The Traveling Vampire Show

by Richard Laymon

When the one-night-only Traveling Vampire Show arrives in town, promising the only living vampire in captivity, beautiful Valeria, three local teenagers venture where they do not belong, and discover much more than they bargained for.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Coming Of Age, Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller

472 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

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

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

I actually read this several weeks go, but never got around to reviewing it because I knew I had to get prepared for the backlash first . . . .



Apparently I read it wrong. But guess what?????



The premise here was a good one – Dwight and his friends Slim and Rusty see flyers all over town advertising a “Traveling Vampire Show.” The hint of danger and an “18 and over” requirement are enough to lead the trio into temptation and the remainder of the story is what takes place during one day leading up to the big shebang and their chance to meet the mysterious Valeria . . . .



Here’s the problem. The first 50 pages or so were flying right by. Many of you know I have a kid who is required to read, but hates to read. We’ve had some luck with contemporary fiction and I thought if things didn’t get too stabby this might be okay for him (please note I had read ZERO reviews/knew nothing of this book except people liked it). The three kids wandering from one side of town to another for an adventure is pretty much my kid’s bucket list of a dream Saturday. But then I got to the part where there was a bit of danger and the MC Dwight decided to go borrow a truck and I was like . . . .



The story immediately stopped working. Even with the “gather around children and let me tell you a story from when I was a kid and why don’t you have some Werther’s Originals while you’re listening” narration style I just couldn’t wrap my brain around these being sixteen year old children. I was thinking they were 12-14 max.

And then there was the non-stop boner talk. I realize that teenage boys often pitch tents in their pants, but the story became so hypersexual with more focus on premature ejaculation than plot that there was no charm left to any of the characters. Especially Rusty . . . .



They do, so yay.

Which all led up to a pervert's wet dream of an ending I knew was coming and a reading experience I couldn’t wait to be over.

I know I've really gone against the grain here, but save your breath if you plan on telling me I’m not allowed to have a differing opinion. Also, I’m already in my bag of shame so I won’t be able to see the comments anyway . . . .

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teenagers Dwight, Rusty, and Slim are an inseparable trio. When they see that the Traveling Vampire Show is coming to town, seeing the only vampire in captivity becomes the most important thing in the world.

The Traveling Vampire Show is a coming of age tale akin to Stephen King's The Boy or Robert McCammon's A Boy's Life, taking place in a single day in 1963. As the title indicates, the story revolves around the three teenagers' quest to attend the Traveling Vampire Show. Straight-laced Dwight, tomboy Slim, and asshole Rusty all seemed a lot like people I knew at 16.

Much like A Boy's Life, there's a lot of meandering. A lot of the book is the trio running from threats, real or imagined, and Dwight trying not to get hard around Slim or his sister in law. The addition of Bitsy, Rusty's sister, to the group showed the ugliness lurking beneath the surface of a couple characters.

I didn't mind that the Traveling Vampire Show doesn't make an appearance until the end. I did think it was unrealistic that they actually went given all that transpired early in the day. I also had some difficulty buying the others being friends with Rusty given what a selfish asshole he was.

The ending was actually pretty bad ass. I knew someone had to die before the story was over and there was death aplenty. I also liked that there were a lot of unanswered questions. Do any of the characters make appearances in subsequent Laymon books?

The Travelling Vampire Show is an entertaining coming of age tale but I wouldn't put it on the same tier as The Body or A Boy's Life. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Michael Fierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

So you know, I've been a Richard Laymon fan for 30 + yrs now, having gotten into him while searching for a list of books recommended by Stephen King while visiting The Dark Carnival, in Berkeley, CA, my favorite bookstore.

The handful of books I have by Mr. Laymon, I've read several times and thought they were good, some frighteningly good ~ with the exception of The Stake which I have tried to read a few times and it just never bit me hard enough to keep me craving for more.

So far, my favorite by him was Resurrection Dreams and if you like your horror with humor, you might just love it. Besides, it's about zombies...the best trendy thing since Halloween became a holiday.

Funland was eerie, scary, and demented.

Midnight's Lair was creepy and memorable.

His characters are always entertaining, in a head-shaking sort of way, and fun to watch what materializes for them on the road ahead.

...and to see what's just around that next corner.

His dialogue is fitting for the time & place, either steeped with dark humor or hellbent on making you laugh while you silently scream "NO!" , and I believe no book of his could reach its end without a character or few being as naïve as feeder fish in a shark pool.

His stories are ripe with violence, blood red gore, full of sexual perversions, and horror galore.

Perfect if you axe me.

...and why he's been lauded by such notable authors as Stephen King, Brian Keene, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchup, Dean Koontz, Tim Lebbon, Edward Lee, Bentley Little, Simon Clark, and a slew of others, as one of their fave authors.

The Traveling Vampire Show is Laymon's stab at Something Wicked This Way Comes, as if written by a zero conscience Stephen King.

Recommended!!!!!

*If you like this sorta thing check out my bookshelf: dark-carnival-night-circus.

**If you are a book connoisseur like me, track down the 1st print of the paperback with embossed lettering. It's a great book to add to your Dark Carnival/Night Circus Horror collection.

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars!

As I was listening to this, I came to realize that I've read it before. A few things, like the name Julian Striker and one of the character's sisters rang a bell with me. Other than that, because I have a mind like a steel sieve, the rest of the story seemed new, so I went with it. Now that's it over, I am glad that I read it while at the same time I wish I ditched it. As you can see, I'm torn.

What I liked: The beginning. The coming of age portion-kids walking around and learning about the town, popping into each of their houses...these things I enjoyed. Unfortunately, they were a very small portion of the book. I did enjoy the narrator, though the quality of the recording itself didn't seem as good as others I've listened to recently.

What I didn't like: The sexy-times coming of age portions. One or two would have been fine, but at times, it seemed like the majority of the book was talking about hard-ons and breasts. Especially breasts. Every single woman in this book had time dedicated to her breasts. I mean, I HAVE breasts. I LIKE them. But J.H.C.- enough already!

What I didn't like (continued): This entire book took place in one day, which was fine. However, it seemed like out of 404 pages, 325 were taken up just getting TO THE SHOW. Lastly, once they got there the situation spiraled out of control and became completely unbelievable. There's just....no way. I understand I'm reading a book about vampires, but believe me when I say there are believable stories about them and this one isn't it. (Kelli Owen's TEETH perhaps, or Yvonne Navarro's AFTERAGE for example.) I can disregard the realism factor if the book is intriguing or interesting in other areas. This one is not.

I rated THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW 2.5 stars, (rounded up to 3), because I do feel it is representative of horror being written at that time, (2000-2001), and in a way, it is often thought of as a classic. I wanted to rate it higher than that, but I'm sorry to say that this tale didn't earn it.

I can't say that I recommend this, but I AM glad that I finally read it, (or re-read it, as the case may be), because I would forever be wondering about it, if I hadn't.

I bought this audiobook with my hard earned cash.

[Chandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This. Book. Sucked.
Okay, first the plus side: Slim is awesome.
And that's about it for the plus side.
On the minus side: We have to see the awesome character Slim through the eyes of this annoying teenage boy who spends nearly ever scene she's in describing her butt.
Also on the minus side: Pretty much all the other characters were downright annoying. I was very disappointed they didn't ALL (except Slim) die horrible deaths at the end.
Once again on the minus side: This book was painfully BORING and full of descriptive descriptions describing descriptive things that don't need to be described. Picture Twilight, but about 5 times worse. (Yeah. Preeee-ty bad.) For example: in one of the flashbacks, they go into all this detail about how they ate milk duds at the movies. This, by the way, had nothing to do with anything. Ooh, or how about when they made burgers? Did I need to know that the characters both love cheese on their burgers, and also that they like their burgers thin so that the inside isn't raw?
No. No I did not. And it didn't build suspense, like I know it was supposed to. No it did not. It just made me want to throw the book at a rabid squirrel and watch it chew the thing to pieces, but I couldn't, because it was a library book.
And that made me very sad, and pretty much ruined the rest of my day.
It's sad that a cool character like Slim can be in a book, and it can still be pretty much the worst book I have ever read in my life.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'estate in cui compii 16 anni, lo Spettacolo Itinerante dei
Vampiri arrivò in città.
Ne sentii parlare per la prima volta dai miei due migliori amici, Slim e Rusty... il vero nome di quest'ultimo era Russel, ma lui lo detestava.
Il vero nome di Slim era Frances e, pur essendo costretta a tollerarlo sulle labbra di genitori e insegnanti, lei non voleva che venisse usato dagli altri ragazzi. Sosteneva che "Frances è un
nome da mulo parlante", e quando le si chiedeva come volesse essere chiamata, la sua risposta dipendeva prevalentemente da ciò che quel giorno stava leggendo.

In una torrida mattina d’agosto dell’estate del 1963, la monotonia nella tranquilla cittadina di Grandville, nella tranquilla provincia rurale americana, viene scossa dall'arrivo del Circo Itinerante dei Vampiri e la sua attrazione principale: la splendida Valeria.
Gli adolescenti Dwight, Rusty, e la loro amica Slim, decidono di assistere allo spettacolo di mezzanotte ad ogni costo.
E così ha inizia la loro lunga giornata, tra disavventure, imprevisti, spaventi, ricordi di un passato non sempre piacevole, ed un'amicizia che finalmente si trasforma in amore per due dei giovani protagonisti.
La Bara di Richard Laymon incontra Il Popolo dell'Autunno di Ray Bradbury e Stand by me di Stephen King in un avvincente racconto di formazione, una storia appassionante con protagonisti un terzetto di adolescenti che si legge tutta di un fiato tra spaventi, momenti tristi, risate, e la solita carrellata di situazioni improbabili tanto care all'autore scomparso prematuramente, che sembrano quasi uscire a volte da un incubo ad occhi aperti.
Il tutto condito da quelle descrizioni dettagliate relative al seno femminile, elemento imprescindibile in ogni libro di Laymon, ma che stavolta vanno letteralmente fuori scala, al punto che questo libro, vincitore del prestigioso premio letterario Bram Stoker Award nel 2001, anno della scomparsa dell'autore, avrebbe potuto benissimo chiamarsi il Circo delle Tette... ma questo è probabilmente dovuto al fatto che due protagonisti su tre, uno dei quali voce narrante dell'intero racconto, sono una coppia di adolescenti maschi in piena crisi ormonale.
A parte questo, la storia mi è piaciuta parecchio, ho apprezzato i vari flashback ed il finale, arrivato magari non proprio inaspettato, ma brutale come un pugno allo stomaco.
Forse Dwight come narratore e protagonista non sarà un personaggio così memorabile, ma man mano che avanzavo nella lettura mi appassionavo sempre più a questa storia da lui raccontata e non vedevo l'ora che scoccasse la scintilla tra lui e Slim Frances, rimasti finalmente soli per un po' senza l'odioso Rusty, che avrei voluto strangolare insieme a sua sorella.
Una storia a tratti allucinante ed inverosimile, ma che non ha nulla da invidiare ad altri più famosi romanzi di formazione horror con protagonisti giovani bande di perdenti, quanto ad intrattenimento, brividi e divertimento.
Veniamo infine alle note dolenti.
Il numero di refusi presenti nell'edizione italiana rasenta il limite dell'illeggibilità, aumentando fastidiosamente pagina dopo pagina, senza limitarsi a scambi tra lettere o consonanti doppie diventate triple, ma anche peggio: all'inizio del quinto capitolo troviamo un inspiegabile "22:30" quando il terzetto di protagonisti si reca per la prima volta al Campo di Janks, a volte chiamato invece Campo Janks, alle dieci e trenta del mattino, ten-thirty nell'edizione originale in lingua inglese che mi sono procurato successivamente e che avrei fatto meglio a leggere invece di questa, piena zeppa di errori, madornali e non, a partire dall'immagine di copertina che non ha proprio nulla a che fare con la storia.
Un vero e proprio canto del cigno per Gargoyle Books, casa editrice romana ormai scomparsa da qualche anno, di cui compravo e collezionavo quasi ogni pubblicazione a tema horror e fantascientifico.
Se un giorno rileggerò questo libro in lingua originale, lista infinita dei miei to-read permettendo, probabilmente questa recensione passerà da tre a quattro stelle,
per ora purtroppo non posso proprio dire di ritenermi pienamente soddisfatto da questa lettura.
Peccato davvero perché questo è uno dei migliori racconti scritti da Richard Laymon, e meritava decisamente un'edizione nostrana più curata.

Era poi risultato che alcuni boy-scout erano arrivati in quel campo e avevano trovato Tommy Janks seduto vicino a un fuoco.. essendo sordomuto, lui non li aveva sentiti arrivare, per cui lo avevano sorpreso ad arrostire sul fuoco un pezzo di carne infilato in uno stecco. Carne che era risultata essere il cuore di una delle ragazze scomparse.
Trovarsi davanti una scena del genere doveva essere stato orribile.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few Laymon novels with varying levels of enjoyment. Resurrection Dreams I enjoyed for its gory over-the-top fun but I just couldn't get into Flesh or Funland .

Despite its title this book is not about vampires. It's about three 16 year old friends and their fascination with visiting the upcoming vampire show. It has moments of gore but mainly it's a coming of age tale focusing on these young kids. The lusty thoughts which I've come to expect from a Laymon book, and which usually crack me up for their out of place silliness, fit these characters and added to the tension of the book. The book takes place in the 60's when drive-ins were much more commonplace and the whole book has the feel of a good scary drive-in movie. It begins when these three hike out to an abandoned field reputed to be the dumping ground of a serial killer hoping to get a glimpse of the vampire before the crowds arrive. Instead they have a bad run-in with a mangy, possibly rabid dog and one of the kid's witnesses something she shouldn't and then weird things begin to happen and they suspect they're being taunted by the vampire folks. It's not until the very end of the book that the all out blood bath begins (and we learn some ugly things about some of our characters) but the tension leading up to it and the nice character study held my attention throughout it's 300+ pages. To date, this has been my favorite of all of the Laymon novels I've read.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the vein of Something Wicked This Way Comes and Stand By Me, the Traveling Vampire Show tells the story of three misfit best friends named Dwight, Slim and Rusty unraveling the dark secrets of a sinister group of circus performers claiming to have captured the last living vampire in the world for all to see, all the while coming to terms with their developing identities and growing into the final stages of adulthood through encountering many horrifying struggles together.

I've read about four or five books from Laymon before reading this one, and I thought they generally ranged from mediocre to decent. I was in the mood to read some old cheesy horror, and decided to give him another chance. I wasn't expecting to end up loving the book nearly as much as I did. This is the first book by Laymon I truly considered myself a fan of and found myself to be impressed with how well he writes characters here. Dwight, Slim and Rusty are a compelling trio of lovable oddballs and I found their regular, every day antics and interactions to be very captivating. Even without the whole scary vampire circus scenario, I probably would've given this five stars just for these three alone.

While the badass tomboy Slim is my favorite of the trio because of how funny, cool and brave she is, her character wouldn't feel complete without her dopey sidekicks who truly allow her personalty to shine. Her awkward girl-crush interactions with Dwight and her constant squabbling with a lug-head like Rusty brought a lot of great tension, emotion, romance, fear, comedy and depth to the storytelling. Dwight's commentary was often cringeworthy but it fit his character of being a dorky hormonal teenager quite accurately. Rusty is also a surprisingly complex character who is hard not to like but he's also extremely flawed, gross, obnoxious and easy to hate in other ways. The dark secrets that were unraveled between the three as the plot got more intense were all handled very well.

The actual events of the vampire circus don't happen until the finale of the book, the first 85% of the book is a nostalgic summer thriller about the highs and lows of everyday teenage life. This may sound boring or disappointing if you're expecting to read a nonstop horror rollercoaster, but the character work in this novel rivals the best of Stephen King and I don't think anyone would be let down in that regard. The horrors that young people face and the trauma they learn how to cope with is already intense and thrilling in its own right.

This book does have some of the trappings I don't like about Laymon's other work. The characters being oddly perverted and gropey at times, some corny B-movie prose and dialogue every now and then, some cringy scenes of unnecessary over-sexualization that feel like they came out of a thirteen-year-old boy's wet-dream, yet everything else about it was so damn good that I was able to look past its flaws. The book is great if you're not too easily put off by these things.

[Latasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll start with the positive. Bob Barnes, the reader. 5 big shiny 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for you! I’d listen to a lot more books read by him.
Now, the negative. This whole story. I’m not sure how long this book is but its way too long. As I have my own boobs, I’m not fascinated by them so listening to 2 Days worth of a book that is constant fantasizing by a 16 yr. old boy isn’t really doing a damn thing for me. Vampires? There isn’t one til the last little bit. 🙄

[Dead Inside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful soft mounds and Velveeta cheese.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is Laymon at his best or worse, depending on your tolerance for the 'male gaze' as only Laymon can do. The story takes place in just one day in a small town somewhere in the USA. The main protagonist is 16 y.o. Dwight and features his two best buddies Rusty and 'Slim'. Rusty is a very horny teen and Slim is Frances, also 16, a tomboy that Dwight has more than a mild crush on. One day in the summer, the three of them find signs all over proclaiming the Traveling Vampire Show will be in town tonight for one night only. It is being held in a forlorn field outside of town and the three head there in the morning to check it out...

If Laymon cut out his endless depictions of breasts and bums, this novel would lose about 1/4 of its length. Laymon usually 'treats' us with extremely horny males who cannot help themselves by fantasizing about every jiggle on just about any female that happens by. Even in life and death situations, the guys just gotta check out that hint of boob. Usually, Laymon has some excellent plotting and twists and turns that mitigate to some extent his pervy male characters, but the plot on this one is a little thin. Something of a coming of age novel, TTVS gives us many flashbacks to earlier escapades with the three teens. Yet, the story moves along slowly, filled with relationship drama (and descriptions of boobs and bums), until the very end.

I know he won an award for this one (Bram Stoker 2001) but it is hard to see why exactly. Laymon can really write well at times and I like some of his books, but he also published some real stinkers as well. I see this as a rather middling effort in his corpus, with some creepy situations to be sure. The only redeeming feature is the strong female Slim, who is awesome. She takes no shit and can dish it out if need be. Our lead and Rusty? Laymon's typical 'male gaze' tropes in spades. If you are really into Laymon, this may be worth a read, but I would not recommend it to a Laymon neophyte. 3 jiggly stars.

[Working Man Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Is this Richard laymon's best work?
If you have read more of his stuff let me know down below your favorite #richardlaymon novel.

Going into this book I kind of knew Laymon's style. I kind of understood that he was a horny man, and wrote as such. 🤣 #Boobsfordays

So keep in mind that pretty much any book you pick up from him will have sexual content. Honestly as a person who dabbles in writing myself it's slightly bothers me that he repetitively describes the female body in one way... and that is their boobs.

That being said that would be my only critique for this book. Overall this is a fun coming of age novel and the sexual content makes sense. Due to the fact that you are following teenagers. For once the way that his mind worked as a writer, fits The narrative of a teenage boy's mind. I can't help feeling like I'm disrespecting the author by saying that but it is the truth. Absolutely adored the cast of characters, and their journey to visit the traveling vampire show at the shady Park in their hometown. The teenage angst and relationships the characters have felt real. I would say my favorite character was Slim and I didn't mind the lead character. Everyone remembers their teenage crush and that was executed pretty well in this book. I will be recommending this as the starting place for his work going on in the future. It was an absolute blast to read and I recommend taking your time with it and enjoying the ride.

You might want to skip the next traveling vampire show that visits your town though 😉

[SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Richard Laymon book and it won't be my last.

It was a book that was beautifully done. It was a coming of age story that had characters that I fell in love with. This book was filled with girl power, Slim and Lee were powerfully written. They were brave,true and strong.
When Slim quoted a few lines of the St.Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V.,I was verklempt.
It was a pleasure to read a horror novel with strong female characters.
And what can I say about Dwight,a hero worthy of Slim. Strong,sweet,brave and loyal.
I loved the story but I loved the characters more.
Mr.Laymon wrote a book that was more than a horror novel.
It is novel about honor, discovery, loyalty, compassion, friendship, young love, young lust and friendship...the vampire was the cherry atop a terrific book.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first impression of Richard Laymon didn’t go so well. The Woods Are Dark was my introduction to the author and boy, Oh boy, did I hate that books!!
But this book…. This book was freakin AWESOME and nothing like The Woods Are Dark (thanks goodness)!!!
I’m really happy that I gave Laymon another chance. He’s a legend amongst Horror authors and so, I didn’t want to give up on him so easily. Now I can’t wait to check out his other books.

[Traumleser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine richtig gute Horror Geschichte, die ich zufällig um die Halloween Zeit gelesen habe und sie hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Das Ende (und damit meine ich wirklich nur die letzten Seiten) hat sich aber leider irgendwie zu schnell in Luft aufgelöst.

Es liest sich ungemein flüssig, ist an (fast) keiner Stelle unnötig lang, die Geschichte geht zügig voran und der Schreibstil vom Autor hat mir in einem anderen Buch von ihm schon sehr gefallen. Ich werde definitiv noch mehr von ihm lesen.

Ich schwanke zwischen 3 oder 4 Sternen, aber da gestern gerade Halloween war, gibt es 4 Sterne.

[Vicki Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read something by Richard Laymon I think to myself, why don't I read more of him? This was no exception. This was a fantastic book that every time I picked it up I didn't want to put it down.
Vampires really aren't my thing, but this was much more than a vampire story. It was about 3 teenagers and a few sidekicks out on an adventure. It brought me back to the times of my childhood before cell phones when kids were able to run amuck all summer all over town.
The tension ran high throughout and I was constantly guessing where it would go next. There was some side and back stories that kept it interesting and Laymon was able to switch to those timelines seamlessly. There also, of course was the teenaged boy sexual angst and lots of breast oogling that Laymon includes in his books.
Overall, an excellent read, probably my favorite Laymon book to date. I highly recommend it.

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Тук бих искал да почна малко по-отдалеч, защото това е последната книга на Леймън публикувана приживе и единствената му спечелила Стокър.
Наградата „Брам Стокър” на Световната Хорър Асоциация, за разлика от всички други подобни литературни награди, се дава за принос във жанра. Тук нямаме добро, по-добро, най-добро, нямаме мерене на къси пишки и делене на празни мегдани. Имаме общност, която приема и оценява всеки който твори в нея. Защо? Защото ужасът е чувство интимно. Подобно чувството за хумор се подчинява на строго индивидуални критерии и е различно при абсолютно всеки човек.
Ако някой тръгне да чете Брайън Кийн, Браян Смит, Рат Джеймс Уайт, Едуард Лий, Шон Маккензи и десетки други автори творили в сплетъра и бизарото, няма как да не разбере какъв е точно приносът на Леймън за жанра и защо си е заслужил този Стокър хилядократно.
Сега:
Няма начин това да ми стане най-любимата книга на Леймън. Давам четвъртата звезад, защото някой се е осмелил отново да го публикува на български. Липсва ми макабрената аморфност на „Една нощ през самотния октомври”, както и напълно изтърваните сексуалност и социопатщина на „Среднощна обиколка”. Тук авторът е писал за по-умерени читатели, които са решили да се потопят в света на лудост и насилие на сплетър жанра. Героите му са под постоянен авторов контрол, а ситуациите следват някакъв разумен порядък (до колкото е решил да си позволи и за двете). Въпреки че съдържа всичките ми любими елементи на леймъновата проза, превърнали се в тропи за този поджанр, чичо Дик не си позволява да му изтърве края и това леко дразни.
Дуейн, Слим и Ръсти са три хлапета неусетно прескочили границата на съзряването. Това е едва ли не последното им безгрижно лято и то е белязано от едно събитие. Пристигането на „Пътуващо шоу с вампир” в малкия им град. Те ще направят всичко възможно да присъстват на забраненото за непълнолетни представление и главната му атракция – невероятно красивата вампирка Валерия. А чрез усилията им читателя се сблъсква с всички проблеми на подрастващите, както и с няколко доста мрачни гардеробни скелета. А самото шоу е шоуто на Леймън, което прави края доста запомнящ се, особено за неподготвения читател.
Това определено не е книга за порастването, не и така както сме почнали да ги възприемаме заради няколкото шедьоври в жанра. Героите почти неосъзнато вече са го изминали този път и леймън успява доста добре да го покаже с няколко вмъкнати ретроспективни глави. Това не е и книга за пасторалната носталгия по детството. Действието спокойно може да се развива навсякъде, а и е толкова обсебващо, че не оставя читателя да се замисля за пейзажи и други подробности.
Това е книга за осъзнаването на собствената сексуалност в един скоро отминал век според привичките и правилата му. Точно за това вампирът е перфектното „чудовище” за метафоричната илюстрация на тези подтискани чувства. (и точно за това курозъбите изроди на Малакаса Пойнт винаги ще ми пасват повече като олицетворение на разюзденото ни поколение). Всяка препратка и всяка ситуация водят към тази авторова теза, понякога направо, понякога хитроумно криволичейки. Характерите на тримата главни герои определят действието на романа до последната запетайка, като вътрешното се отразява в абсурдните външни сцени.
Ама стига толкова, че мога да я карам така 10 странице. С една дума - харесами.
P.S. Все забравям да напиша нещо:
Много хора се оплакват, че Леймън не си изгражда образите плътно. Не е вярно. Той просто използва литературата която четат като характерооформяща характеристика. Прави го във всичките си книги. Винаги обследва суъдържанието на библиотеките на героите си, отбелязва ключови произведения и вкарва диалози за литература. Това е неговият начин и на мен ми пасва идеално.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Laymon book, and it is most definitely not a book for anyone that is easily offended. Even if you aren't, another hurdle presents itself, are you willing to cringe your way through a bunch of unnecessary sexual content? Sooo much, at least a metric fuck-ton worth. Still here? Well, you must be a huge fan of Vampires then. Don't let the them keep you here, because this isn't even really a vampire centric story.

The Traveling Vampire Show is actually a fun coming-of-age story set in the early '60s. It does get bogged down at times, but it still managed to be a very readable book. Maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of Horror movies, and to me, Laymons writing feels almost like a Grindhouse/Exploitation film in book form. I am curious if the rest of his books have this sort of aesthetic, as long as a reader can gloss over, or laugh off the severe risk of cringe-factor that is likely to ensue, I think this could be a fun author explore.

I decided to finally read Laymon, after years of hearing equal amounts or praise and shit being heaped upon his books by horror fans. He has hilariously been described as writing like Stephen Kings pervy uncle, and after reading Laymons take on a coming-of-age story, I can't really argue with that. I wasn't aware until I finished the book that The Traveling Vampire Show won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 2000, unfortunately Laymon passed away and was posthumously awarded.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is much different from other Richard Laymon books I have read, lacks the sex and gore typical of his books, and moves at a much slower, suspense-building pace. I absolutely loved it! It is hot, the summer of 1963, and three teenagers, Dwight, Rusty, and Slim, are anxious to see the one-night-only performance of The Traveling Vampire Show, which claims to have the only living vampire in captivity, Valeria, at the legendary Janks Field. As soon as they head out to Janks Field to get a sneak peak at Valeria, bad, mysterious things begin to happen. The entire story spans one long day, with occasional mention of past events to help better understand the three main characters, and ends with a bang. I highly recommend this book. It is one of my favorite Laymon reads to date, but if you prefer typical Laymon, you may not enjoy this one as much.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, the good: It seems to me that Richard Laymon was a master of plot and pacing. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in which I felt so compelled to keep turning the pages. Truly, the narrative drive is spot-on. I also found the trio of friends (Dwight, Slim, and Rusty) endearing, and I was really rooting for them throughout the course of the novel.

Now, onto the bad: HOLY CRAP this is a book that would make a porn star blush. What is with the fixation on breasts? I wish I could say I’m exaggerating, but they are everywhere. Throughout most of the book, Laymon slowly builds it up… a mention of a bra here, a stolen glance at someone’s chest there. But by the time we get to the titular (pun intended?) vampire show section, All Breastly Hell has broken loose:

“…the magnificent globes of her leather-encased breasts” (315)

“…her leather-harnessed breasts, and how they wobbled and shook” (320)

“He’d stopped pretending to honk Valeria’s breasts.” (329)

“…her naked breasts…” (338)

“The quick motion swung her breasts.” (338)

“…her large breasts leaping and swinging.” (338… please note this is the THIRD mention of breasts on a single page!)

“…the jutting tips of her breasts,” (339)

“…those incredible, naked breasts” (343)

“I thought he was going for her breasts…” (344)

“…and jarred her breasts” (344)

“…put a hand on each of her breasts” (345)

“…Valeria’s right breast.” (346)

“…he was licking her breast,” (346)

“Her breasts were mashed against my chest.” (349)

“It adhered to her body and took on the shapes of her breasts. Her stiff nipples pushed out the clinging fabric.” (349)

“…the smooth inner slopes of Lee’s breasts” (358)

“…Valeria’s breasts were in full view, bouncing and swaying with the motions of her body.” (359)

“…stumbled sideways, breasts leaping.” (359)

“I could see her breasts.” (360)

“Each blow shook Valeria and made her breasts lurch.” (362)

“…her upper arm and breast.” (362)

“…slipped a hand beneath Lee’s right breast.” (362)

“…between her breasts…” (363)

“Kiss my breasts.” (364)

“…the nipple of her right breast” (365)

“Her left breast jumped.” (365)

“…fingertips and breasts.” (374)

“…directly between the breasts” (376)

And bonus points for several non-breast-related (but no less misogynistic!) quotes such as: “Some gals like to get knocked around, you know? Turns ‘em on.” (337)

Look, I knew this wasn’t exactly highbrow literature going into it, but this obsession (for lack of a better word) is excessive and distracts from the actual story. Which is a shame, because it’s clear Laymon could write a thrilling, fast-paced tale.

Oh, and this won the Bram Stoker Award(!!!) for Best Novel in 2000.

If you’re looking for a quick, pulpy horror novel, and/or you really like breasts, go for this one.

[Tony Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Traveling Vampire Show comes at the end of The Traveling Vampire Show because The Traveling Vampire Show is The Traveling Vampire Show’s metaphor for death, in particular, the death of sexual innocence and how that death defines the kind of person you will become if you survive The Traveling Vampire Show. Got me? This later, Bram-Stoker-Award-winning novel by Laymon is what counts for a “mature work” in the oeuvre of an author who had previously published a novel titled Flesh and another featuring rat people with a propensity for rape. This time around, the narrative is preoccupied with the details of an endless day of summer shared between three teenage friends, and how our narrator realizes his own romantic feelings for one, and his increasing unease with the oafish sexism of the other. Laymon’s characterization is often cartoonish, his plotting contrived, and his horror sleazy; however, it mostly works here, especially since Laymon seemed hell-bent on writing some strong female characters, even if he can’t help but do so through a sexed-up lens. Metaphor aside, the finale is a grisly riot, featuring a high body count and nude wrestling with a vampire that is essentially Vampirella. Breezy but disturbing, heartfelt but libidinous, The Travelling Vampire Show turns memories of adolescence into a celebration of sex and death. Like if Federico Fellini had tried his hand at directing an American grindhouse film.

[Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slim is awesome
Rusty is nasty and crude
Richard Laymon was a fucking pervert
I'm pretty sure about that too

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Richard Laymon book that I read and the last he wrote before he died. It is an amazing book and won him posthumously the Stoker award of 2001. Though Laymon is not for everyone, his writing is filled with graphic nudity and often quite disturbing violence and images, many of his stories have a coming of age aura to them, and every book of his that I have read I was literally unable to put down until I finished it. He has definitely become one of my favorites. And I cannot recommend this book enough, especially to those unfamiliar with his work.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was totally disappointed in this book. I was expecting a chiller, and instead got a book about teenagers killing time. Halfway through the book we watched the protagonists do laundry, LAUNDRY! We don't even get to the Vampire Show until after page 400, and then the whole plot goes inexplicably bonkers. There were all sorts of loose ends left throughout the book that I was waiting to be resolved, but just left me with a bitter 'wtf' flavor in my mouth.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟
I have nothing but negative things to say about this book so I'm choosing not to say anything at all.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estamos en una calurosa mañana del año 1963, en un pueblecito norteamericano llamado Grandville, donde conocemos a una pandilla de amigos de dieciséis años, Dwight, Rusty y Slim, siendo esta última una chica cuyo verdadero nombre es Frances, aunque nunca los usa. Será Rusty quien ponga en antecedentes a sus amigos sobre una gran noticia: El espectáculo ambulante del vampiro llegará esta noche al pueblo para dar una única función en el llano Janks. El interés de dicho espectáculo radica en Valeria, una vampiresa, que obsesionará a los jóvenes, hasta el punto de querer saber realmente si es tan hermosa como suponen. Pero hay un problema, el espectáculo es para mayores de edad. ¿Y qué se les ocurre? Acudir inmediatamente al llano Janks para espiar a los feriantes y si es posible ver a Valeria. El día no ha hecho más que empezar, en lo que será el día más terrorífico de sus vidas.

La novela ‘El espectáculo del vampiro’ (The Travelling Vampire Show, 2001), ganadora del Premio Stoker en 2001, está narrada en primera persona por Dwight, en una historia en la que la tensión y el suspense van en aumento página tras página. Los capítulos son cortos y adictivos, no puedes dejar de leer. La trama transcurre pausadamente, calando en el lector, hasta llegar a una parte final excesiva, sangrienta y sorprendente. Apenas si hay algún salto en el tiempo, necesario por otra parte para conocer el pasado de los personajes. Ya desde los primeros capítulos, donde se nos da a conocer el llano Janks, un lugar en el que sucedieron hechos atroces, una zona yerma, con agujeros y cristales por doquier, queda clara la atmósfera en la que se va desarrollar la acción. La carga sexual en la novela es constante (hormonas desatadas) y aparece hasta en los momentos más escabrosos. En cuanto a los personajes, están bien definidos y son carismáticos y creíbles.

Leer a Richard Laymon me ha recordado al alter ego de Stephen King, Richard Bachman, por la falta de escrúpulos y las escenas sangrientas. De Laymon se ha dicho que es Stephen King sin conciencia, algo que me parece excesivo. Laymon no escribe alta literatura; tampoco escribe mal. Lo único que pretende es entretener, sin mayores pretensiones, como si de un escritor pulp se tratase.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second Laymon book I've read, and much like the first, I find myself torn about it. On one hand, it was very interesting and kept my attention throughout. On the other, I think about half the book could have been cut and you'd have had a stronger novel.

It's part horror and part coming-of-age young adult. Basically you follow a group of friends on a day back in 1963. A "Traveling Vampire Show" is coming to town, supposedly with a real vampire on display. The problem I had is things just seemed random and haphazard. It's written from the view of a teenage boy, and you never forget that due to his constant state of arousal. And really, so much of the book just seemed unnecessary.

The whole vampire aspect is confusing, even at the end of the book. The group of teens focused on come across as warped and twisted by the end. There's plenty of gory death at the climax, but you have a lot of tedious reading to get through before it really picks up.

But as I said, with both this novel and with Funland, Laymon has a talent for holding your attention. Even if they're just hanging out grilling hamburgers, you are compelled to find out what happens next.

Overall I thought the characters were, I hate to say unrealistic, but something along those lines. There are some weird "side trips" the story takes that are strange as well. I'm guessing Slim, the female MC, ends up a serial killer since it's hinted she killed her abusive stepfather and at the end of the novel she's murdering people left and right, which was just so strange. And the character of Bitsy was bizarre as well. Every character seemed a little off now that I think about it!

So, in closing, if you're a Laymon fan you'll probably enjoy this. If you like weird novels starring teenagers you'll probably like it too. Otherwise, this one probably won't be your cup of tea.

[Lora Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun... and gruesome. The first few chapters introduce you to three teenage characters; Dwight, Rusty and Slim. Dwight tells the story. Both boys have secret attractions to Slim, who is female but has always been 'one of the boys' with her friends. There's a lot of teenage horniness to the extent that I wondered if the author was in serious need. We also learn about Janks Field, which has a macabre history, a lot of broken glass and rocks and a tiny stadium. Why is explained in the chapters.

Trigger warning: if you can't stand to see a dog hurt in any way, there's a couple of scenes that might not sit well, though he's a very bad doggie! Some other dog things and reference to Slim's abusive childhood. Things also get rather nasty towards the end.

The sex and violence in this are well into R rating and not for the squeamish. However, it's not gratuitous, but pushes the story forward. There's even a disturbing twist at the end.

My only complaint is that a few things were left unexplained.

How did the Cadillac twins actually fit in and why were they harassing the kids?

Was the dog who caused the car crash just a coincidence?

What really happened to Bitsy? I expected her to have walked home and raised Hell. Not satisfied with what we were given.

Did the kids have any trouble over all the killings?


Overall I really enjoyed the story. It lost credibility towards the end, but by then I was too invested to care.

[Melly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Shirts Council enthusiastically endorses... The Traveling Vampire Show!

There are so goddamn many shirts in this book, man. People choosing shirts, buttoning or unbuttoning shirts, shirts soiled or soaked or torn, shirts removed, loaned out, repurposed as weapons, bandages, towels, shirts laundered or changed into or lost or found, shirts removed or discovered or fantasized about, shirts causing inconvenience, shirts saving the day or destroying it, shirts shirts shirts shirts shirts shirts shirts, shirts shirts shirts shirts shirts.

I mean to tell you that halfway through, I finally snapped and did a search on the word. It appears TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN TIMES. For comparison I tried Gravity's Rainbow, on the basis of its much greater length. Thirty fucking seven.

I could maybe understand the fixation on shirts if they figured heavily into the plot, like, say, if it were Shirt Tales fanfic, but it isn't, okay, it's just this weird OCD thing that happened, no shirt left unmentioned, no shirt left unused, ever.

EVER.

You should've let Laymon keep all his creepy, endless buttstuff, man. Even though the book is about kids. You may take his "rumps," but you'll never take away... HIS FREEDOM!!!

Anyway!

This book earned Mr. Laymon a Bram Stoker Award, which baffled me at first, because in my opinion it's pretty terrible, okay, like egregiously dull for the most part, like I get what he was shooting for but I feel that he fell far far short of it, but then on a hunch I Googled the year of his death, and found "awarded posthumously," and... yeah.

He wrote dozens of books, countless stories, was popular and influential, had been nominated twice before but hadn't won, and, uh. It be like that sometimes.

I have one other thing to say about it, and here it is: at one point, one of the characters finds one of their books not just destroyed, but destroyed in a super weird way. Later on, it comes to light that what happened to that book is less alarming and more goofy than imagined. The mental image of the truth of it will amuse me forever.

In conclusion: shirts!

Shirts, boners, shirts, Velveeta, shirts, animal cruelty, shirts, ridiculously brutal, inexplicable, preteen beatdowns, shirts, hamburgers, shirts, incestuous, "multi-generational orgies," shirts, creepy, red herring murder twins in a Cadillac, shirts, bewbs, shirts, wildly inappropriate teachers, shirts, extremely poor understanding of the rate of inflation from circa 1963 to 2001, shirts, a notorious, evil field located directly beside a sleepy, wholesome small town, shirts, obnoxious, confusing character notes, shirts, numerous digressions that seemed to have no point other than to distract from the protagonists spinning their wheels for 350 pages, shirts, characters whose hair colours changed randomly, shirts, film festivals whose names changed randomly, shirts, fugly fat people who deserve every misery in life for being fugly and fat, shirts, oh, and also, scorn for the guy who didn't share his chocolate snack cake with a stray dog, even though that would've fuckin' killed it, bro, what are you even talking about? And shirts.

Shirts!

SHIRTS.

[Jeremy Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen King said it best: “If you’ve missed Laymon, you’ve missed a treat.”

I came across The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon by fluke. But as soon as I finished it, I read another four or five Laymon books in a row. He is somewhat hit or miss, but The Traveling Vampire Show was a bullseye. Moreover, it is the last book he wrote before he died, and it won him the Bram Stoker award (posthumously) in 2001.

Like many of Laymon’s work, this is a great coming of age story involving a bunch of teenagers messing around in the 1960s. Dwight is the protagonist, a good guy with a crush on his friend’s much older sister. Then there’s Rusty, the requisite fat sidekick, and Slim, the young tomboy. The three of them find an ad pinned to a telephone pole for–you guessed it–a traveling vampire show in nearby Janks Field. The catch: It’s at midnight and for adults only.

According to the blurb: The Traveling Vampire Show is the tale, told in Dwight’s own words, of what happened to him, Rusty and Slim on that hot summer day they hiked to Janks Field. It’s the story of their friendship and love, their temptations, their betrayals, and their courage as they went where they shouldn’t go, did what they shouldn’t do…and ran into big trouble.

If you liked The Body (aka Stand By Me), you should enjoy this one also.