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Summary: by anyone else , an absolutely INCREDIBLE first book...
Review: ...but from jonathan carroll, i felt it to be somewhat of a disappointment. right when i got to that point where there were but thirty pages left for me to read, this one really started to lose that bit of magic that we find in all of carroll's writings. just a real disappointment, the ending to this one. don't think i'd be one to tell you what it is, though. it's just that it was unneccessary; none of you won't see it coming from when you're just half of the way through the book. not bad, though. not bad at all.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bona-Fido Classic of the Darkest Fantasy
Review: A bad pun (read it to find out why) for a great book- Jonathan Carroll's first novel starts off as sweetly strange and ends up scary and shocking. The central idea - revealed about two thirds of the way through, has been plagiarised a few times now by film and TV episode writers, so it doesn't feel quite as original as it must have done back in 1975 when the book was first published. Nevertheless this is a must-read classic of the horror / fantasy genre. Carroll even manages to pull off a very satisfying frisson with his last couple of sentences. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts out great, ends flat
Review: After 50 pages I was thinking that this is the kind of book I would buy for my friends and make them read it for their own good. But once the story turned fantastic it really bombs. Other writers have put the magical into ordinary circumstances and wrote great books ("The Master & Margarita" or stuff by Shirley Jackson), but this guy basically wrote an episode of the "Twilight Zone". The main character is the most unlikeable guy I've come accross since I read "The Fountainhead". He is a whiney, selfish, self centered, un-clever Hawkeye Pierce from MASH, and since he is the narrator, he is in every page and every sentence. The author basically stops writing the best character, Saxony, like he got bored with her. This book has some great stuff, but mostly it seems uninteresting baloney that would sit nicely next to "Peace Like A River".
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Summary: Finally!
Review: At long last, Jonathan Carroll's masterpiece, THE LAND OF LAUGHS is returning to print. This should be cause for celebration among horror/dark fantasy readers, especially those who haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this classic. As a previous reviewer stated, the basic plot of THE LAND OF LAUGHS (someone finding out the so-called "fantasy" world of a noted children's book author is real...and deadly) has been well used since this novel was published. But Carroll's remains the best. Most people, upon growing up, seem to forget how truly dark many of those children's fantasy stories were. But Carroll never forgot, which is perhaps what makes THE LAND OF LAUGHS so successful. This is a "must read" for any fan of horror, fantasy or just plain ole good fiction. And for similar reads, check out William Browning Spencer's ZOD WALLOP and STRANGEWOOD by Christopher Golden.
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Summary: Make Me A Screenplay...
Review: Has anyone written a screenplay for LOL? This book has all the elements of the absurd, making it perfect for today's moviegoing crowd. Talking dogs, menacing kites, a town full of zombies. I couldn't help but think of Night of the Living Dead while reading Carroll's book. More than anything else, this novel is one man's fantasy: a teacher/writer, son of a famous filmmaker, admired by students, independently wealthy, bent on pursuing his life's dream, wanted by two women, worshiped by a town and in the end, he unwittingly escapes his own fate. I wouldn't read too much into this book--Carroll is no Hawthorne. Still, I read the book at my brother's suggestion, and I trust his opinion. He didn't steer me wrong.
Rating:
Summary: A great place to start your Jonathan Carroll education
Review: I am pleased to see that 'Land of Laughs' is being reissued. This is without a doubt one of my favorite all time books which I picked up about 15 years ago on a whim. What is contained inside is raw and fantastic and stays with you for the rest of your life. It also made me a big JC fan. This author deserves great accolades and the fact that this wonderful book is being republished might mean that he is finally hitting the mainstream. Jump on in, you won't be sorry.
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Summary: read it all at one sitting
Review: I bought this book because I read someone else's rave review on amazon. I read it at one sitting, and would have to agree with the review I read, namely that the first part is incredibly strong, and the second part unexpected, to say the least. I mentally gave it 5 stars within the first few pages, that's how good it is. The first part ensnares you and drags you deep into the mystery and makes you expect something unnamed and wonderful to happen as only the best, classic YA novels I have ever read (even though it's not a YA novel). But, somewhere it takes a dark turn, begins to spiral into the macabre, and keeps on going. I have to applaud Carrol's originality in setting up his readers so well. I could not sleep after reading this, it gave me the thorough creeps
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Summary: You are now entering the twilight zone....
Review: I confess outright to being a Carroll devotee - I've even collected all his books and stories and have corresponded with him "live" by email. Many Carroll fans have complained that his early books are impossible to find - I couldn't bare to spend over $200 for his first book, The Land of Laughs, so I was relieved when TOR decided to reissue it in paper back. Oddly enough, that means that I had read all of his books already except this one, his first. The good news is, it's fantastic. In fact, it's so good I don't know how he ever tried again. Many of the familiar Carroll traits are here: a few pit bulls, a small town, a blurred division between reality and fantasy, a wild cast of characters and a great plot. Some readers complain that his endings aren't as good as his beginnings, but this book is a masterpiece in that regard. I loved the plot in this book as well: a "drop out" English teacher with a famous father decides to leave his stodgy prep school and write a biography of Marshall France, his favorite children's author. Naturally Marshall created a fantasy world of characters which gives our narrator a chance to immerse himself in a town with a very strange history. Overall, I think it's the most perfectly conceived of all Carroll's books - the ending is perfect too. If you've never read anything by Carroll, buy the paperback of this one and read it - then follow your addiction by reading all his other great books too. His books are so mind-blowing that I can almost guarantee that you'll raise your IQ a few points just by trying to follow the events!
Rating:
Summary: A good introduction to the work of Carroll
Review: I don't think it will be for everyone, but this is a fine novel with a terrific ending. It is a work that begins slowly and builds to a terrific climax. Carroll has written many fine horror tales and I think this is his best. Not quite Ray Bradbury but very close.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Find
Review: I first discovered this book backstage at a play I was performing in. A friend and I devoured it between takes. It is the most intricate, strange story I ever read, with unimaginable twists. Having found it in a dusty dressing room bookcase, I took it home with me. My friend has combed the city trying to find it, but it is out of print and very rare. I feel honored to own a copy of this book, which is now number one on my all time favorite's list. If you get a copy, hold on tight!
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