** Image of the Beast ** (1968) is a horror erotic novel by American writer Philip José Farmer.

Background

The story follows Herald Childe, a private detective, who is sent a snuff film of his partner being murdered by what appears to be a vampire. His investigation into the identity of the killers leads him into a world of apparent monsters who have a predilection for brutal and supernatural sex. The monsters include vampires, werewolves, snake-women, and other undefined shape-changers. The first printing or first edition of Image of the Beast was written for sf-porn publisher Essex House. It was a paperback selling at $1.95.

Sequels

The novel got a sequel in 1973 called Blown. Farmer wrote a third Herald Childe novel in 1973 titled Traitor to the Living. Image of the Beast was adapted by artist Tim Boxell (under the pseudonym "Grisly") as a comic book published by Last Gasp in 1973, with a second printing in 1979.