Teratologist by Edward Lee and Wrath James White

<IMG src="http://www.leepletzers.net/img/review/teter_cover.jpg"> Teratologist a novella
Edward Lee and Wrath James White
Medium Rare Books Publishing, LLC
©2003
ISBN: 0-9729157-9-6
112 pages.
Reviewed by: Lee Pletzers



I heard that this book was gore galore, sick, revolting and all good things like that.

I was disappointed. Yep, there was sick scenes in there, but all were sexual. Also, I wouldn’t consider this a full on horror story, it seems content to contemplate the lowest forms of man and what mankind is capable of doing in there quest for greatness.

***The book is about a billionaire Mr. Farrington and his quest to be perfect. His ideal of perfect is…God. And he wants to be God. Problem is, he needs to SEE God first, and model himself on that. Farrington has been successful in everything he has done. Nothing was without reach. So he plans of luring God down so they can chat and he can learn.

How is he going to do that? Easy: drug all religious leaders and have then perform sex with physically handicapped individuals and beam it live across the Internet.

Mr. Farrington does not give interviews and never allows himself to be photographed, so imagine the opportunity given when a writer and photographer for a blue chip magazine are offered this assignment. They are besides themselves!

Once inside the mansion they learn that all is not as it seems. Mr. Farrington does not have an interview for them, instead he questions them on their thoughts of God. It is here he reveals his master plan of bring God from heaven to his mansion.

In the middle of the night, our hero photographer, Westmore, goes in search of alcohol, has a few too many and walks into a door. Recovering, he sees an angel who claims to be a messenger from God. Westmore must stop Farrington.

While this is happening, our other hero, writer, Bryant, is beaten up by a bunch of guys and has a straightjacket attached. He is taken to a room where he sees the atrocities being committed. He is told be Farrington’s manservant, Michaels, what is planned for them: They are to live in the mansion forever and chronicle everything that Farrington is doing. In fact, they are writing a biography of him and his quest.

Both are clearly disgusted and decide they need to kill him. Westmore vows to burn the mansion down. ***

I have read a few of Edward Lee’s work and some of Wrath’s as well. This book is well below par for both of them. Only Farrington seems real, and the rest were stand-by cast members. Although Westmore and Bryant were disgusted, I never really felt why they were so suddenly against the man. Why they MUST burn the mansion and escape. The vile acts they had witnessed would seem to be enough but in the book, it just didn’t cut it. The reason wasn’t good enough, maybe because the decision was made in a couple of paragraphs? Not sure. Yes, the book was interesting -- and I learned a lot of technical words -- but not engrossing enough to hook me into the storyline. Something was missing.

It is also now, according to Amazon almost impossible to get. Can take up to two months for the order to go through. Grab a copy if you can, it’s still an okay reading experience. BUT here is a warning: THIS IS NOT HARDCORE HORROR, despite the reviews it’s had.

Oh, and by the way, God does come to see and chat with Farrington.