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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780843948509
ISBN number: 0843948507
Label: Leisure Books
Manufacturer: Leisure Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: 2001-03
Publishing house: Leisure Books
Sale Popularity Level: 54377
Studio: Leisure Books
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Rated by buyers 
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Despite its title this book is not about vampires. It's about three 16 year old friends and their fascination with visiting the upcoming vampire show. It has moments of gore but mainly it's a coming of age tale focusing on these young kids. The lusty thoughts which I've come to expect from a Laymon book, and which usually crack me up for their out of place silliness, fit these characters and added to the tension of the book. The book takes place in the 60's when drive-ins were much more commonplace and the whole book has the feel of a good scary drive-in movie. It begins when these three hike out to an abandoned field (and reputed to be the dumping ground of a serial killer) hoping to get a glimpse of the vampire before the crowds arrive. Instead they have a bad run-in with a mangy, possibly rabid dog and one of the kids witnesses something she shouldn't and then weird things begin to happen and they suspect they're being taunted by the vampire folks. It's not until the very end of the book that the all out blood bath begins (and we learn some ugly things about some of our characters) but the tension leading up to it and the nice character study held my attention throughout it's 300+ pages. To date, this has been my favorite of all of the Laymon novels I've read.
Rated by buyers 
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I had relatively low expectations going into The Traveling Vampire Show. It would have been nice to read another Salem's Lot or Summer of Night (Aspect Fantasy), but I was just hoping for a fun vampire story. Unfortunately, this book failed in that respect. It reads like it was written by a distracted high schooler, and is easily the worst book I've read in quite some time.
The paper-thin characters, inane dialogue, and total lack of character development keep if from being an effective coming of age story. The fact that 99.9% of the book is vampire-free keeps it from being an effective horror story. What it has is sex, and lots of it. It's almost as if the author wrote opening and closing chapters that (vaguely) deal with the vampire story, and filled in the middle with excerpts from Penthouse Forum. I wouldn't mind so much if there was an actual story going on, but the main characters spend the vast majority of the story walking around worrying about things. If that weren't enough, there are unresolved plot elements galore and an ending so utterly unsatisfying and devoid of meaning that you wonder how it ever got published in the very first place.
Rated by buyers -
There's plenty in this book that makes you a bit uncomfortable. It's not for the faint of heart, and not just because of the gore or vampire aspect. There's a lot going on in these kids' lives, not all of it pleasant. So consider that a warning to those easily disturbed.
The story is told with a series of flashbacks interrupting it. This may seem like it's an annoying way to tell a story, and were it not for the exceptional writing it may have been. But the flashbacks work and give you a pretty deep understanding of the characters, which enhances the story. There are the usual blue herrings and plot twists, and the story does not have a universally happy ending. There's a gritty, seedy underbelly to this story that is very compelling, taking it a notch above your average horror story. For those of you who enjoy horror stories and don't mind some pretty disturbing side-story, this is the book for you.
Highly recommended, as well as his other books I have read (especially The Stake, if you can get your hands on a copy).
Rated by buyers 
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Bought this one based on many of the positive reviews here. This was my very first Laymon book. I disagree with many of the reviews. I don't think this is great read and it sure takes awhile to get going. It takes about 300 pages to get to the meat of the book and the vampire show itself. If you are looking for a vampire book, look elsewhere. I suggest "13 Bullets" by David Wellington. If you are looking for a coming of age book, this would be ok though I must warn you, there are some uncomfortable sexual things going on here. Probably too many sexual references.
The very first 300 or so pages deal with three teenage friends, two boys and a girl, trying to figure out a way to get to this carnival-like, adults only traveling vampire show. It advertises a real, female vampire and that's just too much for the teenage boys to resist. There were some frustrating moments for me where the kids would argue or go back and forth on a decision for pages. Seemed like the author was just rambling. I would have given the book only two stars but the last 100 pages or so were pretty good and raised it up a notch. Call it a 2.5.
One other comment I have. Throughout the book there were references to things that never get resolved. I can think of about three or four. You are left wondering why did he even put them in the book or where was he going with that.
Rated by buyers -
I didn't have high hopes for this book after having read the Beasthouse Series, which although not bad, was fairly bland for my tastes. I was pleasantly surprised by this story, which was far more heartfelt and character driven. The entire story takes place in less than 24 hours, though a few flashbacks add into the depth of the tale. The story revolves around 3 friends - Dwight (who is the voice of the book), Rusty, and Slim (who changes her name depending on her favorite book at the moment). Much of the book is a coming of age story about the three of them, coming to grips with the changing of their friendships, the discovery of sexuality, and the brutality of the world.
Although the "Traveling Vampire Show" comes up right in the beginning, we don't actually get to it until the last 50 pages or so of the book. Up until that point the teens are dealing with rabid dogs, strange intruders, bickering amongst each other, and plotting to get into the 18 and up Vampire show without their parents discovering the plan. Of course in typical Laymon fashion the ending is filled with violence and no-one is safe from death in his books. I don't think this book is a world changing piece of literature, but it is a very entertaining read.
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