Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Richard Laymon: In Memoriam

I'm a big Richard Laymon fan. I wish I could say I have always been a fan, but unfortunately I didn't discover his work until shortly before his death in early 2001. I stumbled across a copy of his novel In the Dark and was blown away. I then quickly found and read everything I could get my hands on; which was quite a bit.

Leisure Books is still publishing a couple older titles each year, but damn if I don't miss his new releases. He won the Bram Stoker award for The Traveling Vampire Show in 2001, and those first few titles I read hold a special place in my heart. A few of my favorites are: In the Dark, The Stake, Night Show, One Rainy Night, The Traveling Vampire Show, Night in the Lonesome October and Among The Missing.

Richard Laymon intoriduced me to horror--his work showed me how powerful, insightful, and just how damn fun the genre can be. Because of his work I found the work of Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Tom Piccirilli, and so many more. Thanks Mr. Laymon. Thank you for the work, the pleasure and everything else.

Brian Keene posted a touching essay about Richard Laymon, his career and his life. It got me to thinking, and is the reason I wrote this post. Go Here to read it.

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