The Staircase in the Woods
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 (SO FAR)
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. . . .
“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 (SO FAR)
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. . . .
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Community Reviews
Wow, this had me hooked from page one. Creepy, tense, well thought out, and hard to put down!
The Staircase in the Woods is a gripping tale that kept me hooked. It follows a dual timeline about five friends on a camping trip, where only four returned after encountering a mysterious staircase. Twenty years later, the remaining friends reunite to find their missing companion. The book is reminiscent of It, yet it stands out with its eerie atmosphere and vivid details. Themes of friendship, abandonment, and guilt are explored brilliantly. The tension and sense of danger throughout made it hard to put down, and the ending was unforgettable.
The Staircase in the Woods is a gripping tale that kept me hooked. It follows a dual timeline about five friends on a camping trip, where only four returned after encountering a mysterious staircase. Twenty years later, the remaining friends reunite to find their missing companion. The book is reminiscent of It, yet it stands out with its eerie atmosphere and vivid details. Themes of friendship, abandonment, and guilt are explored brilliantly. The tension and sense of danger throughout made it hard to put down, and the ending was unforgettable.
This is the "Haunted House" book you didn't realize you needed.
There are a few ⚠ TW to be aware of before you start.
-Self Harm
-Mental Health
-Mentions (non-descriptive) of child abuse/SA
-Violence
-Gore
-Murder
-Drub Abuse
OK, now that that's out of the way, I will try to keep this as short and simple as possible.
4 ⭐ Rounding up for GoodReads
The heart of the story is about friendship and bonds and personal growth. Almost, a coming-of-age deal.
While the meaty bits all around are filled with tragedy, grief, regret, pain, and violence. And this is all wrapped in a layer of mystery.
Making you question your morals and loyalty the whole time. How far would you go for a friend? What lengths would you go to to right a past wrong? When is enough enough?
✅Pros:
Short chapters. Much appreciated with longer books
This novel was SPOOKY. Like, seriously. Gave you all the good creepy feels. 😱
I absolutely loved the Friendship-House parallels. Very thought-provoking. 🤔
And Chapter 74! 😮The birthing of the house. Sorry, I can't say more. No spoilers. But, wow.
This book is PERFECT for film adaptation. I mean, Perfect! I will petition for it and raise funds for it. This needs to happen!
Don't know if this is a Pro or Con, but it almost felt too long, while at the same time not long enough. If that makes sense.
❎Cons:
My Biggest one is the repetitive use of the phrase "Yeah, yeah. Ok" And every variation. Past the point of annoying and right to aggravating.😡
I haven't decided if the ending should be on the Cons list... I can't come to terms with my feelings on it. I have questions.
👍I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Horror Fantasy.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you... There's a twist 😲
3.5 rounded up. I enjoyed this, but I definitely agree with others that a lot of this has been done before. Strong IT vibes and a little bit of House of Leaves. It did have some super creepy moments though.
Creepy staircase just randomly appears in the woods? I’m here for it!! 🙌
A little slow to start as we got to know the characters, but then it took off and I was hooked!!! Highly recommend, my book peeps! 👏
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey Books, and Chuck Wendig for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️
Chuck Wendig is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. It seems like he knows just the right thing to write about to really make me dive in and keep reading. His latest, The Staircase in the Woods, is part old Stephen King group of kids coming up story and part liminal spaces nightmare.
The book centers around a group of friends who have a "Covenant" where they will always have the back of the other members of the group. This covenant shows up when one member is getting bullied, someone needs help passing a grade, and even doing yardwork when you weren't able to make it to an event. These friends are with each other through thick and thin...until they aren't. A friend goes missing after walking up a flight of stairs randomly in the woods and it shakes them to the core. The covenant is all but dissolved as the events spiral out of control as well as the life of each covenant member. Each person goes their own way in life and eventually they all lose touch. That is, until one covenant member reaches out years later with a lead on their missing friend and invokes the covenant to get the others to come help him search. Even after the decades since the event, the friends drop everything and meet back up to find out why happened to their friend while putting themselves in incredible danger of the supernatural variety.
The book was a great read and I highly recommend it to others who enjoy dark supernatural thrillers. Bonus points if you enjoy things like the backrooms or other liminal spaces. One thing to caution, there is some dark stuff in here. Suicide, child abuse, murder...it's all there and covered pretty in depth. This book really goes into some dark areas and it's all the better for it, but just know what you're getting into.
All in all, glad I picked this one up and I plan to read more of Wendig in the future.
Thanks to Random House Worlds | Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The book centers around a group of friends who have a "Covenant" where they will always have the back of the other members of the group. This covenant shows up when one member is getting bullied, someone needs help passing a grade, and even doing yardwork when you weren't able to make it to an event. These friends are with each other through thick and thin...until they aren't. A friend goes missing after walking up a flight of stairs randomly in the woods and it shakes them to the core. The covenant is all but dissolved as the events spiral out of control as well as the life of each covenant member. Each person goes their own way in life and eventually they all lose touch. That is, until one covenant member reaches out years later with a lead on their missing friend and invokes the covenant to get the others to come help him search. Even after the decades since the event, the friends drop everything and meet back up to find out why happened to their friend while putting themselves in incredible danger of the supernatural variety.
The book was a great read and I highly recommend it to others who enjoy dark supernatural thrillers. Bonus points if you enjoy things like the backrooms or other liminal spaces. One thing to caution, there is some dark stuff in here. Suicide, child abuse, murder...it's all there and covered pretty in depth. This book really goes into some dark areas and it's all the better for it, but just know what you're getting into.
All in all, glad I picked this one up and I plan to read more of Wendig in the future.
Thanks to Random House Worlds | Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
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