Friday Night in Beast House (Beast House Chronicles) (Hardcover)

by Richard Laymon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In February of this year, Laymon, then president of the Horror Writers Association, died of a heart attack at age 53. A few weeks ago, the last of his novels to be published before his death, The Traveling Vampire Show, won the HWA's Stoker Award for best novel of the year. Soon after Laymon died, Cemetery Dance, which issued that award winner, brought out Night in the Lonesome October. But it turns out that wasn't the last we'll see of Laymon, nor is this new, enjoyable short novel. The Beast House Chronicles, launched in 1979, made Laymon's reputation. This novella is the slightest of the series four entries, emotionally as well as in page length, but it features all the trademark Laymon touches. There's a horny teen protagonist, Mark, and a spooky adventure, as Mark accepts the dare of the girl of his wet dreams, Alison, that he help her sneak into Beast House, scene of several horrific murders during past decades and now a major tourist attraction in the small West Coast town where it stands. There are plenty of suspenseful and scary moments as Mark breaks into the Beast House and hides in the Beast Hole, and a particularly shocking twist at book's end. Above all, there's that inimitable Laymon style, the use of simple, strong sentences to construct, via extraordinarily vivid sensual detail, a narrative that envelops the reader in a moment by moment revelation of events in the service of a story that's terrific, nasty fun. All Laymon fans and anyone who likes horror served with a cackle are going to like this one.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 161 pages
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587670348
• ISBN-13: 978-1587670343
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,232,431 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific entry in a great series , December 21, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mustering up his courage he finally asks her out; she accepts on the stipulation that he spend FRIDAY NIGHT IN BEAST HOUSE after it closes. Excited he agrees to meet her stipulation hoping this is the ticket to ecstasy even though he knows the day time tourist attraction has been the sight of several ghastly homicides.

On Friday night Mark breaks into Beast House. He proceeds to hide in the Beast Hole hoping to quietly pass time and emerge as a hero in the eyes of Alison. However, Beast House earned its reputation for grisly inexplicable murders and soon Mark and Alison will learn even wet fantasies can turn nightmarish in the wrong environs.

Richard Laymon's final Beast House tale is a terrific entry in a great series that like it predecessors (see THE CELLAR, THE BEAST HOUSE and THE MIDNIGHT TOUR) hooks the audience into a complacency that slowly turns into tension and suspense wondering what will happen next to Mark. The delightful protagonist slowly realizes how much trouble he is in as he learns the truth about Beast House. Not quite at the emotional roller coaster levels of the previous three novels; this tale is a tense gripping thriller that will have readers searching for the previous books.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad ending for Laymon, May 1, 2003

By	Gary West (Delta, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Published soon after his unexpected death on St. Valentines Day 2001 this short novel, the fourth book in The Beast House Chronicles, once again displays Laymons talents as a master storyteller.

Set in fictional Malcasa Point, 'Friday Night in Beast House' begins with sixteen-year-old Mark sitting on the edge of his bed debating with himself whether or not to telephone Alison for a date. When he finally musters enough courage to do so she, to his surprise, acceptson one condition: Mark has to get her inside Beast House the following night, after it closes.

From there the story plows ahead--to a somewhat unexpected conclusionin a straight and narrow path, with few side trips. Laymon, no prose stylist, seems almost in a rush to tell the tale before it opens razor-toothed jaws and swallows him whole. All in all, thats not a bad thing as it allows the reader to focus his/her attention solely on the action and dialogue occurring within the pages, thus forsaking any chance of ennui setting inor even comfort.

While not a great book, I found 'Friday Night in Beast House' fun, fast-paced and perfectly suited for a little decadent, nightmarish escape after a hard days work.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One short night at Beast House!, February 11, 2003

By	catcullen (northern ireland) - See all my reviews

I bought this book simply because I am a Laymon fan, I have all his books and I knew before hand that the recommendations were not good on it. But I just didn't realise how poor the book would be. No disrespect here to Richard Laymon but I wonder did he ever approve of this book being released before his death. It is as others have said a very short book, printed with very large writing to make it look more than it is. It doesn't continue on from the Beast House trilogy and has very little of a storyline at all. It is not worth the money I paid and if you do want this book I would suggest buying secondhand or waiting til such time as it is released in paperback.
I hope this book is not the shape of what is to come now Laymon is gone. As a great fan I would be severly disapointed.