Great set-up and beyond fascinating concept. I literally fell down the deepest reddit rabbit hole reading about staircases in the woods. I'm used to a slow burn from Wendig but this definitely felt longer than its 400 pages. I found myself expecting a bit more. Very creative haunted house story, though.

This book is going to appeal to a lot of people, but it was a miss for me. The characters were grating and all over the place, and Lor in particular was just cringy as all get-out. Their interactions weren't natural and the dialogue was stilted and loaded with political buzzwords that made it difficult to believe as dialogue for me.

My first Chuck Wendig book and I can see why he is beloved. This is an excellent mix of horror/thriller and fantasy.

I love a good horror story, and this one was great with twists and turns. I liked the 20 years later aspect, as it added some dept hand let you get to know the characters both as kids and as adults, it reminds me of like IT by Stephen King. Great read and I would reccommend to anyone who loved IT and horror stories like it.

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig has all the right ingredients for a gripping horror story—mysterious disappearances, eerie small-town lore, and a staircase that shouldn’t exist. The setup is fantastic, and Wendig’s signature voice brings some sharp, memorable lines and unsettling imagery.

But while the atmosphere is on point, the plot sometimes stumbles under its own weight. There are moments of real tension and dread, but they’re scattered between slower sections that felt padded or overly complex. The characters had potential, but I struggled to connect with their choices at times.

It's a decent read for fans of weird fiction and creeping horror, but it didn’t fully land for me. Worth checking out if you enjoy the journey even when the destination is a little murky.

What would you do if you were out in the woods one day — hiking, taking a leisurely stroll, however you like to exist out in nature — and you found… a staircase? Just a staircase, seemingly not leading anywhere, but just… there? Would you leave them be? Would you examine them? Would you… attempt to scale them?

I wouldn’t try that last one if I were you — not if Staircase In The Woods is anything to go by. Because if you go up them, you may not come back.

I was lucky enough to be able to speak with Chuck about creepypasta and digital horror tropes on the podcast Way Too Interested in 2022, and there’s a lot I recognize in the topics we covered back then in the DNA of Staircase In The Woods. You might even recognize the motif of stairs just hanging out in the woods as a popular creepypasta trope, of which the Search And Rescue series is probably the most well-known example.

But staircases in the woods are a real phenomenon, too — there are plenty of old ruins out in the wilderness, and sometimes stairs are the only structures sturdy enough to survive when everything else has collapsed — which is one of the things I like so much about this one: It takes a weird-but-real-thing and asks, “What if?”

And then it answers that question — and it does it in an enormously effective way.

Staircase In The Woods isn't a feel-good story. It's upsetting to read, and not for the faint of heart. But although it deals with things that are mean and nasty and bitter, it in and of itself isn't any of those things. It's about coming to terms with the mean, the nasty, and the bitter, and figuring out how to function and go on knowing that the world is full of mean, nasty, bitter things.

And that's oddly comforting, I would argue.

4⭐️

Weird, creepy, and suspenseful. I made the mistake of reading this exclusively at night and freaking myself out. I genuinely had no idea where the story would go, and it felt a little Coraline-esque at the end, which I kind of liked. Overall a great read and I will be reading more from this author.

Creepy in the best way. Wendig gives us weird woods, missing folks, and a kid who's way too brave for his own good. It has that slow-burn “don’t go in there” vibe that I lowkey love. I finished this one with my jaw clenched and lights on. Atmospheric, strange, and gave just enough answers to keep me satisfied.

Such a creepy unique read! I was drawn in and could not put this book down after I started. The characters were well developed and the story was so intriguing!!

ALL THE STARS!

Chuck Wendig has once again proven himself a master of atmospheric storytelling with The Staircase in the Woods. Equal parts eerie, heart-wrenching, and transcendent, this novel grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go—drawing readers into a haunting, layered mystery wrapped in folklore, trauma, and the unrelenting pull of the unknown.

At the heart of the novel is Wendig’s trademark ability to balance horror with humanity. The titular staircase—unconnected to any structure, weathered by time and seemingly placed by unseen hands deep within the forest—is more than a surreal image; it’s a symbol of secrets buried beneath the surface of memory and time. As the protagonist confronts the enigma of the staircase, Wendig leads us through a psychological labyrinth that is as emotionally resonant as it is terrifying.

The prose is lyrical without being indulgent, and Wendig’s dialogue crackles with authenticity. The characters are vividly rendered, their arcs poignant and deeply personal. There's a mythic undercurrent running through the story, evoking echoes of ancient fears and primal wonder—yet it's grounded in modern anxieties, making it both timely and timeless.

Wendig's pacing is flawless. He allows tension to simmer, building dread with a slow burn that rewards patient readers with mind-bending twists and a conclusion that is as cathartic as it is chilling.

The Staircase in the Woods is more than a horror novel. It’s a meditation on grief, memory, and the things we carry with us—seen and unseen. Fans of speculative fiction, literary horror, and supernatural thrillers will find themselves spellbound.

A triumph of genre-blending storytelling, Wendig’s latest is a must-read for anyone who dares to climb into the dark—knowing that they may never return the same.

I really enjoyed this horror novel that is about homes, houses, and friendship. Very spooky, definitely gorey, and overall a fun ride.

A scary experience with friends

Chuck Wendig's books always have something of Stephen King about them. A dash of coming of age, deep-rooted friendships and characters who are given plenty of backstory. A story to touch, to empathize with.
The premise of “The Staircase in the Woods” is simply explained: five friends find a staircase in the woods. One of them goes up and disappears. Twenty years later, the remaining friends reunite and a new staircase appears. The initial situation may seem a little strange and unusual at first. As a reader, however, you should bring a little suspension of disbelief with you. After all, this is a horror book, in which something is usually wrong anyway.
Once you get involved in this story, you become part of the group of friends. You worry, suffer and fear. Because there's much more to the story than the eponymous stairs. As in “The Book of Accidents”, the author manages to go a few levels deeper narratively. He doesn't use horror for shock moments, but reveals the traumas, worries and fears of the friends. Wendig is not just a horror writer, just as King has often used the element of horror as a means to an end in order to focus on something completely different. Great fun!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy! Chuck Wendig has yet again proved he's a master of his class. Has created his own sub-genre in horror, and I absolutely love what he does. Staircase is no exception. This did not go in the direction I was expecting it to, and I am so thankful for that. Staircase is a very appropriate title, as this story itself has so many twisting and winding layers to it that I did not see coming. Go in as blind as possible, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. As is customary with Wendig's novels, not only is it absolutely terrifying in places, but it is also filled with lots of heart and will make you feel all the emotions by the end. Chuck has been an auto buy author for the better part of the decade, and that will not be changing anytime soon!

A creepy premise with definite Stranger Things vibes—mysterious staircases, childhood pacts, and long-lost secrets. The story opens strong, and I was immediately hooked by the eerie concept. But while the mystery is intriguing, the pacing falters and some character development feels thin. The nostalgia and tension kept me reading, but the payoff didn’t fully land. Worth a try if you like supernatural thrillers with a touch of '80s/’90s throwback, just don’t expect all your questions to be answered.

n 1998, 5 friends go into the woods.
Only 4 come out.

Years later, they gather as adults, summoned by a promise they made when they were kids.

Both times, they find a staircase in the middle of nowhere…beckoning them. Initially, climbing the stairs was a dare, an act of bravado.

But now, as adults, the staircase offers a chance at redemption; the possibility of answers.

What happened to their friend Matty all those years ago? Maybe by following in his footsteps, they’ll find out.

***

The story focuses on Lore (Lauren) and Owen, with Hamish and Nick as supporting characters.

Wendig’s writing is easy to read and creepy in a Stephen King kind of way. A lot of the elements of this story reminded me of King: childhood friends meeting to honor a promise, the horror of everyday life, the importance of friendships and how they change from childhood to adulthood.

Wendig drew me in with the premise, and I appreciated the short, snappy chapters. But the book still felt too long to me; I started to lose interest in the middle. Honestly, the big reason I didn’t DNF was because I wanted to see how he would resolve the disappearances.

And the ending didn’t disappoint. I just wish we could’ve gotten there a little more quickly.

Thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC.

Check out this book for a creepy exploration of the horrors that lurk behind closed doors.

I received an advance ebook copy of The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig from netgalley.

The overall plot, storyline, and characters for this book are great. The twists and suspense keep you guessing and reading.

However, it took me a few tries to actually get into this book. The first 10% or so were really hard for me to get through. Once I did, I was able to stick with it.

I've tried twice to get into this book and just can't manage it. The writing is well done and the mind pictures are strong. Not sure what the issue is but it's def a ME problem, not the story.

The premise is interesting but I simply could not handle the characters in either time period. Vapid, annoying, boring. I enjoy “unlikable” characters but they have to be interesting and none of these people were.

I liked the writing though and would try out more of Chuck Wendig’s books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the digital galley of this book!

In this book, five friends discover a staircase in the woods while camping. When they investigate, one of them goes up the stairs and disappears, along with the staircase.

Twenty years later, one of the survivors is dying, and he summons the rest of them for a reunion. A sort of goodbye and closure opportunity. But the staircase had returned, and they’ll have to climb it to find out what happened to their friend all those years ago.

Staircases in the woodsare one of my favorite weird things, stories of random staircases in the woods. Creepy Reddit has had some good ones over the years, and Wendig has added another solid one to the lore. This one is awash with mystery, horror, and facing childhood trauma. I love horror as an exploration of trauma, and I think this book does a good job. It kept me guessing and took me into a mysterious and creepy world.

**3.5 stars**

This was my first Wendig book. I liked it. Such an original premise of a staircase in the woods and what happens when you walk up that staircase. It’s a haunted house story, a demon story, and a coming of age story too. Some parts kind of were monotonous like Lor’s mom growing up and definitely Owen’s Dad but overall it held my interest with some creepy moments mixed in. I liked the characters well enough especially since we are the same age.

An original haunted house story for sure. The ending is open ended so be warned about that ahead of time.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.**