Long before the film there was the written word. Long before we settled down in
front of video or now DVD players for our fright-fests, we would read tales of 
terror by candlelight.
For most, this has been lost, however there are still those that prefer the pages
to celluloid or even both and why not?
This section then is for you. To help you to search through the rubbish and find
stories worth your time to read. If you're an avid reader of horror novels then
why not join 'Castle Dracula' as an official 'staff member' reviewing them.
To do so, just click on the 'Join My Staff' link in the menu to the left for details
of this and other vacancies.

- Body Rides -
- Richard Laymon -

Having never read Richard Laymon before, I was pretty anxious to dig right into this 
seemingly delectable delight. Did the end result leave me disappointed, or a newly 
devoted fan waiting in line for his next book?
For starters, I must give Laymon credit for devising a pretty unique plot. It was 
a cool idea to have a bracelet where you can go body-hopping any time you want. The 
execution fell a little flat but overall the premise was worthy.
As the back blurb reads, 'Neal' gets sidetracked one night returning video tapes with 
a man torturing and murdering a gorgeous female. Putting on an act of bravery, he 
shoots the man, captures the woman, and saves the day. The ending should have him 
walking off with whistles and high fives shouldn't it?
Things go wrong when something else tragic happens, and soon 'Neal' ends up getting 
other people mixed up in his mess. Things go from bad to ugly to worse as he and his 
accomplices try to track down the man before he finds them first.
The plot is interesting in many ways, and the characters are likeable to a degree. 
Many of the scenes are tense and nail-biting, and there is a sense of "us against 
them" going down. However, a lot of emphasis is placed on sex. Now, while I usually 
don't mind that and enjoy sex in my books -- there was a bit too much here to where 
it took away from the plot. Tension scenes were broken up to remove pants, character 
interaction was a little muddled as someone else got horny yet again and things became 
a little too unrealistic and akin to soft porn. The novel started out at a quick enough 
pace but then slowed down considered as 'hormones replaced horror.' I am definitely 
not a prude when it comes to getting hot and sweaty, but when the lust begins to 
interfere with the story, and slowing down, making the pacing uneven and the characters 
more shallow, then I may just start complaining.
Thankfully Laymon is a Master at tension once things begin going strong and sturdy. 
At key moments the atmosphere was powerful and dynamic.
On the character side of things, 'Neal' is a great guy. This man would cry at a wedding, 
a funeral, a christening, an engagement. He has a true heart -- one big enough to 
swallow everyone else around him up. Sometimes this gets him in a bit of trouble, 
however, as some of the moves he does in order to be as sensitive as possible end up 
putting him in the face of danger.
'Sue' is a bubbly, giggly, and somewhat ignorant girl who eventually wore down on my 
last nerve. At first she was alright, but after a while her slang, accent, and unrealistic 
outlook soured me on her.
'Marta's' attitude was pretty accepting…a bit too much if you ask me. Sure, some women 
would behave as she did but not to her degree out of thin air. Because of this, I found 
her character unrealistic.
The deeds of the "bad guy" are certainly violent. At times his actions come across a 
little too extreme, almost like he's there for a little bit of shock factor.
In the long run, Laymon impressed me with his writing ability (he writes beautifully). 
He shelves out the tension scenes with an A plus attitude, develops some characters 
very well (while leaving a few others behind in the dirt), and injects a small amount 
of originality in his work.
But like a cheap condom, too much of a good thing can wear a bit too thin. This is 
what happened in "Body Rides." A nice editing would have trimmed it up the sides a bit, 
perhaps some more action and less on bedroom play, and more focus on what's important 
-- the story.
But what we have after awhile is a book a bit too long for what it's covering, a story 
that drags like sheets being pulled on the floor, and mushy (unrealistic) character 
interaction. It's not a complete lost cause, however; check it out if you worship Laymon, 
or, more than likely, if you’re just curious about all the sex scenes (almost an orgy 
too) pick this one up. 

Reviewed By Erin Williams.

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