House of Flesh Bruno Fischer 9780982633960 Books
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All-star athlete Harry Wilde retreats to a remote rural village to escape the pain of a failed marriage and the recent loss of the national basketball championship. Seeking only peace of mind, he soon finds himself entangled in an intense and demeaning love affair with a strange and sullen woman whose primal power holds control over his most basic desires. Unable to stop himself from wandering down a path of darkness, the only thing that will save him is his instinct for survival. With its menacing undercurrents of psychological tor-ment, HOUSE OF FLESH crosses the boundaries of crime fiction and strays into the murkier depths of horror. This landmark crime novel is available again for the first time in many years.
House of Flesh Bruno Fischer 9780982633960 Books
This is a good example of how many forms the term "noir" can accomedate. With cover that looks a "romantic thriller," ""House of Flesh" is a-anything but-- it is a true noir of lust and seduction. What is truly amazing about this 1950 Gold Medal is that looks as if it has never been open. As mint as any an edition a 68-year old paperback can be--looks as if had been locked in vault for nearly 70 years. 'The book itself as many comments and is available again-in new edition but this has the look of a noir that been placed in valuables box with only aging mark yellowing of pages. Good luck in finding this original at this price.Product details
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Tags : House of Flesh [Bruno Fischer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. All-star athlete Harry Wilde retreats to a remote rural village to escape the pain of a failed marriage and the recent loss of the national basketball championship. Seeking only peace of mind,Bruno Fischer,House of Flesh,Bruin Books, LLC,0982633963,Fiction - Espionage Thriller,Fiction Thrillers Suspense,Thriller suspense,Thrillers - Suspense
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House of Flesh Bruno Fischer 9780982633960 Books Reviews
It was horror writer David Bischoff, writing in Jones & Newman's excellent overview volume "Horror Another 100 Best Books," who first turned me on to Bruno Fischer's "House of Flesh" (1950). In his essay, Bischoff mentions that "House of Flesh" is a "Gothic novel for males," reveals that it is his favorite "shudder pulp horror" story, and tells us that this little novel surprisingly sold over 2 million copies in North America alone. The edition that I just finished is the hard-to-find original Fawcett "Gold Medal," but I'm very happy to see that the fine folks at Blackmask have released a new edition for a 21st century audience, as "House of Flesh" is an exciting page-turner that should please most readers...and not just males. While not exactly horror per se, it does contain some gruesome elements, and can be said to be more of a noirish tale with decidedly shuddery overtones. Told in first person, it reveals the story of Harry Wilde, a pro basketball player on the N.Y. Gothams, whose summer vacation in the upstate burg of North Set turns out to be a very hairy and wild time indeed. Harry has barely been ensconced in his summer bungalow for a few weeks before becoming involved in a torrid love affair with Lela Doane, the wife of the local veterinarian who had supposedly killed his first wife and fed her to his pack of dogs. Harry's summer idyll takes a very sinister turn after he discovers what may be human bones on the Doanes' property; when his and Lela's affair spins out of control; and when a crowbar murder shakes the sleepy town, with Harry as the only suspect. Fischer, an old hand at pulp writing, keeps the wheels spinning deftly in this suspenseful tale, and while anyone who has had some small experience with film noir should be able to foresee the solution to the murder mystery fairly easily, he/she should still be surprised at the numerous curveballs that the author dishes out. Fischer engenders a mood of encroaching angst not only through the use of disinterred bones and packs of menacing dogs, but through his description of the crumbling old Doane house and of Lela Doane herself, a film noir siren in the classic mold if ever there was one. While not exactly beautiful, apparently, Lela turns out to be a woman of overwhelming passions and mysterious, taciturn moods. Fischer also manages to contrive an aura of sultry eroticism throughout his tale, what with the July setting and the numerous scenes depicting female nudity and lovemaking in general. While certainly nothing graphic--surely not by modern standards--these scenes still have an impact today; how risque they must have seemed 57 years ago! (The novel's numerous passages noting the similarity between humans and dogs in heat are not at all misplaced!) Ultimately, by the time most readers turn the last page of Fischer's novel, they will probably be wondering why this one was never adapted for the big screen. What a wonderfully creepy film noir it might have made; I can almost picture Alida Valli playing the part of Lela....
I bought this based on the strength of the reviews and author David (Nightworld) Bischoff's recommendation. This is my first time reading Bruno Fischer, although I am familiar with many of his pulp and paperback original contemporaries such as Hugh B. Cave, David Goodis and Jim Thompson. House of Flesh is solid but no five-star masterpiece; despite a strong beginning and middle, the story is ultimately let down a bit by the predictable ending. The book is remarkably erotic and atmospheric for its time, although after such hot build-ups and afterglows, it is unfortunate that the sex scenes themselves are abbreviated--but what else can you expect from 1950s censorship? Anyway, I liked House of Flesh enough that I would be interested in reading more books by Bruno Fischer. The Lady Kills, So Wicked My Love and A Mate For Murder (the latter of which collects his shudder pulp horror stories) all seem like good bets.
The main problem with this edition of House of Flesh is the publisher, Black Mask, who I've railed against in other reviews. The book is horribly formatted and riddled with typos throughout, including misspelling the femme fatale's name on the back cover blurb. Most irritating, however, is the way they continually cram together different characters dialogue into the same paragraph, making you have to stop and wonder who is speaking! I am sure that this is not the way the book was written or originally published. It appears to be a cost-cutting measure by the publisher so they can cram the book into as few pages as possible and thus maximize their profits. There aren't even any spaces between the beginnings and endings of the chapters, for crying out loud! Deplorable. Another gripe is the blurry washed-out jpg "cover art" which is a terrible scan of a previously published edition. I don't think I've bought a single title from Black Mask that is professional in appearance inside or out. Yet I keep buying them, if only because it is often the only or most convenient (and cheapest) way to get these titles. I just wish they'd do a good or even halfway competent job for once!
This is a good example of how many forms the term "noir" can accomedate. With cover that looks a "romantic thriller," ""House of Flesh" is a-anything but-- it is a true noir of lust and seduction. What is truly amazing about this 1950 Gold Medal is that looks as if it has never been open. As mint as any an edition a 68-year old paperback can be--looks as if had been locked in vault for nearly 70 years. 'The book itself as many comments and is available again-in new edition but this has the look of a noir that been placed in valuables box with only aging mark yellowing of pages. Good luck in finding this original at this price.
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