Customer Reviews

Night in the Lonesome October

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Thanks a lot, Dick. The last time I stayed up all night reading a novel from beginning to end I was nine years old and discovering Stephen King by way of "Christine." So last night I was up until four in the morning so I could finish this book, Night in the Lonesome October, and now I have to work a full day on a couple hours' sleep! While I didn't learn any pithy lessons from it, it sure was a page-turner. A good, fast, fun read. Standard but reliable Laymon. Not recommended for those wanting to get a full night's sleep.

I read this book (almost did not finish it even when I had only 50 pages left) because of some great reviews. It starts out by having a scary setting, but deteriorated, page by page, into silliness and stupidity. I would not recommend wasting time reading this book. Watch TV, take a walk, do anything but read this book. Time waster.

Ed Logan recieves a "dear John" letter from Holly. What do people often do if they recieve letters dumping them, and breaking their hearts? Especially if they are young sensitive English majors like Logan? Well go for a walk of course. Except in a Richard Laymon novel lots of nasty people/things await in the dark, even in a Univeristy town such as Wilmington. Luckily Logan's October is less lonesome thanks to nubile young ladies such as Casey (the mysterious woman he follows,) and Elaine (mutual friend of his and Holly's). Unfortunately there are evil trolls and people in the dark October night as well as nubile young women.
This story is classic Laymon and contains all the ingredients of some of his best novels: Sensuality/sexuality by the truckload, high quoatiant of suspense and terror, and likable characters.
As with some of his best work there is a degree of ambigouity as to the true nature(supernatural) of the evil in this tale. Laymon aptly demonstrates that humans can be as souless and cruel as any troll or vampire. Laymon again plots his novel with a fast pace, making me at least wish I hadn't finished it as quickly as I did.

I thought this was a bit tame for a Laymon book. There was no real gore just a very odd tale to be told. It was interesting though and I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. It's not really suspenseful but you follow this poor man through a time in his life where odd things happen and you just HAVE to find out what the guy will run into next. I thought it was quite good but not one of his best.

If you feel overwhelmed because you read tons of typical horror novels, that make out the whole world to be a scary place, I recommend this R.Laymond novel. It pushes ALL your emotional buttons.

Anyone who has ever gone out in the middle of the night will agree that even the most commonplace things seem different then; Familiar streets look oddly empty, strange sounds are heard, and seeing someone walking towards you in the dark is cause for alarm, even on the supposedly "Safe" streets of your own neighborhood....

The late Richard Laymon uses this premise to great effect in Night in the Lonesome October, one of the last books he wrote before his untimely death. The story centers on Ed Logan, a College student who has just been dumped by his girlfriend Holly. The heartbroken Ed, unable to sleep, decides to take a middle-of-the-night trek to a 24-hour donut shop on the outskirts of his sleepy college town, and soon finds his life changed forever. Ed starts spying on an attractive young girl he sees sneaking around on that first night, and soon becomes obsessed with finding out who she is. Despite becoming close to his ex's best friend Elaine, he continues to make his nightly journey in search of the elusive mystery girl, but discovers in short order that pretty young girls aren't the only ones out cruising the October nights...

Filled with rape, murder, cannibalism, sadistic torture, kidnapping, voyeurism, etc., Night in the Lonesome October is not for everybody; It's grade-B entertainment, but well-done grade-B entertainment. Laymon was clearly a very talented author. His writing style is clear and concise, and I often found it very difficult to put the book down. There were times when I found myself very afraid for Ed and his companions, especially the scene in the donut shop where Ed encounters Randy for the first time.This is only my third exposure to Laymon, and I'm so impressed with his work that I've bought almost all of his books. On the downside, it seems like every female character Laymon writes is doomed to be raped repeatedly and gruesomely, and it gets old fast. I also thought the last page was a little too pat, and seemed more like a teen-ager's wish fulfillment than a truly realistic ending. Overall, though, Night in the Lonesome October is worth a look to Horror/Suspense fans. You'll never look at a bridge the same way again.....

The story in this book is very odd, its not typically gory and suspensful like Richard Laymons other novels but still I could not put it down. Its the kind of book you read to find out what happens next to the main character. Its an easy read and requires little effort to finish.
I really enjoyed it!

Edward Logan, successful English Major and dedicated boyfriend, finds himself facing serious changes on a lonesome October night when he receives a note from his girlfriend, Holly, telling him that she's in love with someone else. Not knowing how to deal with that nor with the fact that the man she's seeing is named Jay (of all things!), he sets off in distress to simply walk and think and to commiserate his suffering while sulking beneath the shadowy veil of night. Well, when he begins wandering the night that first time, he finds himself introduced to a world he's never seen before, one that is brimming with wonders both beautiful and dangerous, and before he knows it he wants to see more and more of what's out there. Addiction, however, comes with costs and he finds himself confronted with dilemmas that assail him in his both his day life and this newly opening door within the darkness, sometimes with only frustrations but, from time to time, with the press of fear and teeth.

The late, great Richard Laymon constructed tales of many types in his career, inspiring readers such as myself with his ability to not only craft dread into the world of literature but also to evoke haunting images that bump around in the gloomy night. With a talent that defies many writers of our time, he could take something seemingly mundane that everyone can relate to, the act of being dumped and longing, and craft it into an introduction to a dark and mysterious world where beasts and the occasion beauty lurk. While this piece isn't exact what I would call a standard Laymon centerfold and sometimes too many oddities happen in too short of a timeslot and make both the reader and the character wonder what sort of a town this could be, it does have many qualities within it that I find enlightening. The main character, Edward, is developed throughout the story, with all of coming from his point-of-view as the world becomes darker and darker, and the feelings he feels becoming more and more clouded and uncertain. What sometimes begins as an uncrossable line is questioned and then sullied, and Edward finds himself more and more addicted to the strange world that he seems looming just outside of normality's reach. In it, love lurks where love shouldn't and the shadows cough up figures basking in insanity, and the world becomes a battlefield for senses spinning out of control. Here, he finds himself with more than he bargained for and all because Holly, the woman that he loved, walked away from him and left him wandering alone.

Personally, I found the book to be a good read but I can understand how some people would find it a questionable experience and am hesitant to recommend it above other Laymon pieces. The point of this experience wasn't really to create a picture of suffering or horror, but to create an atmosphere in which the world becomes a shadowy pit and sensations fight for domination. This made the life of Edward addictive to me because it seemed like things would go spiraling through twining turns I didn't expect, with Edward causing many of them himself and me wanting to know how this seeming tragedy-in-the-making would turn out. That's what I like from a book, not knowing where the chips will fall when they are cast, and that overrides many of the small details that make many readers trivialize the experience. It does have a few moments in the end that seemed a little drawn out, though, and it is something that is more moody than anything else. So, caution is perhaps something that should be taken before jumping in head first.

Another great and disturbing tale from one of the greatest horror writers of all time. Laymon's imagination is truly twisted.

Lonesome is the story of a college student who goes out one night and obsesses about a girl he sees. It sounds simple, but you have to remember that this is Laymon writing the story so there is nothing simple about it.

What hides in the dark of night? What will people do when there is no sun shining? What really goes on in the darkness? Are you really alone when you hear noises at night? These are just some of the questions addressed by this book.

Our hero manages to get completely drawn into some of the strangest predicaments imaginable. The one plot twist I though I had figured out never happened (and I'm glad as it shows Laymon anticipated the suspicion).

After reading this book you will be very wary of going out at night into familiar areas and you will completely avoid the unfamiliar. This one is just believable enough to be really scary.

I'm a HUGE Richard Laymon fan. However, this book feels as if he just sat down and started writing without an outline or any idea of where it was headed. I only wish the rest of the book was as good as the last 50 pages. If you are a new reader, choose something else by Laymon to start with... like IN THE DARK or ISLAND. Don't get me wrong, this was still an enjoyable read, but not nearly his best.