Helpful Score: 10
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.
Helpful Score: 4
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.
Helpful Score: 1
This was my introduction to Laymon's books and I was captured from the beginning. I could see the story as I was reading it and was horrified and enthralled when I was supposed to be. This is one of those books I would love to see developed into a movie, but fear they would not do it the justice that it deserves. A fantastic read - highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first book by Laymon - apparently he's much more famous in the UK, etc... than in the US.
It's a tense, well-written piece of horror fiction.
Plotwise, it's like a combination of Pet Sematary and Stand By Me, with a vampire carny thrown into the mix. (The more I think about it, the more parallels there are with both classics).
Three teens decide to sneak into an advertised 'vampire show' that's in town, which is to take place in a field with a bad reputation. When they go to check out the location, they find themselves treed by a rabid dog... and the day only gets worse from there, as they suspect that the sinister members of the show are stalking them...
Most of the book deals with the complex relationships between the teens - (the endlessly horny narrator, Dwight; Slim, a tough girl who's a survivor of abuse, and fat, untrustworthy but likable Rusty.... all of them may hold some dark secrets themselves....)
However, the ending is a sex-and-violence filled showdown that doesn't disappoint...
It's a tense, well-written piece of horror fiction.
Plotwise, it's like a combination of Pet Sematary and Stand By Me, with a vampire carny thrown into the mix. (The more I think about it, the more parallels there are with both classics).
Three teens decide to sneak into an advertised 'vampire show' that's in town, which is to take place in a field with a bad reputation. When they go to check out the location, they find themselves treed by a rabid dog... and the day only gets worse from there, as they suspect that the sinister members of the show are stalking them...
Most of the book deals with the complex relationships between the teens - (the endlessly horny narrator, Dwight; Slim, a tough girl who's a survivor of abuse, and fat, untrustworthy but likable Rusty.... all of them may hold some dark secrets themselves....)
However, the ending is a sex-and-violence filled showdown that doesn't disappoint...
Helpful Score: 1
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!
