Slither by Edward Lee

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

June 15, 2015

Slither is the first novel I’ve ever read by Edward Lee. I’m happy to say I loved it.

This book is incredibly violent and terrifying, and I was hoping it would feature a bit more splatterpunk. But its ending is wholly satisfying.

Slither opens with a woman who discovers a pair of bugs attached to her nipples. Literally. The first sentence of this novel is, “When Carol noticed the two ticks attached to her nipples, she very understandably screamed.”

Carol is one of four college kids partying for the weekend on a small deserted island reserved for military testing somewhere off the coast of Florida. But instead of fighting off alligators, the partygoers have to fend off horny bugs and enormous, sexually invasive worms.

At around the same time, another group arrives at the island by helicopter to do research on native bugs and worms, including two nerdy polychaetologists (worm scientists), a busty blonde National Geographic reporter, and their military escort. Hours after that, three repulsive delinquents show up on the island to harvest marijuana as well as rape and kill the women in the research group.

While all this is going on, the island’s oversexed bugs and worms are harassing everyone else on the island, stimulating them sexually and entering their bodies through every hole and crevice like no bugs and worms ever should. Oh yeah, and both of the polychaetologists are virgins.

The concept of Slither is truly horrifying. Can you imagine waking up and discovering bugs latched onto your nipples, sucking like leeches? The book explores whether this would be horrifying or sexually stimulating.

Soon, we learn that the bugs and worms are part of an experiment that may be funded by the military. We also learn the bugs and worms may be trying to fertilize and impregnate the humans by causing mutations in their reproductive systems.

I’ve always been a fan of splatterpunk horror, though I was never familiar with the term until recently. Apparently, splatterpunk has been a thing since 1986. Sometimes, there’s sex included with the violence, like in Slither, which makes it even more terrifying.

Other books by Edward Lee include:

Do you like splatterpunk? Who are your favorite splatterpunk authors?

Last Updated on November 21, 2025 by Sarah Ann

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