Reviews

The Woods Are Dark by Richard Laymon

itcamefromthepage's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

 I feel like every time I want to give Richard Laymon credit for a good sequence....he instantly follows it up with a sexual assault sequence effectively killing my goodwill.

Only 4 rumps in this one....it moves at a quick pace....but....it's not good. 

toricreel133's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

midnight666's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kkehoe's review against another edition

4.0

A fun, mean-spirited romp through mutant infested forest.

nikkifisher2013's review

5.0

I LOOOVED IT! This was his first book I read of his and my favorite! When you changed to the next chapter you changed scenes to the next character which made it extremely addicting since you wanted to know what was happening to the last person when the chapter changed. It was so easy to follow and I never put it down. I highly recomend this book its perfect♥

laurelinwonder's review

5.0

This wass my first foray into Layman's work, and woof I don't even generally like cannibal horror, but this was good. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, there probably should be a trigger warning on this for violence against women especially. But also against men. So if you are tender perhaps avoid this one. If you are looking to be a little shocked, definitely check this out.

christinastrupp's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

2.5

johnlynchbooks's review against another edition

3.0

I feel like I need to start this review off with this: If you're a Laymon fan, you likely know what to expect. If you DON'T know, the easiest way to describe this novel would be something akin to Wrong Turn. This is an extremely graphic novel in both the violence and the sexual material.

This is the story of two friends and a family of four who end up in the woods outside of a town called Barlow, and all hell breaks loose. There's no way to get into this without spoiling it, so what I'll tell you is this. The blood flows early and often. Laymon doesn't pull any punches here. This is a book where everyone get's their hands bloody, and it isn't just the bad guys doing the murdering and raping. The book isn't very long and it moves at a breakneck speed.

Overall, I did enjoy The Woods are Dark, however, I enjoyed it the same way I may enjoy a low budget slasher film. If characters speaking often about sex, rape, and graphic violence are something you want know part of in your horror than I'd stay away from this. That being said, this is the written equivalent of a Wrong Turn or The Hills have Eyes, and if either of those speak to you than this may too.

kattrent's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Oh Richard Laymon, what can I say that has not been said already. 
I enjoyed the book, the pacing was weird, the ending was incredibly rushed, and the sexism was rampant. It was everything I expected and was looking for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence

novelfella's review against another edition

4.0

Fun book but not without its faults. I enjoyed the story but the some of the characters were lacking any redeeming factors.