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    The Traveling Vampire Show
    The Traveling Vampire Show
    The Traveling Vampire Show
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Traveling Vampire Show

    Written by Richard Laymon

    Narrated by Bob Barnes

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When the one-night-only Traveling Vampire Show arrives in town, promising the only living vampire in captivity, beautiful Valeria, three local teenagers venture where they do not belong, and discover much more than they bargained for.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJun 28, 2016
    ISBN9781531824181
    The Traveling Vampire Show
    Author

    Richard Laymon

    A former President of the Horror Writers Association, Laymon has written over thirty novels, more than sixty-five literary short stories (which were published in Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier), poetry, crime fiction, two suspense novels, a Western, and two romance novels. Until recently, his books were unavailable in the US for more than twenty years. His novel Flesh was named Best Horror Novel of 1988 by Science Fiction Chronicle, and both Flesh and Funland were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. He won this award posthumously in 2001 for The Traveling Vampire Show. Richard Laymon died in 2001 of a heart attack.

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    Reviews for The Traveling Vampire Show

    3.5/5

    250 ratings24 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I have read a number of his books and they are great except for 1 thing. He seems to be stuck in a POV that is preadolescent boy that is terribly ignorant and has ridiculous male centric porn fantasies when it comes to women. Every book I have read by him goes way over the top int the wrong way when it comes to sexual content and women. It jars me right out of the story and ruins what otherwise would have been a great book.
    • 3/5
      Story was awesome but the constant horniness of the main character was ridiculous and took away some of the enjoyment of the plot
    • 1/5
      That was 11 hours I'll never get back..! There's literally about 10 hours of BS.. Just hanging out with a few teenagers. Getting to know their characters. Which of whom 2 were absolutely unbearable..! I couldn't wait for Rusty and his sister to DIE..! This was terrible in my opinion and I wish I would have just stopped listening but I kept thinking, I've wasted this much time, I may as well see how it ends.. ?
    • 4/5
      On Saturday I saw the film "Cirque de Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," in which a young boy goes to a shady travelling carnival, meets up with vampires and has his entire life changed. The movie was pretty good, and incidentally, I totally bought John C. Reilly as a vampire. Overall it was a great flick for me to enjoy with my vampire loving 12-year-old. When I think about stories involving travelling vampire shows for myself, I've got to admit, my personal favourite is definitely Richard Laymon's The Travelling Vampire Show.The Story itself focuses on three young kids, Dwight - our narrator, Slim - his tomboy love-interest, and Rusty - his best friend. The novel is set in 1963 and has a very nostalgic vibe throughout. Basically the three teens hear about this upcoming show, try to sneak an early peak with unfortunate results, and the show itself, featuring a very sexual vampire called Valeria, ends up being the climax of the book. The whole books balances expertly between a nostalgic look at being 16 and a horrific look at the actions surrounding the show - the violence is pretty extreme. I guess this may not be your grandmothers travelling vampire show book.Richard Laymon died at age 54 of a heart attack in 2001. His works, although critically praised here (both Stephen King and Dean Koontz were fans), were most popular in Europe. I haven't read anything else by him yet, but this novel, along with David Morrell's Creepers, was one of the best unheard of titles I found while reading the Bram Stoker Awards.
    • 3/5
      I've read a few of his books and only 5 of them are actually good. This is his second best
    • 4/5
      Wow! After reading THE STAKE by Laymon, I was anxious to read another book and see if they are all as good as that one. They are! This is another fantastic story that involves real characters living life with all its little problems. The adventure begins in the early 1960s when three teenagers decide to try to see a traveling vampire show. The story starts off slow enough but quickly builds in to a suspenseful page turner. Without giving anything away, I can safely say that Laymon is a master at making a tense and scary moment out of nothing. Both of these novels hold off on any "true" supernatural causes until the last scene of the book. Definitely don't miss this novel!
    • 3/5
      2.5/5 stars!

      As I was listening to this, I came to realize that I've read it before. A few things, like the name Julian Striker and one of the character's sisters rang a bell with me. Other than that, because I have a mind like a steel sieve, the rest of the story seemed new, so I went with it. Now that's it over, I am glad that I read it while at the same time I wish I ditched it. As you can see, I'm torn.

      What I liked: The beginning. The coming of age portion-kids walking around and learning about the town, popping into each of their houses...these things I enjoyed. Unfortunately, they were a very small portion of the book. I did enjoy the narrator, though the quality of the recording itself didn't seem as good as others I've listened to recently.

      What I didn't like: The sexy-times coming of age portions. One or two would have been fine, but at times, it seemed like the majority of the book was talking about hard-ons and breasts. Especially breasts. Every single woman in this book had time dedicated to her breasts. I mean, I HAVE breasts. I LIKE them. But J.H.C.- enough already!

      What I didn't like (continued): This entire book took place in one day, which was fine. However, it seemed like out of 404 pages, 325 were taken up just getting TO THE SHOW. Lastly, once they got there the situation spiraled out of control and became completely unbelievable. There's just....no way. I understand I'm reading a book about vampires, but believe me when I say there are believable stories about them and this one isn't it. (Kelli Owen's TEETH perhaps, or Yvonne Navarro's AFTERAGE for example.) I can disregard the realism factor if the book is intriguing or interesting in other areas. This one is not.

      I rated THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW 2.5 stars, (rounded up to 3), because I do feel it is representative of horror being written at that time, (2000-2001), and in a way, it is often thought of as a classic. I wanted to rate it higher than that, but I'm sorry to say that this tale didn't earn it.

      I can't say that I recommend this, but I AM glad that I finally read it, (or re-read it, as the case may be), because I would forever be wondering about it, if I hadn't.

      I bought this audiobook with my hard earned cash.
    • 2/5
      I have read a few of Richard Laymon's books. Although the horny teen boys grow tiresome, his books are always a crazy ride. I had heard this called one of his best, so I decided to try it. This book was not what I expected. I found myself getting bored with the lack of action, and lack of anything really scary. In fact, the last 10% of the book was the only interesting part for me. This was a disappointment.
    • 3/5
      Rusty, Slim, and Dwight are paling around and see a flyer for a Traveling Vampire Show. And then it takes almost 400 pages till they even get to the show!THEN, all hell breaks loose! The book turns into a bloody, violent, free-for-all with some T&A thrown in to boot! It's like two different books! The first 400+ pages is like the Brady Bunch, the last 125+ are just pandemonium! I will say that the first 400 set it all up, but it takes it's sweet time to get to the "good stuff"!I don't want to say that the first 400 pages are boring, they just are a bit over descriptive! Like the length it takes to describe a character changing his shirt, or cleaning up after a spill, is just too long. A half of that 400 would have worked just as well, in my opinion. Still, the ending is pretty sweet!“I just want to say, if you ever get word that a Traveling Vampire Show is coming to your town, stay away from it. For God’s sake."
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this one. after reading quite a few of laymons books I realised that theres no happy endings. Not sure where to move on from here
    • 5/5
      Very remniscent of Ray Bradbury. I liked the characters and it was very well written. The travelling vampire show comes to town for one showing at midnight, adults only. Three teenagers are desperate to get in and see the show until one of them gets an unintended preshow.
    • 2/5
      This was my first book by Laymon - apparently he's much more famous in the UK, etc... than in the US.

      It's a tense, well-written piece of horror fiction.

      Plotwise, it's like a combination of Pet Sematary and Stand By Me, with a vampire carny thrown into the mix. (The more I think about it, the more parallels there are with both classics).

      Three teens decide to sneak into an advertised 'vampire show' that's in town, which is to take place in a field with a bad reputation. When they go to check out the location, they find themselves treed by a rabid dog... and the day only gets worse from there, as they suspect that the sinister members of the show are stalking them...

      Most of the book deals with the complex relationships between the teens - (the endlessly horny narrator, Dwight; Slim, a tough girl who's a survivor of abuse, and fat, untrustworthy but likable Rusty.... all of them may hold some dark secrets themselves....)
      However, the ending is a sex-and-violence filled showdown that doesn't disappoint...
    • 4/5
      I had to think about the book a little before writing this review. I went into it expecting full-on horror, which it wasn't. The majority of the book felt more like a coming of age tale with some horror mixed in, particularly towards the end. That said, after I got over the lack of horror, I realized I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I could relate to the kids in the book. They didn't have cell phones and game consoles crowding their lives, and neither did I when I was a kid. The coming of age arc was told in a realistic manner. I think any fan of horror would like this book, just be prepared that there isn't as much actual horror aspect as you might expect.
    • 5/5
      This is, by far, Laymon's best work. I have read EVERYTHING the man ever wrote before he died in 2001. Next to Stephen King, no one has played a bigger role in molding me into the writer I have become. Laymon is not for everyone. He's a minimalist, never verbose, and can drum up a shock a minute while still developing characters. He has a penchant for borderline porn. If you're a prude, do not pick Laymon up. If blood and gore aren't your thing, STAY AWAY!

      What I love about The Traveling Vampire Show, has nothing to do with vampires. Because, in fact, the book doesn't have any vampires in it until the last couple pages. Not being a fan of vampires, but a fanatic of Laymons, I decided to read this anyway.

      This book is about the kids Laymon draws so well. Period. Their youthful adventures rival that of any youngsters King has EVER written about. I will forever be a fan of Richard Laymon because of this book. Even when he's bad, he's still rather good.

      ***** 5 Stars

      E.
    • 5/5
      Laymon is not great literature, not even good literature but he writes more frightening stories than anyone else including Koontz and King. I read something like 10 or more books in a row, without a break. I couldn't stop. His works virtually forces me to turn pages as fast as I can. He may be the only author I've read who can maintain intense suspense for an entire book. I never feel like I'm having to wade through filler to get to the next scary part.Anyway, I must say this is one of his best although not his most frightening. Not as trashy as some of his (and they DO get trashy) yet perhaps a little better at sure storytelling. Don't get me wrong. I never got bored
    • 2/5
      O what a disappointment. The start was okay but then there were at least 2 chapters spend on how the main character is lusting for his teenage friend. I like a bit of sex in the books i read but it was so much it made me annoyed. Then i kept on reading but the end was so ridiculous. WTH! I've definitely read much better book by this author and I do not understand this book won the Bram Stoker award. Must have been a bad year. I did like the start and I do enjoy his writing.
    • 2/5
      During an Indian Summer of '63, 3 teenagers decide to sneak out to see a Vampire show meant only for adults. Laymon gives a blow-by-blow account of the three best-buds and their scary adventures leading to it. Despite a loose story-line, and a drawn out narration that details every little step and turn that they make, (have no idea how these kids walk so much in one day and still be standing, much less running at the end of the day), the book just manages to hold you in. My only gripe is the burgeoning hormones of these teenagers and fantasies tend to be tiresome once too often, and the ending is not one of his better ones. Ok to pass the time tho.
    • 2/5
      I did not really like this book - the storytelling is good but the story is not - the author mostly seemed to be telling the story of a horny teen coming of age near his female best friend. He can't wait to see the vampiress 'cause she's supposedly hot!!!
    • 3/5
      This was actually better than some of Laymon's other work. The "vampire" show was creepy, the characters engaging, and the sex was almost appropriate. A lot of fun to read and quickly paced.
    • 2/5
      The narrator spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about whether he will or won't see someone's tits, and then whether he does or doesn't feel guilty about wanting to see them. The amount of constant and unwavering hemming and hawing he does over things that make him feel guilty, or angry, or sad, or fearful, or really any emotion, adds a good 200 pages to the story. Much of these reflections are at length, and serve to remind the reader of something that happened thirty pages ago. The amount of times the narrator rakes himself over the coals for breaking a vase on accident while stopping his hornballs friend from sniffing their other friend's mom's panties; the amount of times this whole incident is brought up without any further development or reflection is unreal and mind-boggling. It's like Laymon said to himself, "I'm going to try out this stream-of-consciousness that everyone's talking about" and then handed the pen over to his characters while he went to sip lemonade or buy groceries.The story itself, about three friends and their varying degrees of personal and sexual maturity, is the perfect story for Laymon, as it finally gives a sensible context for his obsessions with leering at sexual crimes and championing romantic purity. To wit, the teenaged main character's internal conflict over wanting to have sex with everything clashing against his desire to fit in with society is carried a long way by Laymon's constant descriptions of what any given female character's breasts are doing at the moment, much the internal monologue of any breast-obsessive teenager. Significant opportunities are missed to examine these feelings in any meaningful way, but at least they finally exist as something more than mild pornography.As with most Laymons, the book drones on and on until it reaches The Big Reveal, which is always bloody, rushed and fails to give any kind of suitable resolution to the stuff he'd spent the first hundreds of pages droning on about. This one is particularly disappointing because it doesn't address any of the interesting dovetails between Laymonic obsessions and his characters, instead wasting our time with a Sexual Preverts Never Prosper moral twist. Given that he'd finally found a platform for all of the things he was interested in, it's disappointing to see Laymon then proceed to steamroll it out of sheer laziness.
    • 4/5
      I read this some time ago but it remains one of my favorites even now. The characters are interesting and the story is different.
    • 4/5
      This was a realy good book. I was looknig for a vampire book, and while the word "vampire" appears in the title, there's really no vampires in the book. Well, in teh last ten pages there's a possible vampire. It's a coming of age story set in the 60's. Lots of gore, lots of sex stuff, and it's a really quick read.
    • 4/5
      a fast paced twisted tale that keeps the reader guessing whats going to happen next. Dont expect the typical happy go lucky ending where all the characters are left better for what they have been through. By far my favorite Laymon work.
    • 3/5
      It was a good story, I liked Layman's Writing, and I think if there were others about Vampires I would read those too. I liked the characters, and the story line, but it just wasn't as good overall as some of the other stuff that I read.