Edward Lee ‘Mangled Meat’ Review

Written by: Matthew J. Barbour

Edward Lee is writer who needs no introduction. Known for novels, such as The Bighead and Header, he is among the most extreme and hardcore authors within the horror genre today. Mangled Meat is a collection of three short stories: “The Decortication Technician,” “The Cyesolagniac,” and “Room 415.”

“The Decortication Technician” is unexpected from Lee as it does not embrace explicit descriptions of sex and violence. Instead, the story follows mankind into the stars where an exploration team encounters an alien space craft. It is up to the decortication technician to crack it open, but what he finds challenges not just humanity’s view of space, but of its religion and origins.

In “The Cyesolagniac,” a man obsessed with pregnant women hires the hooker of his dreams or so he thinks. He wakes up in his seedy hotel room to find he has been drugged and robbed. However, he tells himself that she only took his cash. She could have taken his computer or credit cards. It could have been much worse. Of course, it is going to get much worse.

Last, in “Room 415,” a man named Flood is staying in an up-scale hotel. From his balcony, he has a great view of the beach, as well as, the sex and torture which is about to ensue in Room 415. Flood is oddly aroused by the whole ordeal. He decides not to call the cops. Instead, Flood plans to extend his voyeuristic activities before becoming intimately involved in the atrocious acts.

All three of the tales are quite distinct from one another. Yet, all offer, not only scares, but an element of humor. “The Cyesolagniac” is perhaps the strongest of the bunch because of its unexpected and totally outlandish ending.

If you like Edward Lee, you will love Mangled Meat. It is mostly what one has come to expect, but also breaks out of the box just enough to keep the reader guessing. The only real criticism is length. At only 100 pages, it is painfully too short.

Order it here.

Rating: 3/5