Beware

When running away is harder then death, you know you're in trouble

This was one of the craziest books I have ever read, the sheer magnitude of fantasy driven plot and violet scenarios mixed with black magic and the usual Laymonesque inappropriate behavior made it for an entertaining read but it was the weakest from all his works so far. I am a huge fan so I will not pass up a chance to read anything by this gentle man who wrote crazy stories, my favorite so far has to be "Island" which I read when on a trip to Poland years ago, I left it there and had to get another copy, now that was an exquisite book but twice as big as this one. For a short and off the beaten path type of a tale, of a local reporter being chased by her high school stalker, who tangled up with some very bad people and turned invisible with their magic, well one can imagine what a horny[...] will do with this great power, and he sure does, with chuckles and horror, his tale is very interesting, to say the least. Laymon let the reins of his imagination flow and it showed, I never knew what to expect and it was a fun albeit gruesome at times read.

The book is quite short, I read it in a few hours but the ups and downs and the smooth dialogue guided it well into the ending which was excellent, I think it saved the book in my eyes into a 4 star rating, I would have otherwise have to give it 3, but somehow the end was tricky and very, very suspenseful, but little abrupt - maybe one can say explosive. Laymon's books pop out every few months even though he's no longer with us and they shock and thrill, they jolt me but they are easy to read (despite the craziness) and the man was a good story teller, his ideas were truly his own, and I miss him, I wish he could have lived to be an old man surrounded by his own works with plenty of fans supporting him.

For a fast and little icky read, this is a fun book but like I said, not his best. I still adore him; after all I read from him he can do no wrong.

- Kasia S.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not his best

I am a huge Laymon fan but this book was a huge disappointment. I would not recommend it.

Laymon could do no wrong, but

This is just what you would expect from Laymon. One of the things I like about him is that sometimes the bad guy wins, which makes the damsel's triumph even sweeter in the end. But I think this title went just a bit too far. While it was a great read, light and electrifying, Laymon's usual "dark titilation" was too redundant, even too dark -- even for him.

quick read

not bad for a free book. interesting storyline. good beach read.

Is the most harmful the unseen?

I have been reading Laymon's novels for years! I own just about all of them, and will continue with the rest of them. I am a huge fan of his work and I believe he is one of the strongest horror writers. When I first got a look at his novel 'Beware' I thought Laymon was going to do it a bit differently this time with a grotesque ghost story (because his story's are never of the supernatural.)But this was not the case. After reading a few chapters I realized that his story was not about a haunt, but more of an invisible man from a witches groups? Being hunted by people that consider themselves to have powers. For me it did Laymon no justice. "Beware', and 'The woods are Dark' were two novels that I just could not get into. I think he could have taken it a little farther, but the story just ended.. I wish it had a bit more to go on but it didn't. Next time Laymon!

My 1st Laymon novel

Am I a Laymon fan? Not a rabid one considering this is the first novel by him I've read. But did this book, BEWARE, convert me into one? Slightly. I have read nothing but praise by other pulp horror novelists about the books of Richard Laymon & so I've decided to dive into his world starting with this one. I love pulp horror. I love pulp horror that is so bad, it's good. It's pure escapism for me--a break from the serious, epic stuff I read--& I've discovered Laymon fits the bill perfectly. Like Bentley Little, Edward Lee & Brian Keene, Laymon's books are dripping in blood & gore, peppered with graphic sex, mixed with torture & rape & makes one think about where the hell is the author's head at. BEWARE has it's moments of "Oh, come on! That's bull****!", but it never goes too far from it's genre's boundries. It is not a prime example of the SPLATTER-PUNK movement of the 1980s, but it does come from that era & it shows. If you go into it knowing it's going to ask you to suspend reality & give you some really messed up plot points, then you are going to have a good time. If you're expecting something deep & thought provoking--move on. I do intend to read more of his novels & BEWARE was a good place to start.

I love Laymon, and this one certainly did not let me down.

I have been reading Laymon's novels for a few years and consider him to be my favorite horror writer. I consider this to be in Laymon's top 5 novels that he has written. I loved the story and loved the character development in it. I look forward to the next Laymon novel in March 09!

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.