When I was but a wee lad, my family and I used to go on vacations. During these we never left the country, but we generally always left whatever state we resided in at the time. Since I was basically an only child, when it came to choosing touristy destinations, I was outnumbered. It’s not so much that they didn’t care what I wanted to do, it’s just that we have vastly different sensibilities. This is excruciatingly apparent in the realm of entertainment. I’m just not the sort of person who finds Civil War battlefields or pioneer museums all that exciting. The rock shops weren’t so bad, particularly if they had colorful stones or books about dinosaurs, but no child should be subjected to Silver Dollar City (located in Branson, Missouri) when they live in a country where Disneyland or Six Flags is available. Granted, if left up to me our vacations would have mostly consisted of nationwide tour of Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza restaurants, but it sure would’ve been a blast!

I’ve digressed, though. What I was working up to, in my own tortuously slow way is the subject of tourist traps. Not the grand, college fund draining types, but rather those of modest means in obscure locations. Roadside ice cream parlors, museums of no repute and guided tours of locations no one has ever heard of. As a child, these places were mysterious and usually disappointing. The people who ran them seemed either like retirees from the carnie circuit or formerly unemployable history majors. Just an all around creepy vibe.

The story in Midnight’s Lair, penned by the venerable Richard Laymon, reminded me of these places if they’d had a bit more cash. There’s a hotel and a main attraction: Mordock’s Cave. It’s a sprawling underground cavern filled with stalagtites and stalagmites and all that. Of course, this isn’t why anyone visits the cave. No, they go to this fine family-run ‘resort’ to indulge their morbid curiosity with the legend of Elizabeth Mordock’s ghost. Ely Mordock, the man who first set up camp here build a wall called Ely’s wall and.. well, if you want the whole spiel, that’s what the book is for, right?

That’s just the backstory, the real story is about what happens when a group of tourists get trapped in the cave with their guide (and our protagonist), Darcy. If you can imagine being trapped in a dark, damp subterranean cave with a group of strangers then I’m sure you can envision the sort of pandemonium that takes place here. As usual, Laymon also tells another story of what’s going on above those trapped below. He juggles the various storylines so well I end up practically forgetting the rest as I read any given one. The man is a masterful storyteller and Midnight’s Lair is no exception to the kind of work I’d come to expect from him, even though it was originally attributed to his pseudonym Richard Kelly.

If you have even the faintest familiarity with Laymon novels then you most likely assume this tale goes far beyond any typical ghost story. I’m pleased to inform you that if that was your assumption, you’re entirely correct. This book is gruesome, engaging and entirely perverted. I loved it! Instead of just grossing us out or painting out lurid sexual fantasies, Laymon seems to be making alot of social statements about his character’s personalities and substance as individuals. It’s always a delight to see who will survive a Laymon story, but Midnight’s Lair is particularly fun, most likely because there are so many characters involved.

Were I to sum up the overall style of the book, I’d call it a disaster-meets-psychos-who-are-connected-with-monsters. I guess I did just sum it up afterall. This is a perfectly blended concoction of horror that I’m pleased to award a 5 out of 5 to. It’s good stuff, Maynard.

Until next time, this is GlowStormLion, tunneling beneath the floorboards of the universe, gnawing at the ties that bind us one to another. I’m trying to say I’m seeking liberation from materialism. Honestly.

-- by GlowStormLion of http://www.happyhorror.com

Tags: Horror Fiction, richard laymon

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