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3.1 AVERAGE
3.1 AVERAGE
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.
dark
tense
medium-paced
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.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence
Fun book but not without its faults. I enjoyed the story but the some of the characters were lacking any redeeming factors.
dark
fast-paced
dark
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very paint-by-numbers backwoods horror, the prose was unexciting and very basic and I assume the selling point is probably the graphic nature of the horror scenes which just left me feeling cold.
None of the characters were particularly likeable or had you any sort of development and it just didn't feel like much actually happened in the grand scheme of things. I went into this one expecting a lot more, so I'm fairly disappointed.
None of the characters were particularly likeable or had you any sort of development and it just didn't feel like much actually happened in the grand scheme of things. I went into this one expecting a lot more, so I'm fairly disappointed.
I was interested in the plot of this book immediately. Cannibalistic humanoids lurking in the woods outside a small town? I'm hooked. Where this book fell short for me was in Richard Laymon's writing of the characters, especially the women. They were hyper-sexualized, even in the most mundane things. Also, the absolutely ridiculous idea that a woman, any woman, would be game to have sex in the midst of a life-threatening event with a man she barely knows who had a part in putting her in the aforementioned life-threatening event in the first place! It was absurd.
All that said, I didn't hate the premise and I somewhat enjoyed Cordelia's storyline. Not enough to redeem the book, but enough to not give it one star. Other than Laymon's obvious inability to write realistic women, this story also suffers from a lack of plot development and could have used another hundred pages or so to feel less like a short story from an anthology. Not a great book (or even really a good one).
All that said, I didn't hate the premise and I somewhat enjoyed Cordelia's storyline. Not enough to redeem the book, but enough to not give it one star. Other than Laymon's obvious inability to write realistic women, this story also suffers from a lack of plot development and could have used another hundred pages or so to feel less like a short story from an anthology. Not a great book (or even really a good one).