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jlitsch's review
1.0
This book sucked. A lot. I made it a third of the way through and had to stop at the second detailed description of pedophilia. Aside from that the writing was choppy and the dialogue had zero flow. If I could give this book zero stars I would. I want that 45 minutes of my life back.
from_the_shelves's review against another edition
5.0
Wtf! I have heard of the Beast House series before and I just don’t know why I had never read it. Well, just finished The Cellar in about 48 hours. I always think when I’m reading a book that “man, I hate this character more than any other I have read” and then, this book brings me Roy. I wanted to reach through the pages and take him out. Also the ending. Richard Laymon, may he rest in peace, does not GAF about a happy ending. When books get me all angry, I know it’s a 5 star for me. Onto the next in the series!
batman420's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
3.5
drunkennoodle's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jcliff's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Richard Laymon writes like Stephen King with fewer scruples and a good editor. Fast-paced and about as sleazy as I was expecting, but with a few surprisingly lovable characters. Massive content warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, and misogyny, so read with caution. As a huge fan of video nasties and specifically Stuart Gordon's movies, though, this feels like Castle Freak in novel form - would recommend to anyone else with extreme horror brain rot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
marco5599's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Wow. This doesn't just escalate fast, it keeps on escalating. Very, eh, eighties? I mean, having a horny, murdering beastman living under a house with people making a profit on his slayings, is probably one of the most credible elements this story has to offer. The plot feels like something cobbled together, there's stuff happening that makes your head spin and the characters made little or no sense.
Not to me anyway. Donna, for instance. Scared to death of her violent, child molesting ex-husband, who immediately goes after her after being released from jail. Had years and years to prepare, but manages to put everybody in jeopardy with every move she makes.
On the run with her 12-year-old daughter, also a victim of that maniac, yet she finds the time to do the oinky boinky with the first guy she meets. Well, OK, second guy. Axel was first, but he's a retard. Or slow. I don't know. But still. What a twat. And she's the main protagonist.
Individual scenes work very well, though. Take Lilly's diary. Why anybody would want to put that in writing, beats me, but the content; oh my. Made my eyes pop out of my sockets. Same goes for Roy, the maniac. Why he does what he does, hell if I know, but what he does; pretty disturbing.
So yeah, mixed feelings. The house, the beast, the other beast; when it comes to horror, it's all good, but the way Laymon stitched those parts together, didn't really work for me. As if he didn't find the right tone to get away with it. For a long time that is. I did get more comfortable with the madness during the final stretch. Sandy's reaction, that's the daughter, to what should be done about her maniac dad; priceless.
Not to me anyway. Donna, for instance. Scared to death of her violent, child molesting ex-husband, who immediately goes after her after being released from jail. Had years and years to prepare, but manages to put everybody in jeopardy with every move she makes.
On the run with her 12-year-old daughter, also a victim of that maniac, yet she finds the time to do the oinky boinky with the first guy she meets. Well, OK, second guy. Axel was first, but he's a retard. Or slow. I don't know. But still. What a twat. And she's the main protagonist.
Individual scenes work very well, though. Take Lilly's diary. Why anybody would want to put that in writing, beats me, but the content; oh my. Made my eyes pop out of my sockets. Same goes for Roy, the maniac. Why he does what he does, hell if I know, but what he does; pretty disturbing.
So yeah, mixed feelings. The house, the beast, the other beast; when it comes to horror, it's all good, but the way Laymon stitched those parts together, didn't really work for me. As if he didn't find the right tone to get away with it. For a long time that is. I did get more comfortable with the madness during the final stretch. Sandy's reaction, that's the daughter, to what should be done about her maniac dad; priceless.
laytongraph's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5. The book ended a little too abruptly so it lost half a star. This is my first book in my goal to read all of Laymon's books in order. I still need to find copies of Out Are The Lights, Night Show, and Allhallow's Eve though. :/ The rest of his bibliography I already have on my Kindle. The three books I still need to get aren't available as ebooks.
jacob_elliott_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75