The Staircase in the Woods
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4.1 • 89 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.
“Chuck Wendig weaves his magic once more, turning a lonely staircase in the woods into a searing, propulsive, dread-filled exploration of the horrors of knowing and being known.”—Kiersten White, author of Hide and Lucy Undying
ONE OF VULTURE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.
Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere.
One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.
Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This by-the-numbers horror outing from Wendig (Black River Orchard) introduces a group of five misfit friends who, as bullied and traumatized kids, formed The Covenant, a promise to protect one another. This vow was broken when, on a camping trip, their friend Matty vanished at the top of a mysterious staircase they found in the forest. Decades later, the staircase reappears, offering the group the chance to find Matty and make things right—but there's a gruesome puzzle waiting at the top of the stairs to be solved first. Unfortunately for readers, the solution to this puzzle lies at the end of an overlong pastiche of horror fiction clichés and abundant asides about geek culture that grow tiresome (at one point, one of the terrified protagonists takes a break from the action to recount the plot of the Legend of Zelda). Wendig tries to eke a captivating mystery out of these elements, but the narrative is weighed down by clumsy attempts to shock and the characters aren't fleshed out enough to carry the plot. Particularly underdeveloped is the one nonbinary character, Lore, who feels tokenized by the narrative. This disappoints.
Customer Reviews
Scary and terrifying
Thank you for the opportunity to preview The staircase in the woods. Chuck Wendig is a master storyteller and horror and horror is his passion. It truly shows in his work and this book will scare you for sure!
A group of young high schoolers find their way into the woods. They find themselves seeing something they are not sure they believe they are seeing. A staircase.
One of them disappeared this day and the group is shaken to the core.
But what comes next haunts them all and what comes next will change their lives forever. Literally! What a book. Scary and terrifying. Another great read. Wendig is on his game in his new book.
4 stars
Slow Going and no concrete ending
This book was very well written, but it didn’t grab me the way a thriller mystery would, and therefore took three or four days to read. I was very upset about the ending and wish I had never started the book.
Loved it!
Very creative and interesting plot. I really enjoyed it. However, I do wish there was more to the end…lol