Rating: 
Summary: Something very wicked this way comes.
Review: The saddest thing about The Traveling Vampire Show is that Richard Laymon's sudden death has robbed us all of the emotionally rich direction his writing was obviously going. Now for the book...A carnival show of sorts arrives in a small (southern?) town and promises a blood soaked show at a local field (one with a particularly gruesome past). A trio of curious teens decide to sneak a look, to see if TTVS is all that it promises to be. And so begins a day of cat and mouse, mysterious disappearances, and disturbing revelations about not only the Vampire Show but themselves as well. Laymon continually reminds us all that the human monster is far, far worse than any of the cotton candy nightmares we gobble up in books or stare at on the drive-in movie screen. Certainly Laymon's approach ... which is rooted in the pulp literary tradition (dig the nude catfight that climaxes the story)... but I feel this strengthens the novel's unique character. It also works best in its small moments of isolated creepiness and in the melacholic sexual tensions between Dwight and his female friend Slim. Laymon can certainly be found guilty of going over the top on more than one occassion, but he must be given serious literary points for having his narrator share the reader's obivous incredulity, and disgust, at how some of the day's events turn out for Dwight and his friends. My only complaint is that the book seemed to end too soon. I had fallen in love with the characters and wanted to spend some more time with them. Perhaps it is a tale Laymon did not get the chance to tell. Pity.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read!!!!
Review: I bought this book for the title alone, I'll admit. Never did I realize that it would become my favorite book of all time. Richard Laymon has a way with characters. The three teens in the book are completely believable. Simply put, I've never been more hooked on a novel than I was with The Traveling Vampire Show. I could not stop reading. I had to find out what happened to Dwight, Slim and Rusty. The only downside to the book was that I learned of Laymon's death while I was reading it, meaning that I will not be able to enjoy anything new from this amazing author. I'll be glad to re-read this book until the binding wears and the book falls apart. If you appreciate great characters, then you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling!
Review: I just finished The Traveling Vampire Show and I loved it. It had such tight, friendly people in it and they stuck together no matter what happened, and stuff happened! It turned out to be one night of horror and gore and they managed to stay together and come out alive, well most of them! Valeria was brutal and unrelenting and gave you a thrill which made you wonder why anyone would volunteer to get into that cage with her? This is a book that will keep you interested and one you can't put down. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste for a title
Review: I would strongly disagree with the publisher that this is a horror novel. Soft porn -- yes, Suspense -- yes. Horror -- NO! Laymon did have me reading nonstop to see what would happen, but ultimately most of the surprises were not -- they were very predictable. I did get way too much of a teenage boy's sexual escapades and frankly those moments that happened to the main character were so unlikely I skipped over them just to find the horror/scare that Publisher's Weekly had promised on the front cover of the paperback edition. It's too bad this title, premise and even cover art were wasted on this book. If you want a mindless read and don't want to be caught reading a romance novel, this book is for you. The only sleep you'll lose is actual reading time. There's nothing scary here!
Rating: 
Summary: Reading "The Traveling Vampire Show" is like . . .
Review: watching Jerry Springer. You know it's oversensationalized, can't happen in real life and can't get much lower, but somehow you just can't stop watching (or turning the pages in this case). The story has a comic book plot, a rehashed "vampire" character that could easily have been Vampirella by the way Laymon described her, and way too many references to a certain part of her anatomy, yet the oversexed, dysfunctional, and prone-to-violence teenagers in this story lend it a certain charm. I would have given this book one more star if it weren't for the fact that Frances and Dwight survived; had they died grisly deaths this mediocre exercise in pulp fiction would have been so much more enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: It ain't Something Wicked This Way Comes
Review: The back cover of the book faviorably compares this book to Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. That comparison is meaningless hype. Read the reviews listed here. Those who mention Bradbury's book do not like this book. Those who like this book do not mention Something Wicked.
Rating:
Summary: More than 5 stars!!!
Review: This book is incredible!!! I read it in two days, I couldn't put it down. This book is what good fiction should be. Richard Laymon is a incerdible story teller. This is the first book I've read by him, and plan to get the rest of his books. This book is about a traveling vampire show that comes to town. Dwight, Slim and Rusty want to go in the worse way. The problem is that you have to be 18, no exceptions. They get in and their lives are changed forever. All 3 of them prove what true friendship is. I can't say to much more on the plot, b/c I don't want to spoil anything. The char of Slim, Rusty, and Dwight are just incredible. The reader can't help but to care about them and what they do. As you read about them, you can't help but to feel as if you're growing up with them, they're your friends too. You care about them. This shows you how powerful of a story teller Laymon is. As good as the story is, it get's better when our trio enter the show...I was so wraped up in this book it was impossible to put down. The Literary world lost a talented writer when Richard Laymon died. I can't express on how talent Mr. Laymon was. I *highly* urge all of you that are reading this to go out and do yourself a favor and buy this book. I promise you won't be sorry. One last thing....if you see that a traveling vampire show is coming to your town....run as if your life depends on it...because it just might.
Rating: 
Summary: right up there with Summer of Night
Review: Up until now, nothing has come close to being as enjoyable to me as Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. The Traveling Vampire Show comes pretty close. The both share a similar theme: children of a bygone era facing an inexplicable evil. Granted, Summer of Night was more polished and was the better of the two, but this was a great read nonetheless. I just finished it tonight after a marathon reading session. I was checking around Amazon for Laymon's next book, only to be shocked and saddened to find out that he passed away from a heart attack in February. He is an author that I will truly miss. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner from beginning to end!
Review: I could not put this book down! I started reading it and was immediately pulled into the storyline. I felt as if I was right there in the middle of all the action! This book is a must have!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read, fron one of the greatest horror writers.
Review: This book is by far one of his best. The story is beautifully written and you get involved with the characters. The whole story leads you to the climatic ending you just can't wait to get to. I found it very hard to put this one down! If you love Laymon, you will absolutely find this one of his best, if you have never read anything by him before this is a great one to get your feet wet with. It's a shame we lost one of the greatest writers in horror today, but he lives on through his great books. This is a 5 star read!
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