Bite / Fiends

by Richard Laymon

597 pages

Published January 1, 1997

About the author

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.

He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).

Also published under the name Richard Kelly

Reviews

[Marcos Carvalho · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bite - another puerile effort by man-child Laymon. Almost certainly he had a premise in his head (which might have made a good short story) and then just kept going, having no idea where the story was taking him, not having a plot whatsoever. 10 years later, he wrote Into the Fire, a book that shares so many of the plot points that it's almost like he forgot he had already written that story.

Fiends - more of the same. This one has an unhealthy fixation with the rape of underage girls. No fewer than 3 different girls between 15 and 16 either get raped or almost raped.

One should never read back-to-back Laymon books. You start to pick up on some of his writing traits . Basically he writes the same story over and over again. Almost all of his stories involve:

- 2 boys, 1 girl (& different permutations) One a bad boy, the other a dork, the girl is a sex object;
- they will eventually get in a car;
- they will end up in a motel;
- and head to a cafe, where they will order unhealthy food;
- almost all characters drink Pepsi;
- characters drink because it's the cool thing to do;
- nobody acts rationally (almost got into a fender-bender? Let's kill these fuckers!);
- air conditioning is a big deal in several of his novels;
- there's a mention of breasts every 9 pages or so;
- women cry ALL the TIME;
- and everyone, every single one of the characters is an ASSHOLE.

It's incredible. All male characters in his stories are sex-crazed womanizers, even the nice ones. All women are victims, until they become sadistic killers. Or they are sluts. Some start out being victims and then start enjoying the sexual abuse and get off on it. In the "Kitty Litter" short story included in "Fiends", he sexualizes a 10 year old girl. Jesus Christ. A character who appears to be 'good' will eventually turn and act like an animal, to the point there is nobody in the story to root for.

I guess we should be happy that Dick became a timid writer, instead of prolific serial killer. I'm not a psychiatrist, but it's hard to read his material and not come to the conclusion that those were the fantasies of an underdeveloped adult male with some serious mental issues. You can't say he was doing it to sell books, because he wasn't selling shit. American publishers refused to put out the stuff he was churning out, but he would not change his material to sell more copies. Which proves that selling out is not always bad, maybe?

I read 4 pretty good books by Laymon, which is why I kept going. "A Writer's Tale" is pretty great. "To Wake the Dead" was the first I ever read and it was so different from anything I'd ever come across. But everything else has been appalling. The lack of creativity, the cringey dialog, the misogyny, the juvenile rape fantasies.

Proceed with caution. I did not finish the stories after Kitty Litter, because I have better things to do. There are too many good books to read this trash.

[tam tam]

Bite could be called “Tough Luck; or, ‘are we vampires now?’”

very different voice, to me, for Laymon. really a pinnacle for engaging characters. twisty plotting, fun-house jump scares that are actually monstrous downturns of fortune, talk about winning on the swings and losing on the roundabouts. setting: excellent. themes? trenchant. philosophical questions? real posers (not poseurs!). Laymoniana sexgoreviolence? Amped. May be my favorite Laymon…but i’m not even finished with the first story yet, so we shall see, shan’t we?

—
really should’ve kept up with each short story as i read it. kind of a gobsmacking collection

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story, Bite, follows Sam as he tries and helps an old flame rid herself of her vampire stalker with chilling consequences while the second collection of tales, starting with Fiends, are blood curdling in their vivid-ness. A superb collection of tales that will chill you to the bone.