What do you think?
Rate this book
The Toymaker
Raymond Gibson has been lonely in his old age, having never married and losing all his friends to time. Inspired by a ventriloquist act he sees on the television, he builds a dummy of his own. Unbeknownst to the residents of Dutch County, Mr. Gibson’s wooden companion becomes possessed by a wicked spirit.
Now, five neighborhood kids will have to band together to defeat the evil only they believe is real. The power of their friendship will be the one hope to stop the dummy’s terror.
Now, five neighborhood kids will have to band together to defeat the evil only they believe is real. The power of their friendship will be the one hope to stop the dummy’s terror.
564 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2018
42 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Sergio Gomez
15 books432 followersBorn in Mexico. Raised in the 'States. I live in Philadelphia with my family, which includes 3 cats. I enjoy writing novels that evoke thrills, fears, and any strong emotions out of my readers. I'm an avid reader, a martial artist, and a Nintendo fanboy.
My FB page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsergio...
My FB page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsergio...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 14, 2020
A big thank you to the author for sending me a copy of The Toymaker in exchange for an honest review! Full video review coming soon...
What do you get when you combine Slappy, the dummy from the Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine and Pennywise from Stephen King's IT? You get The Toymaker by Sergio Gomez! This coming-of-age novel follows a group of kids in the '90s that accidentally raises an ancient evil from its slumber, which in turn possesses a creepy dummy born from a local toymaker. Now it is up to the children to fight this evil being and put an end to its killing spree.
The Toymaker has the fun, '90s campiness of Stine's famous stories while also containing darker, more adult elements reminiscent of King. Even though the story doesn't take itself too seriously, it has a lot of heart, making me care for the characters. This is made possible by the amount of time we spend with each character, as the book is almost 600 pages long.
If you like big books, getting through this one shouldn't be a problem for you. I, on the other hand, have always had a hard time getting fully invested in heavy tomes. Nine times out of ten, I get burned out around the middle and have to take a break. The same can be said of this novel. Halfway through, I needed to set it down and read something else, but when I came back to it I felt refreshed and ready to finish. This is a personal thing, but I have to mention it for those who are like me. If you don't like big books and you cannot lie, be forewarned.
As a '90s kid, I thoroughly enjoyed the loving references to my favorite decade, but I also appreciated that the book wasn't oversaturated with them. Sergio uses these references to remind the reader that we are not in the modern day, we are in a time before easily accessible cellphones and Internet. Instead, the characters must communicate the way we used to as kids, face-to-face, riding bikes together on breezy Autumn days. It offers an authenticity to the story that wouldn't have been present had it taken place in modern times.
Other than the length of the book and the slower pace, the only other thing that stopped me from enjoying The Toymaker fully was a handful of awkwardly worded sentences, but they are far between enough that I could overlook them. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read and I'm excited to read Sergio's slasher novel Camp Slaughter next!
Overall, 3.5 stars
What do you get when you combine Slappy, the dummy from the Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine and Pennywise from Stephen King's IT? You get The Toymaker by Sergio Gomez! This coming-of-age novel follows a group of kids in the '90s that accidentally raises an ancient evil from its slumber, which in turn possesses a creepy dummy born from a local toymaker. Now it is up to the children to fight this evil being and put an end to its killing spree.
The Toymaker has the fun, '90s campiness of Stine's famous stories while also containing darker, more adult elements reminiscent of King. Even though the story doesn't take itself too seriously, it has a lot of heart, making me care for the characters. This is made possible by the amount of time we spend with each character, as the book is almost 600 pages long.
If you like big books, getting through this one shouldn't be a problem for you. I, on the other hand, have always had a hard time getting fully invested in heavy tomes. Nine times out of ten, I get burned out around the middle and have to take a break. The same can be said of this novel. Halfway through, I needed to set it down and read something else, but when I came back to it I felt refreshed and ready to finish. This is a personal thing, but I have to mention it for those who are like me. If you don't like big books and you cannot lie, be forewarned.
As a '90s kid, I thoroughly enjoyed the loving references to my favorite decade, but I also appreciated that the book wasn't oversaturated with them. Sergio uses these references to remind the reader that we are not in the modern day, we are in a time before easily accessible cellphones and Internet. Instead, the characters must communicate the way we used to as kids, face-to-face, riding bikes together on breezy Autumn days. It offers an authenticity to the story that wouldn't have been present had it taken place in modern times.
Other than the length of the book and the slower pace, the only other thing that stopped me from enjoying The Toymaker fully was a handful of awkwardly worded sentences, but they are far between enough that I could overlook them. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read and I'm excited to read Sergio's slasher novel Camp Slaughter next!
Overall, 3.5 stars
August 18, 2019
3.5 Stars
This is novel really is “Goosebumps for Adults”!
I can’t take credit for the comparison, but this book honestly reads like the adult version of the Goosebumps books about Slappy the Dummy. As a child, I was terrified of those tv episodes and those memories have stayed with me into adulthood. I love horror stories that involve dolls and puppets so I knew this would be up my alley. I am happy to say that the puppet, Lucus, was decently creepy.
This is my second time reading Gomez’ work and he is now on his way to becoming a favourite horror author of mine. I love that he is not afraid to “go there” in his stories by writing dark and disturbing scenes. So often authors tend to tiptoe around the horror genre, but Gomez actually puts his characters in harm’s way. It’s so refreshing to feel legitimately scared for the wellbeing of his characters. Also, I love that Gomez brings his own Mexican heritage into all his stories with the inclusion of hespanic characters. I so rarely see the Mexican culture represented in horror fiction.
My only negatives about this book honestly come down to personal tastes. I am probably the only horror reader who does not love the classic “coming of age” narrative so I did not enjoy the focus on the group of kids fighting the evil monsters. I also prefer my horror fiction on the short side so this one was a bit long for me. Still, the story moved along a good pace. With short chapters told from multiple perspectives, the narrative was constantly moving forward which kept me turning the pages to see what happened next.
I would recommend this novel to any horror readers who enjoys stories involving coming of age narratives and creepy puppets.
This is novel really is “Goosebumps for Adults”!
I can’t take credit for the comparison, but this book honestly reads like the adult version of the Goosebumps books about Slappy the Dummy. As a child, I was terrified of those tv episodes and those memories have stayed with me into adulthood. I love horror stories that involve dolls and puppets so I knew this would be up my alley. I am happy to say that the puppet, Lucus, was decently creepy.
This is my second time reading Gomez’ work and he is now on his way to becoming a favourite horror author of mine. I love that he is not afraid to “go there” in his stories by writing dark and disturbing scenes. So often authors tend to tiptoe around the horror genre, but Gomez actually puts his characters in harm’s way. It’s so refreshing to feel legitimately scared for the wellbeing of his characters. Also, I love that Gomez brings his own Mexican heritage into all his stories with the inclusion of hespanic characters. I so rarely see the Mexican culture represented in horror fiction.
My only negatives about this book honestly come down to personal tastes. I am probably the only horror reader who does not love the classic “coming of age” narrative so I did not enjoy the focus on the group of kids fighting the evil monsters. I also prefer my horror fiction on the short side so this one was a bit long for me. Still, the story moved along a good pace. With short chapters told from multiple perspectives, the narrative was constantly moving forward which kept me turning the pages to see what happened next.
I would recommend this novel to any horror readers who enjoys stories involving coming of age narratives and creepy puppets.
December 18, 2020
Well, he is NO Gepetto! Get ready to meet the most vile Dummy doll from Hell; Lucas and his toymaker creator Raymond Gibson!
With this being my first I have read by Sergio Gomez, I was impressed with his writing style. He wrote like he had been doing this forever!
You can tell that he was fascinated by a kid with the story of Pinocchio, but with this story, you need to forget all that you know about Gepetto and his 'little wooden boy'! When you read about this little lonely man who lives in his parents old and worn house, and then his obsession of having a son, and then creating a son, well it just gets more and more disturbing and creepy, once the Dummy becomes real....and then turns into 'Lucas' his son. And this little boy is one you are never going to forget.
Yes, there were reviews that I had seen or heard on Youtube, that compared this to 'IT' and 'Pinocchio' but I did not see this here; yes there is a comparison to 'Gepetto' but it is so well done here that you start to believe that 'Lucas' is a real and very demented and sick person.
Instead of going into a review here; you can check out my video review of this book here on my Youtube channel AreYouIntoHorror here:
https://youtu.be/cOm2w2P1IJM
Let me know what you thought of the book if you have read it.....enjoy!
Richard.
With this being my first I have read by Sergio Gomez, I was impressed with his writing style. He wrote like he had been doing this forever!
You can tell that he was fascinated by a kid with the story of Pinocchio, but with this story, you need to forget all that you know about Gepetto and his 'little wooden boy'! When you read about this little lonely man who lives in his parents old and worn house, and then his obsession of having a son, and then creating a son, well it just gets more and more disturbing and creepy, once the Dummy becomes real....and then turns into 'Lucas' his son. And this little boy is one you are never going to forget.
Yes, there were reviews that I had seen or heard on Youtube, that compared this to 'IT' and 'Pinocchio' but I did not see this here; yes there is a comparison to 'Gepetto' but it is so well done here that you start to believe that 'Lucas' is a real and very demented and sick person.
Instead of going into a review here; you can check out my video review of this book here on my Youtube channel AreYouIntoHorror here:
https://youtu.be/cOm2w2P1IJM
Let me know what you thought of the book if you have read it.....enjoy!
Richard.
June 5, 2019
I want to thank the author for the book, but that doesn't interfere with my review.
Plot/Development: The story is about an old man who has spent his life, or the last part of it, alone. His only company are his toys, that are nothing but a creation to focus in that instead on how lonely he is. However, his last creation, a dummy, is nothing but a demon that emerged from the shadows. In order to stop all the things that the doll can make, five kids will try to save the neighborhood and town and for that, they will band together to find out the reason of how this creature came to life.
The book contains more than 500 pages, but the plot that the author presents is always there. Constantly we are reminded the danger that the toy can create, which at certain moments is kind of imaginative and you might think that is impossible, but the intention of the author is to remind us of those classics such as Chucky or Goosebumps and how an evil toy can be very scary.
The first part I felt it was kind of slow and the dialogues were simple, but as soon as you move to the second and beyond, everything gets better.
Characters: There are five main characters, who are the kids. There is only female named Gina, who is the strongest of all and the most mature. The we have Victor, who is no other than the kid who is getting into puberty and seems to focus on things that other can consider unnecessary. Oliver, my favorite, is the strongest of all and who pretends everything is right at home, but it turns out that he will give us one of the most interesting parts of the book, as well as his brother, who becomes a character during the last half.Tommy is another one who knows what to do and can be the leader sometimes. Finally we have Jack, who becomes important during the whole story and his role seems to be the most important one.
We have a lot of characters, of course, the toymaker who is the old man that bring the toy to life, but it seems the role are changed between him and the dummy as far as you move into the story. There is also an urban legend going around the town, which I will not say because it could be considered spoiler, but those characters make an appearance too.
Ending: I think the ending is good enough for everything that happened in the story.
Genre: The story is horror, in a classic mode. However, I consider there are certain scenes that were kind of strange since we take into account that we are reading about kids who have a family.
Writing: The writing is good, some dialogues were simple but the description of the scenes were really good.
Plot/Development: The story is about an old man who has spent his life, or the last part of it, alone. His only company are his toys, that are nothing but a creation to focus in that instead on how lonely he is. However, his last creation, a dummy, is nothing but a demon that emerged from the shadows. In order to stop all the things that the doll can make, five kids will try to save the neighborhood and town and for that, they will band together to find out the reason of how this creature came to life.
The book contains more than 500 pages, but the plot that the author presents is always there. Constantly we are reminded the danger that the toy can create, which at certain moments is kind of imaginative and you might think that is impossible, but the intention of the author is to remind us of those classics such as Chucky or Goosebumps and how an evil toy can be very scary.
The first part I felt it was kind of slow and the dialogues were simple, but as soon as you move to the second and beyond, everything gets better.
Characters: There are five main characters, who are the kids. There is only female named Gina, who is the strongest of all and the most mature. The we have Victor, who is no other than the kid who is getting into puberty and seems to focus on things that other can consider unnecessary. Oliver, my favorite, is the strongest of all and who pretends everything is right at home, but it turns out that he will give us one of the most interesting parts of the book, as well as his brother, who becomes a character during the last half.Tommy is another one who knows what to do and can be the leader sometimes. Finally we have Jack, who becomes important during the whole story and his role seems to be the most important one.
We have a lot of characters, of course, the toymaker who is the old man that bring the toy to life, but it seems the role are changed between him and the dummy as far as you move into the story. There is also an urban legend going around the town, which I will not say because it could be considered spoiler, but those characters make an appearance too.
Ending: I think the ending is good enough for everything that happened in the story.
Genre: The story is horror, in a classic mode. However, I consider there are certain scenes that were kind of strange since we take into account that we are reading about kids who have a family.
Writing: The writing is good, some dialogues were simple but the description of the scenes were really good.
May 17, 2020
If I was a child then this book would undoubtedly have given me 'Goosebumps'. As it was, this dark, creepy novel finally provided me with a very enjoyable 'YA book' experience with a great storyline, wonderful detail, believable characters and which also provided more than a whiff of, Pinnochio, smells from the carpenters workshop, witchcraft, malice and evil earthly delights within it pages. So, how can a book that promised and delivered so much only manage to merit a 3 star rating from me? Well, here are my reasons...
1. The first sign of any truly scary, exciting, blood and gore type experiences only surface half way into the story - in my opinion this was left far to late in order to satisfy readers expecting shocks, violence and fast-moving action and excitement all the way. Great scene setting, but a little slow.
2. Although the book contained lots of very interesting adult characters it gave far too much emphasis to the group of teenagers trying to solve the dark arts mystery that was taking place within their community (an episode of 'Scooby-Doo' sprang to mind...especially when reading the final showdown).
3. The ending was disappointingly weak, being far too sickly perfect, unimaginative and pedestrian. A real shame as it had the potential to finish with an explosion of 'horrifyingly fulfilling good fun' but somehow succeeded in missing taking that opportunity.
4. I found the book title and front cover picture were both slightly misleading - maybe better would have been 'The Toymakers Doll' and a picture of an evil looking blonde haired young wooden boy.
Overall though, despite the points above, I still found that the story included some great detail, was extremely well thought out and provided quite an impressive piece of magical escapism - but in a YA teenage horror book type of way. However, in the end, I was ultimately left feeling that the finished product could have been just so much better, especially when you consider its potential and promise - a bit like young wooden Lucas himself! Will definitely be reading more from this author in future. Rating: 3.5 stars.
1. The first sign of any truly scary, exciting, blood and gore type experiences only surface half way into the story - in my opinion this was left far to late in order to satisfy readers expecting shocks, violence and fast-moving action and excitement all the way. Great scene setting, but a little slow.
2. Although the book contained lots of very interesting adult characters it gave far too much emphasis to the group of teenagers trying to solve the dark arts mystery that was taking place within their community (an episode of 'Scooby-Doo' sprang to mind...especially when reading the final showdown).
3. The ending was disappointingly weak, being far too sickly perfect, unimaginative and pedestrian. A real shame as it had the potential to finish with an explosion of 'horrifyingly fulfilling good fun' but somehow succeeded in missing taking that opportunity.
4. I found the book title and front cover picture were both slightly misleading - maybe better would have been 'The Toymakers Doll' and a picture of an evil looking blonde haired young wooden boy.
Overall though, despite the points above, I still found that the story included some great detail, was extremely well thought out and provided quite an impressive piece of magical escapism - but in a YA teenage horror book type of way. However, in the end, I was ultimately left feeling that the finished product could have been just so much better, especially when you consider its potential and promise - a bit like young wooden Lucas himself! Will definitely be reading more from this author in future. Rating: 3.5 stars.
June 27, 2019
This book was absolutely amazing! It definitely gave me throwback vibes to Goosebumps (Slappy the ventriloquist dummy) and Pinocchio. Sergio did an amazing job with the characters, making them relatable, and with the relationship building. I enjoyed hearing the story of Raymond- growing old, losing his friends, and becoming lonely. You also get to meet an amazing group of friends. This book is not for the light-hearted, so you have been warned- watch out for Lucas!
May 17, 2020
Summary:
In the small town of Dutch County, there is something evil lurking in a tunnel by the lake. Five teenagers unknowingly set it free in the form of a ventriloquist dummy, handmade by a local toymaker.
When all hell breaks loose the five teens must reunite to stop the evil dummy before he kills them all off along with a number of other locals.
Personal Opinion:
This book had a Chucky / Slappy from Goosebumps vibe to it that I enjoyed. Both the world building and detailed writing were amazing. The characters are well thought out and believable, making it easy to connect with them right from the beginning. It also included many different points of view from various characters to get the whole story from different perspectives, which I really liked as well.
My biggest complaint is that it took a bit too long to get to the good stuff. By the good stuff I mean the gory horror aspect that I was very much looking forward to when I first decided to give this book a try. It isn't until the halfway mark that it starts to get really interesting and hard to put down.
Despite the slower start, I am happy that I stuck with it because once the dummy comes to life and the killing spree begins, the story really takes off. I absolutely loved the second half!
I do wish the ending had gone a bit differently though. It seemed quite cliche and would have been much better with a twist or two thrown in like I was hoping for. It seemed to be a bit rushed and too perfectly wrapped up for me.
Overall, the book kept my interest and the second half was responsible for my rating of 3 and a half being rounded up to a 4 star.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a longer book with a good build up and character development.
In the small town of Dutch County, there is something evil lurking in a tunnel by the lake. Five teenagers unknowingly set it free in the form of a ventriloquist dummy, handmade by a local toymaker.
When all hell breaks loose the five teens must reunite to stop the evil dummy before he kills them all off along with a number of other locals.
Personal Opinion:
This book had a Chucky / Slappy from Goosebumps vibe to it that I enjoyed. Both the world building and detailed writing were amazing. The characters are well thought out and believable, making it easy to connect with them right from the beginning. It also included many different points of view from various characters to get the whole story from different perspectives, which I really liked as well.
My biggest complaint is that it took a bit too long to get to the good stuff. By the good stuff I mean the gory horror aspect that I was very much looking forward to when I first decided to give this book a try. It isn't until the halfway mark that it starts to get really interesting and hard to put down.
Despite the slower start, I am happy that I stuck with it because once the dummy comes to life and the killing spree begins, the story really takes off. I absolutely loved the second half!
I do wish the ending had gone a bit differently though. It seemed quite cliche and would have been much better with a twist or two thrown in like I was hoping for. It seemed to be a bit rushed and too perfectly wrapped up for me.
Overall, the book kept my interest and the second half was responsible for my rating of 3 and a half being rounded up to a 4 star.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a longer book with a good build up and character development.
January 11, 2021
“It was like some living doll. Like a puppet without any strings. A deranged Pinocchio.”
This was such a fun and dark horror fantasy reminiscent of R.L. Stine’s Night of the Living Dummy and Stephen King’s IT! I was actually very surprised to have my heart strings pulled by the loneliness of the old toymaker Mr. Gibson, the strong bond of the neighborhood kids, and even the betrayal and abandonment felt by the evil dummy! In spite of this being over 500 pages, I sped through this book in a week and appreciated all the time Sergio Gomez put into developing his characters and the small world of Dutch County. Can’t wait to read more from Gomez!
This was such a fun and dark horror fantasy reminiscent of R.L. Stine’s Night of the Living Dummy and Stephen King’s IT! I was actually very surprised to have my heart strings pulled by the loneliness of the old toymaker Mr. Gibson, the strong bond of the neighborhood kids, and even the betrayal and abandonment felt by the evil dummy! In spite of this being over 500 pages, I sped through this book in a week and appreciated all the time Sergio Gomez put into developing his characters and the small world of Dutch County. Can’t wait to read more from Gomez!
April 14, 2021
The Toymaker’s absurd premise is grounded by strong character development and a realistic setting. The plot is more complex than expected and takes a couple of surprising turns. However, it’s dragged down by a few problems.
The way the book introduces its characters is strange, bringing in a few adults for a solid portion of the first half before switching to a group of teens. There are just a lot of little issues with the characters. They’re more realistic and interesting but get strangely abandoned when the plot moves in a different direction. I kept expecting character arcs to be important to the story that never were. A little of this can add verisimilitude, but too much just feels like padding; and there is just way too much.
The book doesn’t really get going into about halfway through it’s substantial length, where it sudden becomes kind of awesome and had a few great scenes back to back. But then it slows down for a long time, introduces some weird characters, and kind of abandons the arc of the first half. Whole threads are kind of just dropped weirdly.
The biggest sin, however is the climax just kind of limps across the finish. There’s a really cool idea of an all out war between the kids and the doll but it just falls flat and the doll barely does anything. It’s a lot of build up for, what was for me, an unsatisfactory conclusion. I did however really like some of the stuff in the middle, enough that I’d still say the book has something going for it.
And lastly, there’s like a teen love triangle that’s just creepy in a bad way. The girl is too young for a guy whose sixteen and in middle school?! Because he was held back a couple grades? And he’s like a junior drug dealer. And we’re supposed to root for them? It’s just crazy. And you think the older kid would have some kind of impact on the plot but nope.
The author clearly has talent creating vividly realized scenes and establishing an interesting world but The Toymaker introduces a lot of threads that it doesn’t really follow through on and drops the ball on a satisfying conclusion.
The way the book introduces its characters is strange, bringing in a few adults for a solid portion of the first half before switching to a group of teens. There are just a lot of little issues with the characters. They’re more realistic and interesting but get strangely abandoned when the plot moves in a different direction. I kept expecting character arcs to be important to the story that never were. A little of this can add verisimilitude, but too much just feels like padding; and there is just way too much.
The book doesn’t really get going into about halfway through it’s substantial length, where it sudden becomes kind of awesome and had a few great scenes back to back. But then it slows down for a long time, introduces some weird characters, and kind of abandons the arc of the first half. Whole threads are kind of just dropped weirdly.
The biggest sin, however is the climax just kind of limps across the finish. There’s a really cool idea of an all out war between the kids and the doll but it just falls flat and the doll barely does anything. It’s a lot of build up for, what was for me, an unsatisfactory conclusion. I did however really like some of the stuff in the middle, enough that I’d still say the book has something going for it.
And lastly, there’s like a teen love triangle that’s just creepy in a bad way. The girl is too young for a guy whose sixteen and in middle school?! Because he was held back a couple grades? And he’s like a junior drug dealer. And we’re supposed to root for them? It’s just crazy. And you think the older kid would have some kind of impact on the plot but nope.
The author clearly has talent creating vividly realized scenes and establishing an interesting world but The Toymaker introduces a lot of threads that it doesn’t really follow through on and drops the ball on a satisfying conclusion.
January 3, 2021
Such a brilliant book! Found the story kept me from start to finish and I couldn't wait to see how this book ended which didn't disappoint :)
July 6, 2023
Toymaker
Al empezarlo a leer me parecía que esto iba a ser una mezcla de IT con Slappy acá muy genérica, pero, oh sorpresa, la verdad es que el libro logra crear su propia historia y el guiño queda en eso, un guiño al inicio, y después toma su propio camino, crea su propio grupo de personajes, cada uno si bien un tanto cliche, logra darles algo que los hace diferentes, que hace interesarte en como los afecta, y una vez que se suelta el caos, pues la cosa se pone muy bien.
Pero lo que mas me gusto fue que hacia el final las cosas que ocurren tienen su lógica, no tenemos aquí a niños haciendo cosas de adulto, no tenemos la salida inventada, cada uno juega su papel acorde a sus capacidades y necesidades, y logra hacer un final que se siente redondo y satisfactorio.
SPOILERS
4 stars
Al empezarlo a leer me parecía que esto iba a ser una mezcla de IT con Slappy acá muy genérica, pero, oh sorpresa, la verdad es que el libro logra crear su propia historia y el guiño queda en eso, un guiño al inicio, y después toma su propio camino, crea su propio grupo de personajes, cada uno si bien un tanto cliche, logra darles algo que los hace diferentes, que hace interesarte en como los afecta, y una vez que se suelta el caos, pues la cosa se pone muy bien.
Pero lo que mas me gusto fue que hacia el final las cosas que ocurren tienen su lógica, no tenemos aquí a niños haciendo cosas de adulto, no tenemos la salida inventada, cada uno juega su papel acorde a sus capacidades y necesidades, y logra hacer un final que se siente redondo y satisfactorio.
SPOILERS
4 stars
November 21, 2018
This is an amazing read! As I read it was easy to picture every detail of the book and characters. The way this is written is so detailed and the development of the story and character to the very tiniest of details really set this story apart for me. I would give this an 11/10 it just flowed so naturally that you don't get lost in following the story. I would recommend this too anyone who loves horror or dark suspense. The author Sergio Gomez is an excellent story teller and I eagerly await his next adventure!
October 19, 2021
This is my second book by Sergio Gomez, following Camp Slaughter and it did not disappoint. With great attention to detail in world building and character development, he's fast becoming a new favorite author of mine.
This is a suspenseful coming-of-age novel with friendship reminiscent of the kids from Stephen King's IT, and a possessed dummy with some characteristics of Chucky. I had a good time getting through this book and getting to know the cast of characters and the evil that lurks within Dutch County.
This story follows multiple perspectives. Local Toymaker Raymond is a lonely old man with no friends or family. After watching a comedian with a ventriloquist dummy on tv, he gets a lightbulb moment of creating a son of his own, the son he always wanted and would do anything for...
At the same time we're following a group of young teenagers who become fast friends and recognize they may be the only ones who can stop the dummy and his reign of terror.
I love that this story took place in the late '90's with references to Limp Bizkit and popular arcade games at the time. It has such a cool nostalgic vibe for a 90's kid. The group of teens are written so realistically with their own personality traits, that I felt connected to them. Raymond the toymaker, was my favorite character, his side of the story is so heartbreaking yet menacing. I felt like I wanted to hug him yet run away at the same time! And although I wasn't necessarily creeped out by Lucas the dummy, he did have some shocking gory moments.
Also, sidenote - I do wish the cover art matched the description of the blonde dummy with a striped shirt in the book. It's a cool cover but it's not Lucas!
If you're into possesed dolls, or coming of age stories, this is the book for you. It's a more subtle horror story focusing on the power of friendship. It's a perfect autumn read for around Thanksgiving time.
This is a suspenseful coming-of-age novel with friendship reminiscent of the kids from Stephen King's IT, and a possessed dummy with some characteristics of Chucky. I had a good time getting through this book and getting to know the cast of characters and the evil that lurks within Dutch County.
This story follows multiple perspectives. Local Toymaker Raymond is a lonely old man with no friends or family. After watching a comedian with a ventriloquist dummy on tv, he gets a lightbulb moment of creating a son of his own, the son he always wanted and would do anything for...
At the same time we're following a group of young teenagers who become fast friends and recognize they may be the only ones who can stop the dummy and his reign of terror.
I love that this story took place in the late '90's with references to Limp Bizkit and popular arcade games at the time. It has such a cool nostalgic vibe for a 90's kid. The group of teens are written so realistically with their own personality traits, that I felt connected to them. Raymond the toymaker, was my favorite character, his side of the story is so heartbreaking yet menacing. I felt like I wanted to hug him yet run away at the same time! And although I wasn't necessarily creeped out by Lucas the dummy, he did have some shocking gory moments.
Also, sidenote - I do wish the cover art matched the description of the blonde dummy with a striped shirt in the book. It's a cool cover but it's not Lucas!
If you're into possesed dolls, or coming of age stories, this is the book for you. It's a more subtle horror story focusing on the power of friendship. It's a perfect autumn read for around Thanksgiving time.
September 30, 2022
4 stars
Reading horror is still a newer thing to me. Heard about this in a random YouTube video and decided to celebrate Spooky Season by reading it. This is self published and sure feels self published. It's a bit unpolished. Prose could have been touched up a bit. The author, though, has all the talent in the world and I can see future works being of higher quality.
Plot was fun. Bunch of kids banding together to stop an evil threat in a quiet, quaint community. This feels like an homage to King, without being a rip-off of King. It was 550pgs, but might have been stronger at 700.
All in all, a solid and fun read
Reading horror is still a newer thing to me. Heard about this in a random YouTube video and decided to celebrate Spooky Season by reading it. This is self published and sure feels self published. It's a bit unpolished. Prose could have been touched up a bit. The author, though, has all the talent in the world and I can see future works being of higher quality.
Plot was fun. Bunch of kids banding together to stop an evil threat in a quiet, quaint community. This feels like an homage to King, without being a rip-off of King. It was 550pgs, but might have been stronger at 700.
All in all, a solid and fun read
April 11, 2024
Check out my vlog for more thoughts!
https://youtu.be/GhIci8ZExeU?si=mzqrv...
https://youtu.be/GhIci8ZExeU?si=mzqrv...
August 18, 2020
Because the other reviews affected my expectations (and thus, my experience) of this book, I feel I must discuss the oft-made comparison to Goosebumps and Slappy in order to review this book myself. I have been rereading a lot of the Goosebumps books (I'm gonna shorten this to GB), so I was excited to read what others described as "an adult GB book." I was essentially expecting Slappy BUT WITH A GUN, but that is definitely not what I got. Honestly, other than the presence of a living dummy (who is far more like Pinocchio than Slappy), this has little in common with GB. It feels like the author is a fan of GB, since the ideas themselves (and the imagery) are kinda silly and not meant to be taken too seriously, and the plot is so predictable that the characters themselves accurately guess the ending early on. However, if I had to make a comparison to other movies/books, I would say this is more like if Pinocchio was forced to be the killer doll in Child's Play, but set in Stephen King's It.
Since I feel most strongly about Lucas, let me start with…
THE "BAD":
My main problem with the book itself (as well as, unfortunately, my favorite part) is Lucas the ventriloquist dummy. Lucas is murderous, yes, but so painfully naive that he often feels unfairly innocent and undeserving of the life he was dealt (regardless of his origins, which he doesn't even remember). I actually stopped reading for almost a month after I got to "Momma" because I simply didn't want to see anything worse happen to him. And it's not that I didn't like the main cast, either. This book does an absolutely wonderful job at developing all of the characters (Raymond in particular broke my heart). But all of the circumstances surrounding Lucas felt so unfair, that I couldn't help but sympathize with him the most, which made reading it difficult. At least Slappy purposely chooses to be evil. He fully understands the gravity of his actions and gleefully does it anyway, because for all intents and purposes, he is an adult who is actually evil. Lucas is literally a newborn child with even less understanding of the world around him than his 12-15 year old "adversaries" do. That he immediately resorts to murder doesn't make me think he's evil because for one, he doesn't understand right from wrong, and for two, he feels as though he is fighting for his very life (and he is). The reason this is such a problem for me is that he is clearly supposed to be the "pure evil" the kids need to defeat, but he is more of a child than they are, and nothing about the way the plot unfolds around him is enjoyable to read because of this.
The ending (no spoilers here) feels like it goes further to "prove" Lucas was always super evil, but it only makes Lucas even more of a powerless victim of circumstance. I have no idea if this is intentional or not.
THE GOOD:
The character development is the strongest point of this book. Before the plot really kicks into action, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the characters' lives and how they interacted with each other. I don't think I have ever enjoyed the "group of kids from ye-olden-days" trope as much as I had here, because I liked all of them, and I even cared about the adults in their lives, who (aside from Big Bob) were all multidimensional people who were interesting in their own right. The drama of this little town because of the character relationships was interesting all by itself, which I find to be an impressive feat.
The writing style and the way events are paced (at least in the first half) make the story very compelling and quick to read through. The pacing with Lucas's creation, flipping back and forth between characters and having people mentally comment on something being off about Raymond, really upped the suspense and had me dying to see the moment Lucas was finished.
I also enjoyed (or rather, almost enjoyed) how silly the visuals were with Lucas using weapons. Had he been written differently, I would have taken the same enjoyment as seeing Chucky with a knife (a living doll is creepy, but a doll with deadly weapons is hilarious).
IN CONCLUSION:
Overall, for as "schlocky" as this book tries to be, it made a huge mistake (in my opinion) by making the villain far too sympathetic. I can love villains AND be happy when they get defeated, but having the villain feel like a victim sucks the enjoyment away. There is a reason the Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster are seen as tragic figures and Freddy Krueger and Chucky are not. Pulling a Frankenstein's monster and framing it as Chucky just feels mean spirited.
So, if you are not the kind of person to easily sympathize with villains or you really just want more living ventriloquist dummy horror in your life, I would recommend this book. Just don't go into this expecting Slappy.
Since I feel most strongly about Lucas, let me start with…
THE "BAD":
My main problem with the book itself (as well as, unfortunately, my favorite part) is Lucas the ventriloquist dummy. Lucas is murderous, yes, but so painfully naive that he often feels unfairly innocent and undeserving of the life he was dealt (regardless of his origins, which he doesn't even remember). I actually stopped reading for almost a month after I got to "Momma" because I simply didn't want to see anything worse happen to him. And it's not that I didn't like the main cast, either. This book does an absolutely wonderful job at developing all of the characters (Raymond in particular broke my heart). But all of the circumstances surrounding Lucas felt so unfair, that I couldn't help but sympathize with him the most, which made reading it difficult. At least Slappy purposely chooses to be evil. He fully understands the gravity of his actions and gleefully does it anyway, because for all intents and purposes, he is an adult who is actually evil. Lucas is literally a newborn child with even less understanding of the world around him than his 12-15 year old "adversaries" do. That he immediately resorts to murder doesn't make me think he's evil because for one, he doesn't understand right from wrong, and for two, he feels as though he is fighting for his very life (and he is). The reason this is such a problem for me is that he is clearly supposed to be the "pure evil" the kids need to defeat, but he is more of a child than they are, and nothing about the way the plot unfolds around him is enjoyable to read because of this.
The ending (no spoilers here) feels like it goes further to "prove" Lucas was always super evil, but it only makes Lucas even more of a powerless victim of circumstance. I have no idea if this is intentional or not.
THE GOOD:
The character development is the strongest point of this book. Before the plot really kicks into action, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the characters' lives and how they interacted with each other. I don't think I have ever enjoyed the "group of kids from ye-olden-days" trope as much as I had here, because I liked all of them, and I even cared about the adults in their lives, who (aside from Big Bob) were all multidimensional people who were interesting in their own right. The drama of this little town because of the character relationships was interesting all by itself, which I find to be an impressive feat.
The writing style and the way events are paced (at least in the first half) make the story very compelling and quick to read through. The pacing with Lucas's creation, flipping back and forth between characters and having people mentally comment on something being off about Raymond, really upped the suspense and had me dying to see the moment Lucas was finished.
I also enjoyed (or rather, almost enjoyed) how silly the visuals were with Lucas using weapons. Had he been written differently, I would have taken the same enjoyment as seeing Chucky with a knife (a living doll is creepy, but a doll with deadly weapons is hilarious).
IN CONCLUSION:
Overall, for as "schlocky" as this book tries to be, it made a huge mistake (in my opinion) by making the villain far too sympathetic. I can love villains AND be happy when they get defeated, but having the villain feel like a victim sucks the enjoyment away. There is a reason the Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster are seen as tragic figures and Freddy Krueger and Chucky are not. Pulling a Frankenstein's monster and framing it as Chucky just feels mean spirited.
So, if you are not the kind of person to easily sympathize with villains or you really just want more living ventriloquist dummy horror in your life, I would recommend this book. Just don't go into this expecting Slappy.
June 7, 2020
This thing took so long to get going. It was very difficult to get into because the story took so long to go through the predictable beats. There was nothing I couldnt predict here and it wasnt even done in an interesting way. I dont know why I stuck with it but this book makes me realise i have to learn when to call it a day with tedious books
July 5, 2022
It is my third book by Sergio Gomez. I first read The Visitor and then Camp Slaughter. Overall I really enjoyed them both and wanted to discover another of his projects.
I wasn't expecting much from the synopsis of the book. I immediately thought about Slappy the Dummy from the Goosebumps series and the classic story of Pinocchio. But I ended up really enjoying the storyline and character development throughout the story. It gave me a certain "Stephen King vibe", a feeling that only this particular author can generate in the mind of a reader. I felt for most characters and clearly understood their connections to each other.
However, the sequence of events is very predictable and the length of the book takes away a little bit of the experience. I feel like some paragraphs are unnecessary. They just make the story heavier in words and random information. It doesn't really add value to the story being told.
Nonetheless, I very much recommend this novel. I had an awesome time reading it. This author never really disappoints in entertaining his readers. I am excited to read another of his books, particularly the sequel to Camp Slaughter.
I wasn't expecting much from the synopsis of the book. I immediately thought about Slappy the Dummy from the Goosebumps series and the classic story of Pinocchio. But I ended up really enjoying the storyline and character development throughout the story. It gave me a certain "Stephen King vibe", a feeling that only this particular author can generate in the mind of a reader. I felt for most characters and clearly understood their connections to each other.
However, the sequence of events is very predictable and the length of the book takes away a little bit of the experience. I feel like some paragraphs are unnecessary. They just make the story heavier in words and random information. It doesn't really add value to the story being told.
Nonetheless, I very much recommend this novel. I had an awesome time reading it. This author never really disappoints in entertaining his readers. I am excited to read another of his books, particularly the sequel to Camp Slaughter.
December 29, 2025
You ever wonder what would happen in Pinocchio was possessed by a demon? I'm sure there is a movie about that but I haven't seen it so therefore it will not exist in my weird dark world.
The premise of this was very interesting and got my attention then going through it was easy for me to follow the characters throughout their arcs. A few people who died honestly made me root for the dummy. The reason he was even made was so sad. Poor old guy was so lonley. The final act to me felt kinda eh, I could have done with it different in a few ways. Plus I felt like there was to much of a jump from Holy Shit A Loving Dummy covered in blood to different Thanksgivings. Either way this took me a day to read with many brightly inked notes because I really didn't want to put it down. I wanted to find out about the murder dummy and what the fuck he was getting up to, while wondering why the hell didn't anyone just drop kick him into a fire.
This is good for those who get creeped out by dummies, who like an interesting lore, and frankly need a book with a Gepetto like mother fucker with a evil Pinocchio.
The premise of this was very interesting and got my attention then going through it was easy for me to follow the characters throughout their arcs. A few people who died honestly made me root for the dummy. The reason he was even made was so sad. Poor old guy was so lonley. The final act to me felt kinda eh, I could have done with it different in a few ways. Plus I felt like there was to much of a jump from Holy Shit A Loving Dummy covered in blood to different Thanksgivings. Either way this took me a day to read with many brightly inked notes because I really didn't want to put it down. I wanted to find out about the murder dummy and what the fuck he was getting up to, while wondering why the hell didn't anyone just drop kick him into a fire.
This is good for those who get creeped out by dummies, who like an interesting lore, and frankly need a book with a Gepetto like mother fucker with a evil Pinocchio.
February 16, 2021
Usually when I read something, I end up saying to myself "I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this". However, in the case of The Toymaker, it was exactly what I thought it would be.
Not much to say about this book, other than it was a fun read. It was really campy, and jumped all over the place, and it reminded me of watching a B horror film from the 90's, but ultimately it was enjoyable.
My only real complaints were the weird fade to black sex scenes, and the amount of times the male characters went on about having girlfriends/wives. Oh, and when the fucking dummy talked about feeling "weird" seeing his "momma" in a bikini, definitely didn't need to read that with my own two eyes.
Not much to say about this book, other than it was a fun read. It was really campy, and jumped all over the place, and it reminded me of watching a B horror film from the 90's, but ultimately it was enjoyable.
My only real complaints were the weird fade to black sex scenes, and the amount of times the male characters went on about having girlfriends/wives. Oh, and when the fucking dummy talked about feeling "weird" seeing his "momma" in a bikini, definitely didn't need to read that with my own two eyes.
July 24, 2021
The Toymaker - 5/5
By Sergio Gomez
This book has been sitting on my shelves for a while… I really wish I had picked it up sooner!
Almost like a messed up retelling of Pinocchio and Geppetto - this book is a slasher to love! I felt that it had a bit of Slappy the Dummy vibes to it as well (appropriate as Fear Street seems to be all the rage at the minute!).
I started this book just before bed, and I really shouldn’t have. All 500ish pages have been read in one sitting! This was a fabulous take on the possessed doll (or ventriloquists dummy in this case), a sub-genre of horror that I absolutely adore.
This is definitely a book you need to add to an ever growing TBR list!
By Sergio Gomez
This book has been sitting on my shelves for a while… I really wish I had picked it up sooner!
Almost like a messed up retelling of Pinocchio and Geppetto - this book is a slasher to love! I felt that it had a bit of Slappy the Dummy vibes to it as well (appropriate as Fear Street seems to be all the rage at the minute!).
I started this book just before bed, and I really shouldn’t have. All 500ish pages have been read in one sitting! This was a fabulous take on the possessed doll (or ventriloquists dummy in this case), a sub-genre of horror that I absolutely adore.
This is definitely a book you need to add to an ever growing TBR list!
August 8, 2022
Sergio Gomez is always a fun read. Good classic horror, I always end up with flavours of some of my fave old horror movies.. this one was a little different.. take some Chucky and mix it with The Goonies. This comparison made me giggle but it's kids vs a demon doll, I'm not far off the mark lol. Not as gruesome as some of his others can be but it's still slashy in enough places. I had fun with this one
September 8, 2023
Seemed a Bit Like Stephen King's It.
And just like I often feel with King's work, it could have been much shorter. The story was okay but the premise of youngsters unleashing an evil that they then have to fight because they are the only ones who can and have made a promise to do so felt like it was lifted straight from King. There were also many grammatical or typographical errors that an editor should have caught. Not a bad read but not the greatest either.
And just like I often feel with King's work, it could have been much shorter. The story was okay but the premise of youngsters unleashing an evil that they then have to fight because they are the only ones who can and have made a promise to do so felt like it was lifted straight from King. There were also many grammatical or typographical errors that an editor should have caught. Not a bad read but not the greatest either.
March 14, 2025
I liked this book and I enjoy Sergio Gomez's writing, but it felt like this was maybe one draft away from being done. There's a large cast, and, while I appreciate the "no one is safe" vibe, no character really felt like the lead. There's a lot of good character beats, some eerie mood building and a vibe that really invokes Stephen King's "It." Enjoyable, but I'd recommend Gomez's Slaughter trilogy over this.
October 7, 2025
A story about a killer dummy and a group of teens who teams up to stop him.
The book was longer than it probably could have been. First two parts was more story building. The third part of the book is when things started happening and picked up speed. I liked it for the suspense and the ending wasn’t rushed. It was very unpredictable. I would recommend it if you are looking for a creepy killer doll book.
The book was longer than it probably could have been. First two parts was more story building. The third part of the book is when things started happening and picked up speed. I liked it for the suspense and the ending wasn’t rushed. It was very unpredictable. I would recommend it if you are looking for a creepy killer doll book.
July 10, 2020
I didn’t hate it, but I wouldn’t reread it. It’s very plot driven, and lacks description. The characters are underdeveloped and unoriginal from one another. With that being said, it’s an easy read, fun at times, best if you want to read something but not have to actively focus on it. I’m still interested in reading Camp slaughter and plan to in the near future.
November 20, 2018
Goosebumps for Adults
Review#126 THE TOYMAKER by Sergio Gomez. I loved this fun,creepy book! I felt like I was reading an adult Goosebumps.If you love horror grab this one now. It is available on Amazon for .99 right now! ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars.#SergioGomez
Review#126 THE TOYMAKER by Sergio Gomez. I loved this fun,creepy book! I felt like I was reading an adult Goosebumps.If you love horror grab this one now. It is available on Amazon for .99 right now! ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars.#SergioGomez
May 20, 2019
Sergio has yet again surprised me with his book! I've read his other two and this just topped it off. Loved the story line and characters. Very well written and great discribrition. Sergio"s book are so different but yet very thrilling! Very fresh! You wont regret getting this book!
January 15, 2021
I want to preface this with the fact that I'm intensely creeped out by dolls and especially ventriloquist dummies. Saying this, I can't help but read(and watch) anything that has them in it! This was a fantastic story that you could still relate to as an adult but still enjoy as a teen too.
March 10, 2025
Why?
I have no words for how unnecessarily long this book was and I have no idea why the author thought keeping so much fluff was good writing. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
I have no words for how unnecessarily long this book was and I have no idea why the author thought keeping so much fluff was good writing. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews