The Woods are Dark

No spoilers!This book scared the wits out of me! I started reading around 10pm and I finished at 4am. Reading this at night definitely sets a different mood.I honestly wasn’t expecting much. I was curious, the sub genre niche of horror this book falls into, I guess I expected something sub par. Far from it!Laymon’s ability to describe visuals was delicious! Gore, smut scenes, terrain, sensations, etc. I’m impressed he made such an odd combination of cannibalism and smut seamlessly come to life. There’s no lack of action either, and not once was anything predictable!Obviously a rated XXX book, if your kid is asking for this book I’d question why, but for those thinking this book has no violent sex and could be triggered with the forced scenes, you now know!For me it was a very easy and fast read. No flourishing fanciful writing like a Terry Goodkind. There also wasn’t much unnecessary drama. Still though, a wee bit of drama, but in a way needed for the reader to understand the character’s actions and decisions. Character development felt natural. The characters weren’t overzealously developed or subpar.If you’re into blood n guts and want to read something new other than vampires, zombies or viruses and can stomach some pretty violent smut scenes, this is for you!Yeah, definitely following Laymon for more reads!

I had to purchase the original edition and read it again since it had been a long time and I didn't remember much of it. True, the Warner edition was poorly proofread, but it was pretty much the same as the Headline Feature version available in Great Britain. The Great Britain version just brushed up the typos. The restored version is very much different.The beginning: Both are almost the same for the first eight chapters. Some of the dialogue is different, but the setup is the same.The middle: All of the Lander Dills material was cut from the original. After reading it, and considering what the market was like back then, I can understand why. It is pretty perverse and the more he descends into madness, the more crazy the story gets. The problem is that, in the Warner version, there is an entire subplot that deals with Johnny Robbins' sister and niece as they try to escape town. There is also a good bit of material with the people in town looking for Peg and Jenny that was in the original. Why was all of this cut? I wish they had left it in, and included the Lander material. The book would have been a bit longer, but more well rounded. There was a lot more about the cannibals in the new version, and it talked about the offshoot tribes in the woods. The new version is also a lot edgier and much more sexual. Most of the Sherri, Neala, Robbins chapters and the Cordie chapters are pretty much the same.The end: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT! I don't want to ruin it for curious people. The Manfred Krull/Weiss thing threw me. The original end had more to do with the townspeople and a crazy "hole" that was thankfully edited out of the recut in favor of a more realistic and less supernatural end. I don't, however, know how much more or less believable the "helicopter" scene was. I liked the new Lander ending as well. It made more sense.Either way, I think the new version is stronger and much better. I just wish it has left in the Peg and Jenny scenes. I would recommend both books. The Warner version isn't as bad as most people say.

It's a shame Richard Laymon didn't live to see this, his second published novel restored to it's full-length, uncut and complete. The original editor had removed subplots, trimmed gore sequences, and cut out characters. In other words, it was butchered.Laymon was always angry about this book and it's treatment. He said more than once that he would have liked to see it fixed, but never thought it would, or even could, happen. Now, after painstaking detective work, his daughter, Kelly, has assembled the pieces using her father's notes and original manuscript. She even found a couple pages tucked away in boxes that were unknown to anyone. Those were the third and second to last pages.The end result: a similar book as originally published from the beginning until about chapter 6. From there on it's pretty much a brand new novel. If you read the original, forget it. This version is much better, more intense, more complex, and gorier.It's absolutely crazy, unhinged madness, and I love it. It jumps around from character to character and subplot to subplot, killing off people as it goes, in all manner of gruesome ways. we have inbred cannibals trying to catch city dwellers stranded in the woods, some of which are going mad and becoming crazier than their pursuers! The plot is a bit thin, but it doesn't really detract from enjoyment of the story because it's so fast-paced. It throws you in at 100 mph and never slows down. There isn't much character development here, but just enough so you can understand and relate to the people. You can either learn to sympathize with them or dislike them, and that's it. Laymon doesn't go any deeper into character than he needs to here, and there isn't time anyway.This would make a great horror movie. Somebody should've made this 25 years ago. It reminded me of The Hills Have Eyes, only with a lot more mutants and way more brutal. there's so much carnage in this book it makes the Hills Have eyes look like a Disney movie.

Make no mistake, The Woods Are Dark is for hardcore horror fans only. It's just loaded with graphic violence, gore, rape, and all kinds of other disturbing content. At 240 pages, it's a fast-paced, quick read. I really liked the overall concept of the story. My one complaint is the conclusion was bit too rushed.This novel has an interesting history behind it. When Richard Laymon submittled his original manuscript to Warner Books back in 1981, the publisher wanted re-writes and certain plotlines expanded. The end result that was finally published by Warner was much different than what Laymon originally submitted. Years later after Laymon's death, his daughter Kelly painstakenly pieced together the original manuscript, and this version, touted as the "restored and uncut edition," was published in 2008.So which version is the best? Well, personally I like the 1981 Warner Books edition better. I enjoyed the plotline expansions, the story twists, and found it to be a lot more engrossing. Also, there are some better characterizations, and the ending is more exciting (even though it was rushed, as previously mentioned). I'm probably in the minority with liking the Warner edition better, but that's just my humble opinion.I should also point out that the Warner edition was reissued in the late 1990s by Laymon's British publisher, Headline, but with one major difference. For whatever reason, certain paragraphs that explained the entire history of the Krulls and the backstory about the "creature in the pit" were completely removed. Not sure why this was done (maybe at the behest of Laymon?), but it was vital plot information, and the removal ended up distorting the story.

Reasonably good book. Couldn't put it down.

I've always loved the whole backwoods story of inbred cannibals. I think I've pretty much watched all those B grade horror flicks that was available. I love horror and inbred freaks are at the top of the list.Any book from Laymon is fast paced and will keep the pages turning. I was never bored for one bit and I just had to keep reading what's going to happen next. He has that magic, that style that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. The action never stops from beginning to the end. As you read things go from bad to worse to a complete disaster, you ever wonder how the characters can pull it off and survive the night.Just a note, Laymon's books are to shock readers. If you've read a couple of Laymon's books, you probably already know that. A lot of the scenes from this book are just unrealistic. One of the kidnapped ladies fell for one of her kidnappers. The whole story of Lander's spiral downturn into insanity is just completely unbelievable. Interesting, but unbelievable. I can't imagine any father in this world whose family members are kidnapped, to be turned on by two women bathing in the river while he is supposed to find and rescue his wife and daughter. And of course, the rape scene. Disturbing, just completely shockingly gross. I can never get used to that no matter how many times I read it from Laymon's books.Nevertheless, Laymon knows how to keep your interest peaked. The more I read, the more incredulous the story became. It certainly kept me turning the pages. This author's books are not for everyone and if you really like extreme horror, then Laymon's the choice.

Wild cannibals. Yep it's been done before but hey, it's still worth a read. Plus the story moves along at a pretty good pace.

His most visceral and shocking book. A nightmare so well crafted you will never walk alone in the woods again without constantly looking over your shoulder.