Customer Reviews

Deep in the Darkness

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Michael Laimo's first novel, Atmosphere, was a great mix of suspense and sci-fi, one of those rare debut novel that really promises and actually pleases and all levels. I was eagerly awaiting Laimo's next novel, and now that I've read Deep in the Darkness, I'm happy to report that Atmosphere was no fluke. With this novel, Laimo will leave his mark on the horror genre as a great new voice in the horror field.

When Doctor Michael Cayle moves into the small town of Ashborough with his wife Christine and daughter Jessica, he thinks that this move is for the best. Bringing his young family away from the big city seems to be just the right thing to do. So he moves into town, taking the practice of the recently departed doctor and hopes for the best.

Unfortunately, everything that goes wrong does and, soon enough, Michael seems to be standing knee-deep in a nightmare come true. Nothing is at it seems in Ashborough. Secrets is the only rule of the game. Something dwells in the woods, something old, something that rules the town with its darkness. What seems to be nothing more than a legend at first turns out to be the horrible reality. Soon enough, Michael and his family are trapped in a nightmare so horrible, so terrifying that their very lives are being threatened.

Giving too much of the plot away would be ruining a great and completely satisfying read. I loved every single minute of Deep in the Darkness. The suspense seems to peak on every page, and the characters never feel false to the reader. But the greatest thing about this one is Laimo's writing. The author has a way of reeling his reader in, until he's cornerned with no means of escape. The writing feels natural and effortless.

Laimo is able to involve his readers in the very story. Note a certain scene where the main character commits his first deed to the things living in the woods. That section had my skin crawling with shivers. And the ending? I had to read the last two hundred pages in one sitting. The suspense never ends.

I can easily see this one becoming a great horror flick in the near future. If you haven't tried Laimo already, this is the perfect time for you to do so. Laimo is sure to quickly climb to the top of his game, where great genre writers like Stephen King and Douglas Clegg reside. Not to be missed!

For me, horror writing falls into two types-one type features strong, bone-chilling suspense that could have its foundation in reality (if we imagine hard enough); the other type features the same spine-tingling suspense, but the premise is so far-fetched that I have difficulty taking the story seriously. Examples of the first, for me, are King and Straub, ghost and vampire horror (and its ilk), and dark suspense. Even Lovecraft, much criticized for his ambitious prose and poor dialogue, imagines a world where things not too far from us come too near.

Of the latter, sadly, is Michael Laimo's effort, Deep in the Darkness. Dr. Michael Cayle moves his family to a quiet New England town (Ashborough) to get out of the hectic pace of the city. The town's previous doctor was mauled by "dogs," and Dr. Cayle moves in to take over as the new town physician. On his first day of work (no less!) he visits his neighbour and is set up by him to check in on his wife, who also appears to have been mauled by "dogs" (yet survived), even though she is described as having cancer.

Things digress from there. Cayle's neighbour, Phillip Deighton, takes him on a trip into the woods, leading him back to a mysterious area of stones surrounded by a circle of oaks. The center stone appears to be an altar, and Deighton spins a tale of ancient evil that is living in the woods. From this point on, the story revolves around that evil's contact with Cayle as it requires his aid to keep its program going. Should Cayle decide not to help, he has an abundance of evidence from other townspeople about what happens when you defy this evil.

Of course, the tension escalates and the plot twists with the involvement of someone very close to the Cayle family. As Cayle ponders the origin of the ancient evil in the woods the connections he makes are too easily come by; they seem forced. And when the end comes, it is resolved too cleanly, with a disappearance that, although foretold in the prologue, doesn't make much sense in the logic of the story, other than to leave us with a tortured hero at the end, considering the unthinkable.

The suspense is top notch and the writing very good (though verbose at times). But the story falls short with the explanation of what is actually in the woods, what happens after that, and the too-neat tie-up of loose ends. That stated, if you are in the mood for a good read that will keep you turning the pages and perhaps (in places) will keep you up at night, this one is affordably priced enough that it will not bother you if you are as unsatisfied with the premise as I was.

I will admit that in the first couple of chapters, this book reeks of Pet Sematery. It borderlines on downright rip-off; however, I think that this only adds to the fact that after chapter 2, the plot is entirely different. It goes down an entirely different path in the spooky woods. I found the plot to be quite original, really.

I think that if you are looking for a perfectly and immaculately written novel of untold psychological terror, you'll be dissapointed. But, if you don't mind jumping over a couple of plot holes in the mostly linear path of this story, you can entertain yourself easily and get a case of the shivers. I thought is was worth 7$ and I look foward to reading more from Mr. Laimo.

This is a genuinely creepy book that fans of the horror genre will most certainly enjoy. Fairly well-written, with a good amount of suspense and horror, this fast-paced story will definitely keep the reader turning the pages. Even some of the implausible aspects of the story will not diminish one's enjoyment of this entertaining book.

A young doctor, Michael Cayle, tired of life in the Big Apple, decides to leave New York City and settle down with his wife, Christine, and daughter, Jessica, in the small town of Ashborough, New Hampshire. He takes over the practice of the town's doctor, Neil Farris, who recently had his life snuffed out, a victim of a vicious dog attack. Dr. Cayle soon finds that things are not quite right in Ashborough, and it all begins from day one when he meets his neighbors, Phillip and Rosalia Deighton.

Not only are the Deightons a bit strange, but so are the rest of the townspeople. Then there are those strange medical samples that Dr. Harris had squirreled away in his study. Add to that the strange golden lights that flash in the woods just beyond the perimeter of the house. Moreover, Cayle's relationship with his wife begins to change. Something is going on in Ashborough, and the Cayles are guaranteed not to like it.

What would happen if you put a boa constrictor around your neck? Eventually your circulation would be cut off. Slowly the snake would hug tighter around your precious airway. Your soul would fill with fear, knowing death is near.

"Deep in the Darkness by Michael Laimo is that boa. It wraps fear around you and slowly the fear tightens. It is too late by the time you realize it. Once you let the book grab hold, there is no pulling away.

Contents in the gut of the book:

Dr. Michael Cayle, moves with his wife and daughter out of Manhattan to a small town called Ashborough. His wife, Christine, wants another child. Michael figured the small town would be a safer place to raise kids.

What makes this move easier for Michael is that the doctor of the town was killed by a wild dog. Which means Michael becomes the towns doctor. If only he knew, that the job was going to involve more than what he bargained for.

Michael's neighbor, Phil, starts to tell tales of Isolates, which are demons that live in the surrounding woods. They expect the townspeople to give sacrifices to them, for example the family dog. That, or they come and maul one of your family members.

Michael is chosen by them for a special reason and although he goes through the story doubting the tale he was told; he eventually runs full speed into a blade of horror. He does not want to tell his family the truth, so he pulls away verbally from them. Which causes conflict, but his wife is also holding a secret.

The terror builds higher and higher as the chapters move on, and the gore level peaks towards the end. By the end the boa will own your every last breath. So don't read this unless you want the fear to suffocate you!(...)

Imagine being stalked by something dark and evil, hungry for your tender muscles and soft skin, something that lives deep in the darkest shadows of the forest outside of your cozy new home. Something that is part beast, part man, part myth and living folklore, deadly, conniving and consciously set on making your life a little piece of hell. Such is the tale of Dr. Michael Cayle and his family who unknowingly move to Ashborough to escape the gray city life but instead they walk right into the lion's den. From the start something is off about the quiet place, the neighbors act strange, Cayle's new patients seem to have bizarre problems that leave them disfigured and the absence of pets and animals is truly alarming. Terror starts to build when Michael stops feeling welcome and starts to feel like a prisoner in his own home. He feels trapped by something lurking in the shadows, something that has glowing gold eyes watching him from the darkness. And so the battle begins, to save his sanity and his family, Michael Cayle must do some unthinkable acts and dirty his soul in the process. With each chapter being more outlandish than the last, the reader is almost scared to see what awaits on the next page. The climax of the novel seems to flow without ceasing as more chills and thrills continue to build up.

The author does a great job of building up the chill factor, I felt the terror, the cold iron grip on Cayle's throat and chest, the suffocating feeling of hopelessness and isolation, the feeling that end is near and there is no way out but to surrender to the hunger that waits in the deep dark woods. The scenes in the quiet, eerie woods were marvelous, I had the pleasure to spend many hours in various forests in my native country and they can be scary even in daylight with no monsters running around. The best part of the book, other than how damn creepy it was, must have been the writing. The words melt of the pages and sink right in, reading this book almost didn't feel like reading at all, everything felt as if it was happening before my very own eyes. Of course this is horror, so things go from dandy to rotten in a matter of moments and the book flows fast, it's a real luxury to enjoy a good book and breeze though it at the same time.

With so many books out there and so little time to actually read any of them I find myself being more picky and critical. After reading "Deep in the Darkness" my cynicism for finding good writers out there melted and my list of favorite authors opened its cob webbed door, and trust me, it's hard to get into my tightly woven list of favorites. Michael Laimo writes with passion and heart, humor and wit, not overshadowing his talent for gruesome and creative ways to raise the hairs on the readers flesh. Each page was skillfully woven with words that send electricity though my system, I can't remember the last time I had such an incredible time with a book. Another great thing about his writing is how real the characters are; I couldn't help but side with Michael Cayle, I could feel his humanity though the pages, his sorrows and slow crumble were achingly realistic. When things hot hairy between him and the once loving wife, I felt tormented that he was being stalked by a deadly force out in the wild and an angry wife at home, they both matched up pretty well drilling through the main character form both sides, taking him apart. Once I love a character his suffering becomes my suffering, and man, this book packs a punch, so watch out!

There is something for everyone in this book and I'm really looking forward to the sequel; it's set up to be a hell of a ride.

- Kasia S.

When dreams are achieved too easily, freedom, sanity, trust and the heart's blood are sacrificed.

Dr. Michael Cayle lives in Manhattan and practices internal medicine, but his daughter, Jessica, starts school in the fall and his wife, Christine, wants another child. New York is no place to raise a family. Moving to the suburbs is the best plan, but Michael would have to start a practice in competition with an established doctor who has already built a reputation. Michael needs a miracle.

A wild dog kills Dr. Neil Farris, an elderly physician in Ashborough, New Hampshire, and Michael's boss in Manhattan, Dr. Lou Scully, has the inside track. Michael has his miracle. The Cayles move to the country and into what they believe is an uncomplicated and simple life. And to the edge of the abyss.

During their first moments in front of their new home, Jimmy Page, the Cayles' purebred cocker spaniel, runs off into the woods, Jessica begins vomiting, Christine cries, and Michael drives a rusty nail into his foot. Philip Deighton, who lives a half mile down the road, brings back Jimmy Page and rescues the bewildered family, only to plunge them into the midst of an ancient blood pact that will destroy everything the Cayles hold dear.

Deep in the Darkness uncovers the rot at the center of a bucolic existence. Natural curiosity, and a desire to find their place in rural New Hampshire, herds the main characters into the green shadows of an untamed wilderness reeking of bloody sacrifice and terror.

Michael Laimo paints a surrealistic landscape where bloody trails, lit by glowing golden eyes like summer fireflies and thick with writhing maggots and gore-drunk flies, weave in and out of a pastoral scene, sending snail tracks of icy fear along your spine.

Michael Laimo's second novel from Leisure Books is one of the most compulsively readable horror novels I've had the pleasure to encounter in quite some time. Rare is the book these days that grips me and actually compels me to keep reading even if there are other things I should be doing. Deep In The Darkness is a classic stay-up-with-the-lights-on-'til-4 a.m. page-turner. The atmosphere is pervasively spooky, the sense of teeth-gnashing dread is unrelenting, and there's even a fair amount of gruesomeness. This book is what real horror is all about, and I'll be reading anything Mr. Laimo writes from now on.

"Deep in the Darkness" begins with a doctor who through a friend, finds out about a job opening in New Hampshire in a small town called Ashborough. The main plot focuses on the protagonist describing the events of what happened to him and why he is recording everything. There are a couple of side plots dealing with his neighbor down the road, an old lady that knows all, and the jeapordy the town is in.

The story is very identical to Stephen King's "Pet Semetary" which also has a doctor moving into a small town to take up a practice there. He is not happy with his current family situation and is apprehensive with the move to a small town. There is an old man and his wife as neighbors and he will take the doctor on a journey through the woods to show him the clearing that will become an important part to the story. The clearing is similar to the Micmac burial ground. They also have pets that are named after a famous people. In "Pet Semetary" the pet was called Church which was short for Winston Churchill, and in "Deep in the Darkness", the pet was called Jimmy Page or Page for short. There are more similarities, but to avoid spoilers you will have to look for them yourself.

The "Isolates", to me, are a Lovecraft type of horror element. Basically a mishappen human style of subterrainian dweller that usually only come out at night. They are an ancient race that have been around for thousands of years.

The writing in in the first person point of view which I do not care for much. Not saying that there are not good stories that are written using this style, I just think this story may have been better utilizing the third person POV. Most of the story for me was hard to get through. I just could not get into the writing as much as I would have liked. Even when I was wide awake, I would find myself nodding off while I was reading.

The character developement was well done even though I couldn't get into them or their current delima. At first, it felt like the novel was just going to be a PG-13 type story with the worst of the language that was spoken being words like "damn" or "hell", but later as the story progresses, so too does the language that better fits the situation and builds as the situations become more irritable. There is also a well balance of the character decisions moving the plot as much as the plot moves the character decisions. The overall character development made sense and fit well.

Minor criticisms

1) The chosen POV. This is minor, but I, for one am not a fan of the first person so usually I hesitate reading books with this POV

2) The main set up was just too identical to "Pet Semetary". This could have been intentionally done by the author or he may not have read the story in which it is identical to.

3) The writing flowed, but felt bland. I felt that I had to push myself too much to get through the story and that there wasn't enough suspense or situations that made me want to see what was going to happen next.

4) This has nothing to do with the author or the story, but is a major turn off when selecting a book to read. The publisher puts order forms smack dab in the middle of the book. If I wanted an informercial in the middle of a story, I would watch TV. The first thing I do is tear it out and that leaves a crease in the middle of the binding and this time I accidentally tore out one of the pages and didn't realize it and ended up thowing it away. Thankfully it was the ending of one chapter and the beginning of the next so I didn't miss much and was able to get the gist of what happened.

Some positives that I found

1) As I mentioned before, the character development was great. It all made sense and fit the character's personalities and change as it would realistically.

2) The gore content, at times seemed a bit excessive, was good. This is a horror novel after all an if someone does not want to ready about blood and gore, need to read a different genre. I even liked how Mr. Laimo was able to add some humor to the gore.

3) Speaking of humor, even though there was some humor in the novel; some chuckles, some laugh out loud, and some roll of the eyes type, ther could have been a bit more clever humor, but all in all, it worked.

Overall this is an average horror novel. This was the first that I have read of Mr. Laimo and certainly will not be the last. He has named "Dead Souls" as his favorite work to date and so I will have to order it, since I can not find it in any bookstore around here. Taking into account that "Deep in the Darkness" is an earlier work, I will look forward to seeing what the later works have in store. I would recommend this book to those that need a huge amount fo blood and gore in their stories. If you are looking for a book that will scare you, this will probably not do it.

A movie rating of this novel would be borderline "R"/"NC-17".
Graphic violence, explicit blood and gore, strong language, and nudity.

No matter what happened I knew what was coming. The descriptions, the ending and each twist and turn I foresaw from the second page of the damn book. The man has talent. You can see it in his writing. The stories are in there - somewhere.
As much as I hate comparing novels, I could not read this book without thinking of Pet Semetary, The Howling and Salem's Lot. It's apparent that new territory has not been found in the writing world. This plot is overdone and shows a half-assed attempt on Laimo's part for being creative. Even a blind man could see where he was going!

Now to the good part. I love Laimo's style of writing. This is the usual spot where I give you three adjectives to breakdown his M.O.. Well, I flat out refuse to! There aren't enough descriptions in the world - you have to see it for yourself. He writes with an edge, oblivious to any set formula or pattern, penning his work with a need to bare his soul and give his nightmares life.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of a forest fire that is closing in on you, and fast. The smoke peaks in slowly at first, then before you know it, you're knee deep in heat and smothering. The air reeks of danger and you find yourself dreading the outcome, but thrilled with the adrenaline rush. Throughout the book, the pace is constantly moving and shifting. The moment you think you've reached the climax, Laimo pulls a fast one and alters the speed.

The characters are the true stars of this book. Each player is significantly unique, yet absolutely common. Creating three-dimensional characters, Laimo fleshes them out with intelligence and emotion. The brilliance of this cast is that not one is memorable, yet they'll haunt you for nights to come.