Rating: 
Summary: don't waste your money
Review: What a waste of money!! Out of the 40 vampire books that I have purchased in the last 2 years, this was the most disappointing one I have come across. The story line drags out and spends too much time on the relationship of the characters, and very little time on the vampire. This book waited until the last 100 pages or so to introduce the vampire and even then it was a letdown. This is definitely a book that I would recommend passing on.
Rating: 
Summary: A coming of age story hidden in the guise of vampiric horror
Review: Possibly the greatest flaw with "The Travelling Vampire Show" is that the actual vampire (and horror) element of the book is condensed towards the end, and the rest of the story concerns the attraction of the main character towards his female companion and his sister-in-law. Hidden in there is a coming of age story.If you're looking for blood-thirsty horror, look elsewhere, because there's not much of it in this (what I believe is Laymon's last) novel. The book still manages to entertain even if it doesn't live up to the genre its mustered under or the promises made on the cover.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been shorter
Review: After reading the "The Traveling Vampire Show" by Richard Laymon I felt robbed. Three hundred and fifty pages of character development, with little story gusto. There's nothing wrong with character development if it was a novel but it's a horror book, which should mean more suspense and killings. If you read "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury that's all you need to read. This story is about a couple of kids who wreck the plans of an evil vampire who comes to their small town in a traveling vampire show. That's it. The story doesn't come alive until the last fifty pages of a four hundred page book.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Goes a Long Way
Review: In some novels the prose is a joy to read and great detail gives realism. In some novels, less is more. This is a novel that would certainly benefit from some severe editing. While it has a great premise and the plot line is also good; the unending descriptions of totally boring and useless action make you wish you could cut to the chase. Most readers probably do just that and go to the end to read the last page, and therefore end their suffering. The sexuall scenes come off as totally unnecessary explotation and are forced sounding. It is also one of the most blatent Stephen King (...) I have ever read.In short, it has been done better, by better writers, many other times.
Rating: 
Summary: One show that you shouldn't miss...
Review: Once again Richard Laymon has reinforced his undoubted talent as an excellent and imaginative story teller. " The Travelling Vampire Show " is essentially a " coming of age " story with some small elements of suspense throughout and a good slice of horror as the book nears it's climax. The main character (Dwight) a sixteen year old boy who is going through that transitional period of boyhood to manhood is someone with which I'm sure almost everyone can relate to. You can recognise and understand the wide range of emotions that he is feeling as different events unfold throughout the story. The two other main characters (Slim) a tomboy who is very independent and strong minded and (Rusty) Dwight's best friend who is immature and insecure are also instantly recognisable as people you can relate to. The plot is pretty straight-forward, a vampire show is coming to the small town they live in for one night only and the temptation to go and see it is irresistible, but the show is for adults only and the price of admission is way beyond what the three of them can afford. But one way or another they are determined to see the show and not miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thus begins the story of Dwight's, Slim's and Rusty's adventure which is one of nolstagia, romance, innocence, suspense, humour and horror which is sure to leave most people loving every step of the journey. One of the finest examples of a "coming of age" story you are ever likely to read. That is the highest compliment I can give to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: I just finished reading this book. My overall feeling for this novel is SLOPPY. There were some enjoyable scenes (the fight scenes with Valeria, Slim's character, a few others) but they did not redeem the overall story. The ending was very abrupt as if the author was headed to a long vacation and didn't want to be bothered with an unfinished novel. And what is the fixation on clothes and lack there of? I feel it should of been titled "CLOTHES"! The vampire aspect of this book was a small ingredient. I cannot recommend this book. This is my first and last of Richard Laymon.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry State
Review: If THIS drivel walked home with a Bram Stoker Award, then horror fiction is in an even sorrier state than I thought. Comparison to Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Dan Simmons' "Summer of Night", or Stephen King's "It" is insulting to these authors. At no point does Laymon evoke a real understanding of the time period he supposedly has this story set in. Neither does he effectively evoke the innocence-grappling-with-horror type of nostalgia so well done in the previously mentioned titles. Worst of all is being subjected to Laymon's annoying breast fixation every few pages. It serves no purpose and is distracting and annoying. You can almost hear the author's heavy breathing. I've noticed this little kink in other Laymon novels too. At any rate, he definitely is the Russ Meyer of horror lit! I've enjoyed a number of Laymon's short stories, however. I'd much rather read a collection of those.
Rating:
Summary: A "Show" of Originality
Review: The Traveling Vampire Show is an interesting novel to discuss and review. Not much occurs, as far as plot goes, for the first half of the novel. Instead, the author tries to create suspense with mysterious discoveries and flashbacks that have nothing to do with the main plot of the story. And, even though these subplots are quite scary, they do not exactly fit in with the rest of the novel. When the real action gets going, towards the end, the violence is heavy and the plot delivers all the scares a reader could want.
The main problem with the novel is that it is too far fetched to be believable. Characters' actions are not explained and sometimes they do extremely stupid things.
On the other hand, the author had a way of taking me back to my early teenage years, when little, insignificant things would scare me and my imagination would go wild. His descriptions are aided by colorful use of words, and devices such as similes, metaphors, and allusions that refer to different films and novels in the horror genre during the sixties.
Overall, this novel is fair. The author wrote it meaning to, first of all, scare the reader (he succeeds doing so, if you can look past the unrealistic aspects of the plot) and also to bring to mind those years of adolescence when everything was an adventure and there was always something sinister or suspenseful going on. I'd recommend this novel to a reader who enjoys vampire horror novels and, more importantly, is not too critical.
Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU'RE 12
Review: I bought this book on the advice of several of your reviews, but it is certainly not for the discriminating horror reader. It is juvenile and silly and the middle 100 pages could be eliminated by saying, "Dwight's horney". I could have cared less about Dwight and his hard-ons, or Lee and her ripped-off blouse.
The most interesting character, Bitsy, was not even given a hearing, much less a plot line. I can understand why Richard Laymon is more popular in Europe, where readers are less educated and far less well-read.
This writer would not stand up two seconds next to King or even Saul or Koontz.
If you're 12 and need some assistance with fanticization, buy this book. Everyone else forget Laymon. I'm sorry he died, but it may be for the best for the horror genre. Fort Wayne, Ind
Rating:
Summary: Laymon Still Lives On
Review: I hate to have to start this review as an obituary, but here it comes... I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of this great author on Feb. the 14th this year (1947-2001). His unique style reminds me of a young, yet perverse boy who never grew up. He wasn't afraid to depict the less savoury aspects of his characters who lived in a world filled with violence and EC- style justice. He lived in the shadow of Stephen King in his home country (USA), but sold reasonably well here in Australia and the UK. I don't know if you would consider this to be a flaw, but he seemed to shirk from depicting straight supernatural horror in in books. Maybe he realised that mankind is the true evil of this earth, I don't know. This book is well written with great characterisations and excellent "page-turning" prose. I strongly recommend it and I urge you to seek out as many of his other books as you can. Richard Laymon- Requiesant In Pace. (I hope I spelt that right.)
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