The Chosen

by Edward Lee

Strange footsteps, faceless figures, and erotic dreams lead restaurant manager Vera Abbot to believe that the inn where she is vacationing is a breeding ground for unspeakable atrocities. Reprint.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Fiction, Adult

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "The Chosen" by Edward Lee takes place in the 1990’s. a successful restaurant manager Vera Abbot is finding that her life is very much coming together as she hoped it would, with her fiancée Paul Kirby is doing well with his work as a freelance journalist, as well as the restaurant that Vera has transformed through her own hard work, now doing incredibly well. And from her success with the restaurant, Vera suddenly finds herself being offered a job as the restaurant manager at an exclusive hotel for the extremely wealthy. The position is put to her by the equally wealthy new manager of the hotel – a somewhat understated yet somehow mysterious individual named Feldspar. The new position would at least double her current wage, as well as offering free accommodation within the luxurious hotel, a company car and other such perks.

On the same night that Vera is being propositioned with this potential job of her dreams, her fiancée Paul is out in a popular bar that is frequented predominately by singles, researching the somewhat sordid scene within such establishments, for a four-part series that he has had commissioned. However, later that night, after Vera returns to their apartment, she discovers her fiancée in bed with two young women, all of which are engaging in some very sexual practices.

Then, Vera’s life suddenly falls apart. And so the next morning, waking up in her car after having fled from their apartment, Vera decides to take the job Feldspar offered her at the new hotel 'The Inn'. Now that she has suddenly cut all her ties with Paul there is nothing to hold her back from taking on the new position. And so Vera, with a heavy heart, together with a handful of employees that she steals from her previous job, Vera heads off to the remote location where The Inn’s renovation is being finished before it is opened up to its ‘select clientele’.


Meanwhile, two young psychopathic serial killers named Zyra and Lemi are picking up random men, women and couples in order to satisfy their insatiable libidos and bathe in the bloody gore of their victims blood. But not every one of their victims is killed then and there. Those they choose to, are taken away with them, to fulfill a far more disturbing purpose.

The main strength of the novel lies with the hazy mixture of sordid dreams and drug fueled orgies.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee takes us once again to the wilds of Maryland-- the 'route' 154, the same place as several of his other novels. Vera Abbot, our lead, is a restaurant manager at a very successful (I assume) Baltimore restaurant. One day, a rather strange man makes her an offer that is hard to refuse-- manage a new restaurant at an exclusive hotel at 5 times her salary, plus a company car and free room and board at the hotel itself. Further, she is allowed to hire anyone she wants as long as the place can open in two weeks. At first, she declines the offer, as her fiance who works for the local papers as a writer would have a difficult commute to say the least, but then she finds him with two floozies in their apartment and she is off and running to the new job, taking with her the chef, his wife the hostess and a favorite dishwasher.

We know something strange is going one right from the get go. The intro has a pair of killers, Zyra and Lemi offing one redneck and kidnapping his girl, and they are just getting started. It takes awhile, but eventually, they tie in with the main story.

The new exclusive resort turns out to be an old Gothic mansion in the deep sticks that was turned into an insane asylum in the 1920s that post WWII, was shut down for an entire horror story of gross sexual and other violations. The company owning the resort-- The Inn-- performed an amazing restoration, however, and the restaurant and kitchen are state of the art. Vera is basically given an open wallet to get anything she wants for the place and it seems like a dream.

Unfortunately, her dreams are not so nice; every night the deeply sexual dreams get worse and worse, and she is not the only one with such dreams. Something seems very strange at The Inn, but the restaurant does very well and the guy who hired her seems very pleased as well. Things just go downhill from there...

Overall, another entertaining novel by Lee, full of sexual debauchery (only in dreams?) and sprinkled with the violence one can expect from the master of splatterpunk. Lee is such a good story teller that it works, and the ending was a nice twist although finding out about the demons who run the place in a hastily purchased book came off like a deus ex machina, however. This was first published by Zebra and is an early work of Lees. Lots of fun! 4 stars.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one messed up wild ride. Like being 0n a seesaw. One minute there are blasts of sex. Then, those blasts rise higher, and you are swimming in some serious depravity. Then you go back down and then, bam, some gruesome violence and even more demented perversion. I haven't been on a ride like that in some time.

A woman who has brought a faltering restaurant back from the brink is approached by a slick businessman who wants her to run the kitchen in a new inn his company is opening in a former insane asylum. She turns him down until one day she comes home to see her fiancé engaged in group sex. She dumps him and takes the job.

She wonders why business is slow. Yet room service is booming. She never sees any of the guests but thinks nothing of it. Her and the staff start to have wild sexual dreams. Things start to get even wilder at the inn. She starts to look around and finds that everything is not what it seems. Neither is her new boss.

This is one of those books that the old cliche fits. I couldn't put it down. Never really a dull moment. The story unravels like a ball of yarn dropped out the top floor widow of a psycho ward. If you are into this kind of thing, by all means seek this one out.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very classic 90's Lee. Later in his career he went on to more plot driven stories and classic horror pastiches, but in the 90s and 2000s it was mostly hicks (or what is the politically correct term here...rural IQ and otherwise challenged individuals) and demons and rape and all sorts of gratuitous sex and perversity. This book is more demons than hicks and a five star exclusive resort with all sorts of interesting things on the menu. Very quick totally mindless reasonably entertaining distraction of a read.

[Sharon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Excellent read, with amazing imagination, fantastic detail, wonderful macabre characters and all within a book of hells doing. Mr Lee has an exceptional way of bringing the most evil and grotesque to life and putting a twist on it. His stories aren't always for the faint of heart and this is no exception. But he can tell a story and have come to life like video playing in your mind. Vera has such a bad time then a good time then a bad etc but you learn her character and see all she goes through. But she does get some pleasant gifts along the way. But it all comes to a head and everything becomes all realistic and to and end. And amazing read, thoroughly enjoyed. Would definitely recommend!

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

it waz a blast
the built up till the gory reveal and all the characters
so much fun
ps the name of the moving company waz a nice easter egg on hpl

[Dreadlocksmile · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published back in November of 1993, US horror author Edward Lee’s erotic horror novel 'The Chosen' was the fifth novel for the author to see publication. More recently the book has been re-released by MHB Press in September of 2010 in three different limited edition hardback formats:

Collector's Edition (300 signed and numbered copies) - The book is bound in Colorado Book Cloth with a sewn book block, head/tail bands and a bound-in ribbon book mark. The pages themselves are 90 gsm matt coated paper, which gives the book a good quality weight.

Deluxe Edition (150 signed and numbered copies) - The book is handmade, quarter bound in red goat skin leather with handmade paper covered boards, including additional colour artwork and issued in a special handmade cloth covered slipcase.

Lettered Edition (26 signed and lettered A-Z copies) - This ultra-luxurious edition is handmade, fully bound in red goat skin leather with gilt edges and handmade marbled endpapers, including additional colour artwork and comes in an extra indulgent handmade traycase.

The MHB Press re-release includes new cover artwork and a small number of black & white illustrations, all by illustrator Paul John Ballard.

DLS Synopsis:
It’s the 1990’s and successful restaurant manager Vera Abbot is finding that her life is very much coming together as she hoped it would, with her fiancée Paul Kirby doing well with his work as a freelance journalist, as well as the restaurant that Vera has transformed through her own hard work, now doing incredibly well. And from her success with the restaurant, from out of the bue Vera suddenly finds herself being offered a job as the restaurant manager at an exclusive hotel for the extremely wealthy. The position is put to her by the equally wealthy new manager of the hotel – a somewhat understated yet somehow mysterious individual named Feldspar. The new position would at least double her current wage, as well as offering free accommodation within the luxurious hotel, a company car and other such perks.

On the same night that Vera is being propositioned with this potential job of her dreams, her fiancée Paul is out in a popular bar that is frequented predominately by singles, researching the somewhat sordid scene within such establishments, for a four-part series that he has had commissioned. However, later that night, after Vera returns to their apartment, she discovers her fiancée in bed with two young women, all of which are engaging in some very sexual practices.

In that moment, Vera’s life suddenly falls apart. And so the next morning, waking up in her car after having fled from their apartment, Vera decides to take the job Feldspar offered her at the new hotel – The Inn. Now that she has suddenly cut all her ties with Paul there is nothing to hold her back from taking on the new position. And so Vera, with a heavy heart, together with a handful of employees that she steals from her previous job, Vera heads off to the remote location where The Inn’s renovation is being finished before it is opened up to its ‘select clientele’.

Meanwhile, two young psychopathic serial killers named Zyra and Lemi are picking up random men, women and couples in order to satisfy their insatiable libidos and bathe in the bloody gore of their victims blood. But not every one of their victims is killed then and there. Those they choose to, are taken away with them, to fulfil a far more disturbing purpose.

Back at The Inn, the building’s haunting past, from when it was a sanatorium known as Wroxton Hall, is putting the new employees ill at ease with their surroundings. Furthermore, a number of them (including Vera) are experiencing bizarrely sexual dreams. And what the hell is it with all of the noise that is heard throughout the night from the mysterious ‘select clientele’ that none of them have ever seen? Vera is about to find that under the cover of a high-class hotelier business lurks a hideous and blasphemous horror that is forever lusting for the sins of the flesh…

DLS Review:
Lee’s ‘The Chosen’ is a surprisingly slow burner for the first half of the tale, that unfortunately suffers from some considerable sagging in pace and plot development around the mid-section of the novel. This is a shame, because otherwise, the interesting parallel running sub-stories, the personal bonds that build up some tightly developed characterisation, and the unrestrained eroticism that is injected into the horror story as a whole, together creates an otherwise engaging and thrilling read.

The main strength of the novel no doubt lies with the hazy mixture of sordid dreams and drug fuelled orgies which, when splattered so heavily across the entirety of the novel, create an overall unreal undertone to the tale. Luckily Lee cranks up the levels of downright sleaze in the novel, venturing deep into the pits of depravity, and heavy sadomasochistic indulgences at almost every possible opportunity.

This is certainly not a novel for the light-hearted. Its no-holds-barred approach to the levels of eroticism within the general parameters of an otherwise mildly intriguing horror story is what saves the novel as a whole. Without the unrelenting and uncensored scenes of depravity and sleazy sex, the tale would undoubtedly be painfully mundane.

Characterisation (as previously touched upon) is particularly strong, if not a tad on the clichéd side. The employees from the previous restaurant – ‘The Emerald’, that Vera steals away, are each given their own backstories, unique (and somewhat exaggerated) personalities, as well as tight bonds with each other. Much of the novel is taken up by the antics, readjustment and interaction between the characters, with a colourfully tongue-in-cheek approach adopted towards each of them.

The revelation of the dramatic twist ending is impactful and utterly engaging, although it’s actual unveiling is rather contrived and overly explained. However, this is soon cast to the side as Lee steps up the pace, delivering scene after scene after scene of maniacal horror, torture, sex and nail-biting action.

The tale hurtles to an all-encompassing finale that wraps up almost every aspect of the novel with a flash of desperate action and fight for survival. Lee maintains his descriptively graphic approach to the sexual violence throughout these final pages, not letting the ending run away from him without delivering a last punch in the guts for the reader.

All in all the tale suffers from a frustratingly plodding pace that holds the storyline back from fulfilling the erotically charged horror that is constantly beating behind every page. However, when Lee gets to his scenes of sex or horror (or a hefty mixture of the two) then he goes hell for leather at it. Certainly not one of the author’s stronger novels, but still well worth a read.

The novel runs for a total of 341 pages.

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A redneck balls deep in a stunner, the girl stabs the ice pick into the throat, blood pouring, ecstasy. In a club a mention of the band New Order (awesome). Vera will accept a job in a restaurant that is too good to be true, immense salary, big perks. She establishes her dream team, the kitchen is perfect, food is Michelin standard. The restaurant is in an old mental asylum that has been renovated to the highest quality. At the asylum patients were tortured, raped, murdered. A man awakes on a table, legs missing, watching a person cooking his legs in a frying pan. Somebody with testicles like massive tomatoes on a vine and cocks like rolling pins. A place where demons fuck and eat.

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a handful of Edward Lee books and a handful of Bentley Little books. This book was seriously vibing Little atmosphere or the way he writes. I loved it. But didn't really care for Paul's character.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

My timing for reading this book was accidentally awkward and funny. I was traveling with my mother and she saw the title of the book. She asked about it, thinking it was going to be something from the TV series about the life of Jesus Christ. It was still early in the book so the story was still being built up, but knowing Edward Lee, I answered my mother with "Actually kind of the opposite. Nothing much has happened yet but I'm sure there will be demons, sex, violent deaths and maybe cannibalism." Luckily, she knows my reading habit and answered with "Oh" and went back to her own book.

As for the book itself, it lives up to expectations. Not the most graphic book by Lee but by no means is it calm. It took a little to build up but not in a bad way. More in a "wow, this final act is going to happen fast!" kind of way.

[Pyropatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

great read, couldn't put it down. reads like a sexy porno about the devil and his deciples.also gormet cannablism served.

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward Lee is a writer whose work I really enjoy and much like when I started reading Richard Laymon's work I've found myself reading a shit-ton of his work in such a small amount of time. His writing style is unique, it's intelligent whilst also being absolutely terrifying and erotic. There's always a story to be found in his books and whilst the guy has his tropes, he almost always manages to pull you in. I've been going through some of his earlier stuff lately to have a better idea of where he began!

Restaurant manager Vera Abbot has been offered the job of a lifetime to work at a small restaurant part of a hotel complex designed for the rich. She initially denies this offer, however, until she finds her fiance cheating on her... Now she and a couple of co-workers from her previous job at The Emerald Room have gone out into the wilderness for a new life. But 'The Inn' was a mental asylum at one point and one with a very bleak and disturbing history. Now it would seem something disturbing is going on but can Vera figure it out before dreams of sexual desires consume her very soul?

Edward Lee has written a brilliant, disturbing, and atmospheric horror story set inside an asylum turned into a hotel. This is a story where the pieces don't come together until near the very end and has you guessing throughout on what's really going on. This is a bloodthirsty book full of violence, r*pe, mutilations, and torture. But it's also got a really thrilling story and a great list of characters. The writing is at times out of date and by today's standard a little politically incorrect, but this is something I'm happy to say I've seen much less of with his later works.

Overall: An outstanding horror story that isn't for the shy! 10/10

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Lee's better novels, but being Edward Lee's, the writing is good overall. Alotta, lotta, lotta padding in this one. I feel like the middle section could have lost about 80 to 100 pages and this trimming down would have really benefitted the book. Felt like a slog for awhile there in the middle. The ending is good and satisfying, if quick. Lee is a talented horror writer, and you could do far worse in choosing a writer to check out, but I wouldn't rec0mmend starting with this one. Nobody can hit em out of the park every single time! Following the baseball analogy, this one would be a grounder, and the batter makes it to first.

[Matt Neputin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was enjoyable. It made me wonder how the main villain connected with Edward Lee's version of hell and I would have appreciated if there was more about that in there. But it was a very enjoyable novel nevertheless.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

To good to be true

This book was really good I was captured from the first page. You know that old saying goes, if it's too good to be true it probably is? Vera will find out how true that saying really is.

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not awful by any means, the end was a fun ride, but I think the scariest thing about this book was the turtle-like pacing. Came for the horror, pretty much got a lot of porn (maybe I should have expected that). Not my favorite Edward Lee I’ve read.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off with an ice pick to the head, slowed down some in the middle, then jettisoned off into demonic erotic orbit for the *cough* climax.

One of Lee's tamer mmpb outings from the early '90s but no less perverse or pageturning.

A solid 3 out of 5

[Alex Mercado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently read Lee's much lauded Creekers which has one of those
open endings "we chose you!" which I'm not a fan of, it was nice to see
Lee correct essentially the same gag in this book with a resolution and
well written characters and despicable villains getting their comeuppance.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the story of this novel. I liked the characters. Kyle was pretty evil, but funny. I liked how it all involved the service industry. Highly recommend.

[Ryan Sasek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really digging early 90’s Lee. I really liked this one.

[Jessica Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, I absolutely love all Edward Lee’s books, but this one was very predictable, but it was still generally a predictive book.

[frank thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fun

If you like well written gross horror this story will fit the bill. His subjects are an acquired taste like a good hot sauce.

[Egghead · Rating 4 out of 5]

running restaurant
more difficult than it seems
when evil's around

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty much what I have come to expect from Edward Lee. Sex, violence and demons.

The story presented a lot of great ideas. But, I felt a little disappointed with the happy ending that Lee chose. There were too many other ways that this could have gone that would have been more fun.

In Lee novels, I more often find myself rooting for the bad guys than for the heroes of the story. Maybe that's because the bad guys provide the kicks that draw me to Lee novels in the first place.

3 STARS

[Steven jb · Rating 3 out of 5]

After she finds her boyfriend cheating on her, a restaurant manager decides she needs a change of locale so she accepts a lucrative job offer, but finds there are some unexpected problems at the hotel that houses her new restaurant. Horror abounds in this gory tale. Mr. Lee continues to draw upon Hell as a source of evil in his tales. The characters, the writing, and story were good, although there were weaknesses. The ending was only fair. Overall, I enjoyed it.

[H3yd00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it is trademark Ed Lee. Written early in his career, but very much like his recent books. Lots of over the top sex, a demonic slant, and a great B-movie feel. It was cheesy in parts, but in a good way, and I really enjoyed it.

[Nathan Flamank · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent piece of Demon related horror fiction with enough gore, sex, gore, sex to keep the reader highly entertained. Won't win any awards for originality but while it lasts it ticks all the right boxes.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the first Edward Lee book I ever came across and I've been a big fan of his since. If you like Laymon or Ketchum and haven't found Lee yet you are missing a wild ride.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid effort.