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Header #2
Header 2
“What’s a header?”
Fifteen years ago, Travis Clyde Tuckton asked that self-same question to his ancient grandfather, and the answer came in a rampage of twisted bloodlust, missing persons, and the most macabre and indescribable act of vengeance that human consciousness has ever devised…
Now, in those same desolate woods, amongst dilapidated shacks behind whose rickety doors no one dare look, something even worse has come to curse the land of simple folk, a jubilee of murderous perversity and sexual abomination too hideous to describe. Only the courage of Travis Tuckton could ever begin to set things back to rights but, lo, Travis and his grandfather are long dead…
Ah, but their relatives aren’t! And it will be these stout-hearted men who shall rise to the occasion of the most horrific revenge in the history of the backwoods—an eye for an eye, a head for a head! Not even unearthed graves, molested corpses, abducted tots, and an unspeakable human monstrosity can thwart the might of right. Join steadfast hayseeds Helton, Dumar, and Micky-Mack as they venture forth into a wretched mire of unadulterated horror, where the symbol of ultimate evil is not a psycho-killer, nor a demon, but the full-tilt rev of power tools screaming through the endless night…
HEADER 2
Where revenge is all in the mind.
Fifteen years ago, Travis Clyde Tuckton asked that self-same question to his ancient grandfather, and the answer came in a rampage of twisted bloodlust, missing persons, and the most macabre and indescribable act of vengeance that human consciousness has ever devised…
Now, in those same desolate woods, amongst dilapidated shacks behind whose rickety doors no one dare look, something even worse has come to curse the land of simple folk, a jubilee of murderous perversity and sexual abomination too hideous to describe. Only the courage of Travis Tuckton could ever begin to set things back to rights but, lo, Travis and his grandfather are long dead…
Ah, but their relatives aren’t! And it will be these stout-hearted men who shall rise to the occasion of the most horrific revenge in the history of the backwoods—an eye for an eye, a head for a head! Not even unearthed graves, molested corpses, abducted tots, and an unspeakable human monstrosity can thwart the might of right. Join steadfast hayseeds Helton, Dumar, and Micky-Mack as they venture forth into a wretched mire of unadulterated horror, where the symbol of ultimate evil is not a psycho-killer, nor a demon, but the full-tilt rev of power tools screaming through the endless night…
HEADER 2
Where revenge is all in the mind.
393 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
About the author
Edward Lee
224 books1,325 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.
Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.
He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.
Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.
Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.
He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.
Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 19, 2024
One of the funniest things I’ve ever read. RTC.
September 22, 2021
Story 5/5
Narration 10/5
I had so much fun!
This is, one of the most, hilarious, disgusting extreme horror story I ever read. I laughed, and I was gross out, to start to finish. But not, I’m going to vomit gross out, more like, funny gross out.😅
This story is very well written. The plot is over the top, but I couldn’t stop reading (listening) and laughing.
I highly recommend it, to extreme horror fans!!!
Narration 10/5
I had so much fun!
This is, one of the most, hilarious, disgusting extreme horror story I ever read. I laughed, and I was gross out, to start to finish. But not, I’m going to vomit gross out, more like, funny gross out.😅
This story is very well written. The plot is over the top, but I couldn’t stop reading (listening) and laughing.
I highly recommend it, to extreme horror fans!!!
May 2, 2022
If you liked Lee's Header, you will really love this. Header was fun, but definitely felt like a warm up to this one. Set about 15 years after Header, Header 2 starts off a bit slow as the various characters are introduced. The story follows four main interrelated story arcs, along with some minor tangents. First, we have Paulie 3 and crew. Paulie is a mafia don from Jersey and he sells smack in the rural areas were this is largely set-- you guessed it, the western Virginia sticks. We also have three related 'hillfolk' who start off the tale bemoaning the disappearance of the youngest son. We also have a small town sheriff who is catching lots of flack in town due to some crazy guy stealing puppies only to torture and kill them and then putting their head on a stick outside of rival drug dealers. Finally, we have the crazy guy and crew (dealers working for Paulie).
Paulie's latest wife is depressed that it is the 15 year of her father's death-- the newly rich millionaire who featured in Header. He left her his money in the will and eventually she married Paulie. Paulie, seeking to cheer her up, decides to call a vendetta against the guys who killed her da. Problem is, they are also dead (again, see Header). Yet, some of their kinfolk are still around and for a vendetta, they are targets. So, it turns out that the three mourning hillfolk one day receive a portable DVD player and their they find out what happened to their missing kin. Outraged, they decided it is feuding time, and no know can feud like hillfolk!
Lee's black humor is here in spades, and he also invokes numerous 'shout outs' to his readers. For example, the book starts with "It was-- oh, but delimitation seems called for regarding the unwritten theorem that unless one is, say, Charles Dickens, the writer must never begin a novel with the words It was, due to the shiftlessness of the simple-past form of the verb to be..." Lee clearly had fun writing this and it shows; he also included a variety of 'easter eggs' throughout the text if you are familiar with his work.
So, basically, this book is about an escalating vendetta/feud between the outraged hillfolk and Paulie and it gets ugly, and I mean ugly as only Lee can do ugly. If you thought Header was depraved, you have not seen anything yet. Header squared might be a better title. Definitely not for the squeamish, Lee takes you on a journey here where few authors would even dare to go, giving your gruesome scenes alongside his trademark dark, dark humor. I did not expect to read this in one sitting, but so be it. 5 nasty stars!!
Paulie's latest wife is depressed that it is the 15 year of her father's death-- the newly rich millionaire who featured in Header. He left her his money in the will and eventually she married Paulie. Paulie, seeking to cheer her up, decides to call a vendetta against the guys who killed her da. Problem is, they are also dead (again, see Header). Yet, some of their kinfolk are still around and for a vendetta, they are targets. So, it turns out that the three mourning hillfolk one day receive a portable DVD player and their they find out what happened to their missing kin. Outraged, they decided it is feuding time, and no know can feud like hillfolk!
Lee's black humor is here in spades, and he also invokes numerous 'shout outs' to his readers. For example, the book starts with "It was-- oh, but delimitation seems called for regarding the unwritten theorem that unless one is, say, Charles Dickens, the writer must never begin a novel with the words It was, due to the shiftlessness of the simple-past form of the verb to be..." Lee clearly had fun writing this and it shows; he also included a variety of 'easter eggs' throughout the text if you are familiar with his work.
So, basically, this book is about an escalating vendetta/feud between the outraged hillfolk and Paulie and it gets ugly, and I mean ugly as only Lee can do ugly. If you thought Header was depraved, you have not seen anything yet. Header squared might be a better title. Definitely not for the squeamish, Lee takes you on a journey here where few authors would even dare to go, giving your gruesome scenes alongside his trademark dark, dark humor. I did not expect to read this in one sitting, but so be it. 5 nasty stars!!
January 26, 2011
As is widely known, Lee has a penchant for the extreme, and his infamous novella, HEADER, was probably the first to really showcase his talent for backwoods perversity in a manner that would make portions of DELIVERANCE seem like something out of Mister Rogers. Having said that, his follow-up, HEADER 2, which is a full-length novel, takes events in the previous short novel and continues the story. Relatives of characters in HEADER suddenly find themselves targeted by a vicious mobster (the vendetta relates back to a 'header' victim in the first book, who's daughter later marries the mobster) and they in turn seek out vengeance of their own...and yes, you've got it...by leaving their ramshackle hillbilly domicile and performing headers on those related to Vinchetti, the head wiseguy. The back and forth between the Vinchetti crew and the Tuckton clan gets more disgusting and inventive--especially with the aid of a comely salesgirl from Best Buy who inadvertantly agrees to assist the Tuckton's...as well as Vinchetti's morbidly horrifying way of getting his revenge! Minor subplot involving a drug-dealing streetgang called NSG-3 breaks up the gruesome horror with the streetwise, ghetto humor and use of language, which Lee does masterfully, and wraps up somewhat neatly for the trademark twist ending. Rumor has it Lee is planning a third Header novel but this one is a definite must-read for Lee fans.
March 4, 2021
Reading Header 2:
- you gotta be fucking kidding me!
- no, Jesus Christ no FUCKING way!
- 🤢🤢🤢
- there’s no way...
- HOLY FUCK
- AAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA YES!
- YES YESSSSS FUCK YOU PAULIE!
- 😍😍😍
Header 2 gets 5/5 big time.
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
- you gotta be fucking kidding me!
- no, Jesus Christ no FUCKING way!
- 🤢🤢🤢
- there’s no way...
- HOLY FUCK
- AAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA YES!
- YES YESSSSS FUCK YOU PAULIE!
- 😍😍😍
Header 2 gets 5/5 big time.
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
April 22, 2024
Ah, the delicate and fine humour in "Header 2"...Helton, Mick-Mack, and the other hillbilly in the family whose name I can't recall are a delight to behold, and to listen to. I found myself reading aloud their exchanges and braying with laughter. The feud between the hillbillies and the mafia is a series of monumentally fucked up acts that had me in tears and grasping for air. Also, Melda and her...kitten. "Header 2" is even better than Three Little Pigs: The Pig, The House & Ouija Pig and The Bighead. And you want to trust me on this one, this is not a claim that can be made lightly. This shit deserves a PULITZER.
April 25, 2017
You can't take this type of fiction seriously as Mr Lee has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek telling this tale of rednecks seeking revenge on the mafia.
He also manages to introduce some very imaginative ways for folks to die and skitters well past the line of what is morally acceptable in story telling, be warned, sick, twisted and a lot of fun.
He also manages to introduce some very imaginative ways for folks to die and skitters well past the line of what is morally acceptable in story telling, be warned, sick, twisted and a lot of fun.
May 8, 2022
I forgot about how gleefully this novel is written, it's such a happy book about fucking people's heads and smothering people to death in the vagina of a morbidly obese woman with a bone condition that allows her pelvic to be stretched, just to name a few. This book is nothing but depravity but it's written in a way that makes you say to yourself "oh shit, someone's going to get there brains fucked now lol!" I can't help but think about the rapper king Gordy who refers to his shock rap music as merrily morbid. (Look up the song "I don't belong in this world") I never would have thought I would read the words "how dare you cut my dead baby's head off and fucking it up the neck hole until you nut in its mouth!" And then laugh. Seriously what's wrong with me right? Still though, I love this shit. It's gross out splattercore horror at its finest.
Read
November 29, 2014What can I say, I did enjoy this book a lot. I found parts so funny especially the clash in dialect, which shows how talented Edward Lee is. Yet I was still sickened by the vey extreme violence in the story. I expected it to be honest as I have read 3 others books by Edward Lee. He still has the ability to shock me though. Maybe that is good, I believe that is the aim. It's very cartoonish in its portrayal, and innocent bystanders almost always are never spared.
One point that passed my head while reading this book. Imagine if you will me and my wife reading together in bed as we do....
My wife - " what you reading huny?"
Me - "ummmm Header 2...."
My wife - "what's is it about ?"
Me - "well it is a bit gruesome to explain my love...."
My wife - "try me"
Me - "It is about a family of Hillbilly of have an unusual method of revenge while feuding"
My wife " yeah...."
Now dear reader I have to assume as since you are reading a review for header 2 you know what header means, unlike my darling wife.
Me - "well they hump dead peoples heads...."
My wife - " what !!!! That is disgusting...."
Me -"it has brilliant social satire...."
My wife - "how can you read such as disgusting book, you...."
Me - "calm down huny i was disgusted also..."
My wife - "you are not guy I thought I married !"
Me -" please I can explain, it's called splatterpunk...."
My wife -"get out get out
Me -" they were fighting the mafia...."
My wife - "get out get the house.... Errrr humping heads !!!!"
Later I am seating on park bench in cold and rain
Me - "dam the book had brilliant dialect in it, and satire on modern society, but how can I explain it to anyone without them thinking I am mad or disgusting ! "
One point that passed my head while reading this book. Imagine if you will me and my wife reading together in bed as we do....
My wife - " what you reading huny?"
Me - "ummmm Header 2...."
My wife - "what's is it about ?"
Me - "well it is a bit gruesome to explain my love...."
My wife - "try me"
Me - "It is about a family of Hillbilly of have an unusual method of revenge while feuding"
My wife " yeah...."
Now dear reader I have to assume as since you are reading a review for header 2 you know what header means, unlike my darling wife.
Me - "well they hump dead peoples heads...."
My wife - " what !!!! That is disgusting...."
Me -"it has brilliant social satire...."
My wife - "how can you read such as disgusting book, you...."
Me - "calm down huny i was disgusted also..."
My wife - "you are not guy I thought I married !"
Me -" please I can explain, it's called splatterpunk...."
My wife -"get out get out
Me -" they were fighting the mafia...."
My wife - "get out get the house.... Errrr humping heads !!!!"
Later I am seating on park bench in cold and rain
Me - "dam the book had brilliant dialect in it, and satire on modern society, but how can I explain it to anyone without them thinking I am mad or disgusting ! "
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2012
This story is what I call a "Spalter" or splitter (is that the right translation?) - meaning you will either love or hate it, no other options possible. I am not very familiar with Edward Lee's work (having read only Brides of the Impaler so far), and I wonder where the author gets his sick ideas...
This chapette was part of the limited Header 2 novel, but as I received it as a single gift I don't have read the complete novel (yet). Measured just by this short episode, it must be a killer.
This chapette was part of the limited Header 2 novel, but as I received it as a single gift I don't have read the complete novel (yet). Measured just by this short episode, it must be a killer.
October 4, 2019
Packed full
Packed full of blood gore vengeance and family. I love this book. Disturbing to say the least for the weak stomached but thoroughly entertaining if not. I laughed, I cringed, I nearly cried and nearly vomited. The descriptions of each vendetta were thorough and you could see it all it your minds eye. An excellent read with lots of gritty and pleasing chapters, with twists and turns throughout. A true and just as pleasurable Mr Lee book. A true genius! I'm off to read header 3 can't wait!
Packed full of blood gore vengeance and family. I love this book. Disturbing to say the least for the weak stomached but thoroughly entertaining if not. I laughed, I cringed, I nearly cried and nearly vomited. The descriptions of each vendetta were thorough and you could see it all it your minds eye. An excellent read with lots of gritty and pleasing chapters, with twists and turns throughout. A true and just as pleasurable Mr Lee book. A true genius! I'm off to read header 3 can't wait!
June 7, 2012
Edward Lee never disappoints me, and this may be my favorite book by the made genius since the wonderfully grisly and fun Slither. If you have a love for horror, the idea of hillbillies battling the Mafia and a very strong stomach I can not recommended this sick mother enough to you.
January 20, 2019
Man, it feels like less than a week ago when I was advising every last one of you not to read Edward Lee's Header. That's because it was, and my mental faculties are in reasonably good working order. So, having just reviewed a book I couldn't recommend anyone read, what comes next? Read and review the sequel. Duh!
(I...have trouble taking my own advice.)
So, yes, fresh off the 90-page mind-grinder that was Header, I belly-flopped into the nearly 400 pages of crazy comprising Header 2. What I discovered surprised me greatly. It's so rare for a sequel to completely overshadow and outshine the original that Scream 2 made this an actual plot point back in 1997, where the killer is literally trying to outdo the original murders. Whether or not Scream 2 succeeded in this (either in real life or within the confines of the story itself) is a debate I leave to the smarter folks in the comments section, but in my mind there's no doubt Header 2 does everything better than the novella which spawned the series.
Header 2 isn't so much a sequel as it is a bridge. Despite what the title would have you believe, the book isn't just the next installment of a series. Instead, it does what Red Dead Redemption did for western-themed video games: takes the original concept, merges it with another genre, and creates something truly memorable. In the case of RDR, we got what amounted to "Grand Theft Horsey". With Header 2, we get "Deliverance 2: Mafia Boogaloo".
See, in between the publication of Header and Header 2, Edward Lee wrote another novella called The Pig. The story of The Pig concerns a naive young farm boy with dreams of winning the Sundance Film Festival. In order to finance his dream, he borrows a considerable sum of cash from a mafia loan shark, and spends the next year and a half putting together his grand vision before sending it out into the world, only to see it crash and burn spectacularly. When it comes time to repay the loan, he's left with nothing except indentured servitude, where he works for the mob as the cameraman, documenting any number of deplorable sex acts along with plenty of stomach-churning violence to be sold on the black market. The mob boss to whom he's indebted is one Paulie Vinchetti.
Vinchetti, who normally operates out of the New England area, should have nothing to do with the likes of the rednecks populating West Virginia's backwoods...except that a few years ago, he married one. Marshie Vinchetti was heir to an enormous fortune following the death of her father fifteen years ago at the hands of sadistic yokels as chronicled in the original Header. Every December, around the date of her dad's expiration, Marshie gets depressed--doubly so since their baby daughter fell victim to SIDS. When Paulie asked what was bothering her, and Marshie explained, Paulie felt it was his duty to revenge himself on the folks who slaughtered her Pa.
He didn't count on the deep-seated yearning to right wrongs so common to the country folk. Instead of cowing the hillbillies, the horrifying death of nine year old Crory Tuckton (filmed unflinchingly before being burned to DVD and dispatched to the Appalachian hills to strike fear into the hearts of his kin) sparks off a full-fledged war. On one side, the ignorant but by no means stupid redneck family who will go to any lengths to avenge wrong-doing against one of their own; on the other, a coterie of wiseguys for whom 'excessive depravity' is a way of life. What follows is the metaphorical meeting of the immovable object and the unstoppable force, as the clans resort to increasingly barbaric behavior in their attempts to make the other side throw in the towel.
While there are bits of humor in the original Header, it's a story that plays quite straight with the subject matter: a pair of good ol' boys using power tools and peckers in ways neither was intended. Header 2, by contrast, is more of the same, but told in such a way it's obvious Lee means for no one to take it seriously. You're supposed to laugh because the situations are so over-the-top. It's disgusting because that's the way Lee rolls. South Park routinely twists logic into a pretzel to make a point about whatever topic they're parodying that week, whether it's people addicted to World of Warcraft, Scientologists, or The Human Centipede. The laughs can't come if they take themselves too seriously, so Parker and Stone throw sensibility to the wind and let 'er rip. Header 2 is Lee doing the same thing with his own hysterical ideas of what a take-no-prisoners-and-give-zero-fucks fued between rednecks and roughnecks would look like.
The only real downside is the animal cruelty present, as one of the gang bangers on Paulie's payroll has a penchant for purloining puppies and putting them to death. To Lee's credit, the actual animal cruelty happens entirely "off screen" as it were, with only the results displayed for the horrified onlookers to take in. Additionally to his credit, there is a point to the slaughter--unlike the rest of the carnage, there's a reason for it, and it's not just to paint the perpetrator as a truly despicable human being (though it certainly does that) or discomfit the reader (though it will likely do that too). Don't take anything in Header 2 too seriously, and you'll emerge from the other end in much better shape than both the mob and the farmboys.
Best Scene:
Unlike Header, Header 2 actually has a number of scenes which stand out due to their ridiculous nature. My personal vote has to go to the two sides squaring off in the electronics section of a Best Buy, where Lee takes exquisite pleasure in documenting the ways in which every piece of equipment, shelving, and counter top are smashed, broken, hurled, or otherwise used as makeshift weaponry. The fact one member of the melee is suffering from a comically-engorged testicle, which has swollen so huge it's impossible to keep in his pants, just makes the scene that much more hilarious. There's a jaunty nonchalance in Lee's narration that makes for a number of side-splitting observations and repartee between the factions, and the whole thing's a tremendously cathartic release after what has been several hundred pages of suffocation, grinding, drilling, and other tortures.
I can't actually recommend anyone read Header 2, but I can postulate more enjoyment out of the story for those disturbed enough to take the plunge. In the end, I feel quite comfortable awarding it four hole saws out of five.
(I...have trouble taking my own advice.)
So, yes, fresh off the 90-page mind-grinder that was Header, I belly-flopped into the nearly 400 pages of crazy comprising Header 2. What I discovered surprised me greatly. It's so rare for a sequel to completely overshadow and outshine the original that Scream 2 made this an actual plot point back in 1997, where the killer is literally trying to outdo the original murders. Whether or not Scream 2 succeeded in this (either in real life or within the confines of the story itself) is a debate I leave to the smarter folks in the comments section, but in my mind there's no doubt Header 2 does everything better than the novella which spawned the series.
Header 2 isn't so much a sequel as it is a bridge. Despite what the title would have you believe, the book isn't just the next installment of a series. Instead, it does what Red Dead Redemption did for western-themed video games: takes the original concept, merges it with another genre, and creates something truly memorable. In the case of RDR, we got what amounted to "Grand Theft Horsey". With Header 2, we get "Deliverance 2: Mafia Boogaloo".
See, in between the publication of Header and Header 2, Edward Lee wrote another novella called The Pig. The story of The Pig concerns a naive young farm boy with dreams of winning the Sundance Film Festival. In order to finance his dream, he borrows a considerable sum of cash from a mafia loan shark, and spends the next year and a half putting together his grand vision before sending it out into the world, only to see it crash and burn spectacularly. When it comes time to repay the loan, he's left with nothing except indentured servitude, where he works for the mob as the cameraman, documenting any number of deplorable sex acts along with plenty of stomach-churning violence to be sold on the black market. The mob boss to whom he's indebted is one Paulie Vinchetti.
Vinchetti, who normally operates out of the New England area, should have nothing to do with the likes of the rednecks populating West Virginia's backwoods...except that a few years ago, he married one. Marshie Vinchetti was heir to an enormous fortune following the death of her father fifteen years ago at the hands of sadistic yokels as chronicled in the original Header. Every December, around the date of her dad's expiration, Marshie gets depressed--doubly so since their baby daughter fell victim to SIDS. When Paulie asked what was bothering her, and Marshie explained, Paulie felt it was his duty to revenge himself on the folks who slaughtered her Pa.
He didn't count on the deep-seated yearning to right wrongs so common to the country folk. Instead of cowing the hillbillies, the horrifying death of nine year old Crory Tuckton (filmed unflinchingly before being burned to DVD and dispatched to the Appalachian hills to strike fear into the hearts of his kin) sparks off a full-fledged war. On one side, the ignorant but by no means stupid redneck family who will go to any lengths to avenge wrong-doing against one of their own; on the other, a coterie of wiseguys for whom 'excessive depravity' is a way of life. What follows is the metaphorical meeting of the immovable object and the unstoppable force, as the clans resort to increasingly barbaric behavior in their attempts to make the other side throw in the towel.
While there are bits of humor in the original Header, it's a story that plays quite straight with the subject matter: a pair of good ol' boys using power tools and peckers in ways neither was intended. Header 2, by contrast, is more of the same, but told in such a way it's obvious Lee means for no one to take it seriously. You're supposed to laugh because the situations are so over-the-top. It's disgusting because that's the way Lee rolls. South Park routinely twists logic into a pretzel to make a point about whatever topic they're parodying that week, whether it's people addicted to World of Warcraft, Scientologists, or The Human Centipede. The laughs can't come if they take themselves too seriously, so Parker and Stone throw sensibility to the wind and let 'er rip. Header 2 is Lee doing the same thing with his own hysterical ideas of what a take-no-prisoners-and-give-zero-fucks fued between rednecks and roughnecks would look like.
The only real downside is the animal cruelty present, as one of the gang bangers on Paulie's payroll has a penchant for purloining puppies and putting them to death. To Lee's credit, the actual animal cruelty happens entirely "off screen" as it were, with only the results displayed for the horrified onlookers to take in. Additionally to his credit, there is a point to the slaughter--unlike the rest of the carnage, there's a reason for it, and it's not just to paint the perpetrator as a truly despicable human being (though it certainly does that) or discomfit the reader (though it will likely do that too). Don't take anything in Header 2 too seriously, and you'll emerge from the other end in much better shape than both the mob and the farmboys.
Best Scene:
Unlike Header, Header 2 actually has a number of scenes which stand out due to their ridiculous nature. My personal vote has to go to the two sides squaring off in the electronics section of a Best Buy, where Lee takes exquisite pleasure in documenting the ways in which every piece of equipment, shelving, and counter top are smashed, broken, hurled, or otherwise used as makeshift weaponry. The fact one member of the melee is suffering from a comically-engorged testicle, which has swollen so huge it's impossible to keep in his pants, just makes the scene that much more hilarious. There's a jaunty nonchalance in Lee's narration that makes for a number of side-splitting observations and repartee between the factions, and the whole thing's a tremendously cathartic release after what has been several hundred pages of suffocation, grinding, drilling, and other tortures.
I can't actually recommend anyone read Header 2, but I can postulate more enjoyment out of the story for those disturbed enough to take the plunge. In the end, I feel quite comfortable awarding it four hole saws out of five.
May 14, 2017
We gonna have us a header...again!
Header 2 is violent, gore-filled, deplorable and chock full of debauchery. What a great book! Yep, Ed Lee does it again. One might think writing Header 2 is just dipping back into the well, but you'd be wrong. Header 2 hits all the notes you'd want a Header book to hit but plays the piece all different this time around.
If you thought the first Header was short on violence and sex, you won't be disappointed this time around. Of course, if you thought the first Header was short on sex and violence, you're once sick puppy. Either way, Edward Lee continues to prove why he's the master splatterpunk story teller, perfectly balancing raw, gratuitous violence, perverse situations with engaging storytelling. It's not the grossest Edward Lee book you could read but it'll do in a pinch.
If you've already got through the first classic, Header, do yourself a favor pick up HEADER 2. If you can stomach the first, you can appreciate the second. Even though I did read the first, I'm pretty sure could read Header 2 as a stand alone as well. Knowing the backstory of the first is nice but not necessary to appreciate book 2. A rare treat for a book 2 of a series. I'se cain't wait fer book three!
Header 2 is violent, gore-filled, deplorable and chock full of debauchery. What a great book! Yep, Ed Lee does it again. One might think writing Header 2 is just dipping back into the well, but you'd be wrong. Header 2 hits all the notes you'd want a Header book to hit but plays the piece all different this time around.
If you thought the first Header was short on violence and sex, you won't be disappointed this time around. Of course, if you thought the first Header was short on sex and violence, you're once sick puppy. Either way, Edward Lee continues to prove why he's the master splatterpunk story teller, perfectly balancing raw, gratuitous violence, perverse situations with engaging storytelling. It's not the grossest Edward Lee book you could read but it'll do in a pinch.
If you've already got through the first classic, Header, do yourself a favor pick up HEADER 2. If you can stomach the first, you can appreciate the second. Even though I did read the first, I'm pretty sure could read Header 2 as a stand alone as well. Knowing the backstory of the first is nice but not necessary to appreciate book 2. A rare treat for a book 2 of a series. I'se cain't wait fer book three!
July 28, 2019
Ich habe mich lange auf den zweiten Band gefreut. Kommt aber meiner Meinung nach überhaupt nicht an den ersten Teil heran. Der erste Teil war noch witzig. Allerdings haben wir im zweiten Teil zwei Handlungsstränge mehr, die mir nicht gefallen haben. plötzlich geht es nicht mehr nur um die Rednecks, sondern auch um diverse Banden mit denen sie sich bekriegen und die Polizei, die einen Tierschänder sucht. Weniger ist mehr. Und mir hat gerade gut gefallen, dass der erste Teil so kurz war. Der zweite Teil ist fast doppelt so dick. Ich freue mich trotzdem auf den dritten und letzten Band der Trilogie.
November 16, 2022
Header 2 è il libro più disgustoso, zozzo e volgare che io abbia mai letto: le montagne russe dello schifo, un abisso di vomitevoli nefandezze, roba davvero per stomaci blindati, siete avvertit*. E dire che non sono arrivato impreparato, visto che già Header, il primo capitolo della mini saga sui bifolchi che fanno le "cervellate" (vi prego, VI PREGO, VI SCONGIURO non andate a cercare su google il significato di questa pratica ma fate come me e scopritelo leggendo questi romanzi per massimizzare l'effetto) era già una bella mazzata. Ma qua invece si vola su serio, lo scarto col precedente capitolo è netto e davvero ragazz*, leggetelo. La cosa che mi ha fatto scoppiare la testa è che questo romanzo non è solo un elenco di efferatezze - roba che di solito mi annoia in fretta (cosa che succede ad esempio con Suffer the Flesh di Monica J. O'Rourke, tanto per citare uno degli ultimi romanzi di hardcore/extreme horror che ho letto) - bensì un divertentissimo romanzo, dal ritmo pazzesco, in cui i personaggi sono spinti all'estremo e al parossismo ma che per un qualche tipo di magia (leggi: Edward Lee sa scrivere) sembrano quasi veri, reali, e simpaticissimi. No davvero, mi rendo conto che questo non è un libro per tutti ma se volete provare l'ebbrezza del vostro cervello che esplode allora fatevi coraggio e cominciate a leggere. Se poi non vi piace, non dite che non vi avevo avvertito.
December 15, 2023
Edward Lee is one of my favorite authors his work is filled with wit, intelligence, horror, absurd humor, and creativity. I don't always see eye to eye with his written works though but when I do which is honestly most of the time it's truly a very original and magical experience that only he could conjure up. So when I heard Header 2 was set during the holidays, I knew I had to give this a go!
When a snuff film of his nephew being brutally murdered is sent to Helton Tuckton and his kin, they have revenge on the mind, and what better than to bite back and give a header? The Tucktons are going to war with a crime boss of the mafia and from there on it's a total conflict of the most depraved acts imaginable shot on film being sent back to one another in a never-ending game of revenge. Meanwhile, however, the town of Pulaski should be happy at this time of year but with a puppy killer on the prowl, the town is in a state of fear. Veronica an innocent bystander who's terribly in love with her cheating boyfriend, is about to be drawn into events that will change her life forever.
Not going to lie but to my astonishment, I loved this book. It's a grotesque dark horror comedy of blood, sex, and violence at Christmas, and oh boy is it a lot of fun. This won't be for everyone since all the characters in this book are awful people except for Veronica who's an innocent bystander in this book who was definitely by far my favorite character and the only one I felt truly sorry for. The violence here is insane, the action is tense and the characters are nicely drawn out so as not to be bland or uncharismatic, they are full of life and energy. The murderous antics they get up to can be simultaneously both terrifying and hilarious at times.
If you liked the original Header novella, whether or not you'll like this depends on your taste. The original novella was more of a straight-forward horror story whereas its sequel is a dark disturbing comedy with some truly depraved imagery that makes the original story look tame by comparison. Lee's work always has a healthy balance between violence and humor to not entirely make you want to throw up or put the book down. Again, this won't be for everyone and every given trigger warning imaginable applies in some way to this book. Unlike its original story, this isn't one to take seriously, it's a gruesome comedy about terrible, awful people during the holidays.
I will say whilst I enjoyed the ending of this novel for the most part, the conclusion Veronica gets with her character felt to me a little disappointing. I hoped she would face up to her cheating partner and give him hell for his mistreatment of her. So I will take away a point in my rating due to how unsatisfying her ending was.
Overall: It's a fantastic novel that's terrifying, funny, gruesome, creative, and insane. Who knew a comedic horror story about bad people during the festive holidays could be a lot of fun, huh? 9/10
When a snuff film of his nephew being brutally murdered is sent to Helton Tuckton and his kin, they have revenge on the mind, and what better than to bite back and give a header? The Tucktons are going to war with a crime boss of the mafia and from there on it's a total conflict of the most depraved acts imaginable shot on film being sent back to one another in a never-ending game of revenge. Meanwhile, however, the town of Pulaski should be happy at this time of year but with a puppy killer on the prowl, the town is in a state of fear. Veronica an innocent bystander who's terribly in love with her cheating boyfriend, is about to be drawn into events that will change her life forever.
Not going to lie but to my astonishment, I loved this book. It's a grotesque dark horror comedy of blood, sex, and violence at Christmas, and oh boy is it a lot of fun. This won't be for everyone since all the characters in this book are awful people except for Veronica who's an innocent bystander in this book who was definitely by far my favorite character and the only one I felt truly sorry for. The violence here is insane, the action is tense and the characters are nicely drawn out so as not to be bland or uncharismatic, they are full of life and energy. The murderous antics they get up to can be simultaneously both terrifying and hilarious at times.
If you liked the original Header novella, whether or not you'll like this depends on your taste. The original novella was more of a straight-forward horror story whereas its sequel is a dark disturbing comedy with some truly depraved imagery that makes the original story look tame by comparison. Lee's work always has a healthy balance between violence and humor to not entirely make you want to throw up or put the book down. Again, this won't be for everyone and every given trigger warning imaginable applies in some way to this book. Unlike its original story, this isn't one to take seriously, it's a gruesome comedy about terrible, awful people during the holidays.
I will say whilst I enjoyed the ending of this novel for the most part, the conclusion Veronica gets with her character felt to me a little disappointing. I hoped she would face up to her cheating partner and give him hell for his mistreatment of her. So I will take away a point in my rating due to how unsatisfying her ending was.
Overall: It's a fantastic novel that's terrifying, funny, gruesome, creative, and insane. Who knew a comedic horror story about bad people during the festive holidays could be a lot of fun, huh? 9/10
December 8, 2023
Rednecks versus the Mob … you know you're in for a bloody ride when that happens. And yet for some reason - and this is not true of the original Header nor of Header 3 - it's also bloody hilarious. Follow our lovable yet varying degrees of sociopathic hillbillies as they take on the Mob in the familiar to some Lee readers figure of Paulie Vinchetti and his henchmen … and their secret weapon in the form of Melia, and what a form it is, although as with many of Lee's characters, it doesn't mean you're a bad person.
That is possibly left to the NSG-3 Crew, who tag along as small-time drug dealers associated with Paulie, and are as motheared a bunch of racial stereotypes as you will find. One of them is likely to end up in later stories because Lee in his familiar way reaches into the story and openly plucks him out. They hook up with a character called Highball who is ok if neurotic - but who I mention mainly because she is an example of Lee's fascination with face-body disconnect. (in her case she looks haggard because of the drugs she took when younger, but she's kept her body in trim - so the face-body disconnect actually makes sense).
Meanwhile the hillbillies have a fine old time handing out headers - although there is a growing disquiet with some characters that this isn't something they should enjoy doing. They actually develop a morality of some kind. Then there's the hillbillies' camera specialist (nothing like the one in The Pig; this one is doing just fine really even if she is about to be paid for her hours away from her job because the 'billies kidnapped her) - because the backwoodsmen really have no idea about any of this modern technawlogy (though I don't believe they wouldn't know what a film is).
Header 2: you can't throw up if you're laughing. (actually I'm not sure about that).
That is possibly left to the NSG-3 Crew, who tag along as small-time drug dealers associated with Paulie, and are as motheared a bunch of racial stereotypes as you will find. One of them is likely to end up in later stories because Lee in his familiar way reaches into the story and openly plucks him out. They hook up with a character called Highball who is ok if neurotic - but who I mention mainly because she is an example of Lee's fascination with face-body disconnect. (in her case she looks haggard because of the drugs she took when younger, but she's kept her body in trim - so the face-body disconnect actually makes sense).
Meanwhile the hillbillies have a fine old time handing out headers - although there is a growing disquiet with some characters that this isn't something they should enjoy doing. They actually develop a morality of some kind. Then there's the hillbillies' camera specialist (nothing like the one in The Pig; this one is doing just fine really even if she is about to be paid for her hours away from her job because the 'billies kidnapped her) - because the backwoodsmen really have no idea about any of this modern technawlogy (though I don't believe they wouldn't know what a film is).
Header 2: you can't throw up if you're laughing. (actually I'm not sure about that).
November 30, 2021
So...it had been a while since I fired up my Fire tablet to read something and I couldn't remember what I had and saw this since I had loaded up on Edward Lee works and had read the infamous Header a long while back since I heard how "extreme" it was and learned that doesn't equate to good.
There it was, daring me to read it and I did so since I knew it was short and could technically claim I finished a book (hey, still counts!).
Header 2 is...slightly better written than the first, I wanna say? Well, there's more of a plot and I guess. This time, the hillbillies go full-on Terminator 2 and are the "good guys" while the mafioso are set up as the baddies .
We get more hill-speak and another four additional stereotypical dialects and more despicable acts that I'm sure will churn the stomachs of some readers. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. Not that I have a particularly strong stomach or anything, nothing about the writing ever makes it feel real or that it would happen in the real world.
It's like a teenager rattling off all sorts of horrible things and then gleefully see a reaction from their English teacher. It's pretty juvenile stuff.
Besides this and Header, I haven't read anything else by Edward Lee so I don't know maybe he gets serious with his other books, we'll see.
Dare I read Header 3?
There it was, daring me to read it and I did so since I knew it was short and could technically claim I finished a book (hey, still counts!).
Header 2 is...slightly better written than the first, I wanna say? Well, there's more of a plot and I guess. This time, the hillbillies go full-on Terminator 2 and are the "good guys" while the mafioso are set up as the baddies .
We get more hill-speak and another four additional stereotypical dialects and more despicable acts that I'm sure will churn the stomachs of some readers. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. Not that I have a particularly strong stomach or anything, nothing about the writing ever makes it feel real or that it would happen in the real world.
It's like a teenager rattling off all sorts of horrible things and then gleefully see a reaction from their English teacher. It's pretty juvenile stuff.
Besides this and Header, I haven't read anything else by Edward Lee so I don't know maybe he gets serious with his other books, we'll see.
Dare I read Header 3?
August 4, 2023
I had a hard time getting through this book, I really didn't like reading everything written as it was spoken, mostly from the 3 drug runners. For whatever reason the hillbilly talk didn't grate on me as much. And there were far too many running gags and meta commentary. Plot finale was incredibly amusing and had me literally laughing out loud. First 2/3 of this book were probably a 2/5 for me but the last third was a 5/5. Plenty of disgusting revenges are had, there's some necro stuff, some poop stuff, and of course plenty of head humping. Standard Edward Lee stuff really!
December 27, 2023
Extreme horror spassosissimo, ogni personaggio è completamente sciroccato e aberrante fino al midollo, ma state sicuri che seguirà la sua morale fino sul fondo del baratro della violenza. Lo stile di Lee fa veramente ridere, anche se il finale catartico non me lo sarei mai aspettato.
Non per i deboli di stomaco, ma neanche per quelli forti, per goderne bisogna proprio avere la passione per il genere. Se la si ha, il romanzo è fantastico.
Promosso a pienissimi voti.
Non per i deboli di stomaco, ma neanche per quelli forti, per goderne bisogna proprio avere la passione per il genere. Se la si ha, il romanzo è fantastico.
Promosso a pienissimi voti.
May 28, 2022
I really enjoyed Header both the book and film. Header 2 ramps up the events of Header. This book has gangs,mafia, and backwoods folks. The gore and sex are extremely graphic, but is expected with Lee. This story was funny and the ending I never saw coming.
March 31, 2023
Libro ultra scorrevole, molto ironico e divertente ma non per tutti. Se ci si è divertiti vedendo "splatters gli schizza cervelli" certe scene di "Ash vs evil dead" , e la scena della cena di "non aprite quella porta" è considerata un classico...allora è il libro giusto.
September 3, 2019
Even better than the original! Totally sick and depraved. Classic!!!!
December 24, 2021
A Yee-Haw of a time
August 12, 2022
Ed Lee outdid himself with Header 2. I enjoyed the first Header but this one is amazing. Really fun and wild story!
December 6, 2022
Why isn't this the greatest book of all time?
April 6, 2023
Header 2 was my favorite of the header series. It's Nastier, funnier, and everything else you could want in an extreme horror novel.
June 2, 2023
"Header 2" by Edward Lee
The shenanigans continue in Header 2 with Helton, Dumar, and Mickey-Mack. Set almost twenty years after Header in the sticks of backwoods Virginia, the feuds continue.
Paulie, a mafia Don from Jersey, has called a vendetta against the men who killed his wife's pa from Header. Unfortunately, the men Paulie wants to seek revenge on have since died, but no worries because they have plenty of kinfolk that can take their place. This is where Helton and his crew come in, alongside a young girl named Veronica, a DVD player, and a high-tech camera. Buckle up, guys, because this one is a hell of a ride.
This story is so ridiculous that I can't even put into words all the things it made me feel. It was as disgusting as it was hilarious and proved that no one else would ever write redneck characters as well as Edward Lee. I loved how this story connected back to "Header" and even "The Bighead" in the most subtle of ways. Veronica was a character that I really rooted for, and I loved the ending of this absurd and outlandish story.
The shenanigans continue in Header 2 with Helton, Dumar, and Mickey-Mack. Set almost twenty years after Header in the sticks of backwoods Virginia, the feuds continue.
Paulie, a mafia Don from Jersey, has called a vendetta against the men who killed his wife's pa from Header. Unfortunately, the men Paulie wants to seek revenge on have since died, but no worries because they have plenty of kinfolk that can take their place. This is where Helton and his crew come in, alongside a young girl named Veronica, a DVD player, and a high-tech camera. Buckle up, guys, because this one is a hell of a ride.
This story is so ridiculous that I can't even put into words all the things it made me feel. It was as disgusting as it was hilarious and proved that no one else would ever write redneck characters as well as Edward Lee. I loved how this story connected back to "Header" and even "The Bighead" in the most subtle of ways. Veronica was a character that I really rooted for, and I loved the ending of this absurd and outlandish story.
January 29, 2021
Kind of hard to read because of the way the characters speak, and nowhere near as good as the first book. The first book followed a plot that was easy to follow and lead to one hell of a twist; this book however, is kind of all over the place bouncing between characters perspectives. The only character that has any type of depth or relatability is High Ball and that's only because she's a shining example of how many men view women; she's not wanted around unless one of the other characters needs/wants to get their rocks off, and she's always being downgraded for having a great body but a not so attractive face. I can honestly say I felt sorry for High Ball. All in all this book really isn't all that great (and the gibberish the characters speak is annoying) but if you enjoy violence for the sake of violence then by all means give this book a shot.
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