Rating: 
Summary: A promising tale weakened by Laymon's usual faults
Review: Richard Laymon had the dubious distinction of being an acclaimed American horror writer who never managed to make any serious inroads in America itself. While Europe has been reading and enjoying Laymon for years, only recently have mass market editions of some of Laymon's earlier novels begun appearing here in the United States. Unfortunately, Laymon himself is no longer with us to see America finally begin to acknowledge him, as he died an untimely death in 2001. This is the third Laymon novel I've read, and I have to say I enjoyed it much more than I did his novels Bite and One Rainy Night. The story is interesting and fast-paced, Laymon's decision to use flashbacks at critical points of the drama seemed very effective, and my anticipation to finish the novel never really dimmed. Still, though, the novel suffers from some of Laymon's traditional faults. The setup for the story isn't bad at all. Five best friends from college made a vow to get together for a week every year and continue the wild adventures they had back in college. It's an odd quintet, really: Vivian the gorgeous model, Abilene the most rational of the group, Finley the filmmaker with her constant video camera, Cora the strong girl of the group, and the overweight horror fan Helen. It is Helen's turn to select this year's adventure, and she can't wait to get her friends out to the isolated Totem Pole Lodge and tell them the story of the unsolved mass murder that took place there a number of years earlier. A couple of the young women aren't too enthused about staying in the creepy, deserted lodge, especially after they hear the story of how locals in the hills slaughtered everyone in the lodge some time back, but they decide to at least stick it out for one night. They enjoy spending time in the hot springs underneath the lodge, but things start to get a little unnerving when they figure out that someone else has been there with them at some point. When they then discover that the car keys have been lost, they decide to camp out in the woods, search for the keys in the morning, and then get out of Dodge. Such an uneventful ending is of course not going to happen here. Nope, Death comes calling, and the girls find themselves in a fight for their very survival. I enjoyed the first half of this novel quite a bit; there's probably too much dialogue, but the girls were certainly interesting, and the tales of their college day exploits are actually quite amazing. When sinister things begin happening, though, their actions, responses, and much of their dialogue really don't ring true for the situation in which they find themselves, and they adopt courses of action that almost defy logic. Then there is the nudity issue. When the girls arrive and check out the hot springs, they strip down to bathing suits and then forego clothes all together. OK. As things keep happening and the dream week with the girls turns into a nightmare, they continue shedding clothes. Do women in their 20s make a habit of going nude whenever they're together? Sometimes they put their clothes back on, but this just seems to be a ploy designed to let Laymon to go on and on about how their wet clothes rub against their bare skin and the like. At a certain point, the constant emphasis on the girl's nudity and bodies grows old. If these girls existed in real life, I would know more about their bodies than they do. This overemphasis on nude female bodies makes the novel seem longer than it probably should be, and the later descriptions of the group's past experiences takes something funny and risqué and turn it into something silly, immature, and downright objectionable at times. I found my connection to the characters fading when it should have been rising, and this is the main fault I find with this otherwise enjoyable read. By the time I reached the climax of the action, I cared about these characters much less than I did earlier in the book, and this took a little something away from a perfectly acceptable but less than shocking dénouement. I'll keep reading Laymon, but I fear the man's overemphasis on sex may have kept him from ever reaching his true potential as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: A promising tale weakened by Laymon's usual faults
Review: Richard Laymon had the dubious distinction of being an acclaimed American horror writer who never managed to make any serious inroads in America itself. While Europe has been reading and enjoying Laymon for years, only recently have mass market editions of some of Laymon's earlier novels begun appearing here in the United States. Unfortunately, Laymon himself is no longer with us to see America finally begin to acknowledge him, as he died an untimely death in 2001. This is the third Laymon novel I've read, and I have to say I enjoyed it much more than I did his novels Bite and One Rainy Night. The story is interesting and fast-paced, Laymon's decision to use flashbacks at critical points of the drama seemed very effective, and my anticipation to finish the novel never really dimmed. Still, though, the novel suffers from some of Laymon's traditional faults. The setup for the story isn't bad at all. Five best friends from college made a vow to get together for a week every year and continue the wild adventures they had back in college. It's an odd quintet, really: Vivian the gorgeous model, Abilene the most rational of the group, Finley the filmmaker with her constant video camera, Cora the strong girl of the group, and the overweight horror fan Helen. It is Helen's turn to select this year's adventure, and she can't wait to get her friends out to the isolated Totem Pole Lodge and tell them the story of the unsolved mass murder that took place there a number of years earlier. A couple of the young women aren't too enthused about staying in the creepy, deserted lodge, especially after they hear the story of how locals in the hills slaughtered everyone in the lodge some time back, but they decide to at least stick it out for one night. They enjoy spending time in the hot springs underneath the lodge, but things start to get a little unnerving when they figure out that someone else has been there with them at some point. When they then discover that the car keys have been lost, they decide to camp out in the woods, search for the keys in the morning, and then get out of Dodge. Such an uneventful ending is of course not going to happen here. Nope, Death comes calling, and the girls find themselves in a fight for their very survival. I enjoyed the first half of this novel quite a bit; there's probably too much dialogue, but the girls were certainly interesting, and the tales of their college day exploits are actually quite amazing. When sinister things begin happening, though, their actions, responses, and much of their dialogue really don't ring true for the situation in which they find themselves, and they adopt courses of action that almost defy logic. Then there is the nudity issue. When the girls arrive and check out the hot springs, they strip down to bathing suits and then forego clothes all together. OK. As things keep happening and the dream week with the girls turns into a nightmare, they continue shedding clothes. Do women in their 20s make a habit of going nude whenever they're together? Sometimes they put their clothes back on, but this just seems to be a ploy designed to let Laymon to go on and on about how their wet clothes rub against their bare skin and the like. At a certain point, the constant emphasis on the girl's nudity and bodies grows old. If these girls existed in real life, I would know more about their bodies than they do. This overemphasis on nude female bodies makes the novel seem longer than it probably should be, and the later descriptions of the group's past experiences takes something funny and risqué and turn it into something silly, immature, and downright objectionable at times. I found my connection to the characters fading when it should have been rising, and this is the main fault I find with this otherwise enjoyable read. By the time I reached the climax of the action, I cared about these characters much less than I did earlier in the book, and this took a little something away from a perfectly acceptable but less than shocking dénouement. I'll keep reading Laymon, but I fear the man's overemphasis on sex may have kept him from ever reaching his true potential as a writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Laymon's Weakest Book
Review: Richard Laymon has delivered us the masterful "In the Dark" and "Island", but unfortunately "Blood Games" is no masterpiece. Too many flashbacks interrupted the pace and tension of the story. Many of the characters engage in actions that go against their characteristics and seem quite unbelievable. This is not a book to start if you want a good introduction to Laymon. It's mildly enjoyable, but give his other work a try because he's still one of the top 10 horror writers of the last two decades.
Rating:
Summary: Laymon's Weakest Book
Review: Richard Laymon has delivered us the masterful "In the Dark" and "Island", but unfortunately "Blood Games" is no masterpiece. Too many flashbacks interrupted the pace and tension of the story. Many of the characters engage in actions that go against their characteristics and seem quite unbelievable. This is not a book to start if you want a good introduction to Laymon. It's mildly enjoyable, but give his other work a try because he's still one of the top 10 horror writers of the last two decades.
Rating:
Summary: Laymon's Weakest Book
Review: Richard Laymon has delivered us the masterful "In the Dark" and "Island", but unfortunately "Blood Games" is no masterpiece. Too many flashbacks interrupted the pace and tension of the story. Many of the characters engage in actions that go against their characteristics and seem quite unbelievable. This is not a book to start if you want a good introduction to Laymon. It's mildly enjoyable, but give his other work a try because he's still one of the top 10 horror writers of the last two decades.
Rating:
Summary: They think they're alone...but they're not. Not at all!
Review: They're best friends who met in college. Five girls, bound by daring acts of courage and stupidity, all caught on videotape. Five girls, closer than sisters, who abandon everything once a year to get together and celebrate their friendship. Five girls who are going to realize they've madea mistake in coming to Totem Pole Lodge. You see, once upon a time, the Totem Pole Lodge was a great resort--a beautiful, lively place. Then there was an accident in the forest--a young girl died. She was a local. Her family was crazy. ALL the locals were crazy. And they attacked the Lodge. 28 people--men, women, and children--died. And twelve years later, it still isn't a nice place to visit. Especially at night, when you're unarmed, and unsuspecting. Richard Laymon is a master storyteller. He may not have the fame that he deserved--you won't find his name in lights alongside Stephen King--but that never seemed to deter him. For people like me, these reissues (he died a couple years ago, in case you didn't know) are great. I get a chance to read his work, even stuff that was previously out of print. BLOOD GAMES is proof that Laymon knows what he's doing. Since THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW (one of the best horror novels of all time, I should add), his published novels have seemed to go down in quality; now, for a Laymon book, there's a LONG way to fall. His novels are, quite simply, superb. BLOOD GAMES is arguably the best of his novels published since VAMPIRE SHOW. And that's saying a lot. The flashbacks to the girls' college days should hinder the plot, one would think; instead, you find yourself racing further and further into it, anxious to know just what happens. Typical Laymon. This isn't a supernatural thriller. Don't go into it thinking that it is. Laymon tackles what most horror authors--including King--don't: the darkness of human nature. BLOOD GAMES, as well as most any other Laymon novel you pick up, is about that dark little part of us that delights in horror and bloodshed. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. BLOOD GAMES scared the crap out of me. And that ain't easy. So, what the hell are you waiting for? You want some good, gory horror with quite a bit of character development thrown in? Pick up BLOOD GAMES. And after you decide that you absolutely love it--which you will--you might as well pick up another Laymon novel. Despite what you hear, he's the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip This!
Review: This was a REAL letdown! How often do we have to read that the women's clothes were wet? Of COURSE they are when you get out of the water! And pages go on and on and on with them swimming and you THINK something will happen...and NOTHING happens. And those boring flashbacks -- skip them, they add NOTHING -- and why do the women wisecrack throughout the ordeal. Ugh!
Rating: 
Summary: OH WOW
Review: This was my 2nd Laymon novel, and I can all ready tell that no matter what critique he received, I will enjoy all of his writing.
The book has a lot of flashbacks, which make the reader aware of Cora, Abilene, Finley, Helen and Vivian as seperate characters. Each one is different and unique, during hard times through out the book, the flashbacks show us their funny adventures at school, dating, trips, etc and make us root for them.
This is one of those "lost in the woods" type of story, which I am beginning to like in scarry books. The girls are all alone, or so they think in a lodge in the middle of nowhere, when things start to happen. I do not wish to spoil anything, but let me tell ya, things arent what they seem, and there were a few twists and surprises.
Even though the whole book was really "meaty" with good material, I totally loved the ending. Endings are hard to write, and I have been unimpressed or dissapointed way too many times with books. The end was scarry, they were expecting something, and waititng for it almost gave me a heart attack.
Great read, although lenghty, over 450 pgs, but nothereless doesnt drag.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in awhile
Review: This was the first book by Laymon I ever read and since then I've read as many as I can get my hands on. After returning it to the library I bought my own copy to reread later on.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in awhile
Review: While certainly not an uninteresting novel, "Blood Games" is not a book that showcases the talent of the late horror writer Richard Laymon. One of Laymon's earlier works (even though published late in his career), "Blood Games" doesn't quite have the edge and sheer terror that most of Laymon's later novels contained. Oh, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of the Laymon trademarks - great characters, gore, nudity, and sex, but it's just not as polished and fast-paced as his later books. The book deals with the annual reunion of 5 college friends who see themselves as the "Daring Young Maids". Each year one of the friends picks the location for the getaway and the girls take it from there. The choice that is made just happens to be a deserted lodge set in the proverbial "out-in-the-middle-of- nowhere". And to sweeten the setting of the plot, the lodge is also the site of a past brutal slaughtering of a large number of guests. It doesn't take the reader long to see where this story is headed. Laymon, as usual, is great in the area of character development and he certainly does that well in this book. He uses flashbacks throughout the novel to give the reader a greater depth of the personalities of the 5 friends. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the character of Batty, a strange old coot who lives near the lodge. This character is one of Laymon's best and oddest creations. As most Laymon fans will attest, it's often been said that the man can't write a bad book. I would definitely agree with that statement. But, that being said, if you a new fan of Laymon's, this reviewer would recommend that you start with some of his other books such as "Midnight Lair", "Funland", "The Beast House", "Beware", or "The Woods Are Dark", to really get an appreciation of his talent. You can't go wrong with any of those novels!
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