The Staircase in the Woods

De: Chuck Wendig

Narrado por: Jay Myers, Amber Benson, Xe Sands

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. . . .

©2025 Chuck Wendig (P)2025 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Chuck Wendig is the Frank Lloyd Wright of horror, and here’s his masterstroke of malaise. The Staircase in the Woods is a true blueprint for terror.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

“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. I’d follow him anywhere.”—Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide

“[A] masterclass in character . . . Unputdownable, with imagery that cuts like a knife—this is Chuck Wendig at the top of his game.”—Thomas Olde Heuvelt, author of HEX and Darker Days

there is a lot in here

great book! good story! and he managed to get all the 90s feeling perfect.. let's call it nostalgia, but we'd never call it that.

Jarring!

The story itself wasn’t jarring, it was the performance. The one character was voiced in a way that totally broke the immersion for me. Otherwise the story itself was okay, kind of like a modern day IT, I dunno, good filler stuff but not the author’s best work.

Dark and Interesting

Incredible performance from the narrators! They really put me into the world built in this incredibly told story. The author utilizes time skips with purpose and generally not at random. Though the terms "blood" and "ichor" are used various times throughout descriptions and can be repetitive, the gruesome language paints a dark picture for the audience and not just for shock value. The ending may upset some, but I think it leaves a good opening for personal interpretation. Trigger warning for potential readers, but I listened to the very end and very much enjoyed this book.

It was good

I enjoy stories about old childhood friends that reunite. Add in some modern folklore and a pinch of horror and it’s a good read. Kind of like Model Home it has twists and turns but ends up where it should I reckon.

Overall a fun book!

Felt like a grown up version of the stories I used to read online. Very nostalgic vibes, lots of reminiscing.

Story was fun, author is clearly as terminally online as I am; I think I only missed like one reference.

It does get a bit goofy near the end. To me it felt like it moved from eldritch horror to more Goonies. Same with the voice actress's performance in the last few chapters. Not bad though, I certainly enjoyed it.

Just okay

Good story...original. Described as horror...maybe as a movie but just listening....not so much. Wouldn't recommend to a friend.

Distracting narration, low-tension

As a fantastical character study, I’d give this maybe another star, but as a horror novel it just never came together. By the characters’ repeated admission, they were not at risk in most of the story.

One of the narrators used a ridiculous fake voice for the “monster” at the end, which drained what little tension the author had built.

Pretty disappointing.

The ending...at first I was angry at the way it ended.

I wanted to hear what the definite ending of the story. But after thinking about it I realized the ending was perfect.
This was a good story, a lot of paranormal happenings. It does seem to drag in some places, But it will pick up again quickly. I do recommend this book.

Haunting & Wholly Unique

It feels like a modern, more expansive 'Stand By Me' but with supernatural horror & told from the adult povs. It was such an excellent exploration of how the different kinds of trauma we experience stay with us to manifest later in life, sometimes in tragic or heartbreaking ways..
Spoiler alert:
I knew there'd be a bunch of angry reviews from people saying that the author needs to "leave politics out" and that there was too much "woke nonsense" forced in.
Art is always political and you sound like infants.
I also predicted that the character Lor would be hated on for all the normal reasons people dislike women who speak their minds & unapologetically invade men's spaces.
I LOVED that the author addressed so many important issues through Lor; like the difference between gender identity & sexual orientation, Comics/Gamergate and misogyny dressed up as scrutiny/concern, the unwinnable battle against trolls, and trying to walk the line between super hot & sexually harrassed vs unfuckably ugly & sexually harrassed.
However it confused me a bit why a character that was clearly established as aromantic & nonbinary would end up in a romantic relationship with a cis/het man..
Still the entire book was unexpected, chilling, heartbreaking, and so beautiful. The narrators were all amazing and I 100% reccomend it to those who enjoy added depth to their horror stories.

It was an original idea, at least to me.

I disliked that the story left you hanging at the end, I really hate that.