Brain Cheese Buffet

First, I'd like to take the time to say that the 1 star reviews here really sell this book. This is Edward Lee b*tch, know what you're getting into. This isn't Dean Koontz, this is a collection of hardcore siction stories. If you're easily offended by graphic scenes of violence or unnatural sexual acts, well this isn't for you. This collection of stories are all reprints from various harder to find chapbooks or from older anthologies. I love each and every story here. "Mr. Torso" has become a reoccurring figure in Lee's work and I always get excited to hear the ol' timer talk. This also includes the only story that made me gag a little while reading, "The Dritiphilist". But the final story, "The McCrath Model SS-40-C, Series S" is beyond sick. You think you've read everything gross, think again! I do love all these hard to find stories all under one cover (which I love the art to) to read over and over. Perfect collection to get into Edward Lee. If you can't handle these, then don't even bother with his novels. If you're a fan of Lee, then this is a must have.

Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, and Edward Lee are the holy trinity of underground horror authors and are among my personal favorites when I want a quick, hard and fast read. When I became Facebook Friends with Carlton Mellick III I got an update showing this book as well as it's counterpart "Bullet through your Face" and knew I had to read it. I started reading it last night and finished it just moments ago and feel like I want to hurl.Lee pulls no punches in this book. Included in this collection are some of the most twisted, sick and disturbing fiction works to come along in years From phlegm eating businessmen to a mafia doctor's twisted revenge jobs this book will not fail to make you want to run to the nearest garbage can and heave, yet there is a twisted sense that Lee is giving the reader some kind of glimpse into the dark side of human nature. Nonetheless if you liked Lee's small press works(either from Necro, Dorchester, or Overlook) you'll like this one.I must warn you though, this book is very detailed. I visualized every scene in this book and it disturbed me yet I kinda want to read this again.So sit back, relax, and give that gag reflex a workout, The Buffet is open!

I'm an avid reader and consider myself somewhat of a junkie for great horror fiction and I had fairly high expectations for this book from all of the reviews I read on here about it. I received the book yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning. Definitely not impressed. The problem I came across in every story is that each one started with a great idea but in the end they all fell flat. Not due to the length, but the vocabulary used. Everything screams amateur about this from the incredibly silly cover art to the stories sounding like they are being told from a 13 year old child who has a predilection towards using words like "peckersnot" over and over again. It's hard to be disturbed by any of these stories when they don't seem to take themselves seriously. Maybe that was the intention by Lee and if so, he succeeded.There is a quite a difference between attempting to write disturbing dark tales and actually doing so. When you care absolutely nothing about the characters and their plight, their path and what they go through to get there (whether good or bad) doesn't matter. Not to mention if there is little to no explanation to how some of this stuff happens. HOW did Spooky's arms get amputated? A guy eats snot straight from a bums mouth? GREAT! Tell about the experience with more than two sentences.There have only been two stories that I have ever had to put down and come back to at a later time due to how uncomfortable they made me feel. American Psycho from Ellis and The Girl Next Door from Ketchum. There wasn't a single page in this short book that even came close to those feelings. I gave this review 2 stars simply for the originality of the stories themselves. You can talk about people defecating in mouths, amputation and hot grease enema's all day long, but without the proper skill to tell the story it just does not work.And please choose a better designer next time for your cover art. It's not gross or disturbing, it's just childish and poorly done.

Brain Cheese Buffet made me laugh, cringe, grimace, and, occasionally, even a bit turned on! Some of the concepts explored within these tales are so extreme that they make for a rather nasty aftertaste. As it turns out, I'm not much for that kind of horror. However, I found a number of these tales to be thrilling, joyfully weird, and at least interesting. Edward Lee is undoubtedly a talented writer.

Unlike my semi-favorable reviews for  Carnal Surgery , this collection can only boast five star splatter madness!Eleven stories to test your gag reflex. I know that's cliche to say, but that's coming from someone with an iron stomach. I've only gagged three times while reading. All three were because of Lee. Two were in this book. The stories were "The Baby" and "The Dritiphilist". Don't say I didn't warn you.These stories are seriously screwy, and know just how to make you uncomfortable. With the hard-hitting classic "Mr. Torso" opening the book, straight through to the medical madness of "The McCrath Model SS40-C, Series S" (which may or may not have inspired  The Human Centipede ) other reviewers were not joking when they said this is the sickest collection of all time. That was my hook in buying it, and should be yours, too.

The most fitting comparison I can think of for Edward Lee's books is that of legendary death metal band Cannibal Corpse; this bands lyrics are repulsive and reach the depths of depravity, but it is a challenge to actually write lyrics like this without grossing yourself out. It's same with Edward Lee's books, they are so gross some will comment he needs to be sectioned, but actually reached the gross-out depths that he does is an art in itself, he smashes through taboo subjects like there's no tomorrow, and there is seemingly no limit to level of sickness he will entertain. Most horror writers wouldn't dare go anywhere near this far, well here's the one who will go anywhere.People will question the mentality of someone who reads a book like BCB.....well don't Stephen King and James Herbert books contain gore and disturbing moments, is the world wrong for making them best selling authors? In horror movie terms, if the books of the author mentioned authors are the equivalent of The Shining, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Frankenstain etc, then Edward Lee's books are Brain Dead, Hellraiser, The Evil Dead etc, gleeful all out gore instead of your elegant horror stories.Here's quotes from a couple of reviews of this book on Amazon.com:"Most disgusting thing I have ever read. Anyone who actually enjoys this needs to be put away, as does this nauseating mess's author.""This book was too disgusting for me to read and I am not easily grossed out. I threw it away halfway through and I was happy to rid the world of one more Edward Lee book. This guy needs to be locked up in a mental institution."Well, you've given this book exactly the response it wanted! He meant to gross your out and he meant to take depravity to another level. This ain't just horror, this has been referred to as "splatterspunk" and "sicktion"; those look for elegant horror mysteries and ghostly chills should apply elsewhere, but if you love your horror nasties, listen to your gore metal, and you want a horror book that makes you reach for your barf bag, you have just found your new plaything.

Ok, silly review title - but that's the effect this book had on me! I had thought that apart from overly poetic (prose-wise) and heavily esoteric horror, i had seen it all. As a nipper i cut my teeth on Herbert, King, Hutson, and the excellent Graham Masterton (i don't really counmt my creepy Pan Book of Horror and tame classic ghost stories phase), before heading off from the mainstream and digging backwards in time to the Weird Tales classic 'big three'- R E Howard (who every bloke should read and be able to find something to love), Lovecraft, and Ashton Smith.I was in for a big surprise when i picked this title up (mainly sdue to the excellent garish cover art and the marketing ploys of the Bizarro movement) - i'd go so far as to say i LOVED every single one of the devilish, ghoulish shockers. They are very much hardcore fare (think Shaun Hutson at his best and then some!)but that does not mean that the writing style is over easy and for idiots. Some of the twists and turns in these expertly crafted shorts are like riding a literary rollercoaster, and the Bram Stoker Award winning tale is very much deserving of the prize and acclaim garnered.I have since gone on to read one of his long mainstream novels (Monstrosity), which personally i found to be predictable pish, a short novel (The Teratologist), co written with Wrath James white - which is sick sick sick to the extreme, and the other two short story collections available from the Bizarro imprints. Those come in *almost* as good, but this collection is fantastic. The best horror short story collection by a single author that i have read for years.Be sure to keep a barf bag handy!

I highly-recommend this book if you're into hardcore extreme horror and enjoy reading about graphic scenarios that will not only make your jaw drop with utter shock and surprise, but will keep you on the edge of your seat in a continuous state of exciting suspense and anticipation - eager to know more.Edward Lee is a literary genius, in my opinion, and he will keep your rapt attention effortlessly as you turn each page of the nine stories; pacing things nicely so that you relax and your heart stops pounding one minute, and then he's grabbing you by the throat the next, as he pounces upon your mind like a ninja as the graphic descriptions of torture, horror and sexual acts render you wide-eyed with disbelief - as you wonder to yourself if you've really read what you've just read...He is the Master of extreme horror as far as I'm concerned, and I am beside myself with frustration and impatience as I'm waiting for another of his books to come back soon (this one only took three days to come back, I'm very impressed!) I had never heard of him up until a few months ago, and now that I have, I will be a lifelong fan and will purchase and collect them all. I'm not squeamish, but every time I see someone's nose run when they have the flu, I will always be reminded of a section in one of the stories hehe, and ewww (the gore didn't bother me in the slightest in the stories, but the descriptions - and the uses of - phlegm, did). I wont reveal too much as I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet. The Baby story was vile at one point, but was written extremely well.I read the entire book twice in one day, and I'll keep re-reading it until the second book that I've ordered comes back.Edward Lee is a very clever, talented and versatile writer, his ability is astounding to think up extremely-interesting and unusual details and scenarios that you wouldn't think it were possible to, and he wanders down pathways that many other horror writers wouldn't dare. I admire him for having the courage to do so and to push things to the extreme...and beyond that.I literally couldn't put this book down, and finally went to bed about four in the morning! I even had dreams featuring some of the scenes from the stories, but I woke up smiling instead of petrified as it takes an awful lot to make such a deep impression on my mind, and then, after a few cups of coffee, I leafed through the book again. No housework was done for two days, haha! This was much more important and crucial on my list of priorities!

A vile collection of some of the sickest/twisted/vilest/creepy short stories ever written.Mr Torso/Miss Torso - two connected stories about a twisted serial killer with a mission from God.Grub Girl in the Prison of Dead Women - Zombie prostitutes, nuff said!The Dritiphilist - Gross. Hand me a tissue.Makak - voodoo drug dealersThe Mother - twisted toxic waste yarn.The Wrong Guy - horny werewolves!The Baby - Lost for words with this sick, sick tale.The McCrath Model ss40-C, Series S - `The Pig' Mafia boss Vinchetti makes life difficult for a few of his colleagues.If you have never read Edward Lee before grab a barf bag because this is a great starting place. Voms away!!!

I have only just started to read these types of books as I have got bored of all the usual drivel out there, I was very sceptical about reading this book as I have read reviews before and they have not been exactly as described and have been a let down believe me when I say that I was blown over by this writer and every review stood up to its name and more, finally I have found an author that I can honestly say will have you wanting more and if it is gross and gore you want then read his books I could not put it down he held my attention throughout and I read this book quicker than any before, ok it is not for the faint hearted and will make you squirm a bit but if you can handle it then read it you will not be disappointed.