This is one of the best horror books I've read recently. The characters were realistic and compelling and I was invested in each of them in unique ways. There were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing and the end was a mic drop.

High schoolers group of friend exploring the woods until they found a staircase. One of them decided to ascend and he never returned.
Twenty years later, Nick, one of the group members, summoned all of them to meet in New Hampshire. This reunion will bring them to the dejavu of staircase in the woods which made one of their friends disappeared and also forced them to confront their long-buried secrets.
The story has a taste of YA genre with element of horror and supernatural. It's slow burn, but if you love lock-room mystery, you might love this book.

Chuck Wendig’s Staircase in the Woods isn’t just a supernatural mystery—it’s a raw, emotionally layered meditation on fractured friendships, unresolved trauma, and the seductive pull of what lies just out of reach. The novel follows a group of high school friends who were once bonded by a sacred vow—the Covenant—to protect each other, no matter what. But when a mysterious, seemingly supernatural staircase appears in the forest during a teenage camping trip, and one of them walks up never to return, the group shatters under the weight of fear, guilt, and grief. Twenty years later, the impossible has happened: the staircase has returned. And so have the ghosts—metaphorical and otherwise—that haunted them all since that fateful day.

The book opens in a state of emotional wreckage. Owen, one of the remaining friends, is introduced as a man living in physical and psychological mess—surrounded by old tech parts, scattered notebooks, and the heaviness of an unfinished life. When he receives a call from Lore, another member of the old group, we’re quickly pulled into the aftermath of their shared past. Wendig’s writing is dense with feeling, layered in metaphor and internal monologue that drips with real-world weariness and surreal dread. The prose is literary but never inaccessible—gritty, poetic, and often sharply funny in that distinctly Wendig way. A simple phone call becomes a gateway into an emotional maelstrom, with old wounds cracking open in the presence of new tragedy: another friend, Nick, is dying. And he wants one last reunion. One last chance to confront the thing they left behind.

The metaphor of the staircase—its haunting recurrence in Owen’s dreams, its placement in improbable settings—becomes a brilliant symbol of both mystery and reckoning. Wendig taps into that Stephen King-esque skill of making you believe in the supernatural not through jump scares, but through emotional plausibility. You believe in the stairs because the characters believe in them—and because their pain feels real. Whether it’s the regret etched into every line of Nick’s brutally honest farewell email or Lore’s relentless pursuit of closure, the novel grips your gut long before the horror sets in.

Pacing-wise, the novel masterfully lets dread bloom slowly. The first chapters build suspense through character, not action. But that makes the stakes feel deeper. The horror isn’t just what’s waiting at the top of the staircase—it’s the question of whether these characters can survive each other, their pasts, and the unrelenting passage of time.

Staircase in the Woods will appeal to readers who love supernatural fiction grounded in real emotional stakes. Think It by Stephen King meets The Fisherman by John Langan, but with Wendig’s signature blend of gritty realism and mythic terror. This isn’t just a story about finding a lost boy—it’s about what gets lost in all of us when something unexplainable shatters our sense of the world, and what it takes to reclaim that lost ground—if we ever can.

Five high school students with mostly difficult upbringings, bond together with a Covenant to stay close friends. They decide to go camping together in the woods and a staircase appears out of nowhere. One goes up and the staircase disappears.

Twenty years later they are called together because one of them found out he has cancer. They meet up in New Hampshire to find that the staircase has reappeared and they all decide to go up together.

An intriguinging set up except that the amount of bad language, the author's bias on his political and spiritual beliefs and the dark issues and horror aspect just left me not staying interested. I had hoped for a better mystery.

My thanks to Net Galley and Del Rey for an advanced copy of this e-book.

On Friday, June 5th, 1998, five teenagers went into the woods surrounding Highchair Rocks in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Only four of them came out.<\i>

Third time is really a charm, because, this is my third attempt at this book, and it was a winner. It is a bit of a slow burn, but I also was not bored when I was reading. The characters were well crafted and the story well written. This was also my first Wendig novel, and I really enjoyed the writing style.

I liked what he did with the typical haunted house subgenre. It was a different and unique concept to a very very popular horror trope. It wasn't just otherworldly horror but the horrors humans inflict on each other. The characters being forced to not only confront their demons, but also the atrocities that the house forces them to face. Made for a very dark and highly emotional read at times.

The isolated and trapped setting really intensified the trepidation, dread and impending doom. The imagery was well depicted and deeply unsettling. I also didn't mind the ending, I think it fit the overall vibe of the book. I also don't mind ambiguity. Sometimes it works and here I think it works perfectly. Overall, this one was an enjoyable read for me. I have to read more of this author's work.

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey Books and Chuck Wendig, for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.<\u>

I understand the getting political and talking about current, relevant events in books, but this was way too real world for me. It made the reading experience feel a bit awkward. I wasn't really able to get lost in the story.

Ah, another hit from Wendig! I don't want to tell you too much- it's a thriller/mystery/horror, after all, and I don't want to ruin the fun, but I will tell you what I enjoyed about it, which is pretty much everything.

We follow four former friends through past and present as they reunite after the breakdown of their friendship. In fact, they used to be five, which is what caused said breakdown. Many years have passed since their teens and the fateful night when their friend disappeared, and they have all gone down very different paths. When one calls them all to meet, they cannot say no, due to the bond they once shared.

The crux of it is that there was a big ol' creepy staircase in the woods all those years ago. That in itself is a mystery, because of course- how many random forest stairs have you encountered, after all? But they may have to come to face what they saw all those years ago, and they are also going to have to face each other and work through their relationships and trauma. I loved the mix of character/relationship development and plot. The way they parallel each other is pretty great, too. The characters are not always likable, but who is always likable? Felt quite realistic, especially given their histories.

The ending felt a bit quick compared to the pace of the book (the ending was much quicker for me than the rest of the story, and I had hoped for maybe a tad more? Not unsatisfying, just a minor qualm!) but it works. I also noticed that a lot of folks are talking about politics and Covid and such, but I honestly appreciate when an author doesn't tiptoe around that stuff, and I feel like pretending it doesn't exist is privileged thinking, frankly. There's also some triggering topics like addition and abuse, among others, so be cautious.

Chuck Wendig once again does a Stephen King impersonation in his latest book The Staircase in the Woods. And once again comes off second best. The book itself has a premise that makes little sense but draws on a long tradition of American coming of age horror stories and for some readers hungry for this sort of material that might be enough.
Three old friends are brought together by a fourth to deal with unfinished business. That business was the disappearance of the fifth member of the childhood group, Matty, who walked up a mysterious staircase in the forest and never returned. Somehow, all these years later they have found a second, mysterious staircase and draw on their old childhood bond to dare each other to climb it. The four are seemingly unsurprised to find themselves in a bizarre world, dripping in nostalgia and fantasy/horror tropes ensue.
Staircase in the Woods is a typical American teen coming-of-age/adult drama to the point where it is practically YA. Most of the contemporary events are supported by a flashbacks because of course all of their trauma stems from childhood experience. And fears are brought to life in this twilight otherworld. Plenty of other authors have gone to the same well and many, King in particular, have done this better. And much like Wendig’s The Wanderers, which also felt like Stephen King light, readers who like this genre are better off sticking with the original.

I'm sure I wont be the only person who gets Stephen King's IT vibes. I love this about this book. This is not a Stephen King story. This is pure Chuck Wendig and this story has all of the CW vibes. There is a simplicity and beauty in how he crafts his stories and my God, they always hook their claws in you and yank you in. I love the oddity of how there is a staircase in the woods. That alone has a creepy feel. This is one of my favorite books this year hands down. I always look forward to Chuck Wendig's novels. I know that it will have clever and creepy storytelling with likable and well developed characters and unexpected twists. I highly recommend this book!

I want to thank Chuck Wendig, Random House, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me a ARC of this novel in exchange of my honest review.

Chuck Wendig's The Staircase in the Woods invites readers on a tormenting and emotional journey into the unknown. This novel pushes the boundaries of both psychological and supernatural horror, while exploring themes of trauma, friendship, and redemption. However, despite the enthralling premise and vivid world-building, certain elements held this book back from being an entirely enjoyable read for me.

I will follow Chuck Wendig anywhere, even up a creepy staircase in the middle of the woods.

This book is legitimately quite creepy, with true moments of absolute horror. Wendig digs deep into his characters, and the emotional turmoil they inhabit is the cherry on top of an already unsettling premise. I don’t really want to say too much about the plug because it’s best to just experience the journey firsthand, but I will say this felt like a really unique take on some common tropes. This story felt fresh and new, and I really didn’t know what would happen next the whole way through.

That being said, I really wish this was a little longer. I was invested in the characters, but felt like a little more of their backstory would have enriched the plot. I also would have enjoyed more lore on the creepy elements; I’ve come to expect deep backstory from Wendig’s novels, and thus one felt a little too constrained in that aspect. But also maybe I’m biased because u would read a 1000 page book if he wanted to write it.

ANYWAY, those critiques aside, I really did enjoy this one and feel so lucky that I 1) got an ARC of it, and 2) got to see Chuck Wendig talk about this book a few weeks ago in Nashville.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a horror book!

📖: The Staircase In the Woods
✍️: Chuck Wendig
⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 04/29/25

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BIG thank you to #netgalley for letting me read The Staircase In the Woods before the publication. I apologize this review is very overdue. Life has been busy!

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❓- would you walk up a random staircase in the middle of the woods if you had no idea where it would lead you? My answer would be NO! BUT being a teenager we are far too curious for our own good so if someone else went with me I might take the leap….

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This story is about just that however when this teen walks up the staircase he never returns and his group of friends must live with what they saw in the woods. Speed forward 20 years and this mysterious stair case has reappeared and these high school friends are brought back together to try and figure out where their friend has gone…

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When I saw Chuck Wendig was coming out with another book I instantly jumped on and requested this story. His previous book #TheBookOfAccidents was amazing in so many ways so i was very excited to see how this story would pan out. The characters in this story are deeply flawed in their own ways since loosing their friend in the woods but there are some I believe each person who reads this story will be able to relate to one of them in a way. I really like how there is almost a horror feel/folk lore feel to the way he writes his stories. Maybe super natural? He keeps you wondering and that is one of the key things I like most. His stories I would warn are not for the faint of heart. They are detailed in description and if you don’t like gruesome scenes I might just skip over those pages. Over all it was a great story! And I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next!

This book was a crazy ride. In the 90s, Matty and his friends find a staircase in the woods. Matty goes up, but he doesn’t come back down, and the staircase disappears. In the present day, the four friends reunite to try and finally figure out what happened to Matty. I’m not normally a sci fi person, but this book intrigued me. I liked the beginning and end, but I thought we spent a lot of time in the house with not much reason.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Random House Worlds/Del Rey for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

STAIR STRUCK

Apparently, staircases to nowhere in the middle of the woods aren't a rare sight, and in time have become an object of fascination spawning whole threads on sites like Reddit or Quora. Wendig drew on the urban legend according to which these staircases would be portals to other dimensions, wove it with a beloved horror trope (estranged childhood friends reunite to get closure and defeat an old evil), and produced a deliciously disturbing, nightmarishly captivating and completely addictive haunted-house maze, where friendships are tested and individuals must rise above their fears and flaws if they want to get out. (Mind you...don't expect actual ghosts - there are other ways for a house to be haunted...). Told in a now-and-then narrative across a twenty-something-years divide (the author references Covid, so I'd say, more like twenty-five than the twenty accounted for in the synopsis), the story introduces us to five friends who, as teens, swore an oath to always have each other's back, and after a drugged and drunken night in the woods when a member of the group vanished at the top of a supernatural staircase, slowly drifted apart, only to band together as adults in order to solve the mystery when a similar structure reappears.
Now, if you're into (hellish) supernatural mazes, literal twists and turns, videogame-style challenges and psychological horror, it doesn't get much better than this. Granted, this book is disturbing and gross at times (well, MOST times), but it's also creative and addictive and sort of exhilarating. The ending, while not coming with a pretty bow, gives you closure about the things that matter most. If it were only for these aspects, TSITW would be a 5-star read for me.

CHARACTER FLAWS

Wendig's latest isn't just a horror romp, of course: it's got a huge focus on friendship, grief, guilt, trauma, and the difference 20+ years make for an once unbreakable bond and the individuals who used to share it. And it does deliver on that aspect, except the characters seem to do everything in their power to come across as edgy or unlikeable - at least until they finally start to open up and work like a cohesive unit to hopefully save Matty, and themselves on course. I get that they're damaged and are supposed to be flawed - it's part of what "makes" the book, after all - but they all have unpleasant quirks or attitudes that are hard to look past at times, and their younger versions, with all the drug and alcohol abuse, aren't necessarily better. The story is told from Owen's and Lore's perspectives, which helps with getting in their shoes, to an extent; on the other hand, the author could have done more with them - especially with Lore, who identifies as "genderfluid, pansexual, aromantic, Au/ADHD", but never really embraces any of those labels or elevates over being a sum of descriptors (if you don't count the post-threesome scene complete with sex toys at the start of the book, which doesn't strike me as good representation).
I have to address yet another issue, that is, the awkward political tirades - mind you, as a leftie, I share the author's views and sentiments, but I found such conversations (more like rants) to be ill-placed and heavy-handed. All in all though, TSITW is an entertaining (if dark and sometimes gross) piece of supernatural horror addressing very human, often complicated emotions, and with a strong focus on broken/repaired friendships, trauma and catharsis. Not to miss if you're a fan of haunting staircases, haunted houses and haunted people.

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

A group of friend's camping trip ends in disaster when they find a mysterious staircase in the woods that leads to seemingly nowhere. One of the teenagers climbs the staircase and never returns. Many years later, the staircase has reappeared and the group is determined to find out what happened to their friend.

This book explores friendship and trauma in a very unique way. Though the premise seems whimsical and mysterious, I can say that this is a very dark horror story. It takes very classic horror tropes and does them in a very new way that left me intrigued. The characters were not all super likable, but they are felt real and well developed. They all had their very interesting stories to tell through the narrative. Since this is a book about trauma there is some triggering material such as self-harm and suicide. If you like a story that takes its time with setting and characters, but also does not skimp on the horror than this may be a book to check out.

I have read one book from this author and enjoyed it so when I read the premise for this one it sounded promising and I gave it a shot. This book ended up being really bizarre and overall just wasn’t for me. The beginning started off strong and I was initially interested, but the middle of the book dragged on and felt never ending. And then the ending came and that was a let down for me. The characters involved in this group of friends were not good people and I struggled to care about their storylines.

The fear of the unknown is at the heart of Chuck Wendig’s *The Staircase in the Woods*, and he uses it to unravel not just supernatural horror, but the deeply human ways we respond to things we can’t explain - especially past traumas. Sometimes that means seeking comfort in rituals, sometimes it means making reckless choices, and sometimes it means following a strange staircase in the woods, even when every instinct says to turn back.

Wendig’s writing has always resonated with me, and this novel is no exception. Having grown up in a small town in Pennsylvania, I felt a real kinship with the group at the center of the story-Owen, Nick, Hamish, Lore, and Matty-misfits bound together by a teenage oath to always have each other’s backs. Their weekend escapes into the woods, the camaraderie around the campfire, and the sense of being outsiders all felt achingly familiar. The book’s dual timelines-one set during their tumultuous high school years, the other decades later-capture both the thrill and the pain of growing up, and the way the past never truly lets go.

At its core, *The Staircase in the Woods* is about trauma and the lasting scars it leaves. When Matty disappears after climbing a mysterious staircase in the woods, the group’s bond shatters. Years later, a new tragedy and the reappearance of another staircase force them to confront what really happened that night-and what it’s done to each of them since. Wendig doesn’t shy away from the darkness, exploring themes of guilt, grief, addiction, and the complicated ways friendships can fracture and endure.

There are genuinely chilling moments and a creeping sense of dread that lingers long after the last page. But what struck me most was how the story made me reflect on my own memories and the ghosts of friendships past. Wendig’s characters are messy, real, and deeply flawed, and their journey is as much about facing their inner demons as it is about unraveling the supernatural mystery.

This is a unique, unsettling, and beautifully written novel that I didn’t want to end. If you’re drawn to horror that’s as much about the heart as it is about the scares, *The Staircase in the Woods* is an absolute must-read.

Intense and engaging. Felt like I was on a roller-coaster ride. You know when a story grabs you when you get deeply involved with the characters. I found myself being challenged. At one time or another, I felt many different emotions towards them. With some being a favorite over others. It dragged a little in some places. However, the ending had me hopeful. Wishing that THE COVENANT will be strong enough for good to win out in the end. This was a great read and Mr. Wending is quickly becoming a favorite author to read.

#THESTAIRCASEINTHEWOODS
#CHUCKWENDIG
#NETGALLEY

This book was such a trip. It would make a great horror movie.

The storyline includes a lot of dark themes. Please protect your mental health if you can not read about SA, child abuse or self harm.

We follow five friends in the past and only four of them in the present. The book starts off strong and continues to build tension. Together this group of friends will have to face the pains from their pasts, move past their guilt, and fight to survive.

This is my first book by this author and I will certainly be looking at more of them. I could not put it down.