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Night Games
Book by Richard Laymon, Richard Hutchings
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
27 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Richard Laymon
216 books2,290 followersRichard 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 1, 2021
Lyle is known across campus for his love of scaring other people. It's why Janice isn't interested in a second trip to the movies with him: he's more interested in terrifying the people in the aisles than actually watching the film. But when Lyle makes a $500 bet with Janice that she can't spend the night all alone in the old Creekmoss house, rumored to be haunted since old man Creekmoss was murdered inside thirteen years ago, she thinks she's about to make the easiest money of her life.
Creekmoss house might be deserted, but there aren't any ghosts. If anything, Lyle or one of his friends is going to try and scare her off just so he doesn't have to pay up. But Janice has a trick or two up her sleeve, including a pair of handcuffs attached to an old radiator, to ensure she can't leave the house, even if she wanted to.
Even if she needed to.
* * * * *
It wouldn't surprise me to learn Laymon returned to the idea of this story when he sat down to write In The Dark, since that novel is all about someone paying a young woman progressively larger amounts of money to participate in progressively more dangerous activities. Although quite short, it's a fun and fast-paced read with an ending that not only works, but that you won't see coming.
Creekmoss house might be deserted, but there aren't any ghosts. If anything, Lyle or one of his friends is going to try and scare her off just so he doesn't have to pay up. But Janice has a trick or two up her sleeve, including a pair of handcuffs attached to an old radiator, to ensure she can't leave the house, even if she wanted to.
Even if she needed to.
* * * * *
It wouldn't surprise me to learn Laymon returned to the idea of this story when he sat down to write In The Dark, since that novel is all about someone paying a young woman progressively larger amounts of money to participate in progressively more dangerous activities. Although quite short, it's a fun and fast-paced read with an ending that not only works, but that you won't see coming.
January 2, 2023
Night Games is one of the short stories Richard Laymon penned for the FASTBACK Horror series, sort of like Goosebumps for a higher age bracket.
This short story revolves around the cliche "spend the night in a haunted house" plot, and is as good as one should expect from a YA Horror short story. For me, the most interesting part about Nigh Games is how it feels like a precursor to one of my favorite Laymon novels, In the Dark, which has a similar plot device involving taking on strange - and scary - challenges for cash rewards.
This short story revolves around the cliche "spend the night in a haunted house" plot, and is as good as one should expect from a YA Horror short story. For me, the most interesting part about Nigh Games is how it feels like a precursor to one of my favorite Laymon novels, In the Dark, which has a similar plot device involving taking on strange - and scary - challenges for cash rewards.
October 31, 2024
Not bad. Only 20 odd pages long and not much chance to really get going. However, a fun little short tale of a dare in a haunted house gone wrong.
Is that an appearance of the Beast House beast?? Hummm lol
Is that an appearance of the Beast House beast?? Hummm lol
October 6, 2017
In 'Night Games', Janice agrees to spend the night alone in a supposedly haunted house to get five hundred dollars from Lyle. Will she make it through the night?
This short story was a quick, fun read that had somewhat of a creepy atmosphere. The ending was good but overall, I'd expected more considering how brilliant Laymon's writing can be.
This short story was a quick, fun read that had somewhat of a creepy atmosphere. The ending was good but overall, I'd expected more considering how brilliant Laymon's writing can be.
July 22, 2023
For kicks, thought I'd give one of Laymon's High Interest Low Vocab books a try. For what it is, it's not bad! As much as I want to read everything he's written, I'll probably skip the FastBacks.
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April 8, 2023Great way to kick off October reading!
October 17, 2013
im starting to think that i like laymon's short stories better than his novels
July 15, 2014
Pretty awesome for such a short story, does a good job of describing the environment and whatnot. Twist at the end was kind of abrupt though, only thing I didn't really enjoy.
September 9, 2015
This fastback reminds me alot of Laymon's classic character MOG from In the Dark. Fun little story about a woman being dared to spend the night in a haunted house.
October 7, 2016
Not many authors could create such atmosphere and fright in the short-short story form as the late, great Richard Laymon. A Halloween treat & trick!
June 28, 2018
A good short horror story that has a great ending.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews