Customer Reviews

One Rainy Night

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Having read this novel last year as an import, I was thrilled to see it on bookshelves here in the US. This book is an excellent example of the writing abilities of this author. "One Rainy Night" opens with the murder of a black student by a bunch of rednecks. Shortly thereafter the small town is plagued by black rain that continues to fall without end. The townspeople who are exposed to the black rain find themselves becoming increasingly violent towards each other. Within a couple of chapters the whole town has become insane. Killings are rampant as decent people turn into maniacs. At every junction where people meet there are attacks. The violence is extremely brutal and raw. What makes it even more disturbing is that all the acts are completely realistic. Laymon has a way of exposing mankind's ugly side that would make even the most hardened reader cringe. This is not gratuitous gore like you find in a lot of hack horror novels but a glimpse at what happens when good people give in to their animal nature.

Another distinction in Laymon's writing is that he takes the conventional roles of hero, victim, villain and completely turns them around. It is not uncommon for the hero to become a victim, for the victim to become a villain and so on. In Laymon's books heroes sometimes die and villains get away. The battle between good and evil rages on, often within one character. The character's in this book are real people forced into the most extreme of situations with shocking outcomes.

Without giving away too much of the storyline, I must add that the ending was a big surprise. The twists and turns that occurred within the story kept me guessing through the end. The book was a fast, action packed read that pulled no punches. I highly recommend it but be warned it is not for the faint of heart.

If you are easily grossed out, this one isn't for you. Laymon takes readers on a campy ride through one fatal night in Bixby. A horrible racially-motivated murder leads to voodoo revenge plot. Hmmmm....

ONE RAINY NIGHT depicts graphic violence and sex underscoring the dark side that supposedly lurks beneath us all. Once the mysterious thick black rain starts to fall, townsfolk begin to run amuck. This is an easy read; I finished it in one sitting. You won't find any award-winning dialogue, characters or plot. Many things go unanswered here: what about the suffering of the murdered boy's family? how do a couple of people quickly figure out the rain's secret and accept it without question? why does 9-year-old Kara sound like my loveable elderly aunt? Laymon's typical ability to raise the hair on the back of your neck shines through however. If you are looking for deep-meaning horror with subtle twists: this isn't it! RAINY does what it intends: it gives you a few chills, has you racing toward the finish, but all in all leaves you with the feeling that you just spent an afternoon watching that low-budget horror film you've always loved. I enjoyed reading it; I love Laymon's writing in general. But don't pick this one up expecting to have to figure out the plot. It's simple: an eye for an eye, be careful what you wish for, and humans are just animals underneath the fancy clothes. Sometimes you want steak, sometimes you secretly pig out on cheeseburgers. This one is a fun, greasy cheeseburger: easily consumed, quickly forgotten.

The plot of ONE RAINY NIGHT can be summed up easily: black rain falls, turns people into killers, and the unaffected few must try to stay alive. That's it.

Granted this is my first Laymon novel, and I already have BITE so I will give that a chance, but if this lowest-common-denominator material is the sort of horror people are raving about, I feel sad for the future of the genre. This is b-movie stuff, and fit only for a short story or novella, if that. Like Bentley Little's UNIVERSITY, the author simply uses a device (in this case, the rain) as a vehicle for sex and violence, but there's even less to this particular story.

ONE RAINY NIGHT is easy to breeze through, and if you're looking for something to read on the train or on the beach it may be perfect. I thought it was a disappointment.

Don't read Laymon looking for the kind of rich character development that you find in Stephen King's work. But he does go for a balls-out approach to horror that really works.

On one particular night in the town of Bixby, a mysterious black rain begins to fall, turning anyone it touches -- man, woman or child -- into a savage killer.

The story tracks multiple characters who try to survive the night without either being killed or turned into marauding monsters themselves.

One Rainy Night is an enthralling read that will have you burning through the pages to get to the end. Laymon cheats on his premise a couple of times, (as in when one character decides to "rein in" her bloodlust) but you forgive the occasional lapse because the story is so damned entertaining.

Get this book, curl up with it on a dark night and prepare to be gripped.

Richard Laymon has outdone himself with "One Rainy Night." A small California town falls victim to a viscous black rain that turns anyone who gets wet into a murderous maniac. This is a high octane homage to "Night of the Living Dead" that will keep you turning the pages. Be warned this novel contains rape and a great deal of graphic violence.

Laymon was one heck of storyteller, I have to say that. His tales move so fast that it is almost too easy to skip over the important plot details, which I guess happened to a few of the negative reviewers here. All the plot holes seemed to be filled to me. The reason for the rain is made abundantly clear and the overcoming of the psychosis (which simply entails washing the black fluid off of the victim) happens to more than just one character in the book and certain character's awareness of, and ability to fight off, the rain's seduction to violence seems to depend more on the character rather than the situation.

All in all One Rainy Night is a brisk, blood curdling b-movie of a read, the literary mirror of George Romero's The Crazies (aka Code Name: Trixie). This was the first Richard Laymon novel I have read and will certainly will not be the last. I have become a fan for life.

This story, like many of Laymon's stories, begins with a simple premise and rollercoasters from there! Mysterious rain follows the brutal murder of a Black high school student. Is there a connection? Whomever the rain hits gives in to violent, murderous impulses, regardless of age, gender, or temperment. It's a fascinating story as Laymon taps into primal fears of mob violence, the uncertainty of strangers and the urge to act on one's impulses. Contrary to some of the other reviews on-line here, his plot is logical and his prose is gripping. This is one author that uses visual imagery so intense that the reader is struck thinking, "What kind of a person could think of something like that?" His characters as well are flawed, just like the rest of us, and face horrible situations/tribulations they must overcome in order to survive. Laymon is one of the few authors who will get you to care about a character, then viciously kill them off later. Heroes don't always make it to the end, neither do the villains. It makes for good reading from sheer unpredictability alone. If you have never given Laymon a try, pick up a copy of this book. You won't be disappointed, although you might find yourself avoiding strangers the next rainy night...

I always try to keep my reviews short and sweet. Laymon is definitely not for everyone. LAymon always lived in his own world where common human psychology does not apply to his characters. (Example: a girl gets raped and an hour later she is ready to get it on with another character; or someone's boyfriend gets killed and later she is off having fun.) However, Laymon is usually an easy read that does not go very in-depth. This book was not as enjoyable as other books I have read by him. It was rather boring and very preposterous with too simple of an ending - even for Laymon. My recommendation: start with something different by Laymon.

I love Mr. Laymon's novels. This one was great nasty fun until near the end when it came to an abrupt, what-the-hell-happened climax. He has the occasional habit of just leaving his characters dangling. And I don't much care for his referring to women as "gals" all the time. I'm not a stickler for PC terminology, but that just rubs me the wrong way... However, this novel is most certainly worth reading.

I remember passing this book by when I first saw it in 1991. Having just completed it, I wish that I had passed it by yet again.

"One Rainy Night" is a very quick read. I finished it in more or less one sitting. Normally that's a good thing, and I will credit Richard Laymon's ability to create story flow. However... he left so many gaping holes and unexplored avenues throughout the novel that it became tedious less than halfway through.

One of my major problems with this novel was dialogue. The character of Kara may be nine years old in the story, but her lines are those of someone well along in years. And how many high schoolers do you know that refer to kids as "ankle-biters"?

I can see the parallel one other reviewer had with this novel resembling a George Romero movie. Although I find "One Rainy Night" to be more like the film "The Crazies" than any of the "Living Dead" films.

Rape are gore are prominent throughout the novel. This may have been meant to be shocking..but after a while you'll notice that's all there is. A half-hearted attempt at splatterpunk. If this is indicative of the rest of Richard Laymon's work, I'll most probably pass those by as well.

Readers may want to check out the horror classic "The Fog" by James Herbert. A significantly better novel by a master story teller.