Search - The Traveling Vampire Show

Despite its title this book is not about vampires. It's about three 16 year old friends and their fascination with visiting the upcoming vampire show. It has moments of gore but mainly it's a coming of age tale focusing on these young kids. The lusty thoughts which I've come to expect from a Laymon book, and which usually crack me up for their out of place silliness, fit these characters and added to the tension of the book. The book takes place in the 60's when drive-ins were much more commonplace and the whole book has the feel of a good scary drive-in movie. It begins when these three hike out to an abandoned field (and reputed to be the dumping ground of a serial killer) hoping to get a glimpse of the vampire before the crowds arrive. Instead they have a bad run-in with a mangy, possibly rabid dog and one of the kid's witnesses something she shouldn't and then weird things begin to happen and they suspect they're being taunted by the vampire folks. It's not until the very end of the book that the all out blood bath begins (and we learn some ugly things about some of our characters) but the tension leading up to it and the nice character study held my attention throughout it's 300+ pages. To date, this has been my favorite of all of the Laymon novels I've read.

This book is much different from other Richard Laymon books I have read, lacks the sex and gore typical of his books, and moves at a much slower, suspense-building pace. I absolutely loved it! It is hot, the summer of 1963, and three teenagers, Dwight, Rusty, and Slim, are anxious to see the one-night-only performance of The Traveling Vampire Show, which claims to have the only living vampire in captivity, Valeria, at the legendary Janks Field. As soon as they head out to Janks Field to get a sneak peak at Valeria, bad, mysterious things begin to happen. The entire story spans one long day, with occasional mention of past events to help better understand the three main characters, and ends with a bang. I highly recommend this book. It is one of my favorite Laymon reads to date, but if you prefer typical Laymon, you may not enjoy this one as much.

Wow! I REALLY enjoyed this book. So much so, that I stayed up WAY too late to finish it because it was just so suspenseful. I really like the writing style, not to mention the very-charming characters. And while not everything was explained, it somehow didn't bother me as much as it normally would... everything just worked. And the author is from Illinois!! I will DEFINITELY be keeping an eye out for other books by him!

Easy horror read. Short chapters. Characters the reader can remember. I liked it,but I am sure some readers would like it a little more spicy.

The storyline was really interesting. I felt like it moved way too slow until the final climax when it ended abruptly.
Great idea, but, the author has written better tales.

THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW. Come and see - the one and only known VAMPIRE in captivity. - VALERIA - Gorgeous! Beguiling! Lethal!

This is a coming of age story. The entire story unfolds over the course of one day, and one long night. Three local teenagers desire nothing more than to see, `The Traveling Vampire Show.'

Richard Laymon writes with a fluid sense of ease, his prose flow effortlessly allowing the reader to feel comfortable within the world of his text. This allows for a quick and satisfying read. The character development is engrossing and charming. You learn to hate, as well as love the people you meet as the day slowly shifts to night. The subtle tension the author creates as the day proceeds is top-notch, but the payoff awaits the reader in the final chapters.

I have only read one other coming of age story that surpasses this one, "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon. In my opinion, that really say's something about this book. For those of you who have read "Boy's Life" you'll definitely enjoy, The Traveling Vampire Show'