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review 2019-02-18 18:54
The Mouth of the Dark
The Mouth of the Dark - Tim Waggoner

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I enjoyed the story of this father in search of his missing daughter, when everyone else is brushing this off as ‘she’s an adult, she must’ve gone with a boyfriend, she’ll surface again later’. In itself, it’s a sad illustration of how people can sometimes be very callous and not pay attention to others, including Jayce himself, who acknowledged that he hadn’t been very close to Emory and wants to find her in part because he’s feeling guilty about neglecting her.

The world of Shadow was also fascinating, in a (gruesome) way: a catalogue of all that can go twisted in people, but given a sort of physical shape. This made for a weird read, with gory and sexual depictions at times, the latter diving at times into the very disturbing—for instance, when Jayce finds a sex toy in Emory’s bedroom, or that specific flashback when he goes home and finds her in the basement: the whole sexual angle intruding in a father/child relationship cranked up the creepy factor fairly high here, and I can’t say I’m comfortable with that. This ties well into the horror part, though, but let’s just say one has better steel themselves against it. For me, it was disturbing (= sex conflated with parent/child) rather than horrific (= it didn’t scare me).

From a storytelling point of view, I had trouble with the timeline: the whole plot unfolds over less than two days (if you except the flashbacks), and I felt that this was too short for Jayce to go from ‘don’t know jack to Shadow’ to ‘oh one more disturbing thing… m’kay, let’s go on’. I also guessed pretty early what the big twist would be, so I wasn’t surprised at all when that was confirmed.

All in all, what I enjoyed most here was the world of Shadow itself, in all its bizarre glory.

Conclusion: 3 stars

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review 2018-09-10 18:52
Halloween Bingo 2018: The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner
The Mouth of the Dark - Tim Waggoner

Where does one start with a crazy book like this one? I honestly don’t know where to begin so I’ll just start typing and see what happens.

I read this book with a group of blogging buddies and the main theme of our chat seemed to be WTF. Some of us were horrified, some maybe scandalized but I think there were a few who were a little tantalized though they’ll probably never admit it, haha.

At any rate, this is a story about a man named Jayce who realizes his grown daughter has gone missing. He makes it his mission to find her or at least to find out what happened to her. He’s sure something nefarious is up and boy is he ever right. He finds a strange otherworld filled with bizarre sex toys and malformed people and a scary being called The Harvest Man. He isn’t at all prepared for all of the weirdness that assaults him but he takes the hits as they come in a stumbling, hapless sort of way and doesn’t run screaming the other way as most other sane people would do. He heads straight into the madness and grossness and batshit craziness. 

I enjoyed this book for its unpredictable over the top strangeness. It didn’t scare me but it’s not really that kind of book. I loved that it wasn’t afraid to peek into the dark, twisted corners and slam your face into them. That’s a fun time for me. This isn’t a book where you’re going to fall in love or even feel much compassion for the characters. They’re not assholes but there isn’t a lot to like about them either. It’s the storyline that carries you along as the characters are put into one bizarre situation after another. There are a lot of sexual hijinks in this one featuring otherworldly sex toys. I thought that was a nice bonus but be warned if you’re not into reading about weird sex because there’s quite a bit of it here. Also, the main dude has some major mommy issues (which were expertly explained near the end) and some weird thoughts about his daughter and her sexuality that made me feel pretty uncomfortable in a bad way while reading. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s a pedophile but he sure does have some pervy thoughts that I think most dads would scrub from their brains as soon as they hit. This guy sits and stews in them for too long. 

The Mouth of the Dark was an imaginative, enjoyable, super pervy story whose pages flew. If you dig weird imagery, some unforgettable sex toys, perfectly placed gore, lots of gross little surprises, gruesome descriptions, dark humor and a finale that wraps everything together you’ll want to read this crazy book. If you don’t like those things, well, you probably wouldn’t be reading my review anyway.



My favorite line: 

“I’m sorry you got a surprise tentacle job from the Pink Devil.” 

And that’s all I’m saying about that!

 

I'm going to throw this in the SUPERNATURAL square. One down, a million to go!

 

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review SPOILER ALERT! 2018-08-27 20:36
The Mouth of the Dark - Book Review ***spoilers***
The Mouth of the Dark - Tim Waggoner

The Mouth of the Dark

moth.jpg

Author: Tim Waggoner

Book Review

Publication Date: 6th September 2018

Publisher: Flame Tree Press

 

“You’ve got the eye”

 

As a horror fan, and all round crazy fan-girl, it is always the stranger the better that I love. I love randomness, oddities, crazy, the unusual and the downright illogical. I relish the weird and the wonderful with a fiery passion, embracing it and all its wondrous madness. This book, this wonderful book, The Mouth of the Dark, is all of these things and more.

 

There is nothing I can say that could do this book or its author justice. Tim Waggoner, you are a literary genius. This is an extraordinary tale, a frightening, exciting, and thrilling ride from start to finish. The Mouth of the Dark has opened up a whole new world of wonder for me, I feel inspired by it, and I feel that it has cracked open a creative door within me that I don’t think can ever be closed.

 

We meet Jayce Lewis, a regular guy, a desperate father who is searching for his daughter, Emory. He knows something is wrong, he is deeply worried. He and Emory are not the closest anymore, not since the divorce, something he regrets deeply, but they keep in touch. She has gone missing from her home, in the Cannery. No one seems to believe him, that she is in danger, missing, abducted maybe; even her mother thinks everything is fine, and that she is just loved up and holed up with her current boyfriend and will get in touch eventually. Jayce knows, he can feel it, something isn’t right and he isn’t leaving until he finds her, he will do anything to find her, his little girl.

 

The Cannery has a questionable reputation; it is not the safest of places to live by any means. It wasn’t what he would have wanted for his Emory, but she is an adult now, she has to make her own way in the world, and he respects that. A lot of strange things happen within the Cannery, it’s a place for the unknown, the darkness, and the shadows. A different kind of life thrives here. While asking around about Emory, he meets Nicola, a curious woman who saves his life after he is attacked by some of the Cannery’s strangeness. She offers to help him find his daughter, it’s just a matter of can they trust each other, and can Jayce accept what he is about to find out. His whole life is about to change in ways he could never have imagined possible.

 

The Shadow, a world of dark wonder where the impossible is real, everything you could imagine, and the things you would rather not, it’s all real, and it’s here. A world existing alongside our own, just out of sight for most people, ‘normal’ people. Jayce soon discovers he has ‘the eye’, he can see the things most can’t, he is a part of the shadow, he just didn’t remember he was.

 

The Mouth of the Dark is a truly fascinating read, it has everything. We have lunatic killers, sex toys with a life of their own, dog eaters, clones, gladiator style fighting, melting heads and even a pinch of romance. It has something for everyone, and it is all wrapped up in a perfect twisted bow.

 

 

 5/5 – Extraordinarily exhilarating. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Buy it here:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mouth-Dark-Fiction-Without-Frontiers/dp/178758013X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1535301921&sr=8-6&keywords=tim+waggoner

 

Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror) 

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review SPOILER ALERT! 2018-08-26 22:20
The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner
The Mouth of the Dark - Tim Waggoner

The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Desperate to find his missing daughter, Jayce Lewis delves into the Cannery; a place of secrets and unnatural dangers; a shadowy part of Oakmont he didn't even know existed. Accompanied by a mysterious guide, he soon finds himself in over his head and surrounded by violence of the most perverted manner. Not only is a psychotic hunter on his trail, but the legendary Harvest Man seems not far behind.

(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Flame Tree Press for giving me the opportunity.

I’ve been sitting here thinking of just where to begin this review. You see, Waggoner introduced me to a very unique world, one in which I felt thrilled to be a part of, if only for a limited time. My love for the weird and bizarre once more resurfaced, and it seldom does due to how rarely I find myself experiencing surrealism in the genre. When it does come about, however, I enjoy it immensely, especially when the imaginative aspects are through the roof. There was a great deal that spurred me to keep going here, and I won’t lie, sometimes it was less to do with the story and more to do with what outlandish scene might come next. I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing; a book like this depends largely on building up its strangeness and taking it to new heights. The concept of Shadow was a memorable factor; a monstrous realm that bled into normal reality, whereupon freakish creatures resided. It was as if Shadow itself was a distortion of the real world; a deformity, or a glitch, much like the very abnormalities it caused those exposed to it.

Sex played a major role here, and whilst it was wildly entertaining, it also proved to be a little disquieting at times. Being a tale about, ultimately, the relationship of father and daughter, Jayce often found himself reflecting upon Emory’s erotic style of life. It wasn’t altogether out of the blue, considering the very intimate revelations during his search, but it didn’t exactly make his thoughts any less discomforting. In all, it was quite the situation; imagine a parent discovering all of your sexual escapades, including the very unconventional toy you use. Awkward, right? As for Jayce as a protagonist, he was a determined person, yet it was clear he was a stranger even to himself. I enjoyed the travels back into his history, as whilst he was getting to know himself, I was getting to know him as well.

As for Nicola, of whom played the role of companion to Jayce, I liked her, however her fate left me a little disappointed. I guess I expected more of a fleshed out conclusion to their coupling; it seemed to be over pretty quickly. The single character that stood out for me though was the long-lived Ivory. She was certainly depicted in a bad light, but she wasn’t a typical villain. I firmly believe her actions were doing a service to the unsuspecting populace, even if her methods were terribly ruthless. A definite highlight was Crimson Splendour, and what lay underneath it; a nightmarish playground that enthralled the deviant in me.

I really didn’t see the ending coming - it just seemed to come from nowhere and escalate from one to a thousand. I wouldn’t even consider it a happy ending either, but I guess it would depend wholly on your definition of happiness. It surprised me, without doubt, and it established itself as rather distinct. I mean, I can't honestly say I've never read a finale of that calibre before.

In conclusion: Perhaps suited more to the label of dark fantasy, this one focused on the creepily surreal side of fiction. I very much relished the weird and wonderful, and only experienced a few minor let-downs. I would love if Waggoner decided to make a series out of it, as he's crafted a world I would enthusiastically return to.

Notable Scene:

It appeared at first as if the man was going to do nothing more than walk, but then his mouth - which looked wrong, even from this distance - yawned open, and a dark cloud emerged, expanding as it moved toward the club's fleeing patrons. The darkness engulfed a dozen of those at the rear of the crowd, and then the screaming began.

© Red Lace 2018


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Source: redlace.reviews/2018/08/26/the-mouth-of-the-dark-by-tim-waggoner
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