The Halloween Mouse

by Richard Laymon, Alan M. Clark (Illustrator/Designer)

The Halloween Mouse is a wonderful adventure story for readers of all ages from the legendary Richard Laymon ! This oversized deluxe hardcover features amazing full-color artwork by Alan M. Clark throughout and is printed on glossy page stock.

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Fiction, Action, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.

He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).

Also published under the name Richard Kelly

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fine Halloween tale by Richard Laymon. Timothy, a mouse, decides to experience real adventures and leaves the safety of the library, his home. It's Halloween and all kind of interesting things are waiting for him. There is a snake, human trick or treaters and he wrongly perceives a cat as a kid in Halloween disguise.... will Timothy survive? Things get tight when he hides in the inside of a pumpkin and the cat is trying to come for him with its paw... This is the ideal Halloween read for adults and children. You can easily read the story aloud and there are pictures inside illustrating Timothy's adventures. I really enjoyed this unusual Laymon book and can really recommend reading it.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse leaves the library where he leaves looking for the adventures he used reading in books.
He's going to have a real good one this Halloween!

A very nice halloween fairy tale full of atmosphere, so different from usual Laymon's boobs-packed-gore-fests, and Alan M. Clarks illustrations are a great add to the book too.





A great Halloween read for kids and a very nice surprise for parents that are Richard Laymon's fans like me.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no better way than to spend Halloween then by reading Richard Laymon. As a bonus the book is beautifully illustrated by Alan M. Clark. The story is geared for all readers, but perhaps it can become the gateway book to get someone to begin reading Mr. Layman's adult fiction. This is a nice companion book to perhaps one of Layman's worst books published a year earlier titled "Once Upon A Halloween".

Years earlier (in 1992) Laymon published a book called "Allhallows Eve" originally published by Kinnell in the UK, then perhaps a year later by Headline. For some reason it was never published in the US, and is in my opinion on of Layman's better books.

[Kelsi - Slime and Slashers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story with some adorable illustrations. Short and simple but very appropriate for Halloween.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what an awesome Halloween adventure book. The story follows Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse and how he makes a decision to leave the library, where he lives, to travel out into the world and have his own adventure. The kind that he has read about in books. The Illustrations are beautiful and the story line is very unique. Perfect for the Halloween season. I would recommend this to the old and young alike.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Richard Laymon masterpiece. Although, all of his books keep my adrenaline flowing! I love the buildup that he does, right before the ultimate climax! Wow! I am addicted!

[Adam Cleaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I know this is a very short kids story, but its nothing special, and I think Laymon was right to stick to adult fiction.
The best part of this book are the pictures, but these were by Alan Clark, so the 2 stars go to him really.
I can't really 'review' the story, as its super simple and is just a mouse running away from a snake and a cat. It would be like reviewing a 'Pepper Pig' book, or the like.
Overall, was ok, but not at all worth the asking price these days for this hard to get Laymon title.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm usually not one for childrens' books, but THE HALLOWEEN MOUSE made me smile. I'd definitely buy it for my kids, if I had any. The artwork is great, and it's fun to see Richard Laymon writing outside his usual wheelhouse.

[Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and a great tale (pun intended).

[Daniel Cork · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Laymon is by far one of the best authors to have written for the splatterpunk genre, his books are always incredibly fast-paced, but violent and brutal whilst being fun at the same time. When I found out he had written two young adult novels and a children's book, I was shocked, to say the least, but intrigued at the same time so I wanted to give them a go. So here I am with The Halloween Mouse!

Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse lives in the Elmwood library, he's a clever little thing who loves his adventure stories. But he wants an adventure himself. One night, on Halloween he decides to have his adventure but it turns out to be a lot more terrifying than he bargained for.

This is a really sweet children's book that honestly made me smile, Richard Laymon has written a cute little tale here of a mouse wanting to explore the outside world and have an adventure of its own. It's nothing amazing, but it's fun and the illustrations provided by Alan M. Clark are exceptional.

Overall: It's a fun little story with some beautiful illustrations and proves that Richard Laymon is far more than just a horror writer. 7/10

[Elusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'The Halloween Mouse', Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse gazes out the library's window and longs to be outside. Soon he gathers the courage to head into the unknown.

Timothy's series of adventures was light-hearted and entertaining. His unfamiliarity with numerous things, his rich imagination and the challenges that came his way were accompanied by illustrations. I especially liked the ones in which he was clad in different outfits.

Overall, 'The Halloween Mouse' was a quick and fun read with a touch of realism.

[Nina constantreaderbeware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. If you've read any other book by Richard Laymon, just expect about the opposite of what he usually wrote.
Short story with illustrations.
The book is about a mouse who lives in the library. He reads many books and reads about lots of adventures. The mouse has never left the library, but one day he wants to go on his own adventure. He leaves the library and goes outside for the first time...on Halloween.
Won't say more, because that would be spoilers.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little short children's Halloween story. Very unlike Laymon!

[Amy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and terrifying adventure of a mouse made for children. Definitely a book I will read to my child one day.

[HAL Purpleunicorn Monostone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cut little short book about a mouse on an adventure. Will he survive the dangers of halloween.
Funny story for children of every age. Fantastic art by Clark.

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Halloween Mouse is a Halloween children's story by Richard Laymon, that was released after his death. I would assume it was one of the last pieces that he was working on. In that context, along with the fact that it is a children's story, made it an interesting read, for me.

It’s a story of a mouse that lives in the library, and he reads about all these fascinating adventures in the books. the mouse decides that he wants an adventure for himself, but he is too scared to leave the library. But, the mouse finally finds a day that is perfect for him to leave, and it just happens to be on Halloween. The story tells of his adventurous day, and what befalls the mouse.

Usually, with most children's stories, the first descriptive term is "cute". Now, this story does have the "cute" feature, but, it's strong point is, that it’s a well written story. And it also has some length to the story. Laymon takes the care to describe and flesh out his story, instead of just having a paragraph a page, like most children's books do. He did a real good job with the story.

Now this is also an illustrated book, and Alan Clark is the illustrator. It is beautifully illustrated, and makes for a great one-two punch of story and art. I found this to be a very successful children's book; I liked it!

[Monster]

Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse lives in the library, reading about fantastic adventures. One Halloween night, Timothy gathers his courage to leave the library to go on an adventure. After escaping a run in with a snake thanks to a piece of candy corn. Timothy dreams of going trick or treating but must first survive an encounter with the neighborhood cat involving a jack-o-lantern. In the end, far away from his cozy home in the library, Timothy discovers that having adventures is even better than reading about them. Alan Clark's illustrations are detailed and colorful, and the book is a visual treat. Richard Laymon has created an engaging (if lengthy)story. Although the dialogue is awkward, Laymon's inventive description and great action sequences will grab the reader. Laymon is writing as much for adults as he is for children: some vocabulary and most literary references will go right over children's heads, but will add an extra dimension of meaning for the adult reader. A very cute Halloween picture book. This book could be shared with patient primary grade readers as a read-aloud or with intermediate readers either as a read-aloud or as independent reading.

[Phil Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A children'sw story about a mouse that lives in a library. He reads books all day and decides that he wishes to have an adventure of his own.

He happens to pick Halloween as the day to go on his adventure.

A fun tale that is completely different from Laymon's usual fare.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute book for children