Richard Laymon's The Woods Are Dark

I figured that if I was going to start writing book reviews, there is no better place to start than with my favorite books.  As you will find out, I am a huge fan of the horror genre and I am not easy to please.

The Woods Are Dark was originally published in 1981 by Warner Books and Richard Laymon often referred to it as the book that ruined his career.  Warner Books required several rewrites and cut out major portions of his book which caused a major discrepancy between what was published and what the story was meant to be. 

"I was young and scared and I caved in.  Man, did I cave!  Pathetic.  All I really cared about, at the time, was getting those people at Warner Books to accept the novel.  I had no self-confidence at all."  - Richard Laymon

The massacred version of the novel did horribly.  Although Laymon was American, his novels were published in Britian and they did reasonably well.  I find this a shame.  After happening upon the revised version of The Woods Are Dark in my local Walmart in 2009, I became a diehard fan and have collected almost every book this man ever published. 

I was sad to research the author and find that he had died of a massive heart attack in February of 2001.  There will be no new scares coming from this horror mastermind. 

While going through his office after his death, his daughter Kelly came upon boxes of unpublished stories and manuscripts.  Amongst these was the original, uncut manuscript of The Woods Are Dark.  Kelly contacted publishers and managed to republish an uncut edition through Cemetary Dance Publications in 2008.

The book follows a pair of girls, and a family who happen to come upon a small town during their travels.  They are swiftly kidnapped and tied to giant trees in the middle of the woods for the Krulls to find and these Krulls have plans for them.  This book is spinetingling.  The writing is intense and graphic.  I will give you a little taste of what I mean.

"Screams and shouts of panic erupted from those beneath the tree as it scurried down the trunk.  They threw themselves outward, trying to get away, and yelled in pain as the cuffs tore into their wrists.  The unconcious one, arms jerked by those at his sides, raised his head.  The others didn't seem to notice.  They leaped and screamed as the naked man dropped into their circle." - The Woods Are Dark, Richard Laymon

The book contains sexually explicit content and graphic details of death and massacre.  As you read, you can see it happening but you can't look away.  It's like a trainwreck...as awful as it is, you can't stop looking.  This book is truly scary and that is not something that I will say often.  Laymon was a brilliant author, and if you enjoy a good scare, then this book will not disappoint!