Customer Reviews

Funland (Onyx)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

you can't put them down. "Funland" is one of the best of Laymon's books (and he has many GREAT books). Get the UK version if at all possible because it has 500 pages, not the 390+ that other versions have. You don't want to miss any of the action in this novel. The sleepy tourist trap of a town called Boleta Bay will never be the same when some of the local kids declare "war" on the indigents and derelicts (called "trolls") that are terrorizing the citizens and visitors to the town. Laymon's characterization is terrific and you find yourself with mixed emotions about the leading characters. Many twists and turns are part of a fairly diverse plot that rockets to a roller-coaster of an ending. You'll find yourself wishing that there were 500 more pages of this book when you finish! This book is not for the fate of heart or those that are offended by the gore and violence that are a staple of Laymon's writing. But, on the other hand, if you like great storytelling with great characters, by all means pick this book (or any of Laymon's work) and settle in for a long night.

This was my first entry into the Richard Laymon catalog, and I must say that I was blown away with the story. Richard is definitely a powerful writer because I am still twisted up after reading that book a few days ago. Yes, it is a long novel, and although there was some drags in the tempo of the story, I definitely could not put the book down. Very good characters, very good plot, nice twists and one hell of a turn of events near the end of the book. Once the last few chapters arrived the story seemed to kick into overdrive, going from telltale suspense to shocking horror, with a lot of genuine scares and a decent amount of gore. The one thing that I noticed about this novel was the way that Laymon didnt over do it in contrast to some other horror stories that I have read.

I am still in awe at how attached I became to the characters, possibly because I could relate with what the main character was going through. Tales of belonging, tales of male machismo, young love, and acceptance. Laymon did a wonderful job bringing them all to life with fire-breathing results.

Bottom Line: I am impressed enough that I am going on in his collection to see what other treasures await me. So for any of you out there that love carnival horror/suspense, or are interested in trying a Laymon novel, this was an interesting place to start and a great, great book.

-CW

First of all, anyone reading this who loves Richard Laymon should go on over to England where you can buy every one of his books at any bookstore (or find a friend who can bring them all back to you). Funland is one of his more entertaining violent romps and anyone who has ever been to an amusement park will love it. The storyline follows the basic premise of new boy in town meets up with bad bunch of kids who are terrorizing the homeless shacked up at a local amusement park they all live near. Little do they know that they are not the only ones doing the terrorizing. The story moves along at a great pace, introducing lots of characters and has 2 distinct parts, the first developing all the kids and adult's personalities and then the move into the Funhouse where the slaughters begin. I didn't give this book 5 stars even though it is a great, entertaining read only for the fact that I thought the ending was REALLY farfetched, even for Laymon. Get it in paperback, you'll love it.

I would rank this Laymon book in my top five! A spooky book about an amusement park. A book that centers around a group of kids trying to get rid of weird, homeless bums...I did say weird didn't I? As usual, Laymon takes you on a wild ride of brutal killing, abuse, sexual encounters and just plain spookiness! There's always a little romance thrown in for kicks. Oh, did I mention there's always a little something far fetched in his books. This one especially throws you for a loop. I didn't expect the ending. This is one of those you have to read if your a fan!

A classic Richard Laymon tale. What seems to be a simple tale turns out to be anything but.

A small coastal town has an amusement park. They also have a homeless population. Some local teens have decided that the homeless have got to go. These youths thrill at the chase and torture of the homeless. But any operation like this, no matter how well-intentioned, will escalate.

Local police and a new kid in town get involved and it soon becomes apparent that not all is as it seems. It seems that the homeless may be preying on their attackers and there is definitely something not right about the amusement park.

Another wonderful send up from one of the greatest of all horror writers.

IF you're a Laymon fan and you haven't read this one, you're missing one of his best (and that's saying a lot). If I had to pick a favorite Laymon book, it would be really hard, but probably I would be torn between this and Endless Night (both sadly out of print). This is a nice long one and you won't be able to put it down. There are tons of twists and turns that you don't see coming, some really gruesome scenes, typical sick Laymon characters, and the last few sentences are an O.Henry type ending that totally threw me for a loop and blew me away. This one came and went in bookstores way too fast, and is an undiscovered treasure. If you have the excellent taste to dig Richard Laymon and haven't read this, it's worth doing an out of print search for...trust me, you won't be disapointed.

In the California town of Boleta Bay resides Funland, a permanent fixture of the town in the form of a stationary carnival run by locals but unfortunately plagued by bums, aka trolls. The problem with the vagrants is not only do they panhandle but they occassional molest visitors to Funland. A group of young people seek to rid Boleta Bay of the trolls and begin the past-time of 'trolling' in which they lure a bum out and then beat them up, humiliate them further, and leave the calling card for 'Great Big Billy Goat Gruff'. Predictably, one attack goes to far and a bum is killed.

Included in the story is Jeremy 'Duke' Wayne, new 16-year old arrival to the town and he meets up with Cowboy, one of the trollers and is quickly brought into the band of hobo-stalking hooligans. Tanya is the leader of the trollers bent on revenge after some bums had attack and raped her previously. Next comes the stereo-typed police team whom are attracted to each other and the purported sexual tension is thick between them. Now mix in Jeremy's lusting for Tanya and possible romantic tie-in Shiner (Debbie) over whom Jeremy can't decide which one he's more lustful for. Of course, things go wrong for the trollers one night and they end up in the funhouse.

Here's where other reviewers are going to dislike me...
There's just too much going on here. It seems like Laymon couldn't decide on which story idea to pursue so kind of slops them all together in a ragtag story. The books 500 pages long and really could have been cut and edited down to 300-350 pages because there's so much filler, sub stories, and too many non-essential characters going on. Dropping those 150 pages of stalling text would not have hindered the actual story in any way and would have improved the reading of this book. Plain and simple, there are large parts of this book that should have been cut and Laymon should have focused on one main plotline.

The book is good enough to read but it certainly doesn't live up to the splash blurbs on the covers claiming what a fantastic suspense/horror novel this is. I'm willing to try other Laymon books but this was mediocre at best and runs along the lines of many dreadfully boring Koontz books. It had serious potential with the trolling storyline but becomes a mangled mess with unnecessary substories.

I usually spend just as much time searching for a new book as I do actually reading it because I'm kind of picky. I like well developed characters, a fairly fast moving plot, lots of suspense, and (not going to lie) some gore. This book had it all! I even found myself sad when it ended because I had gotten attached to the characters (well, some of them... others I was quite glad to see go!) This is my first of Laymon's books and it will definitely not be the last.

I'm absolutely a die-hard, long-time fan of Richard Laymon. When I first read Flesh back in High School, I was hooked. I love everything about his writing; great character development, interesting plots, violence(sometimes over the top, but it's fiction, who cares), and everything else about him. I almost have all of his books. I recently purchased Funland and read it. A great add to the collection but one of his better works also. About half of his books I really love and some are just okay. Funland is definately one of the ones I love now. Great story and characters. If you're a big fan of Laymon like me, you need to get this book. You won't be sorry you did.

I've been a fan of Richard Laymon for about a decade now, since first discovering The Traveling Vampire Show when it was released. I love that novel, and recommend it, along with The Stake, Savage, and this one, Funland. Funland takes place in a fictional seaside town called Boleta Bay, which is based upon Santa Cruz, CA, according to the author. Like it's real life counterpart, Boleta Bay has a run-down Boardwalk overrun with lecherous and aggressive bums, called "trolls". The action here centers around a group of teenagers who form a gang to go around "trolling", or beating, these bums (and doing all manner of other abuses to them). The side story involves 2 cops who are trying to find out who the Trollers are and catch them. The characters are memorable and believable, the dialog well-written, the story is paced nicely, and there's a couple nice twists I don't want to spoil. As with most of Laymon's works, there's plenty of violence and sex. This one has a couple of his best characters ever, especially the young banjo player, Robin. He usually has one really great, strong female character in every book, which is refreshing. A terrific example of Laymon's work.