Let's Go Play at the Adams' is a 1974 psychological horror novel by Mendal W. Johnson and originally published by Thomas Y. Crowell Co. Its plot focuses on a group of rural Maryland children who drug, incapacitate, and eventually torture the college student babysitter hired by their parents while they are away in Europe for two weeks.[2]
 First edition cover art | |
| Author | Mendal W. Johnson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror[1] |
| Published | 1974 |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell Co. |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 282 |
| ISBN | 0-690-00193-2 |
| 813/.5/4 | |
| LC Class | PZ4.J7118 PS3560.O3817 |
Publication
editThe novel was originally published in the United States by Thomas Y. Crowell Co.[1] In 2020, Valancourt Books republished it in paperback format under its Paperbacks from Hell series, featuring its original mass-market paperback artwork, and including a new introduction by Grady Hendrix.[2] In 2022, Centipede Press issued a hardback edition, with a limited 500 copies signed by Stefan Dziemianowicz and Dan Rempel, who wrote a new introduction.[3]
Reception
editThe Fort Lauderdale News praised the novel, writing that Johnson "is a master of the art of storytelling and suspense, but this one isn't for the squeamish."[4] Sheryl Friedlander, writing for The Tampa Tribune, compared the novel favorably to The Collector and Lord of the Flies, praising its "style and flow of thought" as "smooth and interesting."[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Let's Go Play at the Adams'". WorldCat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Benedict, Mark (April 2, 2020). "Book Review: Let's Go Play at the Adams' is a Brutal Lost Classic". Rue Morgue. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023.
- ^ "Let's Go Play at the Adams'". Centipede Press. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023.
- ^ "Tourist Novel is Jet Age 'Grand Hotel'". Fort Lauderdale News. March 10, 1974. p. 8H – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Friedlander, Sheryl (August 4, 1974). "An Eerie Renewal of an Ancient Question". The Tampa Tribune. p. 5-C – via Newspapers.com.