή λακκούβα με λασπόνερα. Παγίδα για όποιον δεν προσέχει και πηγή ευχαρίστησης για όποιον αρέσκεται στα ρηχά....
*** το τρίτο αστεράκι αξιολόγησης είναι αποκλειστικά και μόνο για το ξεχωριστό και υπέροχο εξωφυλλο του βιβλίου στην ελληνική έκδοση.
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
Τίτλος και περιληπτική ανάλυση στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου ιδιαιτέρως ατμοσφαιρικά, σε προδιαθέτουν για μια ευφάνταστη ιστορία τρόμου ή κάποιο διφορούμενο μεταφυσικό βιβλίο θρίλερ.
Τώρα αν σκεφτούμε και τον πρωτότυπο τίτλο
"σύναξη μαγισσών", αυτομάτως φανταζόμαστε μια ιστορία με σκοτεινές δυνάμεις που σπέρνουν τον όλεθρο, συνυφασμένη με θρύλους νεκροζώντανων πλασμάτων ως μεσάζοντες μεταξύ θεών και θνητών. Μια παρέα διαβόητη, με δαιμόνια και παγανιστικές μεσαιωνικές κουλτούρες.
Ωστόσο, αυτό δεν συμβαίνει. Η ιστορία ξεκινάει αρκετά καλά όμως σιγά-σιγά η πλοκή γίνεται όλο και πιο αφελής (αποφεύγω το χαρακτηρισμό σαχλή τιμής ενεκέν στο συγγραφέα που διατείνεται πως λατρεύει τον Lovecraft).
Εδώ βέβαια έχουμε να αντιμετωπίσουμε την προσπάθεια του συγγραφέα να μας γοητεύσει με φθηνές επινοήσεις εξωκοσμικού τρόμου και συμπαντικές συνομοσίες εξωγήινων υπερόντων.
Το μόνο που καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει είναι μια εμπορική, δευτεροκλασσάτη ταινία με θεματική τρόμου επιστημονικής φαντασίας, ανεπαρκή σε όλα τα επίπεδα,με μπερδεμένα το επιτηδευμένο φθηνό χιούμορ της ανοησίας και την ακατάπαυστη εμμονή στη βιαιοπραγία.
Γυναίκες με μαύρα ρούχα και γυαλιά ηλίου που πεινάνε...- και είναι φρικαλέα παμφάγα τέρατα-για ανθρώπινο κρέας ( ιδιαίτερα προτιμητέο ότι έχει να κάνει με εντόσθια και ανδρικά μόρια).
Γυναίκες-κτήνη που είναι στην ουσία θύματα και θύτες.
Ιδιαίτερα προκλητικά σκηνικά τρόμου, λαβύρινθοι,
νεκροταφεία, έρημες και σκοτεινές λεωφόροι, εγκαταστάσεις πανεπιστημιακών εργαστηρίων όπου συμβαίνουν όλα τα κακά με τον χειρότερο τρόπο.
Σαν να απευθύνεται σε ανοήμονες που θα γελάνε τρώγοντας και βλέποντας σφαγές, αποκεφαλισμούς,κανιβαλισμούς και τεμαχισμούς ανθρώπων με μεσαιωνικούς πέλεκεις... έτσι για την ιστορία, για να αναβοσβήνει η λεζάντα
"ΤΡΑΓΕΛΑΦΙΚΑ-ΚΡΑΥΓΑΛΕΑ-ΑΗΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΑ".
Και φυσικά οι χαρακτήρες μονοδιάστατοι κομπάρσοι, κυνηγοί της βαριάς τους μοίρας και ιδιαζόντως ανεγκέφαλοι. Ριψοκίνδυνοι και απερίσκεπτοι προχωρούν μες την πλοκή και δεν σταματούν την παράτολμη και θαρραλέα συμπεριφορά των ηλιθίων ακόμη και μπροστά στο πεπρωμένο της αιματοβαμμένης καταδίκης τους.
Ένα είδος επιφανειακής γραφής καθόλου παραισθητικής και εμβληματικής όπως την περίμενα. Φανταζόμουν να βουτήξω στον ωκεανό ενός αποκόσμου αναγνώσματος που θα με παραξενέψει και θα με κατευθύνει σε αναλύσεις και εμβαθύνσεις.
Δεν αποζημιώθηκα στο ελάχιστο.
Μια ρηχή λακκούβα με λασπόνερα. Παγίδα για όποιον δεν προσέχει και πηγή ευχαρίστησης για όποιον αρέσκεται στα ρηχά....
*** το τρίτο αστεράκι αξιολόγησης είναι αποκλειστικά και μόνο για το ξεχωριστό και υπέροχο εξωφυλλο του βιβλίου στην ελληνική έκδοση.
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
November 25, 2023
Ed Lee returns to 'the route' in backwoods Maryland for the Coven with a genre bending story that takes you on quite a ride! The main protagonist is Wade St. John, a super rich college student at the only place that would take him- Exham College. Exham is very expensive, but home to serious slackers with lots of money who do not have the grades or gumption to go anywhere else. Wade, with his 1.4 gpa after four years, is told by his father that he must attend summer session at Exham and raise his gpa to 2.5 or he will be cut off totally forever. Further, for the summer, Wade is told he will be working in the science center cleaning toilets for minimum wage in lieu of an allowance. At least Wade has few buddies to hang with and his hot rod vette!
Something strange is going on at Exham, however. Students are vanishing and at the Ag campus, all the animals died one night in a bizarre manner. The backwater police department has no clue, but they do have a hot shot new deputy from D.C.--Lydia-- whose hyper type A personality eventually forced her leaving D.C. for such a position. Even she cannot believe what her investigation tells her, however. Meanwhile, Wade's buddies start vanishing as well, only to return as undead supermen with a mission!
Lee, the grandmaster of splatterpunk, treats us with of course a lot of gore, and no little amount of sex, however perverse that sex is, although this is no where near as off the chain as, say, The Bighead. People are being murdered by someone with a huge ax, and then being eaten by a cadre of strange women wearing sunglasses and capes. While Wade and Lydia first meet with her giving him several tickets, they actually begin to date and then it is up to them to put a stop to whatever is going on. Lee has a way of pulling you along, no matter how bizarre the situations the characters find them selves in. I admit to being an Edward Lee fan, and this ranks up there with his better works. The man can write and no doubt about it! 4.5 bloody stars!
Something strange is going on at Exham, however. Students are vanishing and at the Ag campus, all the animals died one night in a bizarre manner. The backwater police department has no clue, but they do have a hot shot new deputy from D.C.--Lydia-- whose hyper type A personality eventually forced her leaving D.C. for such a position. Even she cannot believe what her investigation tells her, however. Meanwhile, Wade's buddies start vanishing as well, only to return as undead supermen with a mission!
Lee, the grandmaster of splatterpunk, treats us with of course a lot of gore, and no little amount of sex, however perverse that sex is, although this is no where near as off the chain as, say, The Bighead. People are being murdered by someone with a huge ax, and then being eaten by a cadre of strange women wearing sunglasses and capes. While Wade and Lydia first meet with her giving him several tickets, they actually begin to date and then it is up to them to put a stop to whatever is going on. Lee has a way of pulling you along, no matter how bizarre the situations the characters find them selves in. I admit to being an Edward Lee fan, and this ranks up there with his better works. The man can write and no doubt about it! 4.5 bloody stars!
August 7, 2013
This was my first foray into the twisted mind of Edward Lee, and man, it was a heck of an experience. I'll start off with my only quibble, which is not really a quibble at all but more of an observation and a reflection of my personal tastes. There were times when the book got a little "zonkers" for my taste. All of it, of course, was indigenous to the story, but when referring to the...(hm, how to avoid spoilers?)...to the adversaries and their thoughts, Lee would stringabunchofwordstogethertorepresentsomethingkindofforeigntothereader, and while this fit with the story, it tended to jar me out of the world a bit (as contradictory as that sounds). Whenever the tale exhibited the above vibe, I tended to not be as gripped, but again, that's a stylistic thing and not a knock on Lee's abilities.
About those abilities...
The man can really, really write. I've been hearing about Edward Lee for years, and though this sounds self-serving, if I'm being completely honest, I was extra eager to try him out because the cover blurb for my fourth novel compares my writing to his. Now, having read his work, I can say I'll take that comparison anydayoftheweekandtwiceonMondays. And please know that *I* know Lee is a far better writer than I am. I just mentioned the blurb because it piqued my interest in his work even more than it had been piqued before.
So what I really enjoyed about Lee's COVEN:
1. His creativity. Even if the story did buck me off a few times, Lee's prose always drew me back. The man is an outstanding storyteller who deserves every accolade he receives.
2. His word choice. You can really tell when a writer is in love with words in a POSITIVE way. Lee's vocabulary is immense, but every word fits. I know I scribbled down several words I'd not been using that really pack a wallop. Thank you, Mr. Lee!
3. Lastly, the story itself really is a lot of fun. The protagonist seems to be a real jerk in the beginning of the novel, and I suppose he is. But by the end we're really cheering for him, which is a testament not only to the character himself but especially to Lee's command of characterization. I was extremely impressed with this.
So all in all, a very positive first experience with Edward Lee's fiction. I will without a doubt be reading more in the years to come.
About those abilities...
The man can really, really write. I've been hearing about Edward Lee for years, and though this sounds self-serving, if I'm being completely honest, I was extra eager to try him out because the cover blurb for my fourth novel compares my writing to his. Now, having read his work, I can say I'll take that comparison anydayoftheweekandtwiceonMondays. And please know that *I* know Lee is a far better writer than I am. I just mentioned the blurb because it piqued my interest in his work even more than it had been piqued before.
So what I really enjoyed about Lee's COVEN:
1. His creativity. Even if the story did buck me off a few times, Lee's prose always drew me back. The man is an outstanding storyteller who deserves every accolade he receives.
2. His word choice. You can really tell when a writer is in love with words in a POSITIVE way. Lee's vocabulary is immense, but every word fits. I know I scribbled down several words I'd not been using that really pack a wallop. Thank you, Mr. Lee!
3. Lastly, the story itself really is a lot of fun. The protagonist seems to be a real jerk in the beginning of the novel, and I suppose he is. But by the end we're really cheering for him, which is a testament not only to the character himself but especially to Lee's command of characterization. I was extremely impressed with this.
So all in all, a very positive first experience with Edward Lee's fiction. I will without a doubt be reading more in the years to come.
June 24, 2021
A wild ride that had me rolling and squirming. A great amount of gore like usual, and plenty of signature Lee. Loved it! Highly recommended.
May 12, 2022
Classic Edward Lee. Filled with sex and gore.
June 5, 2020
Originally posted on my Instagram page: @undivineinterventions
Coven
By Edward Lee.
Diamond Books.
1991.
🎃🎃🎃
Edward Lee is heralded as a master of the art of splatterpunk and extreme horror. He's written things regarded as classics, and this, one of his earliest novels, is where he truly came to form.
That form is over the top, outrageous and often highly sexualized horror.
While, Ghouls, that came before it, was his first novel under his own name, started to eke this out, it really came to it's own here, in the 1991 follow-up. He moved from ripping Koontz to really developing his own voice, right here.
It's got everything he is known for and then some. Nasty, goopy and overtly sexual horror. Cool stuff, if that's your thing.
Unfortunately, in this title, the book is kind of a mess. This tale of an elite college campus being overtaken by an alien sex cult definitely takes the kitchen sink approach, so much so that it just becomes too large in scope to be fully enjoyable. Or totally comprehensible.
The biggest issue I take with Coven, however, is the total lack of likable characters. I didn't attach to any of these guys. Everyone is oversexed, wealthy and generally motivated by these vices in just about everything they do. Bleh.
However, there are incredible gory set pieces, and if you approach it in the way you'd approach something you saw at 3am on Cinemax in the 90s...it's enjoyable enough
Coven
By Edward Lee.
Diamond Books.
1991.
🎃🎃🎃
Edward Lee is heralded as a master of the art of splatterpunk and extreme horror. He's written things regarded as classics, and this, one of his earliest novels, is where he truly came to form.
That form is over the top, outrageous and often highly sexualized horror.
While, Ghouls, that came before it, was his first novel under his own name, started to eke this out, it really came to it's own here, in the 1991 follow-up. He moved from ripping Koontz to really developing his own voice, right here.
It's got everything he is known for and then some. Nasty, goopy and overtly sexual horror. Cool stuff, if that's your thing.
Unfortunately, in this title, the book is kind of a mess. This tale of an elite college campus being overtaken by an alien sex cult definitely takes the kitchen sink approach, so much so that it just becomes too large in scope to be fully enjoyable. Or totally comprehensible.
The biggest issue I take with Coven, however, is the total lack of likable characters. I didn't attach to any of these guys. Everyone is oversexed, wealthy and generally motivated by these vices in just about everything they do. Bleh.
However, there are incredible gory set pieces, and if you approach it in the way you'd approach something you saw at 3am on Cinemax in the 90s...it's enjoyable enough
June 30, 2011
I am a huge Edward Lee fan. He is an uncompromising creative force in the horror genre, and his experiments outside of horror have been excellent and brave and impressive as well. So I guess that just makes him a great writer, period. I wasn't all that pumped about this book around the halfway mark, but the second half of the novel is so incredibly warped and out there, and Lee throws in so many great little twists and turns as it raced towards its conclusion that I left the book very impressed. This book was published in 1991 and must have raised serious eyebrows back then. It is way more insane than anything else that was available on the mass market at that time. Its actually has more in common with Lee's small press 'hardcore' work than his mass market stuff. Its really out there. This book could be seen as a forerunner to the burgeoning Bizarro genre as well. Lee really goes for it with this book, and I respect his craziness and his willingness to go way further than anyone else.
March 5, 2016
A bit of Re-Animator, a helping of Lovecraft, a huge dollop of 80s b-movie. Sometimes this was a little too crazy to follow and sometimes the strange word pairings became groan-worthy (so much so the characters and even the author himself poked fun at them), but Lee is always a fun read, even when you're harried and would normally not even bother with a book. He's easy to pick up, sometimes easy to put down (and pick up again). The only qualm I have is he has two or three plots and recycles them over and over. Still, something about his work really clicks with me
August 21, 2014
A balls-to-the-wall humorous gorefest with a bunch of sci-fi in it. A college for spoiled rich kids becomes a slaughterhouse when mysterious women dressed in black come stalking for the students. Sex, murder and grotesque mutilations ensue, while there is enough commedy in there to make you laugh.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
April 3, 2013
Edward Lee you are a godless, depraved, sick son of a bitch. And I love you for it.
August 24, 2018
4 και μισό . Το τέλος με χάλασε λιγο
October 17, 2022
Another fun read from the master of extreme horror. Coven has really good pacing and is a funny, dark tale. Not as extreme as some other of Lee’s works. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
December 13, 2011
Mya I have become such a thrill junkie, and with the horror genre providing quite visceral sensations such as terror, dread, disgust and tragedy I have been reading quite a lot of terror/shock novels. This latest gem by Edward Lee is deceptive however. What one expects is a campus overrun by demons, perhaps witches...and the title of the book is undoubtedly deceptive enough to imply such. Hell, there is even a Jason-esque killer afoot murdering folk with a giant axe! But don't be fooled, there is soooo much more to this store than just frightening psychos. I'm not going to spoil it but suffice to say that Lee's regular doses of over-the-top beasties, crazed sex, hopeless characters and grand conspiracies are abundant throughout the text!
September 17, 2016
My first thought on reading this was "You could buy this book in a grocery store?"
Indeed, it is hard to imagine that a book this extreme would be published in mass market today. The outrageous plans for "interspecies breeding" by the villains is so disgusting and ridiculous that it caused me to laugh out loud. While Edward Lee doesn't reach the gross-out heights that he would later in his career this is the first of his books that feels like what most would classify as an Edward Lee novel. No one else could describe these horrific events with such a sense of playfulness and pure fun. This is a good starting point for new readers and one that fans of latter-day Lee should check out if they have missed it.
Indeed, it is hard to imagine that a book this extreme would be published in mass market today. The outrageous plans for "interspecies breeding" by the villains is so disgusting and ridiculous that it caused me to laugh out loud. While Edward Lee doesn't reach the gross-out heights that he would later in his career this is the first of his books that feels like what most would classify as an Edward Lee novel. No one else could describe these horrific events with such a sense of playfulness and pure fun. This is a good starting point for new readers and one that fans of latter-day Lee should check out if they have missed it.
August 2, 2019
το απόλαυσα τρομερά
ο οτινανισμός του είναι αυτά που μου αρέσει να διαβάζω/βλέπω/γράφω
το γκορ υπάρχει, ο τρόμος είναι εκεί σε κάποιες σκηνές και το γέλιο είναι δυνατό και όχι απλά μειδίαμα
το τέλος ξέφυγε και με χάλασε λιγάκι μα γέλαγα με τις λέξεις που είχαν έκταση πρότασεις
τρομερή μετάφραση επίσης
ο οτινανισμός του είναι αυτά που μου αρέσει να διαβάζω/βλέπω/γράφω
το γκορ υπάρχει, ο τρόμος είναι εκεί σε κάποιες σκηνές και το γέλιο είναι δυνατό και όχι απλά μειδίαμα
το τέλος ξέφυγε και με χάλασε λιγάκι μα γέλαγα με τις λέξεις που είχαν έκταση πρότασεις
τρομερή μετάφραση επίσης
November 29, 2019
Το μονο του Lee που με χάλασε. Την ιστορία Την βρήκα επιοεδου b-movie απο αυτές που κυκλοφορούσαν μονο σε βιντεοκασέτα.
Ξεκινάει ωραία,έχει την σεξοπορνοδιαστροφικη του εσάνς που μπορεί να είναι gore,ταυτόχρονα όμως σε διασκεδαζει κατα ενα αρρωστημένο τρόπο.
Απο ενα σημείο και μετα όμως (ειδικά εκεί που ξεκινάνε οι λεξεις-σιδηρόδρομοι) είναι ��αν αποτυχημένη συνταγή για κέικ. Το τέλος δε,σε αφήνει με ενα κουταβισιο,παραπονεμένο βλέμμα απορίας : "Μα γιατί????
Για ενα παράξενο λογο,όταν ξεκίνησε να λέει για τις αδερφές τις φαντάστηκα στο κεφάλι μου να μιλάνε με κοριτσιστικες,ενοχλητικές ,νιαουριστες φωνές. Απο εκεί κατάλαβα ότι δεν θα τα πάμε καλά με την ιστορία....
Ξεκινάει ωραία,έχει την σεξοπορνοδιαστροφικη του εσάνς που μπορεί να είναι gore,ταυτόχρονα όμως σε διασκεδαζει κατα ενα αρρωστημένο τρόπο.
Απο ενα σημείο και μετα όμως (ειδικά εκεί που ξεκινάνε οι λεξεις-σιδηρόδρομοι) είναι ��αν αποτυχημένη συνταγή για κέικ. Το τέλος δε,σε αφήνει με ενα κουταβισιο,παραπονεμένο βλέμμα απορίας : "Μα γιατί????
Για ενα παράξενο λογο,όταν ξεκίνησε να λέει για τις αδερφές τις φαντάστηκα στο κεφάλι μου να μιλάνε με κοριτσιστικες,ενοχλητικές ,νιαουριστες φωνές. Απο εκεί κατάλαβα ότι δεν θα τα πάμε καλά με την ιστορία....
February 10, 2020
I made it 49% of the way through and am quitting. I don't do that often, but I just can't force myself through another boring horror story. Normally I love them and maybe it's just my mood since its mid-winter. I find the story boring and dislike all the characters. They are vapid and cliche. The hot chick who is too full of herself and judgemental, the hot, rich womanizer and of course they end up together. Blah blah. Sorry now I'm getting mean... see maybe it's just my bad mood, so please take that into consideration when reading this review.
April 15, 2023
This one missed the mark for me. There were a lot of characters & they felt assembly line to me. Not much depth. And some of the relationships were just strange. But the part that really did it in for me was the sci-fi. Not a fan. And even after I Googled for more info, I couldn't find much that mentioned this was a theme for the book. It just didn't flow, in my opinion. I fully intend to read more of his work because I've enjoyed everything else. This one just wasn't what I thought it would be or what the title & synopsis alluded to.
March 23, 2017
A journey inside a twisted mind is one of the most fascinating journeys you can get! From ingenious allusions to the Cthulhu Mythos to simply spine-chilling descriptions of the worst nightmares to great character development, this book has everything a horror gross-out lover would want, yet it is also a book for everyone who enjoys skilful story-telling.
December 20, 2019
Twisted and addictive...I've never read a bad book by EL so far!
September 30, 2022
Weird, funny, and sexually twisted. Full of violence, stupid gore and sex, Typical Lee.
August 31, 2020
Igotreallyboredofthisbook
April 18, 2024
Edward Lee is an author whom I admire, his work is both often intelligent and brutal. It can be perverted, crude, insane, and absolutely bizarre. Sometimes his stories can be more on the insane and comedic side of the spectrum whereas others are very much more serious and haunting in nature but with a subtle sense of humor. Coven is the second novel he published under his own name and after reading his White Trash Gothic series, I was really interested in giving this a read.
Wade St. John is just about the biggest arsehole on the campus, a strong well-built individual who fails his grades and is a bit of a player. His dad however has had enough of it, so off to summer school he goes. However, returning to Exham College is going to be a trifle more difficult than he can imagine, his friend Jervis is struggling in the aftermath of a brutal breakup, and his other mate Tom is concerned for his life. Meanwhile, an entire farmhouse of animals has been slaughtered and two individuals have gone missing. Something very strange is going on at the campus, but stranger still Wade has fallen in love with a policewoman. But lurking in the darkness are nuns of a dark order and their promise for humanity is death, their Supremate is waiting.
Coven is a terrific and odd blend between Edward Lee's more serious novels and his slightly more comedic and absurd contributions as well. It's a strange kind of hybrid that somehow just about manages to work. It is a brutal and horrifying science fiction tale on cross-breeding, aliens playing at god, and the living dead. It's a story jam-packed with humor, grotesque violence, and fascinating and disturbing concepts. But it also has some very solid characterization and development, particularly with our main character, Wade who starts as a complete jackass, before slowly evolving into a more mature and likable individual who you really root for as the novel builds up to its explosive conclusion.
Before closing off this review, I just wanted to talk about Lydia for a minute here. Lydia our secondary main character who's a love interest to Wade and also a police officer, starts out as a very defensive and harsh individual who comes to learn that she needs to soften up a little, as she keeps pushing away the people that matter to her. It's an interesting love story in that respect since their both characters who very much need to lighten up and become kinder to others but in very different respects. I just wanted to write up this little section because she was definitely by far my favorite character from this novel and I really rooted for her through thick and thin throughout the narrative. One of my favorite heroines from an Edward Lee novel.
Overall: A brilliant story that does get a little too absurd for my tastes in a couple of places. But I'll also admit this is probably the most fun I've had with an Edward Lee novel, it's a hilarious, action-packed, and horrifying read, brimming with ideas! 10/10
Wade St. John is just about the biggest arsehole on the campus, a strong well-built individual who fails his grades and is a bit of a player. His dad however has had enough of it, so off to summer school he goes. However, returning to Exham College is going to be a trifle more difficult than he can imagine, his friend Jervis is struggling in the aftermath of a brutal breakup, and his other mate Tom is concerned for his life. Meanwhile, an entire farmhouse of animals has been slaughtered and two individuals have gone missing. Something very strange is going on at the campus, but stranger still Wade has fallen in love with a policewoman. But lurking in the darkness are nuns of a dark order and their promise for humanity is death, their Supremate is waiting.
Coven is a terrific and odd blend between Edward Lee's more serious novels and his slightly more comedic and absurd contributions as well. It's a strange kind of hybrid that somehow just about manages to work. It is a brutal and horrifying science fiction tale on cross-breeding, aliens playing at god, and the living dead. It's a story jam-packed with humor, grotesque violence, and fascinating and disturbing concepts. But it also has some very solid characterization and development, particularly with our main character, Wade who starts as a complete jackass, before slowly evolving into a more mature and likable individual who you really root for as the novel builds up to its explosive conclusion.
Before closing off this review, I just wanted to talk about Lydia for a minute here. Lydia our secondary main character who's a love interest to Wade and also a police officer, starts out as a very defensive and harsh individual who comes to learn that she needs to soften up a little, as she keeps pushing away the people that matter to her. It's an interesting love story in that respect since their both characters who very much need to lighten up and become kinder to others but in very different respects. I just wanted to write up this little section because she was definitely by far my favorite character from this novel and I really rooted for her through thick and thin throughout the narrative. One of my favorite heroines from an Edward Lee novel.
Overall: A brilliant story that does get a little too absurd for my tastes in a couple of places. But I'll also admit this is probably the most fun I've had with an Edward Lee novel, it's a hilarious, action-packed, and horrifying read, brimming with ideas! 10/10
July 9, 2013
This book was good, but the cover, description and just about anything else this book would sell you on is an all out lie. In fact I think that is the point. The beginning of the book follows along with the idea that the novel might be about a cult or coven... but after the first abduction that takes place at the beginning of the book, for me, that idea went right out the window.
I had figured it out almost immediately, but my suspicion wasn't confirmed until the second abduction. This was pure cosmic horror and scifi. It is a plot I have read several times, but once the book stopped playing horror/crime/supernatural thriller, it actually gave way to a pretty awesome experience.
This book is not for kids or even most adults, there are a lot of scenes of a sexual and violent nature, although not much of it crosses. Edward Lee is supposed to be a "shock" horror writer, but nothing in this book was actually that shocking. Gross? yes. Shocking? no. Like I said, if you are a avid reader of scifi short stories, you have read something like this before. But Lee does it in a very round about way.
What I liked was the way the book used its own first half to make the second half even better. The first half was a drag and kind of just shock value, the second gives way to an almost perfect action scifi that effectively shines light on the events of the first half succinctly. Which is good, because I was starting to think there was no purpose behind the events of the book or that the author would keep things vague. The expanding to include more time with other characters besides the main character was good... he was boring. That is about the worst part of the novel, the main character, Wade St. John, is some sort of Ferris Bueller or some other rich 80s kid who, finally, after his sixth semester as a junior is finally getting punished for his misdeeds. This would would be interesting, except by the end he gets everything he wants anyways without injury or really any trauma. In fact, his female cohort throughout the second half goes through far worse but comes out totally fine... be warned, this book is very sexist and the women in the novel go through far more hell than the men, even the men who are killed get off very easy compared to what happens to the coeds. In fact it drives this point so much that it makes for the biggest hole in the entire evil plot, which I will not spoil.
All-in-all the characters surrounding Wade are very interesting, the concept and its execution were expertly done. A few errors were distracting, but over all the end confrontations and the symbolism when Wade finally meets the "true evil" was as relevant as ever. A very good cosmic horror novel worth your time as sort of a classic 80's throwback, written in 1991.
I had figured it out almost immediately, but my suspicion wasn't confirmed until the second abduction. This was pure cosmic horror and scifi. It is a plot I have read several times, but once the book stopped playing horror/crime/supernatural thriller, it actually gave way to a pretty awesome experience.
This book is not for kids or even most adults, there are a lot of scenes of a sexual and violent nature, although not much of it crosses. Edward Lee is supposed to be a "shock" horror writer, but nothing in this book was actually that shocking. Gross? yes. Shocking? no. Like I said, if you are a avid reader of scifi short stories, you have read something like this before. But Lee does it in a very round about way.
What I liked was the way the book used its own first half to make the second half even better. The first half was a drag and kind of just shock value, the second gives way to an almost perfect action scifi that effectively shines light on the events of the first half succinctly. Which is good, because I was starting to think there was no purpose behind the events of the book or that the author would keep things vague. The expanding to include more time with other characters besides the main character was good... he was boring. That is about the worst part of the novel, the main character, Wade St. John, is some sort of Ferris Bueller or some other rich 80s kid who, finally, after his sixth semester as a junior is finally getting punished for his misdeeds. This would would be interesting, except by the end he gets everything he wants anyways without injury or really any trauma. In fact, his female cohort throughout the second half goes through far worse but comes out totally fine... be warned, this book is very sexist and the women in the novel go through far more hell than the men, even the men who are killed get off very easy compared to what happens to the coeds. In fact it drives this point so much that it makes for the biggest hole in the entire evil plot, which I will not spoil.
All-in-all the characters surrounding Wade are very interesting, the concept and its execution were expertly done. A few errors were distracting, but over all the end confrontations and the symbolism when Wade finally meets the "true evil" was as relevant as ever. A very good cosmic horror novel worth your time as sort of a classic 80's throwback, written in 1991.
January 27, 2015
The people in this book come straight from the Idiot's Guide to Moronic Git characters. Spoiled rich boy Wade who gets out of trouble by dropping daddy's name, has been at college for six years with no sign of getting a degree yet. Jervis the philosophical moron has a broken heart. A teacher having an affair with the Dean's wife shares weird trances with her. Penelope wants to be a horse. Yes you did read that correctly.
The radio blasts out tunes like 'Mummy was an asteroid Daddy was a small nonstick kitchen utensil'. Oh-kay...
For me this book was weird, strange, dull and featured a cast of morons annoying each other with a few murders in the plot.
The radio blasts out tunes like 'Mummy was an asteroid Daddy was a small nonstick kitchen utensil'. Oh-kay...
For me this book was weird, strange, dull and featured a cast of morons annoying each other with a few murders in the plot.
January 23, 2014
There were times when I wanted to give up with this novel (in the middle section of the story) but I must say that on the whole I really enjoyed it. I don't like Lee's Infernal series at all - it's way too comic book for me with its insane visions of hell - but there are his novels, like this one, that I have a good time with. Thus far into Lee's books I have enjoyed this one the most. It's insane, it's funny in parts, it's gory in parts and it's a fun ride.
July 5, 2015
Edward Lee is at his irreverent best with Coven. If you like a good out there horror with more than a little salacious material then Coven is for you.
If you are the kind of person who likes a bit of horror with a lot of spicy content then Edward Lee is definitely the author for you.Life can be tedious at the best of times, but with Mr Lee you can take a nice vacation from the mundane life of reality.
If you are the kind of person who likes a bit of horror with a lot of spicy content then Edward Lee is definitely the author for you.Life can be tedious at the best of times, but with Mr Lee you can take a nice vacation from the mundane life of reality.
May 17, 2011
A gorefest! with monsters, killing, sex, and mayhem, maintaining the reader's interest throughout. I enjoyed the two main characters, and their developing relationship. It was the kind of story I could not put down. Another Edward Lee classic.
August 3, 2016
Started out pretty interesting, then the middle was very slow going. I almost didn't come back and finish the book, kept putting it down and reading other things, then coming back to it. Not my favorite Ed lee book.
March 14, 2012
Pure and utter crap! Much like today's rehashed, recycled, cliche and all-around lame horror flicks, "Coven" is a pathetic attempt at the genre. There are no vampires here, folks: only aliens and a bunch of pages full of nonsense.
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