The Cellar (Paperback)

The Cellar is located in the only attraction in Malcasa Point, the infamous Beast House with its blood steeped history and the even stranger Kutch House with no windows and only one door. Running from her deranged husband who has recently been released from gaol Donna Hayes finds herself stranded in Malcasa Point after a car accident in the fog. At her daughter's insistence she takes the Beast House Tour and meets Jud Rucker who changes her life around, albeit temporarily.

What happens from here on in is bloodsoaked but so gripping you don't want to put the book down. Does the beast exist or is it one of the Kutch family playing dress-up? Will they all escape alive? Will they escape the clutches of the Beast House at all?

If you like your horror novels with gore dripping from the page onto your lap as you read this is definitely the book for you.

The Cellar is the first in a trilogy of the Beast House stories. It focuses on Donna, Sandy and Jud as they investigate the legend of Beast House all the while aware Donna's psychotic husband Roy's been released from jail and is after her. The mother and daughter abandoned their home as soon as they heard the news of his release, and made their way out to a small town in the back of beyond. This is where they hook up with Jud and his 'partner' Larry.

Like Funland, Laymon does a decent job of painting a vivid picture of atmospheres. He doesn't particularly immerse the reader in a realistic description of places, but rather concentrates on the people in them and how they feel. He does this rather well. This is undeniably his main strength.

However, his weaknesses are numerous. I've only read 2 novels by him and his overuse of the word 'rump' is mildly comical.
Furthermore, he contrives situations out of nothing and doesn't make them believable. Several events have occurred in his books which I just couldn't swallow. Their suddenness thwarts any attempt the reader has at suspending their disbelief.

Moreover Laymon doesn't seem to be that sure what kind of novelist he actually is. There are dark themes such as rape, paedophilia, heavy violence and graphic sex, but these are mixed in amongst other more mundane situations and it's hard to balance up where the author's trying to go.

In this novel, there are so many themes which others might laud an author for incorporating. Instead, I find it mildly baffling.

As for his basic writing style, it's decent enough without being anything outstanding. Some moments are quite confusing, and certain details are unclear, to the point of apparent plot holes. You're never quite sure if you've missed something or Laymon made an error.

The Cellar gets a 3, just, because ultimately it is quite entertaining, and entertaining is exactly what a book is supposed to be. But certain aspects have it down at 2, while others, such as his main strength, push it up to 4.

If you want horror, look elsewhere. Koontz and King are both better and more effectively immersive and descriptive.

If you want a dark drama, well, you could probably do worse than Laymon.