A suspenseful horror story of 5 friends who find a staircase in the woods that leads to nowhere. After one of the group disappears, those left behind deal with the emotional fallout of betrayal. The story focuses on themes of abuse both physical and psychological, along with alcoholism and drug abuse. The use of flashbacks are prevalent throughout but used in such a way that the transitions are seamless. While the story did drag a bit in some places, the writing was such that I've put the author's other titles on my TBR list.

Every time I read a Chuck Wendig book, I feel like a student again. Making notes in the margins (digitally on Kindle) and highlighting the hell out of half the pages. Sometimes these actions are to remind me about the characters' journeys for reviewing; sometimes it's about pacing and remembering to mark the percentage complete thus far; but, a lot of times, it's simply because he writes even the most foul, grotesque details with pure poetry.

The Staircase in the Woods is a horror novel. Yet, it's so much more than that. I urge readers to make sure they read about the book's creation at the end from Wendig himself. He says the same thing I'm saying. It's a story that could be reworked and pitched as a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book series. I know he'd be great at that too. But make no mistake, there are quintessential Wendig horror traits in Staircase.

What might those be?

For starters, maggots. I think every Wendig book I've read has maggots (I haven't read Star Wars, but I bet there's a creature that dies covers in creepy crawling make-me-vomit bugs).

Death, decay, grief. These are common Wendig elements no matter what time period or planet he sets his world.

Blood, vomit, and other bodily functions. I give him a great deal of credit for balancing drama, trauma, and humor with these elements.

Survival. If you're familiar with the Wanderers series which was epic, prophetic, and frightening because of how its human vs. human, human vs. AI, human vs. nature, and I think every other versus plot possible. In today's climate, survival is indeed an important piece of a plot about moving characters along from point A to B via Pi π.

Friendship/Family of Choice. This is one of Wendig's strongest elements to storytelling which is why I compared it to MLP. It is by no means an insult (and I don't think he'd see it as one). Quite often biological family members are atrocious pieces of shit. Even serial killers have family.

Reading the press copy, I don't know if there are Trigger Warnings in the front, but I hope so. There's family abuse from neglect, emotional abuse, self harm, and childhood sexual assault. This distressing part of humanity is how Wendig pulls together a team of characters.

I don't know my D&D well enough to be certain, but the characters: Lore, Owen, Nick, Hamish, and Matty have varying degrees of ethics and morality like a paladin, rogue, monk, cleric, and barbarian. As they go from high school friends who suffered a tragedy to being reunited and fighting for their lives, this guild of misfits changes significantly. One might start as Chaotic Evil but end up Slightly Less Chaotic and Neutral. Maybe a reader can relate better to a character who also an INFJ or I9C3G6. Readers will find all types with their own strengths and weaknesses in Wendig's Staircase.

Will Readers Fall in Love with the Characters?

Maybe if that reader has a fetish. I guarantee readers will feel an attachment to one or more characters and root for the team to complete their mission—but fall in love the way all genders of fans fell in love with Tom Hiddleston's Loki? Probably not. I will say, Lore, the one member of the crew on the queer spectrum, affords an outlet for Badass NB Energy. Lore states, "I'm genderfluid, pansexual, aromantic, AuDHD," and uses she or they pronouns. I don't recall any of her old childhood friends understanding it enough to refer to Lore as they.

You Can't Have a Staircase Without a House

It might surprise readers to know that there are actual staircases in bizarre locations. What blew me away was that Wendig started plotting his book while on tour for Black River Orchard when a fan told him there was a real abandoned staircase in the middle of nowhere nearby. He detoured and immediately went to find that staircase. He covers the entire story at the back of the book. It's remarkable so don't skip it.

The fictional house brings up a lot of questions. Metaphysical questions. Psychological questions. Basic questioning of what's real and what isn't. If you can see it, is it real? If you can touch it, is it real? If your companion also has the same experience, is the thing real? When is a house a home? Is home where the heart is or vice versa? Does liminal space exist? Does Purgatory or Hell exist? Can you think of anything worse than what you think your biggest fear is?

Things in Staircase boil down to a question: Do you have anyone who would truly have your back even if it meant going through their own personal Hell to save you? This team does and that's why they call their bond not just friendship, but The Covenant. More powerful than family or friendship.

What I Appreciated:

Among the team's personality types, Lore and Owen are the main two. Owen is the Yin to Lore's Yang. He's emotional, sensitive, distraught, self-loathing, in love, furious with jealousy, and quite clearly suffering from one of the few cases of anxiety that I've seen in a character that felt real. And I mean all caps ANXIETY, the kind that's more than a disorder—destructive enough to require forcible intervention like a 51-50 (code for committing someone to an institution against their will).

Owen hides—or believes he has—his compulsive actions like cutting his skin. His friends easily notice his nail biting and it comes up as a repeating way to knock him down into shame spirals even further.

There's never a dull moment. In fact, there's a bit squished into the pages called The Interlude and it is not a time to go get snacks. It's absolutely vital information about the what the Staircase and House are. It's a look at the villain's origin story which carries forward to June 6, 1998 when The Covenant found the Staircase.

What I Loved:

Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It's one of my favorite places in the world! Not that I've seen much. Driving on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River is a long stretch of winding road with intermittent charming small towns including New Hope which Wendig mentions in the book. He talks about a "head shop" there. I remember when there was one right on the river near the bridge to Lambertville, New Jersey.

There isn't a ton of exposition about the landscapes of Pennsylvania, the Pacific Northwest, and New Hampshire. There are enough Easter eggs for readers who have been to the towns mentioned to conjure up a dreamy sense of nostalgia.

That warm fuzzy feeling also includes all the nerd references to gaming, most of which even I had heard of. You don't need to have a degree in game theory to follow Lore's trains of thoughts as The Covenant journeys precariously through danger. They violated the number one rule of team quests.

Summary:

While there are plenty of gross moments in The Staircase in the Woods, Chuck Wendig makes a little bit of gore and dead/undead refreshingly bearable compared to modern horror movies.

The Covenant of five high school friends becomes four in search of the missing fifth, the one who was unofficially the leader. Wendig navigates a variety of character personalities suffering from childhood trauma (or ACEs, adverse childhood experiences) in graphic detail with a care and sensitivity that it's a wonder how he got through the creation of this book. The human characters face various antagonists and villains from other humans to their disorders to surreal supernatural forces of evil. Fortunately, the team of friends (Lore, Owen, Nick, and Hamish) find one safe place where they get unpredictable and momentary respite. Readers get to breathe as the team handles adrenaline fatigue.

If you've experienced déja vu or perhaps felt something paranormal and aren't afraid to explore the buried, dark aspects of humanity, then you won't want to miss this spectacular arrival from Chuck Wendig.

Rating: 5 stars

thanks to netgalley for sending me a copy of the earc in exchange for an honest review

the beginning of this book was very slow and dragged until around halfway, then i started to actually enjoy it. i really liked the whole idea behind the house is haunted not by ghosts but by memories it was quite different but it was executed well.

i didn’t care for any of the characters, sometimes they had some scenes that made them seem like actual friends and sometimes they didn’t seem like they were friends at all but i guess maybe that’s what happens when you grow up with people and lose contact?

i liked the chapter titles tho! authors need to keep doing those pls

Chuck Wendig's "The Staircase in the Woods" is an uncanny blend of modern anxieties and classic horror tropes. The story follows a group of adult friends who revisit past trauma during a camping trip that quickly unravels into a nightmare. As they ascend a mysterious staircase, paranoia, isolation, and the dread of the unknown take over. Wendig excels at building atmosphere, immersing readers in the claustrophobic tension of the woods. The characters, though archetypal, are nuanced, facing their deepest fears and the fragility of their bonds. This chilling tale explores the potential for the ordinary to become extraordinary, lingering long after the final page.

This novel had so many weird and wonderful things going on and was initially very reminiscent of a few Stephen King works, primarily It and Rose Red. But then it shifted and took on a life of it’s own.

What immediately draws you in, is the fact that there is a random staircase in the woods and, since this is a horror novel, you realize that this is not something good. When 1 of a group of 5 teenage friends disappears up that staircase and never comes back, well, that just sets the tone.

Years later the four come back together when another staircase is found and they climb the stairs together into multiple nightmares they were wholly unprepared for since each of them are dealing with their own internal demons.

I really enjoyed it and once I fit into it, I found the concept really unique. A great rollercoaster ride for sure.

This story was about grief, the complicated nature between friends you make when you are just figuring out yourself, and the despair that comes with adulting. I didn't love any of the characters, but found them as a unit tugging at my heart strings. The story was not predictable, and I found myself flying through pages at mid point to see what would happen to the main characters. A great read for fans of stories like "The Body" and films like "Now and Then," "The Sandlot," and "Heathers."

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this clever and imaginative eARC.

Chuck Wendig's "The Staircase in the Woods" is uncanny, where the familiar twists into something unsettlingly strange. Wendig masterfully blends modern anxieties with classic horror tropes, crafting a narrative that feels timeless and yet eerily prescient.

The story follows a group of adult friends who revisit a previous trauma where they lost a friend. A seemingly innocuous camping trip, quickly unravels into a nightmare fueled by paranoia, isolation, and the creeping dread of the unknown when they ascent a staircase apparently into nowhere.

Wendig excels at building atmosphere, immersing the reader in the claustrophobic tension of the woods and the ever-present sense of being watched.

The characters, while archetypal, are surprisingly nuanced. Their flaws and vulnerabilities are laid bare as the pressure mounts, forcing them to confront their deepest fears and the fragility of their bonds. Wendig doesn't shy away from exploring the darker aspects of human nature, revealing the potential for both heroism and villainy within each individual.

"The Staircase in the Woods" is a chilling exploration of the human psyche and the terrifying potential for the ordinary to become extraordinary. It's a story that stays in your mind and imagination long after you have finished the story.

Recommended for Stephen King and Bentley Little fans, and readers who enjoy atmospheric horror with psychological undertones.

The Staircase in the Woods follows a tight knit group of five friends who, when camping one night in the woods, come across a massive staircase that towers into the sky. One of them climbs the steps and is never seen again.

Twenty years later, the remaining four friends set out to uncover what happened two decades before.

Chuck Wendig has a real talent for writing complicated and flawed characters. I found myself hating the cast, but also loving them fiercely. The story moves quickly, with a mysterious and unsettling chord being struck the entire time you are reading. The horror is front and center, but underneath is so much more. There is deep exploration into topics like trauma, friendship, and abuse that evoke raw emotions I feel sometimes are missing in other books in the genre.

While the plot is a tad repetitive, it’s the characters extremely tumultuous relationships that keep and hold your attention.

Reading this felt like watching an A24 horror movie (let’s make that happen). It’s frightening but also has nuance often not found in others like it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Chuck Wendig, & Random House Worlds for providing me with an ARC for my honest review :)♡

Chuck Wendig creeped me out with this book, but I highly enjoyed it. Of course, I am not one to see a staircase int he woods and think, hmmm maybe I should climb that and see what happens. I enjoy tropes where something happens to a group when they are younger and then all get together years later to really delve deep into what really happened. In real life, people remember tragic events all differently even in shared experiences. Some of the characters were as likeable as others but that is to be expected with this kind of story. This story was very well developed and just kept me wanting to read more. I will be running to the store on publishing day to grab a physical copy. Thanks NetGalley.

Not only was I very excited for this new book by Chuck Wendig, I was also very intrigued with the premise.
Chuck did not disappoint and the book was very exciting, suspenseful and unique. The staircase is the least of the worries in this story...worry about the bodies, history and your own well being as you dive into this book.
Chuck Wendig has done it again!

This was my first Chuck Wendig and I devoured it. I want to read everything this author has written now. The entire book was filled with pop culture references that are from my generation, so I got them. I know this type of thing can date a book and some readers might not connect because of it, but for me, this time, the references all felt timely and relevant to me personally, and helped me vibe with the characters and story.

I loved the characters. I cared about their mission. More than anything, I wanted to see what was behind every door in the haunted world they found themselves in, and this book delivered on the grotesque depictions of horror and violence, plot twists, and unpredictability I love in a story. This is the kind of book that possesses you and will leave you thinking about it long after you've read the last page.

If I had any complaint, it's that the story isn't tied up in a neat little bow at the end. I don't know that there would ever be a sequel, but I would read it in a heartbeat. The one question I had still lingers, otherwise.

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

When the five teenagers were partying, they found a staircase in the woods. After an argument with Lore, Matty decides to run up the stairs only to disappear when he steps off the top. Too afraid to follow, the friends search all night for their friend. Matty, however, is gone.

Twenty years later, Owen, Lore, and Hamish receive and email from Nick: he has pancreatic cancer and wants them to come home. The friends are taken to the woods and dropped off, where Nick walks them in to do some camping. But is camping really why they have all been summoned? Apparently not, as they traipse through the woods to find a staircase... This time, Lore does not hesitate. She runs up the stairs in the hopes of finding Matty. Naturally, everyone else follows. And there, the story really begins...

First, can authors just stop with the f%#&ing politics?!? Seriously, WHY?!? It added nothing to the story, and really just annoyed the shit out of me. I'm very close to stopping reading new books because I don't want to see it. News is for MSNBC or Fox, or CNN, not for fiction books. Knock it off!

Sometimes while driving around for work, I will see lonely staircases hanging out with nothing around them and I always thought it was interesting. I didn't know it was a thing though! Really interesting storyline. I enjoyed it immensely, except for the politics shit.

incredibly heavy, super atmospheric, a little overwritten & heavy handed with the trauma and political things (a lot of stuff is spelled out which is fine! the messages are just Very Pointed and explicit which can be frustrating in 1) adding unnecessary length and 2) a bit pedantic) BUT this is a hate letter to the internet and a crap ton of fun to read even with the super uncomfy parts. cryptic and creepy in all the good ways.

perfect for fans of that 5 minute house hell sequence in vivarium, nat cassidy fans, r/NoSleep & darren aronofsky films. those vibes

an excellent horror but mind the content warnings ⚠️

"Ho salito dandoti il braccio almeno un milione di scale..."

Le cose inspiegabili ci attraggono e ci inquietano. Se durante un campeggio, nel bosco più nero, dovessi trovare una misteriosa scala che sembra condurre nel nulla, avresti il coraggio di salirvi? Nella migliore delle ipotesi non ti accadrà nulla...Oppure potresti svanire, proprio come è successo a Matty. Questo è il segreto inconfessabile che per anni ha unito e disgregato un gruppo di amici, ma adesso la scala è riapparsa e Nick vuole delle risposte, non si arrende e non vuole andare avanti. Riunisce il vecchio gruppo e durante le indagini inciampano in un incubo terribile.

Mistero e inquietudine spadroneggiano in questo nuovo horror firmato Chuck Wendig, che deve moltissimo al suo antenato "It" di cui ricorda tematiche, vibes e troppe, ma se la trama si distingue poco per originalità, gli diamo il merito di non risultare pesante e di tenere in pugno il lettore con un mix di suspence e svolte ben architettare. Se fosse una produzione Netflix, binge immediato!

È una storia di amicizia, di perdita, di abbandono e di coraggio. I panni sporchi si lavano in famiglia, ma a volte i panni sporchi sono la famiglia e se non ne parla, non se ne può parlare, succede che ristagnano e puzzano. Chuck Wendig raccoglie questi traumi e queste ferite psicologiche e trasforma l'ambiente sicuro per eccellenza, la casa, in un luogo infernale in cui fare i conti con il passato, obbligandoci a riconoscere verità distorte e orrori dimenticati.

Figlia degli anni '90, ho risentito dell'effetto nostalgia del setting creato e della pop colture anche se non sempre ben amalgamato nel contesto.

Ringrazio Netgalley, Random House e Chuck Wendig per la copia in anteprima in cambio di una recensione onesta. La data di uscita estera prevista è il 29 aprile 2025.

Di questo autore vi consiglio Wonderers (I vagabondi, Fanucci, 2019) e vorrei proprio leggere The Book of Accidents (Fanucci, 2021)

I wanted to love this, the description felt like I was going to, such a great idea but I just couldn't connect to these characters. The main 4 characters felt extremely one note and stereotyped, with no room for growth other than the author telling me they did but not showing me why and/or how. I felt all the dark and heavy topics and themes only go to a surface level of exploration or depiction, which when dealing with mental health and trauma, surface just doesn't cut it.

I also found parts to be very jarring with mention of US politics in current details, while I'm of the authors political side it would seem - in this book it just felt so clunky and our of place, almost as a lazy attempt at character development for 2 character in particular. I also found the use of present day and flashbacks a missed opportunity and almost forgotten about.

I did like the the last half more than the first but again the writing became repetitive around the characters and their attempts to grow but I found the world building creepy and interesting. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me but I am keen to try another from this author as their writing style is descriptive, if I'd connected to the characters more what they were faced with may have felt more interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Del Rey & Chuck Wendig for the ARC - publishing on April 29th 2025

Thank you Netgalley, Chuck Wendig and Random House Worlds | Del Rey for the eArc of The Staircase in the Woods.

This is my first book from Chuck Wendig's books and I was gripped from beginning to end. I was intrigued into what direction the plot would take and given the mystery/thriller/horror elements didn't disappoint me at . It has everything, intrigue, gore elements, mystery and locked room/escape room vibes make this book a page turner. Giving that life got in the way, I was eager to pick up the book to start reading again. Being someone who loves nature and loves ruins the writing and pace of the plot definitely builds that creepy, foreboding atmosphere.

I'll be looking into reading more of Chuck Wendig's books in the future.

4 stars

When I read a book, such as this one, I wonder whether authors appreciate being compared to superstar authors, say someone like Stephen King, or if they find it insulting. I hope it's the former, especially in the case of this book, which reminded me, in the best possible way, of a Stephen King novel.

How so? Well, mainly in two ways. First, the style of writing and the cadence of the language, it just reminded me of how Mr. King writes, it is different but reminiscent. Then there is the story itself, there is the familiar trope of high school friends reuniting as adults to fight against something evil, and without giving anything away since it is in the title, this fight occurs in a strange dimension after the friends climb said staircase in the woods.

So, if you are a fan of horror or this particular trope then you will likely enjoy what this novel has to offer, I know I did! And if you are a fan of Mr. King, you will be in for a treat.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Del Ray/Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

Very well done as is usual for Chuck Wendig. More personal in scale than his recent apple book and definitely a lot of dark things in it, a lot of the focus is on the group of friends at the centre (some more than others). Some great choices of how to tell the story, too, with some flashbacks but mostly present day scenes.

I wanted to read this book from just looking at the cover. Little did I know I would be hooked from the beginning.

This booked was so intriguing and addictive from the start. The characters are well written. Some of the descriptions I could have done without but definitely added to the horror effect. This was my first time reading anything from this Author and I will definitely be looking forward to my next book from them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. It's expected publication date is April 29, 2025

I enjoyed the book but not as much as others might, I felt like I couldn't really connect or care about the story so much.