The Chosen

by Edward Lee

Book Overview

UNHOLY GROUNDRestaurant manager Vera Abbot has come to The Inn to embark on the on job of her dreams. But from the day she arrives, her dream turns into a harrowing nightmare. She hears strange... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821743724
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.0" x 4.0"

Customer Reviews

Fast, interesting, great EDWARD LEE.

Some people may take offense to the bizarre sex and violence within but those who like their horror sprinkled with such things, this book is a solid and entertaining read. It isn't as brutal as Edward Lee's later work (like GOON or THE BIGHEAD) but its a fast read with characters that the reader grows attached to. Just think of this as a typical horror newstand paperback but with some extreme sex/violence touches. I also think it would make a pretty cool movie.

What can I say

I really enjoyed this novel. I actually think it is one of the better Edward Lee books I have read. Sure, he goes off a little bit on descriptions of the kitchen equipment (since spent a few years in the restraunt business I didn't mind) but I felt this was a strong story with good characters. Of all his mainstream press stuff this is my favorite. It has the structure of a typical Lee novel and in some cases it feels like he took more time to write it than some of his other books. I don't know about the cover though. Kind of cheesy. Oh well who cares. I recommend if you are a fan of Lee's or a fan of quick horror novels.

Good inside, awful outside

What an awful cover! I can't imagine who Pinnacle thought the market was for Edward Lee's The Chosen to have picked such a lurid picture and tagline -- certainly not discerning horror aficionados. Lucky for me (and, in turn, for you), several other things were working against that first impression to get me to actually buy it. First, I had heard of Edward Lee through his novels -- City Infernal, its sequel Infernal Angel, and the recent Messenger -- and I knew of his reputation. More importantly, however, this book was on the clearance table for $3.99 (of course, the blurb on the back from Cemetery Dance didn't hurt, either). One or the other would not have done it, but the combination of the two found me leaving the bookstore with it while wondering to myself if I would ever have the nerve to read it in public (I did, as it turns out, just carefully hiding the cover from passers-by). Lurid covers on crime novels often, surprisingly, designate high quality (see, for example, the Hard Case Crime series), but on a horror novel, it usually represents the worst in the genre. (The same publisher did much better by Bentley Little's The Summoning.) Fortunately, there is a truly solid scarefest in these accompanying pages; one that doesn't skimp on character or carnage. Reputed restaurant manager Vera Abbot -- through a series of unexpected events -- takes a job managing the restaurant side of the newly opened The Inn. It is all she ever dreamed of: triple her former salary, carte blanche on spending for staff and supplies, and free room and board at the suite of her choice. Oh, sure, The Inn used to be Wroxton Hall, an asylum where noted atrocities took place, but this doesn't bother Vera. At least not until the dreams start, and other questions need answering: Why does the room service kitchen always outperform the restaurant, and why does the owner not seem to care? What are the strange noises coming from the supposedly-empty second-floor suites? And what's up with the surly, mute housekeeping staff? Meanwhile, a pair of fetishistic hedonists named Zyra and Lemi spend their time picking up swinging couples and having their way with them. Sex and violence are inextricably intertwined, as unsuspecting victims are pleasured (usually without their consent) and killed (always without their consent) with unflinching frequency. Edward Lee is a master of extreme erotic horror. The Chosen pulls no punches and is not likely to be appropriate for reading at mealtimes. Luckily, character is at least as important to the author as blood flow. Sure he could have written a novel full of little more than carnage, but that wouldn't be nearly as interesting as getting to know the character before they're snuffed (and that includes nearly everyone). In particular, Vera's kitchen staff -- waitress Donna, chef Dan B., and dishwasher Lee -- are given a lot of page time. The usually coarse Lee is even given an especially tender storyline, complete with "love intere

Underappreciated, High Quality Horror Novel

This horror story about a mysterious resort hotel with a sinister secret is a great tale from Lee and one of his faster paced efforts. The idea is handled with humor and originality, the characters are quirky and well crafted, and the story line itself is interesting.There are some great scenes in this one, especially when the protagonist goes into the cellar and gets a glimpse at what she's become involved with. The cook, a parody of Lee no doubt, is hilarious as the foul mouthed comic relief.I would recommend this to anyone who wants to escape for a while with a good horror story. I also recommend Brian A. Hopkins, Richard Laymon, Heywood Steele, and Philip K. Dick.

Five Stars, Highly Recommended One heck of Ride!!

Vera Abbot's new position as the boss of Wroxton Hall seems like every restaurant manager's dream. A high salary, an unlimited budget, and an exclusive clientele. The perfect escape from her dead-end job in town and a cheating drug-addict fiancé. But pretty soon too many things at the bizarre country inn don't add up. Footsteps and voices when the inn is empty, strange mute servants, and nightmares of demented sex with a faceless stranger. In the meantime, wise-cracking psychopaths Zyra and Lemi scour the countryside for attractive victims to serve some diabolical purpose. Scenes of blistering sex and mind-boggling horror at first seem totally disconnected with Vera's macabre discoveries at Wroxton Hall, but soon we learn that both Vera's engima and the perverted exploits of Zyra and Lemi both serve the same end.In THE CHOSEN, Edward Lee takes the traditional bits and pieces of a standard haunted house story and purposely assaults the reader's expectations byturning all those bits and pieces at opposite angles. The result is a thoroughly entertaining modern horror novel that succeeds in every way. Great writing and great characters skillfully blended into a plot that never lets go. Soon the reader is thrust into an inescapable maze of violence, torture, demonic sex, and loose ends tied up into an explosive climax. As far as erotic horror goes, nobody does it better than Lee, and THE CHOSEN is just one more example. Five Stars, Highly Recommended.