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tisvinyl's review against another edition
5.0
Some authors books act as comfort blankets to me, albeit the weirdest comforters around, and Richard Laymon is one of those authors. I can continually return to the pulp horror worlds of his novels and immerse myself in the simplicity of the story. Laymon is quite simply a wonderful writer of horrific bedtime stories. The beast house is probably one of his better.
elsshelves's review against another edition
2.0
Positives- intriguing story, crazy ending, unlike anything I’ve ready before and the ending did make me want more!
I really struggled to figure out how to rate this book. Although I enjoyed reading it, it felt messy and all over the place and the way some scenes/dialogue was written made me uncomfortable (not in a ‘ooo extreme horror/scary uncomfortable kind of way, but in a ‘I’m a bit concerned about the writers motives/intentions). For example, the random, unnecessary piece of dialogue that read ‘the girls going to get herself raped’- referring to a woman wearing ripped jeans and a strapless top? Tf???
And can we talk about how this woman has just found out her sister has been murdered by her abusive ex husband who sexually assaulted her 6 year old child yet continues to shag a a guy she barely knows THE SAME DAY whilst waiting for said ex husband to turn up??? W H A T!??
This was a 2.5 star for me. Had there been none of the sexual assault of minors (that added literally nothing to the story), I would’ve given a higher rating. But it just rubs me the wrong way that the author has included such a horrific topic for no reason- it didn’t heighten the story in any way, it felt irrelevant.
I really struggled to figure out how to rate this book. Although I enjoyed reading it, it felt messy and all over the place and the way some scenes/dialogue was written made me uncomfortable (not in a ‘ooo extreme horror/scary uncomfortable kind of way, but in a ‘I’m a bit concerned about the writers motives/intentions). For example, the random, unnecessary piece of dialogue that read ‘the girls going to get herself raped’- referring to a woman wearing ripped jeans and a strapless top? Tf???
And can we talk about how this woman has just found out her sister has been murdered by her abusive ex husband who sexually assaulted her 6 year old child yet continues to shag a a guy she barely knows THE SAME DAY whilst waiting for said ex husband to turn up??? W H A T!??
This was a 2.5 star for me. Had there been none of the sexual assault of minors (that added literally nothing to the story), I would’ve given a higher rating. But it just rubs me the wrong way that the author has included such a horrific topic for no reason- it didn’t heighten the story in any way, it felt irrelevant.
__ani's review against another edition
1.0
Totally not my type of book, I don't think I'll be reading anything else from this author.
bookishwyvern07's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
nickn77's review against another edition
3.0
This was the first story I have read by Richard Laymon and I was quite pleased. The novel was a bit predictable and the characters were not terribly deep, but nonetheless this was an engaging entry in the horror genre. The basic plot is that a Mother and Daughter leave town when they learn that her ex-husband was freed from jail and will without a doubt hunt them down. The pair find themselves in a small town that is home to the infamous "Beast House". Blood, guts, gore, rape and many other unspeakable deeds follow. This is not a horror story for those that are easily disturbed by gruesome imagery.[return][return]Upon purchase of this book I did not realize that this was Richard Laymon's first novel. I look forward to picking up his later works to see how he matures as an author.
necrabelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pepper_ink's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
mjhogan29's review against another edition
2.0
Wtf?? Oof, I’ve read several of his but this Laymon book was tough to get through. More uncomfortable raping and pedophilia than usual which was tough to get through. Add in no likable characters and a story that didn’t really fit together and it is just bad. I will continue the Beast House Chronicles as I’ve heard the stories get better over the next 3 books, so I’ll see where this goes. Fingers crossed
arcturus_peverell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75