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A review by fellumhistane
The Cellar by Richard Laymon
2.0
I picked this up at random.
The Cellar is one of those awful monster stories you read on a rainy weekend...except the horrific bits are really dark sexual assaults and pedophilia- so yuck. A lot could be said how this book is inappropriate by today's social standard, but that isn't its worse crimes. Characters are built to eccentric degrees and discarded way too easily, plenty of plot holes make the story too farfetched to be scary, and for such a thin narrative, the first half is much too detailed, somehow providing almost no atmosphere.
I give this one 2 stars because I still had the desire to finish it, the beast mystery was intriguing at the start while it lasted...And Laymon has a way of introducing micro-character development rather smoothly and obviously, giving you enough to care a tad for his cardboard people, without distracting from the suspense.
There are probably better books you could read.
The Cellar is one of those awful monster stories you read on a rainy weekend...except the horrific bits are really dark sexual assaults and pedophilia- so yuck. A lot could be said how this book is inappropriate by today's social standard, but that isn't its worse crimes. Characters are built to eccentric degrees and discarded way too easily, plenty of plot holes make the story too farfetched to be scary, and for such a thin narrative, the first half is much too detailed, somehow providing almost no atmosphere.
I give this one 2 stars because I still had the desire to finish it, the beast mystery was intriguing at the start while it lasted...And Laymon has a way of introducing micro-character development rather smoothly and obviously, giving you enough to care a tad for his cardboard people, without distracting from the suspense.
There are probably better books you could read.