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trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Laymon is my guilty pleasure, and I may as well confess to this now. He had already passed away by the time I discovered his books. For most of his writing career, Laymon was considerably more well-known in Europe (particularly the UK) than in North America. This all changed when an American publishing company -- Leisure Books -- began to re-release many of Laymon's novels in mass market paperback. Good news for horror fans -- because his books are now inexpensive and easy to find, a whole new generation of readers (myself included) discovered Laymon's "unique" storytelling style.
Laymon's writing is not for the faint of heart. His books are rip-roaring reads punctuated by graphic violence and sexual content. The best of escapist fiction, Laymon is not trying to save the world with his writing, nor offer any great moral insights. What he does do, and very well, is give readers a page-turning tale that will scare the bejesus out of them (most of the time). So if you're looking for a fine dining experience, keep away from Laymon; but if you long to indulge in a greasy cheeseburger with fries, then Laymon is your man. And who doesn't crave a greasy cheeseburger every now and again? That doesn't make us bad kids :-)
Laymon's writing is not for the faint of heart. His books are rip-roaring reads punctuated by graphic violence and sexual content. The best of escapist fiction, Laymon is not trying to save the world with his writing, nor offer any great moral insights. What he does do, and very well, is give readers a page-turning tale that will scare the bejesus out of them (most of the time). So if you're looking for a fine dining experience, keep away from Laymon; but if you long to indulge in a greasy cheeseburger with fries, then Laymon is your man. And who doesn't crave a greasy cheeseburger every now and again? That doesn't make us bad kids :-)
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
1.0
This was really sad.
It started off quite well - and Laymon does know how to build up suspense!
But then it got so completely stupid, I couldn't even be scared anymore...
First of the main character thinks 90% of the time about the females' bikinis, and what might be in there.
It gets more and more illogical, until I have to say it ended in a completely horrible, unbelivable, stupid way.
What annnoyed me the most was the very end:
It started off quite well - and Laymon does know how to build up suspense!
But then it got so completely stupid, I couldn't even be scared anymore...
First of the main character thinks 90% of the time about the females' bikinis, and what might be in there.
It gets more and more illogical, until I have to say it ended in a completely horrible, unbelivable, stupid way.
What annnoyed me the most was the very end:
Spoiler
The females are locked in cages by the bad guy, who then dies. The main character can't find the keys. There is no telephone, so what do you do? Do you take the boat to the next island and call for help? No of course not... Youd rather have them pee in buckets, feed them in the cages, and have sex through the cage bars... That is so logical, how could it be any different?? *argh* Worst ending ever!mybookclub111's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bobbiejowoo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
dhilderbrand's review against another edition
2.0
I was warned that it was a dark story. They were not kidding. Simply too dark for me.
weathersreadsgarbage's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I can generally put up with how unforgivably horny Laymon’s work is but this one is very… it feels like a harem romance written by an incel and don’t think I’m going to be forgetting how sexualized the rape of a literal child is. I think it’s scary more because of how horrifying straight men’s portrayal of women is and less anything else.
hexychick's review
2.0
This has not aged well. Told from the point of view of a horny 18 year old boy (desperate to lose his virginity) stranded on an island with several women while conveniently a killer is also on the island taking out any other male competition. The plot devolves from there and all the strong competent women suddenly become helpless and mesmerized by the horny virgin and must have him. At a certain point it's like a car wreck and you force yourself to look. The ending was disappointing to say the least.
milo0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes