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Richard Laymon


Michelle

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Looking through Amazon, there appears to be more Laymon books about than I reaslised. I read a few of them, then got fed up with the recurring gore and sex. As a one-off every now and again, they're quite entertaining, but I'm not sure I'd recommend reading a bunch together!

 

What were your experiences of him?

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I used to read him a lot, but, like you, got bored with the sex & gore. There are a few that are really quite entertaining though. They're usually quick reads, so if you have a long bus or train journey, a couple of these will keep you going till you reach your destination.

 

I prefer Koontz, King & Herbert myself though.

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I've read The Woods Are Dark, Beast House & The Cellar so far which were all quick reads.

 

There was one I really wanted to read The Island I think it was called, so may have to get that out of the library :reading:

 

His books are what I would call trashy horror, the only negative comment I would make is that the way he writes his female characters is quite off-putting :wink:

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Guest Anonymous

I like Richard Laymon and I have a few of his books, which I am trying to collect as I go along.

 

I have :

 

The Midnight Tour

Alarums

Dark Mountain

Come Out Tonight

Among The Missing

Amara

Flesh

The Travelling Vampire Show

Quake

Night In The Lonesome October

Body Rides

Island

The Cellar

Savage

Resurrection Dreams

The Lake

The Woods Are Dark

Night Show

Funland

 

and I'm always looking for more!

 

:reading:

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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Anonymous

I read Laymon in my teens and soon got bored of how far-fetched some of his stuff. I also found his writing style to be a tad simplistic, something I wouldn't have minded, thinking in retrospect, if he had been better at choosing more effective words. The mysogeny and pulpy gore was a turnoff too; once you'd read one Laymon there was little reason to read others. Endless Night was a particular example of pointlessness.

 

Of the books I read, the only one that sticks in my head is Savage; but there's still ten years between my fond memories of it and now. I daresay that I wouldn't like it were I to read it tomorrow.

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It really depends how you feel about horror books.. Laymon writes about alot of killing, gore and sex. It's something I liked reading at one point, but not any more.

 

One Rainy Night gets good reviews in Amazon I see.. it's one that I do remember quite well, but I do remember getting annoyed because it was obvious what was happening, but none of the characters could work it out! lol

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I personally love Richard Layman, I've read all his books (I think!) and I find him quite good - he's very "easy reading in a gory sort of way!". I also love Shaun Hutson and James Herbert, but personally don't like Stephen King at all, I've tried a few of his books and I just cannot get into them so I gave up!

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  • 7 months later...

Hi everyone - I am new here so I wanted to introduce myself by giving you some info on a book that I have recently finished reading. It really has made a lasting impression.

Endless night by Richard Laymon is not for the faint hearted, but dare I say that it is excitingly good and stomache wrenching (but not in a good way)! It only took me a few days to read, needless to say that my husband suffered, because I simply could not put it down. From the first chapter it had you gripped.

:blush:

What worries me is the state of mind of Mr Laymon who wrote the book. I mean where did he come up with the idea of creating a group of mad-men characters, who since their teens had gone around breaking into peoples houses in the night, killing and torturing anyone who was home?

Anyway, because the book is so gut wrenchingly horrid and graphic I am ashamed to say that it has to be one of my favorites.

If you havent read it, then it comes highly reccommended.

I havent read anything else by Richard Laymon yet, so if you have let me know.

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I've read a fair few Richard Laymans over the years, but I kind of went off him eventually as they tend to get a bit same-y - they're usually heavy on the gore with quite a sexual slant to them. Some of the better ones (in my opinion) include:

 

Funland (horrific happenings at a carnival)*

The Travelling Vampire Show (a bit of blood-letting there)**

Darkness, Tell us (Ouija board)

Blood Games (an annual reunion goes disastrously wrong)

 

He's definitely not a writer for the squeamish!

 

* Bram Stoker Best Novel nominee (1991)

** Bram Stoker Best Novel winner (2001)

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from what i see on fantasitc fiction, he died in 2001 so there won't be any new ones from him
Yes, from what I remember, it was Valentine's Day - I recall seeing a small notice next to his section of the shelves in horror when I went to Ottaker's shortly afterwards & thinking to myself, "that's such a shame!"
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Its tricky really, I generally only read the horror/thriller genre and I would class Laymons as mediocre.

 

He has a penchant for sexual violence in most of his books and I do mean nearly every one. Sometimes his writing/plots are good, he likes the borderland between outright supernatural horror and strange human mutants. Funland is ok, if memory serves, no twists or surprises but a gore fest nonetheless. I say give it a go and see what you think, although avoid the beast house series like the proverbial plague.

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