Richard Laymon, Midnight's Lair

Richard Laymon ' s 1988 tale ' Midnight ' s Lair ' was his 28th full length novel to be published.

The tale concerns a group of thirty sightseers who take an organised tour around an underground cavern named Mordock ' s Cave. During their guided tour, the power fails due to a fire breaking out within the hotel that is located directly above the cavern. The cave is submerged into total darkness, with the tourists left stranded underground. Soon the storyline takes a turn for the more macabre, with gore-fuled horror waiting for these prone individuals.

The story starts off in the style of a character driven disaster tale, until before long the storyline takes a swerve towards a much more grotesque and horrifying scenario. As with the vast majority of Laymon ' s novels, ' Midnight ' s Lair ' involves two main storylines that run parallel to each other. As the plot continues, the storylines merge, bringing with them a truly horrifying reality.

The tale has many similarities to Neil Marshall ' s 2005 horror flick ' The Descent ' . Obviously Laymon ' s novel predates this film but quite some time. To be honest, I wouldn ' t be surprised if ' Midnight ' s Lair ' wasn ' t the original inspiration for the film.

Written with Laymon ' s usual fast-paced, action packed, no holds bared style of writing, you ' ll find the novel difficult to put down at any point, with the next horrifying event just around the next corner.

The plot builds well, with regular references to past events that create a well constructed and cleverly developed story. Laymon uses multiple subplots throughout the tale, often revolving around individual characters that are amongst those trapped within the cave. This was achieved with detailed and beautifully developed characterisation that really draws the reader into the plot.

With the storyline drawing to a conclusion, Laymon throws in some all out splatterpunk that gives Shaun Hutson or even James Herbert a run for their money. The grand finale to ' Midnight ' s Lair ' really shows the bottomless depths to Laymon ' s dark and twisted imagination.

This is 253 pages of pure splatterpunk heaven, delivering classic Laymon horror with a no holds barred approach and a reflection of his truly twisted imagination. Absolutely great stuff!

Richard Laymon, Midnights Lair Review - The scenery, the word usage, the story itself is quite a mystery and such a wonderful thriller for readers looking for an adventurous, scornful/erotic venture, mixed.