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Goosebumps HorrorLand #5
Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
Goosebumps available soon on Disney+! Robby creates comic strips on his computer. His favorite creation is Dr. Maniac, weird and wicked supervillan.. Dr. Maniac isn't a real doctor, but he sure is a maniac! And now Dr. Maniac is on the loose . . . in the real world!Meanwhile, seven ordinary kids are now trapped in the popular theme park called HorrorLand. Can Robby survive long enoguh to find a save them? A hairy situation awaits in Werewolf Village...
132 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
83 people are currently reading
1623 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,683 books18.7k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
September 1, 2023
This is the worst f***ing Goosebumps book I have ever read. F**k this s**t. This is the bottom of the barrel, trashcan on fire, diarrhea in the toilet that someone forgot to flush.
This gets a negative 5 out of 5 stars.
This gets a negative 5 out of 5 stars.
May 9, 2016
Listened to the audiobook.
The book started out good and the concept is really interesting.
What if the comic character you have created becomes real and all you have ever created are villains? Who is going to save the day? You are!!
The book is fun for about the first 50% but then its starts going downhill. The story is dragged about and should have been cut short.
That being said the narrator of the audiobook was really good and made the experience enjoyable.
The book started out good and the concept is really interesting.
What if the comic character you have created becomes real and all you have ever created are villains? Who is going to save the day? You are!!
The book is fun for about the first 50% but then its starts going downhill. The story is dragged about and should have been cut short.
That being said the narrator of the audiobook was really good and made the experience enjoyable.
May 14, 2023
What an irritating narration, lots of false cliffhangers here and now everything is a fake out, add in that supervillain motivation.
Really? you just made kids suffer by just ice skating? that's it?
Even the Horrorland section of this book which usually saves the book's grace from the previous Horrorland books couldn't save this garbage, except for the minor Slappy apperance, he's so cool.
1.5 / 5
Really? you just made kids suffer by just ice skating? that's it?
Even the Horrorland section of this book which usually saves the book's grace from the previous Horrorland books couldn't save this garbage, except for the minor Slappy apperance, he's so cool.
1.5 / 5
September 3, 2024
That plot twist 👌🏻👌🏻 still gets me everytime
why does everyone hate my boy Robbie? 😭
why does everyone hate my boy Robbie? 😭
July 20, 2013
Where the previous book in the Horrorland series was more aimed at girls, Dr Maniac VS Robby Schwartz will satisfy the boy-audience of the series. Robby draws comics featuring villains, and reality in this book is often twisted when you realise we were actually inside Robby's comics. I got a bit annoyed with this, and the moment something actually started to happen to Robby I didn't believe this time it was for real. Dr Maniac VS Robby Schwartz was a bit over the top in my opinion.
October 18, 2014
Rating: 2.5/5
Review to come
Review to come
September 2, 2021
Book Blog | Bookstagram
Dr. Maniac could get it. Munchin' on that squirrel... that's not a euphemism. He literally eats a squirrel.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars
Dr. Maniac could get it. Munchin' on that squirrel... that's not a euphemism. He literally eats a squirrel.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars
October 8, 2025
This was an interesting one. The idea was cool and made for a great adventure.
Dr Maniac vs Robby Schwartz follows Robby, a young boy who writes comics. One day his brother goes missing and then his friend is next. Turns out his story is coming to life but no one believes him.
Dr Maniac vs Robby Schwartz follows Robby, a young boy who writes comics. One day his brother goes missing and then his friend is next. Turns out his story is coming to life but no one believes him.
October 16, 2023
Rereading this I remember even as a kid reading this for the first time I hated it so much especially compared to the others.
January 9, 2022
I gave this book a 4 star because it was not as good as the other ones but I love that at the 2nd part of each book (where they enter horror land) they always meet the characters in previous books which is really cool and a great twist in all of the books. 🤗
Read
December 26, 2022I read all 25 Goosebumps HorrorLand and Hall of Horrors books in one movie-length vlog on YouTube, check it out: https://youtu.be/DsKCfCAAt7g
August 31, 2018
This book was okay, but I am confused about how this fits into the Goosebumps series. Most of the book you were just following Robby's comics. Everything you read ended up being just his comic strips. Even his brother and sister were apart of the strip. The only part that made it was when he got stuck in the video game in Horrorland.
August 25, 2011
i loved it
July 21, 2014
Worst book in the series so far. So disappointing. ><
July 22, 2020
I did it. This is my R. L. Stine's book of 2020 that I read for the readathon.
It was absolutely 100% predictable and lame and ridiculous but I had soooo much because I couldn't stop thinking about reading and Devouring fear street books when I was a kid.
So yeah all the stars for that and making me childhood better and adventurous ❣️
It was absolutely 100% predictable and lame and ridiculous but I had soooo much because I couldn't stop thinking about reading and Devouring fear street books when I was a kid.
So yeah all the stars for that and making me childhood better and adventurous ❣️
October 4, 2020
2.5 rounded to 3
The boys weren't too excited with this one. Initially they liked Dr. Maniac but once Robby's brother was taken by Dr. Maniac, they weren't thrilled with it. We kept on reading but they couldn't wait for it to end. I did like the story within a story aspect but it was not one of my favorite Goosebumps.
The boys weren't too excited with this one. Initially they liked Dr. Maniac but once Robby's brother was taken by Dr. Maniac, they weren't thrilled with it. We kept on reading but they couldn't wait for it to end. I did like the story within a story aspect but it was not one of my favorite Goosebumps.
November 1, 2024
Robby Schwartz loves creating stories. He draws up these horror comics, but one day they come to life… snatching his friends away, one by one… or do they? This was probably this reader’s favourite book of the series so far. The twists and turns were really good. Following an unreliable narrator was fun because we never knew what was real or not. At first we thought we knew, but the way this ended left the reader shocked, a real good turn of events. It may have been slightly predictable, but this reader loved it non the less. Dr. Maniac followed Robby to Horrorland, where he met the rest of the characters from the previous books. This part of the book lacked a little and dragged out longer than the others it felt. The reader is still curious how everyone at Horrorland will come together. The reader assumes they are all going to take down the Horrors holding them there, but we’ll see. The characters were fun, the overuse of “I’m Dr. Maniac” was kinda annoying because he said it so frequently, as if the reader would forget who he was. But Robby had a really active imagination that truly brought his character to life better. We got to see the type of person he was based on his comics. The secondary characters were a little more flat, probably because of the way they were used, they were meant to be, but we could have gotten a little more from them. Overall, a very fun read.
October 13, 2018
Es un escritor que atrapa en la literatura juvenil de suspenso y terror bien adecuado para los niños o adolescentes es muy fluido con esta lectura mi hermanita quedó atrapada a querer leer más de este género
January 24, 2019
Very very very very bad book and bad storyline
March 26, 2021
good starting, typical ending, not bad but not impressed
March 6, 2022
Character - 2
Atmosphere - 3
Writing - 2
Plot - 2
Intrigue - 2
Logic - 3
Enjoyment - 2
Rating: 2.29 / 1 star
this is the most unhinged book i've ever read
Atmosphere - 3
Writing - 2
Plot - 2
Intrigue - 2
Logic - 3
Enjoyment - 2
Rating: 2.29 / 1 star
this is the most unhinged book i've ever read
December 7, 2023
Wasn't the best book, but this was a little better than the most wanted book, I hope the night howler isn't the same bulls%it
October 28, 2025
I love the concept. A comic character being the villain but like others have said I do feel the sort could be half the length.
March 30, 2025
Its realy confusing.
October 10, 2025
These need to be wayy longer and multiple povs.
4.86 ⭐️
4.86 ⭐️
Read
January 14, 2026Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
Robby, his mom, his dad, and his brother and sister (Sam and Taylor) are going on a family camping trip. We learn that Robby has his own comic strips (and a little clumsy). Robby tries to set up his lap top but because he’s in the woods there’s no network. His dad tells him to go help his brother gather firewood. He starts to think about the new supervillain he created Dr. Maniac-the totally mental maniac of mayhem-.
Robby gets lost trying to find Sam and starts to call out to him. Then from behind a tree steps Dr. Maniac. Robby is in disbelief. He can’t be real. Dr. Maniac demands he eat a dead squirrel he’s holding and sticks it in Robbie’s face. Then Robby tells us (Chapter One) was one of his comic strips. When they get to the campsite, Robby finds himself gathering fire wood alone in the forest -just like in his comic-.
Someone startles Robby but it turns out to be Sam. Sam wonders what if super heroes and villians were real and were always flying around and they both find it pretty amusing. Sam asks Robby why his main character is a villain and not a hero. He says he just finds them more interesting. He then sees something that makes him cry out NO! There’s a piece of leopard skin hanging on a tree branch. Robby sticks it in his pocket and says he’s going to find out what its doing there.
Later that night, Robby awakens to her footsteps outside the tent. He hears someone cough and then call his name. So, he gets up, and follows the sound into the wood thinking it’s his dad. He sees someone “slithering” out of the woods coming toward him. It’s Dr. Maniac and he’s carrying a dead school. Just like in the dream, he demands to eat the squirrel as a show of his bravery. Even going so far as to “motivate” him by saying maybe Sam’s the brave one. When he doesn’t Dr. Maniac says ok so it’s me and he chomps it down. Then he says Robby is going to come with him and help him defeat the angriest super villain ever the Purple Rage.
But this is also one of Robby’s episodes and he’s showing it to Sam and Brooke. None of the camping stuff was real. Brooke and Sam start to play a computer game and Robby goes downstairs. Then he hears a crash and races back upstairs when he hears Brooke scream. Brooke is standing at the window and she tells Robby Sam is gone. She says she and Sam were playing a game, when Dr. Maniac flew in through the window. He landed in front of them and pulled Sam off his chair. Then he flew off with him.
Robby’s mom tries to tell Brooke that Dr. Maniac is just a character that Robby made up, but Brooke says he’s real. Robby then sees two, yellow, feathers by the window. The kind Dr. Maniac wears on his shoes. They then hear the police at the door saying that they found Sam. Turns out it’s another kid. Officer Rawley tries to get some sense out of Brooke’s story. While this is going on, Robby sees the Purple Rage being interviewed on a tv show, but when he calls for his parents its Congressman McCloo
Robby decides to go to the tv station and he finds out from Red Martinson he did interview the Purple Rage and now he’s headed for the roof and is about to take off. (He proved that he really was a super villain). When Robby gets to the roof, the Purple Rage is flying away. He calls out after him, but starts to fall off the roof (from leaning over to far). But the Purple Rage catches him. He tries to get the Purple Rage to help him find Sam but he thinks Dr. Maniac has sent Robby to spy on him and his brother has teamed up with him. So, he throws him back up in the air.
He hits the side of a building and then the Purple Rage comes back, swoops him up, and says he changed his mind. He takes him to a building hidden by tall, eergreen, trees. But Robby hadn’t created any of this. They end up in an underground cavern. . The room was filled with camera equipment and spotlights. There’s a able filled with computers. Two TV cameras stood side by side next to a microphone on a long pole. Robby sees scorpions. The Purple Rage says he’ll feed them in a minute. (He’ll feed them Robby). But he says he’ll keep his promise. (Since he has anger issues a lot of this is expressed in bursts of anger). He makes a broadcast meant for Dr. Maniac as a warning that anyone who challenges him will end up dropped to the scorpions like Robby. He says that when his brother sees it, he’ll escape and try to rescue him. Then he tosses him into the glass cage.
Now Robby’s wishing he could have created some heroes. He tricks the Purple Rage to use his Breath of Fury to get him out of the tank. Then he makes a run for it. In a hallway with a lot of doors, Robby opens one and falls into a sewer. He sees a ladder and climbs out. He’s not that far from his house. When he gets home, he’s told Brooke has gone missing too. Robby notices a new comic strip on his laptop about Dr. Maniac but he didn’t draw this one. Dr. Maniac says he’s going to kidnap all the kids and make them ice-skate 24 hrs a day in a show that will bring him in a load of money.
Robby says Brooke and Sam in a panel in a area with a frozen indoor pool. San is interrupted by his mom and Officer Rawley who says he’s in trouble. He asks him why he ran away and that he thinks he knows more than he’s letting on. Robby tries to tell him the truth and show him the comic but the screen is blank. So, he heads to the pool where he once took lessons. When he gets there, he thinks he sees Brooke and Sam but it’s a trap and a net is thrown over him. The Scarlet Starlet appears. Robby demands to know what happened to Brooke and Sam and Dr. Maniac says he’ll never see them again.
The Purple Rage shows up but Dr. Maniac tricks him into becoming so mad he explodes. He then demands that Robby start skating. Robby comes up with a plan. At 8:30 they’ll all make a run for the door. Some might get caught but some of them might get away. Then the ice starts to crack. All the kids start to sink. Robby makes it to Dr. Maniac and grabs him. His mask comes off. It’s Sam. Brooke is the Scarlet Starlet. They ask if Robby is with them or against them. He says against them.
The police rush in and start to pull the kids out of the ice block pool. They thank Robby for leading them right to Dr. Maniac. They try to grab him and the Scarlett Starlet but they vanish. They’re seen in a computer screen on the wall. Robby presses delete and they vanish. His mom says she enjoyed the story and how he gave himself a brother and a sister. When he turns on his computer there's a comic that he didn't write. Taylor and Brooke says they want bigger roles in the comic. Sam says he won't like the story they write and tell him they'll see him soon enough.
Rating: 5 Attack of the Mutant was better!!! I know there's a story at the end of these chapters with all the kids getting invited to Horrorland but what's the point of calling series Horrorland when it's not even about Horrorland? Readers BEWARE your in for a disappointment if you think your gonna read about the theme park.
Robby, his mom, his dad, and his brother and sister (Sam and Taylor) are going on a family camping trip. We learn that Robby has his own comic strips (and a little clumsy). Robby tries to set up his lap top but because he’s in the woods there’s no network. His dad tells him to go help his brother gather firewood. He starts to think about the new supervillain he created Dr. Maniac-the totally mental maniac of mayhem-.
Robby gets lost trying to find Sam and starts to call out to him. Then from behind a tree steps Dr. Maniac. Robby is in disbelief. He can’t be real. Dr. Maniac demands he eat a dead squirrel he’s holding and sticks it in Robbie’s face. Then Robby tells us (Chapter One) was one of his comic strips. When they get to the campsite, Robby finds himself gathering fire wood alone in the forest -just like in his comic-.
Someone startles Robby but it turns out to be Sam. Sam wonders what if super heroes and villians were real and were always flying around and they both find it pretty amusing. Sam asks Robby why his main character is a villain and not a hero. He says he just finds them more interesting. He then sees something that makes him cry out NO! There’s a piece of leopard skin hanging on a tree branch. Robby sticks it in his pocket and says he’s going to find out what its doing there.
Later that night, Robby awakens to her footsteps outside the tent. He hears someone cough and then call his name. So, he gets up, and follows the sound into the wood thinking it’s his dad. He sees someone “slithering” out of the woods coming toward him. It’s Dr. Maniac and he’s carrying a dead school. Just like in the dream, he demands to eat the squirrel as a show of his bravery. Even going so far as to “motivate” him by saying maybe Sam’s the brave one. When he doesn’t Dr. Maniac says ok so it’s me and he chomps it down. Then he says Robby is going to come with him and help him defeat the angriest super villain ever the Purple Rage.
But this is also one of Robby’s episodes and he’s showing it to Sam and Brooke. None of the camping stuff was real. Brooke and Sam start to play a computer game and Robby goes downstairs. Then he hears a crash and races back upstairs when he hears Brooke scream. Brooke is standing at the window and she tells Robby Sam is gone. She says she and Sam were playing a game, when Dr. Maniac flew in through the window. He landed in front of them and pulled Sam off his chair. Then he flew off with him.
Robby’s mom tries to tell Brooke that Dr. Maniac is just a character that Robby made up, but Brooke says he’s real. Robby then sees two, yellow, feathers by the window. The kind Dr. Maniac wears on his shoes. They then hear the police at the door saying that they found Sam. Turns out it’s another kid. Officer Rawley tries to get some sense out of Brooke’s story. While this is going on, Robby sees the Purple Rage being interviewed on a tv show, but when he calls for his parents its Congressman McCloo
Robby decides to go to the tv station and he finds out from Red Martinson he did interview the Purple Rage and now he’s headed for the roof and is about to take off. (He proved that he really was a super villain). When Robby gets to the roof, the Purple Rage is flying away. He calls out after him, but starts to fall off the roof (from leaning over to far). But the Purple Rage catches him. He tries to get the Purple Rage to help him find Sam but he thinks Dr. Maniac has sent Robby to spy on him and his brother has teamed up with him. So, he throws him back up in the air.
He hits the side of a building and then the Purple Rage comes back, swoops him up, and says he changed his mind. He takes him to a building hidden by tall, eergreen, trees. But Robby hadn’t created any of this. They end up in an underground cavern. . The room was filled with camera equipment and spotlights. There’s a able filled with computers. Two TV cameras stood side by side next to a microphone on a long pole. Robby sees scorpions. The Purple Rage says he’ll feed them in a minute. (He’ll feed them Robby). But he says he’ll keep his promise. (Since he has anger issues a lot of this is expressed in bursts of anger). He makes a broadcast meant for Dr. Maniac as a warning that anyone who challenges him will end up dropped to the scorpions like Robby. He says that when his brother sees it, he’ll escape and try to rescue him. Then he tosses him into the glass cage.
Now Robby’s wishing he could have created some heroes. He tricks the Purple Rage to use his Breath of Fury to get him out of the tank. Then he makes a run for it. In a hallway with a lot of doors, Robby opens one and falls into a sewer. He sees a ladder and climbs out. He’s not that far from his house. When he gets home, he’s told Brooke has gone missing too. Robby notices a new comic strip on his laptop about Dr. Maniac but he didn’t draw this one. Dr. Maniac says he’s going to kidnap all the kids and make them ice-skate 24 hrs a day in a show that will bring him in a load of money.
Robby says Brooke and Sam in a panel in a area with a frozen indoor pool. San is interrupted by his mom and Officer Rawley who says he’s in trouble. He asks him why he ran away and that he thinks he knows more than he’s letting on. Robby tries to tell him the truth and show him the comic but the screen is blank. So, he heads to the pool where he once took lessons. When he gets there, he thinks he sees Brooke and Sam but it’s a trap and a net is thrown over him. The Scarlet Starlet appears. Robby demands to know what happened to Brooke and Sam and Dr. Maniac says he’ll never see them again.
The Purple Rage shows up but Dr. Maniac tricks him into becoming so mad he explodes. He then demands that Robby start skating. Robby comes up with a plan. At 8:30 they’ll all make a run for the door. Some might get caught but some of them might get away. Then the ice starts to crack. All the kids start to sink. Robby makes it to Dr. Maniac and grabs him. His mask comes off. It’s Sam. Brooke is the Scarlet Starlet. They ask if Robby is with them or against them. He says against them.
The police rush in and start to pull the kids out of the ice block pool. They thank Robby for leading them right to Dr. Maniac. They try to grab him and the Scarlett Starlet but they vanish. They’re seen in a computer screen on the wall. Robby presses delete and they vanish. His mom says she enjoyed the story and how he gave himself a brother and a sister. When he turns on his computer there's a comic that he didn't write. Taylor and Brooke says they want bigger roles in the comic. Sam says he won't like the story they write and tell him they'll see him soon enough.
Rating: 5 Attack of the Mutant was better!!! I know there's a story at the end of these chapters with all the kids getting invited to Horrorland but what's the point of calling series Horrorland when it's not even about Horrorland? Readers BEWARE your in for a disappointment if you think your gonna read about the theme park.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2015
I think that Goosebumps Horrorland Robby Schwartz vs. Dr. Maniac is a very good book because it has three parts to the story.A boy named Robby Schwartz was going camping with his family and when they got off his mom told him to go and get firewood but when he looked back he saw Dr. Maniac an eviel comic book character.Then Dr. Maniac told Robby to eat the dead squirrel he found and killed then his mom told him to stop using his laptop but the story was from his comic strip the real time Robby did the same thing but when he looked back no Dr. Maniac only his brother but then he saw a piece of leopard skin he thought that was Dr. Maniac was there.Then he helped his dad setup the tent and they went to bed when Robby woke up he looked outside and saw Dr. Maniac and with the dead squirrel and Dr. Maniac took Robby deep in the woods.In the middle of the story Robby then realizes that his friend Brooke is also missing so he went back to the T.V. Station again but nothing he went back to his room and saw an ice rink and a boy and a girl so without even thinking he went straight for the ice rink.Then Robby realizes that the boy and the girl wasn't his friend or his brother then later the police came and took off the mask of Dr. Maniac and scarlett scarelett Robby realize it was his friend and brother.At the end of the story Robby was in Horrorland with two girls to escape Horrorland go to panic park.
November 14, 2021
My brother is afraid of Dr Maniac and it's good for me. I can scare the hell out of him now
May 20, 2023
Book 5 in the Goosebumps Horrorland series, and I have to say this has been my least favourite so far.
Robby Schwartz writes comic books, and particularly likes writing villains. Dr Maniac is one of his creations, and suddenly, there are signs that he could be real...
Okay, spoilers below:
The entire story is a comic. You go through the weirdness of Dr Maniac and The Purple Rage becoming real, and kids going missing, without it being clear what's really happening or why. Then it comes to a head, big climax, and bam, none of it is real. The whole book was a comic written by Robbie, and none of it actually happened. For a story I wasn't really into, to find out none of it was real (it was all a dream!) just felt needlessly pointless and hollow.
The Enter Horrorland section continues that narrative, but that's about the only thing of value to this one.
Robby Schwartz writes comic books, and particularly likes writing villains. Dr Maniac is one of his creations, and suddenly, there are signs that he could be real...
Okay, spoilers below:
The entire story is a comic. You go through the weirdness of Dr Maniac and The Purple Rage becoming real, and kids going missing, without it being clear what's really happening or why. Then it comes to a head, big climax, and bam, none of it is real. The whole book was a comic written by Robbie, and none of it actually happened. For a story I wasn't really into, to find out none of it was real (it was all a dream!) just felt needlessly pointless and hollow.
The Enter Horrorland section continues that narrative, but that's about the only thing of value to this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews