A review by chrisam
Muschelknacker by John Pelan, Edward Lee

2.0

Disappointing novella (I think) which reads like someone was trying to write an Edward Lee story and failing by not realising what it is makes an Ed Lee story what it is. Brings in a few of his stock characters: the backwoods rednecks - often they are lovable rogues, here they're monsters. (though of course this being Ed Lee, that may be literally the truth ...) The pretentious and ambitious food writer, who is often a sympathetic figure (and in 'Gast' is downright heroic), here is a shallow bully who the reader can have no sympathy for at all. The rest is undigested (so to speak) sex and violence. I wouldn't recommend it and would certainly not recommend it for anyone who wasn't acquainted with Ed Lee's other writings, as it might put you off him for good.