To Wake the Dead (original 2003; edition 2003)

Something a little different from Richard Laymon... As a matter of fact, as I worked my way through the first 50 pages or so, I actually wondered if the book was even written by Laymon (especially since the novel was published a year after Laymon's death in 2001). It didn't take long after that point in the book to put those thoughts to rest as it took off in classic Laymon style (i.e., gore, violence, sex, great characterization, and a non-stop, action-filled plot).

The story revolves around the Egyptian mummy, Amara, and suspicious murders that begin to take place in the museum that houses her body. When police find Amara's coffin lid open, the body missing, and strange markings and hair fragments on the dead body of a nightwatchman, the mystery begins to take shape. When another set of murders take place with the same MO, police and museum officials begin to question whether supernatural forces might be at work. Surely there couldn't be any connection between the deaths and the thousand-year old mummy, could there?

Laymon does a great job providing the reader with a number of diverse subplots and interesting characters that all come together in the end. Of the twenty or so Laymon novels that I've read, "To Wake the Dead" may have the most complex plot because of all of those sidebars. Because of this and the great cast of characters in TWTD, the book now ranks in my top 10 of favorite Laymon stories. Yes, it's a little different than some of his other works, but I would feel confident in saying that most of Laymon's fans will really enjoy this book. NOTE: A later publication of the book is entitled "Amara". ( )

This book took about four days to read, not really because it was a good book but it took my mind off recent events. It was recommended to me by a girl I went to school with after my review on the last Stephen King novel I read.

The basis of this story is an age-old tale about the cursed mummies walking the earth after thousands of years and wreeking their vengeance. The main plot was good, but it was the side stories that (finally) joined up at the end that had me confused and wondering if the book had been a misprint of more than one.

His story telling and descriptive nature is very good, much like King especially around the gore and splatter, but what is his fascination with gratuitous (and sometime sado-masochistic) sex? Not that I mind sex myself, but it seemed somewhat 80s in its mix of horror and rumpy-pumpy. And if he can paint a picture on slash, he certainly has done his homework on the finer points of blowjobs!

Not bad, but not great. However in the interest of giving the guy a fair go, and because he was referred, I will get out another of his novels to see if it was just a bad’un. ( )

I enjoyed this book. The storytelling was graphic but not overdone. ( )

I love Laymon, there is not much he is not afraid to write. It’s always a dark ride with his books. ( )

I read this book in about 6 hours. The tension is built very well. Like most of Laymon's novels it is a very, very fun read. ( )