LOGAN VS THE LOVELY FLESH

Logan dives into Michael Stone’s cosmic horror epic, THE LOVELY FLESH, but is it as appealing as the title might imply?

TITLE: Lovely Flesh

AUTHOR: Michael Stone

GENRE: Psychological/Cosmic Horror

PAGES: 304

FORMAT: E-book

PRICE: $4.99 E-book

What will we do to be like everyone else? How can we fit in? And what will one do for their child, who feels alone…as if she can never fit into the world. What about the promise of Lovely Flesh? Something we see on a day-to-day basis, that can destroy not just self-worth, but beauty standards.

This is where we begin with Michael Stone’s new novel. You get a fantastic family saga, where family that is falling apart tries to start a new life in the town of Pretty River. 

The Harrisons were going to be renewed. Wesley, and Loretta’s marriage, Lena’s self-worth, everything was going to improve…but as it goes in horror, there is always some type of darkness sitting in the background.

This book takes you down the path of a broken family. Wesley is focused on his missing father. Which is the inciting incident of the novel. Loretta is tired of feeling like a single mother, and Lena just wants to fit in despite her birth defect. 

She just wants to be like everyone else, and that I think is what is most powerful about this disturbing piece of fiction. As I think we all want to feel accepted, we all want to feel at home, it is part of being human. But sometimes it can hurt. 

I remember what it was like to be ridiculed for my love of reading and video games, for being overly thin, tall, and lanky, for just being myself. So, I really empathize with Lena’s issues. 

I also empathize with Wesley’s need to create a better life for his daughter and family, and I love that he is the character we follow rather than Lena. Because it helps heighten the tension of the story. We wonder what is happening at every turn, especially when his family doesn’t believe him.  

Stone’s prose pulls you in with not just the gory details of supernatural events, but you are pulled into Wesley’s plight to save his daughter. It is done in such an intriguing way, along with the twists that keep you reading. Everything wraps up with an ending that keeps you wanting more.

Above all else this novel made me think about the ridiculous standards that society tries to meet. Normal people aren’t going to look like Scarlett Johansen, or Brad Pitt. We can never be perfect, yet in society’s eyes especially with women they are constantly pushed into a box that becomes smaller. 

From social media to everyday life, we are lost…alone…trying to get by, trying to feel something. We chase dopamine that never comes. Highs that never last, and I think that is what Stone does so well here. He shines a mirror at us, at the world, at those obscenely high standards. A girl should not hate herself for how she looks. A boy should not feel less manly because he doesn’t have muscles or a beard. Fantastic work here, my friend.  

The book is currently up for preorder and will be released July 15th. 

A rhythmic buzz echoes through my mind as five dogs run into the woods around me. The woman appears a smile on her face, and she has a simple promise…. Lovely Flesh,

Until next time.

Logan Patrick has earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, and author of The Disappearing of Three Forks, and has been included in the Horrorzine. As well as a collection, Marked: Tales of S.T.A.N.G.E., Logan has a background in theater, from acting to directing. As well as a play that is still in development.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.