Rating: 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

I was really looking forward to The Staircase in the Woods. The idea of a mysterious staircase deep in the woods hooked me right away, and Chuck Wendig is known for his creative and unusual stories. The book delivers on originality—the plot is unique, eerie, and full of twists that kept me curious. The atmosphere was well done, with vivid descriptions that made the setting come to life and added a sense of unease throughout.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, especially Lore. While I don’t mind flawed characters, they were so unlikeable that it became distracting. The “pick me” attitude of the characters and their forced interactions made the story feel less engaging. On top of that, some parts of the story felt repetitive, which slowed things down and took away from the suspense.

While The Staircase in the Woods didn’t land for me, I can still appreciate how creative and original it was. Readers who enjoy creepy, atmospheric stories with a strong focus on mystery might still find it worth picking up. For me, though, the characters and pacing were a letdown.

As with all DNFS on NetGalley, books will receive a 3 star average so I don’t skew star ratings for not finishing the book.

I am over half way through and I think it’s time to finally give up on this one. Grounded science fiction stories are my very favourite genre and I was so excited for my first book by Chuck Wendig but it’s time to give up. I absolutely love the premise of this book but in reading it feels superfluous to the actual plotline.

My problems with this are not few and far between so I’ll try to make it quick. The synopsis and the mysterious nature of the staircase and what’s behind it feels very much on the back burner here and it is much more in the vein of a character heavy plotline but that’s not what the synopsis gives us. While I don’t mind a character driven story, it’s not what I was expecting and it’s taking me so far out of the book that the “science fiction” and mysterious staircase feel unnecessary to the story. There are so many flashbacks that every time something interesting starts happening, I got ripped out to have a flashback of the characters years ago. If it felt relevant or did something to enhance the plot, I could get down on a couple of these happening, but it’s every chapter and feels pointless to everything else that’s happening.

With so many issues with stylistic choices, to writing choices, and characters it feels nitpicky to hate the cover as well, but here I am. At first it feels fun but then the fact the staircase is described in the book and doesn’t match the staircase on the cover REALLY irks me. Was it AI? Was it them not working together? I’m not sure but it really rubs me the wrong way.

I haven’t completely given up on Wendig as an authour and will try another of his older books but I wish there was a singular thing I liked here and just couldn’t even finish it which is disappointing in itself.

As I've said in my other reviews, I try to find a common thread in them. I want to connect to the stories personally. Sometimes, I can do that easily; sometimes, I can't.

Chuck Wending is a favorite author. Wanderer's is a book that my wife and I devoured in a week for me and a few weeks for her. It got us through lockdown in 2020 and everything that year threw at us. It's a big book about a virus.

Utah experienced a lot of growth in the 1980s. New subdivisions sprouted up overnight, and many were left unattended for days. They became playgrounds for my friends and me.

Half-finished staircases lead to empty floors—kitchens without their floorings.

Among all of this was a staircase that was by itself. It was like that for a month or more. I don't know why they stopped building. It's a finished house, but forty years ago, it was a monolith that we'd jump off of. We'd launch our bikes and come down hard on our seats.

While reading Staircase in the Woods, I thought of those days of freedom—of being us, with no parents to avoid, and me and my friends having fun.

I received a copy from the publisher because I reviewed Josh Malerman's Incidents Around The House. I thank the publisher for trusting me with a book that will be released in April 2025.

This book begins with events that happened years before. We discover the incidents leading to the event and how they changed the group.

We learn a lot of dark things as these friends look for one of their own who vanished years before on a staircase in the woods. One of them decides they need to find out what happened.

SPOILERS INCOMING

I try not to do spoilers in novels; it's nearly impossible with this book.

They get through a portal similar to the one their friend vanished in. They soon discover the world inside the portal is different. It's dark, disturbing, and nightmarish, giving me feelings of House of Leaves throughout the reading. The Navidson Record is in place throughout the story, or it felt that way to this writer.

It's a story about discovering the darker parts of yourself. Confronting those parts, those shadows, the things you'd rather not talk about. The childhood lost because of abuse, both mental and physical.

The book finds its footing quickly when we enter the portals, and the characters move through the world. At once, they adjust and modify their way through. In the book's latter pages, it's a dangerous game of cat and mouse as they search for a way out.

When we reach the end, each character has learned more about themselves and their friends.

This is Chuck's darkest, most visceral, and messed up book I've read.

It's also one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to the world reading this one and discussing it and the characters' experiences.

It's made me look at what I've been able to let go of, what I continue to hold on to, and whether it's healthy to do so.

There will be discussions about what occurs in this book. They will cover many topics.

I loved this book, and I'm thankful the publisher gave me a copy. Thank you to Random House and Kay Popple for the offer.

This was a terrifying nightmare factory of a story following 5 friends who grew apart after an inexplicable tragedy and how they fight to find each other again. I enjoyed this in the way one enjoys a horror movie, with my hands covering my eyes and needing to scream “nope nope nope” “fuck that no” “fuck that, fuck you, fuck this”. The pacing of this book leads you believe you will be going on a journey with individuals who used to be friends and will watch them rediscover that friendship when in fact we descend down a hellish rabbit whole that is designed to torment and torture. Another title for this book would be nightmare fuel. The writing style within this novel kept me hooked even when I wanted to escape it….i couldn’t. Owen, lore, nick, hamish, and Matty felt people that could walk off the page and their complicated friendship reminded me of standby me in some ways. This was standby me meets pan’s labyrinth meets my own personal nightmares. I would highly recommend if you are looking to be terrified while also having your heart trampled on by characters dealing with incredibly real and hard lives. My only gripe is that the end felt slightly rushed

This was my first Chuck Wendig book, and I loved it! Beautiful prose, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. You can't stop wondering what's about to happen next. Can't wait for his next book!

Four friends reunite after decades apart, brought together by one's declaration of an illness, using the one phrase that brought them all together in the first place: The Covenant. Years before, there had been five friends, brought together for various reasons. But the Covenant is what kept them together, an oath to do what the others wanted, without question. It served them well during their time growing up, each with their own problems. There is Owen, with a father who hated him openly and a mother who let the abuse continue; Matty, whose parents relied on him to bring upon their own wishes; Lauren, whose mother was more invested in her various flavors of the month than her own daughter; Nick, the wild card who did all the silly and crazy stuff that often required the pronounced Covenant; and Hamish, the one who actually made something of himself as an adult after suffering greatly during his young adulthood.

During a camping trip is when Matty, the most successful of them at the time, went up a mysterious staircase in the woods and simply disappeared, never to be seen again. For years, the group wondered about the staircase but their lives went on. After their reunion brought them back together, to another staircase, they realize now that they had been duped by someone they thought had been their friend. But, with the "Covenant" uttered, the four them go up the staircase and are brought into a weird maze of rooms, each different than the other, to some different horror or another. And in the end, they are able to come together to beat it.

The Staircase in the Woods is a strange, confusing novel. While I felt the premise of the story had promise, I think the novel itself fell short of what the author's message was trying to portray. The chapters were on the shorter side, but oftentimes, they felt jumbled together, using confusing, big words that, to me, these characters wouldn't have used nor would even know the definitions too. They were often characterized as burnouts, so why would they have such an extensive vocabulary? That might be generalizing a bit, but based off the characters themselves, it didn't seem believable.

The ending of the story redeemed itself, as I felt the message was a bit more clear in its explanation in the end, but I felt the story ended too abruptly. We were finally going to see what happened to the one that got away from them, and then it was just over.

Overall, 2/5 stars.

Mind bending and creepy but still weirdly believable. The characters were wonderfully developed and perfectly unlikable. There were some gross/gory scenes but everyone was included to move the story forward....nothing gratuitous. The only thing that really threw me was the ending....a little too open for me but overall a very satisfying read.
A giant thank you to Net galley and the publisher for allowing me access to an advanced readers copy of this novel free of charge. I'm leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I was especially excited to see this new Chuck Wendig book, and when I saw the title I knew I’d love it. I’ve read and watched a few horrors about staircases in woods (excellently explained in the acknowledgements btw,) most notably a creepy pasta and the season of Channel Zero it spawned.
My expectations were high and were not let down as we followed “The Covenant”, a group of five friends with a tragic backstory from high school, and them reconnecting in the most mysterious of ways as adults. At times this felt like if ‘Ready Player One’ was just them in a horror game, and plenty of games were mentioned (I’m a Sims girlie so I did enjoy that particular mention!)
The characters were the standout for me. I really connected with Owen, at times it even hurt to read about him. They were all really fleshed out, in particular Lore, Owen and Hamish, all of whose stories were easy to connect to.
And the question of “what makes a home a home?” And how we tend to idolise the idea of home, when for some people it is a real horror show, was eye-opening for me and, no spoilers but I knew exactly what room I’d be getting.
All in all, really enjoyed this one, Wendig is a master of horror for sure.

Let me say I don't usually read horror books. I didn't realize this was in the horror genre, but I REALLY enjoyed it. It's as if Stephen King's it meets urban legends. I definitely recommend getting this book. It's amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of friends meet after many years. The location is strange, the happening bizarre, and the ending?

Five friends enter the woods but only four return. The four remaining friends grow up and try to move on with their lives, ignoring the trauma of the loss of their friend. Until one day, Nick calls them all back together, back to The Staircase in The Woods.
This story is very similar to Stephen King's It but instead of a murderous clown, it's an urban legend that they are facing down. The urban legend in this case is The Staircase in The Woods. This story is horror but mostly it's an allegory on grief and trauma. It deals with the 4 characters struggle to overcome their horrible childhoods and the loss of their dear friend. It also deals with jealousy in friendship and with disappointment in life. All of these issues are all wrapped up in a horrific event that they must overcome and told with a creepy atmosphere that will make you stay out of the woods.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Worlds, and Del Rey for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Five friends finding a staircase in the woods that leads to nowhere and one of them goes up the staircase and doesn't return. Twenty years later the staircase reappears, and the friends return to see if they can find their long-lost friend. Such an amazing novel! Chuck Wendig does it again! I love this trope of a supernatural horror book with friends returning as adults to right some wrong. I love Wendig's writing, and this book had me feeling all of the emotions! If you are a fan of supernatural horror, the woods, and old friends reuniting, this is perfect for you.

I really wanted to love this and I was SO excited to get an advanced copy, but this is SO MUCH like It that I really couldn't appreciate that it's its own story. I'm sure this was supposed to be like, a riff off of Stephen King, but it just wasn't different enough for me to separate them.

HOLY CANNOLI WHAT DID I READ?!?!?!
Okay I loved this one so much I had to message the author on IG and be like umm excuse me can you please tell me more?! Needless to say, he hasn’t responded.

So. This book is either really just amazing on the surface, a horror book that moonlights as an allegory on life and death, or just a novel written from someone going through a period of grief.

Basically — these teenagers go into the woods to get high and party, but while they are there they find a staircase in the woods. One friend goes up the stairs and promptly disappears. What is to come is the battle to find their friend in these moments of dark and death and decay, spanning over 20 years. Guys. This book is something. And if you like horror and the library at mount char and other weird novels, this one is right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Conceptually, this was a brilliant novel. Staircases in the woods are a common piece of lore that have snuck their way into the zeitgeist, particularly on the internet, and they are well overdue for a spooky novel. This book definitely delivers on that brief, although I will admit that I did struggle with the characters.

The concept was definitely a beautiful haunted house idea, and there was a lot of moments that carried a certain heaviness. The characters, however, are almost chronically immature, in the same way that adults in slasher films are. This may have been an intentional choice, but it made the reading of them a little difficult and frustrating in places.

I did have quite a few questions left at the end of this book as well, but I did enjoy it conceptually very much. I just felt like the execution could have been slightly better than what it was. I am keen to read more of Wendig’s work, and I am hoping to find that I like others more than this one.

I requested this because I remember reading a story online about people who work in forestry and such would sometimes see staircases randomly in the woods. I have no idea if it was a bigger legend or just something on that one random internet post but I thought it was a great concept and maybe would enjoy it when I saw the synopsis for the book. It didn't end up hooking me but that may have more to do with my own taste in reading.

This book isn’t out till April the 29th 2025 and it’s already one of my favourites.
I’m pretty shocked this is my first Chuck Wendig book! I’ve clearly been living under a rock.

This book broke me and scared the living hell out of me. I had a hard time putting this down and after every chapter i wanted to know more and why and how. I’m always so curious about these stories of stairs cases in the woods. I loved the past and present storytelling and the nostalgia.

Over 20 years pass after your friend goes missing up a stair case and never comes back down.

This story is packed with emotions, grief, loss, guilt, love, abandonment and most of all friendship. ( The Covenant)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Del Rey for my ARC.

Five high school friends head into the woods to go camping. By the next day, only four of them will return, shellshocked, and unable to process what has happened. One of them climbs a staircase they found in the woods and disappears.
20 years pass when they are called back together. One of that original group is deathly ill and wants to see his old friends before he dies. But he has an agenda. Another trip into the woods and another staircase in a different location might solve the mystery of what happened to their friend.
The cost is high though, as they wind up in a house that seems to feed off their fears. Each of them have hidden pain and secrets, but this time, none of them will leave without exposing their traumas. Such a creepy house and I honestly didn’t think that all or any of them would find a way out. No spoilers. You will have to read this page-turner to find out.
Oh, and that ending. I screamed, No, at my Kindle.

Nice concept, but I've read better from Chuck.
This felt rushed in a few places.
Overall not bad.
If you are a fan of Wendig, you will still like it.

A new @chuck_wendig novel is always a treat, and THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS is no exception.

Chuck’s new page-turner centres around a group of friends who, long ago, lost someone close to him when he climbed a mysterious staircase in the middle of the woods and instantly vanished. Now, after years of being apart, they find a similar staircase hidden away in the trees. Will they climb the impossible stairs to find their long-lost friend? The answer is yes, and the result is a wonderfully unsettling twist on a haunted house which, like the Overlook hotel, is the true antagonist of the novel.

Regrets abound, and even though none of the characters are particularly likeable, you still find yourself compelled to read on, if only to find out if they’ll survive or not. That's the mark of a master, right there.

I think Chuck has another winner on his hands here. It doesn’t quite top BLACK RIVER ORCHARD, in my opinion, but as that was one of my favourite novels of the last 10 years, it would have been a tall order!

Definitely worth picking up when it’s published in April next year by Del Rey in the States and Penguin in the UK.