The Staircase in the Woods

By: Chuck Wendig

Narrated by: 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

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. . . .

Critic reviews

“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

“Chuck Wendig has given us another stunner. The Staircase in the Woods is as mysterious, alluring, heartbreaking, ever-shifting, and unnervingly powerful as the nature of friendship itself.”—Nat Cassidy, author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

“Heart-wrenching and anxiety-inducing. Like if the crew from King’s IT were thrown into the chaotic hallways of Danielewski’s House of Leaves, The Staircase in the Woods will become lodged in your mind, if you let it in.”—Jenny Kiefer, author of This Wretched Valley

“Chuck Wendig has crafted a very sinister take on the familiar urban legend. Highly original and deeply disturbing, this one will stick with you.”—Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Haunting of Velkwood

“The Staircase in the Woods is delicious disorienting and deeply captivating. It will pull at the threads of your psyche in the best way until you feel like you just emerged from the most exquisite nightmare.”—Alaina Urquhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Butcher Game

“A searching portrait of four friends trying to find the things we all tend to lose as we grow older: faith, direction, hope, happiness, purpose . . . That’s the heart of Chuck Wendig’s work in these pages, and to read a book that illuminates such profound human truths is very rare indeed.”—Nick Cutter

Thoughty, scary good time

Chuck does such a good job developing his characters. This group of people started off as a bunch of jerks and you just can’t figure out why they were ever friends or why they would honor the “covenant.” But page by page and revelation by revelation, you start to get it. It’s about friendship, time, commitment and forgiveness, all amidst a bunch of scary weird stuff. Good read.

MORTAL COIL.. wanna find out how many time it's can be stated in one book?

this is that.. idk if the characters are meant to be disliked but I could not stand them. staircases in the woods is an absolutely fabulous concept but I felt it could've done better. book jumps around ALOT.. pay attention. it was ok tho.

a walk within yourself is likely if u take these stairs

as an audhd person with commitment issues, i felt attacked in that this was so mirror like. i resent being written this well.

Welp, now I'm addicted

This is the second book of his I've listened to. I just bought another to immediately listen to. That's it. That's my review.

Horror and 90s Nostalgia

The story hooks you in the beginning. The characters are interesting, which is important for stories like these. The plot is interesting enough to finish. At times, the story does linger on longer than it needs to, but still worth checking out. Based on other reviews, you're either going to like it or hate it.