What kind of a kangaroo-fucking douchebag says they are glad somebody is dead because they didn't like reading one of his books?
Laymon is beloved by contemporary horror writers, many of whom knew him as not only the premier horror writer of his day, but also a swell guy who educated, informed, and influenced their careers.
Laymon was blacklisted in the USA by incompetent and pussified publishers, but built a big following during his lifetime by publishing in the UK and elsewhere. Which is a shame because Laymon was a Californian who wrote about the state with an understanding and eye like few others have. It should be noted that in the post-911/torture porn era, Laymon has experienced a posthumous resurgence thanks to Leisure Books slowly republishing his work in the USA, much of it for the first time. Laymon was very keen on the cover art for his books. The UK Headline paperbacks have some of the best horror pulp fiction covers you are ever apt to see.
Laymon did have a number of quirky tells that surface throughout his works. You will find no shortage of sexually depraved weirdos, evil homeless people, and stranger repeating kinks, if you submit to the collected works of Laymon.
Laymon’s books are straight-ahead stories. He writes with a declarative dispassion akin to Hemingway. He never relies on exposition. His storylines are highly cinematic. You almost feel you are watching a movie when you read a Laymon book. Laymon never fell into the trap of his plotlines falling apart because of goofy philosophical grandstanding, as many writers do.
That said, Laymon also employed neat writer’s tricks with a deft hand. His collected works are a veritable how-to guide for writers of all persuasions, not just horror. Indeed, his writer’s guide, A WRITER’S TALE, is one of the most sought-after textbooks for aspiring genre writers, so much so that it is almost impossible to find a copy for less than thousand bucks.
Laymon’s books tend to grab you and drag you screaming to the end with a kind of intensity rarely seen consistently with other genre writers. Just about the only thing you can count on in a Laymon novel is that you probably can’t count on knowing what is going to happen next. Laymon tended to write off the top of his head.
Even among Laymon fans, you will rarely find agreement on what were Laymon’s best and worst books. Generally one person’s favorite is another’s least favorite. To me this indicates Laymon’s style and technique were so solid, that basically all of his books are entertaining to a worthy degree. IMO Laymon’s work was so filled with busted taboos, that it is really more what baggage the reader brings that determines whether they like a particular Laymon book or not.
Some of my favorites, besides the Beast House books:
ENDLESS NIGHT – This story about a serial killer’s club starts off with the most intense opening for a book I have ever read. Out of the gate you get 70+ pages of sheer WTF intensity the likes of which I have never seen anywhere else.
SAVAGE – Laymon’s take on the real story of Jack the Ripper goes from England to the Old West, and brings that wild Laymon gore and circumstance to what is essentially a historic novel in the vein of Dan Simmon’s DROOD
BEWARE – One of Laymons first novels, this book is utterly spare— the shortest, most densely packed Laymon book, and probably the most movie-like. This book is like the ultimate grindhouse cinema experience. It has a little bit of everything, and it all comes at you one thign after the next.
RESSURECTION DREAMS – The quintessential 80s take on Frankenstein and Zombies
ISLAND – Written entirely from the POV of the journal of a castaway who finds him and his companions hunted to death while stranded on an island.
FUNLAND – Laymon’s take on those stories you sometimes hear about Californian’s taking the homeless problem into their own hands
QUAKE – A psycho killer was only biding his time until the Big One to be able to unleash his most depraved fantasies
NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER – This one takes a favorite theme of Laymon’s (i.e., one innocuous decision leads to all kinds of bad shit) and turns a simple nighttime stroll into a protracted nightmare.
NO SANCTUARY – Another Laymon theme regards people who sneak into other people’s houses for kicks. Laymon runs with that theme here, except this time he shows you how that kind of fun can go very bad.
THE TRAVELLING VAMPIRE SHOW – Laymon’s coming of age story has been compared to stuff like THE BODY/STAND BY ME, but of course it is Laymon so it is a whole lot more fucked up than the seminal King work.
ALL HALLOW'S EVE - One of the more straightforward Laymon tales, this is a classic Halloween creeper. Basically Laymon's version of John Carpenter
IN THE DARK - As I mentioned earlier, this book ties to the Beast House series, but also stands on its own. On it's own, it is a tale of lunacy and obsession that presages and predicted America's infatuation with reality TV shows and "elimination games"
FLESH - Laymon's version of the story you know about little parasite monsters taking over people and making them do real bad stuff (see: THE HIDDEN, SLITHERS, etc)
STAKE - You have never read a vampire story like this one. Never
BITE - And you have never read a vampire story like this one, either! How did Laymon manage to write 2 vampire novels utterly unlike anything else anyone ever had written before?
I should also mention that Laymon was equally talented in short story format. He was as prolific with short stories as he was with novels. Collections include FEINDS, MADMAN STAN, OUT ARE THE LIGHTS, DREADFUL TALES, A GOOD SECRET PLACE
also, Cemetery Dance has been working on a major Laymon tribute called IN LAYMON'S TERMS ever since he died back on Valentine's Day 2001. Many people have bought this book years ago, but it still has not been published yet
