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The Mouth of the Dark

Tim Waggoner (Goodreads Author)

3.84 · Rating details · 152 ratings · 81 reviews

Jayce’s twenty-year-old daughter Emory is missing, lost in a dark, dangerous realm called Shadow that exists alongside our own reality. An enigmatic woman named Nicola guides Jayce through this bizarre world, and together they search for Emory, facing deadly dog-eaters, crazed killers, homicidal sex toys, and – worst of all – a monstrous being known as the Harvest Man. But ...more

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published September 6th 2018 by Flame Tree Press

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· 152 ratings · 81 reviews

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Aug 27, 2018 Bark rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror

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 make 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! ...more

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Jul 19, 2018 Karl marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-07-books-bought, flame_tree-own

This Is an advanced reading copy uncorrected proof of the book and is signed by Tim Waggoner.

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Jul 05, 2018 Lilyn G. | Sci-Fi & Scary | rated it liked it

Shelves: request-publisher, horror

'The Mouth of the Dark' was a strange book. Not quite weird fiction/ bizarro horror but sweet baby Cthulhu, it was strange.

The prologue made me say "What the fuck?" and from there I think that was probably the most common phrase I (or any of my Book Bitch group) said when talking about it. Though "Eww!" was probably a close second. The ICK factor on this book was pretty high. In fact, the squick of some of the experiences Jayce has in regards to his daughter dampened my enjoyment of the read a g 'The Mouth of the Dark' was a strange book. Not quite weird fiction/ bizarro horror but sweet baby Cthulhu, it was strange.

The prologue made me say "What the fuck?" and from there I think that was probably the most common phrase I (or any of my Book Bitch group) said when talking about it. Though "Eww!" was probably a close second. The ICK factor on this book was pretty high. In fact, the squick of some of the experiences Jayce has in regards to his daughter dampened my enjoyment of the read a good bit. (Rest assured that there's no familial bonking, though.)

"Pink Devil" is now a phrase in our group that evokes instant shudders and an instant urge to reach for brain bleach for most of us.

It's the weirdest journey of a parent to find their child that I've ever read. (Side note: Looking for a little less weird, a little more seriously occult and strange in a different way? Try Joseph Nassise's Eyes to See.) I was, initially, very sympathetic to Jayce. He wasn't exactly a likable character, but he was honest about his relationship with his daughter, and trying to do right as a father. That made me root for him. However, by the end of the book, I no longer felt like the journey was about him as a parent. It was more about him discovering himself.

The pacing was fairly steady. This is a book that starts off with a bang and just keeps going. The dialogue is okay, but not particularly memorable. The distur Even when I wasn't particularly liking it, I still wanted to read more.

I mostly enjoyed 'The Mouth of the Dark'. As a wild trip that keeps you wondering what the hell is going on, it's an amazing experience. It is highly entertaining read; however, it is not a satisfying one. While most of it is this weird and disgusting roller-coaster, the end is - unfortunately - a bit flat.

Overall, not a book I'd recommend to everyone, but if you're wanting a reading experience that will leave you saying a very naughty four-letter word repeatedly... Here ya go!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. ...more

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Sep 28, 2018 Philip Fracassi rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, genre

I greatly enjoyed this book by Tim Waggoner. A sort of dark fantasy / body horror / erotica hybrid that made me think of early Clive Barker. A quick, fascinating, and delightfully sinful read that I'd recommend for anyone wanting strong prose, disturbing imagery, and a fun, fast-moving plot line. Tim's one of the best in the business for a reason. Recommended.

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Aug 09, 2018 Michael Hicks rated it liked it

Shelves: advanced-review-copy, horror

Let's cut right to the quick - The Mouth of the Dark is weird. Seriously weird. Like bug-fuck, batshit crazy weird. Tim Waggoner revels in weirdness here, revealing new layers of oddities and arcane horrors on nearly every page. Yes, it keeps the book moving, which is exactly what you want in a narrative whose timespan is so firmly compressed (the events of The Mouth of the Dark take place within about 24-48 hours or so), but hot damn is it ever weird.

Weird isn't a bad thing, though, and it's o Let's cut right to the quick - The Mouth of the Dark is weird. Seriously weird. Like bug-fuck, batshit crazy weird. Tim Waggoner revels in weirdness here, revealing new layers of oddities and arcane horrors on nearly every page. Yes, it keeps the book moving, which is exactly what you want in a narrative whose timespan is so firmly compressed (the events of The Mouth of the Dark take place within about 24-48 hours or so), but hot damn is it ever weird.

Weird isn't a bad thing, though, and it's one of the central selling points behind The Mouth of the Dark. On its surface, it's about a man searching for his missing daughter. As these types of stories often require, the father takes a trip down a wickedly dark rabbit hole and uncovers a secret world, in this case Shadow. Existing alongside our own daily rigamarole, only a certain special few can see Shadow and the peculiar life lurking within. There's green-gloved men who eat paper covered in hot sauce, couples who eat dogs, and a horrifying entity called The Harvest Man. The Harvest Man has breath that can kill - breathe out, and a black cloud envelops his victim. Breathe back in, and the victim turns to ash. He's like a wickedly fucked up Lamaze teacher with a case of halitosis cranked to 11. Oh, and there's also killer sex toys that sprout tentacles to help users rub one out while asphyxiating them.

Jayce discovers all these things in pretty short order, and Waggoner continually assaults him and us readers with new information and odd-ball scenarios on the regular. Discovery is the name of the game here, and in searching for the absent Emory, Jayce keeps finding more and more dark corners to peek into and only barely survive. Some of these corners involve the secrets of Shadow, while others pertain to his own buried and forgotten past, and nearly every single one of them posits some intriguing bit of fantastical horror. Others are a bit more personal, and frankly Jayce is kind of a creeper when all is said and done, what with his strangely frequent musings on his daughter's sex life and what potential kinks she may get off on. This struck an odd, disquieting note with me. Although Jayce isn't incestuous, he simply seems to let his mind wander down some off-beat tracks and Waggoner is content to let it flow, eschewing any darker aspects between father and daughter, thank goodness.

The Mouth of the Dark largely succeeds on the merits of its strangeness. I will admit I'm not a fan of fantasy lit, and by extension a lot of urban fantasy, which runs wild here in more horrifying and perverse forms. Waggoner throws readers directly into the deep-end, right alongside Jayce, and it takes some time to get oriented to the parallel Shadow reality running alongside our own. Frankly, I struggled quite a bit to suspend my disbelief early on, but as I wised up to Waggoner's game I was better able to appreciate the story. It didn't quite satisfy me, particularly the resolution, which felt like a rush to the exit, but it didn't disappoint either. Waggoner has one hell of an imagination, and at times The Mouth of the Dark feels like an episode of Fringe if Clive Barker had gotten his hands on the screenplay. I definitely can't complain about that, and any story that features homicidal sex toys will always be worth a read as far as I'm concerned.

[Note: I received an advance reading copy of The Mouth of the Dark from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.] ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Figgy added it

Shelves: one-hundred-percent-rock-reviews, review-2018, review-copy, floab-hunger-games-challenge, review-pending, to-review, arc-or-netgalley, publisher-flame-tree

Review to come. In the meantime...

I'm honestly not entirely sure what I think of this one as yet.

From the start, it was very different and pushed a lot of boundaries, often stepping across the line into uncomfortable moments. So often books shy away from actually delving into horrific things, so that was... "nice"?

However, there were a couple of things that didn't make proper sense, and there was that one big, underlying thing that led to the twist. Something I worked out within the first 20-30% ...more

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Aug 29, 2018 Emily rated it really liked it

I don't even know where to start with the Mouth of the Dark. This book probably wins the award for largest amount of times I said "what the fuck" while reading. This book is WEIRD. It's way more than your average horror weird, and there's a lot to take in here.

The Mouth of the Dark has such an intriguing opening, and it hooked me immediately. I was excited to read the rest of the book, and figure out what the hell was going on.

Different parts of the book reminded me of different books / shows ...more

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Sep 06, 2018 Barb (Boxermommyreads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

I know that I've heard of Tim Waggoner before and I'm pretty sure I've read SOMETHING he wrote years ago but I've searched my mind and my records and can't come up with anything. However, I knew just by looking at this cover that this is a book I wanted to read.

Jayce is looking for his daughter Emory. She has disappeared and it is believed that she has become lost in the "Shadow" - a very unique yet very dangerous realm. Jayce will do whatever is necessary to find Emory, even if it means unlocki ...more

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Mar 26, 2019 Frank Errington rated it it was amazing

Review copy

This is my sixth and final review of the initial batch of releases from Flame Tree Press. The Bad Neighbor by David Tallerman, Creature by Hunter Shea, Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell, The Sky Woman: From Ringworlds to Earth, an Epic Struggle of Love and Survival by J.D. Moyer, The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, and now The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner. A terrific mix of genre reads from a publisher showing great promise.

On with today's review...

Jayce Le Review copy

This is my sixth and final review of the initial batch of releases from Flame Tree Press. The Bad Neighbor by David Tallerman, Creature by Hunter Shea, Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell, The Sky Woman: From Ringworlds to Earth, an Epic Struggle of Love and Survival by J.D. Moyer, The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, and now The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner. A terrific mix of genre reads from a publisher showing great promise.

On with today's review...

Jayce Lewis' daughter Emily has gone missing and Jayce is doing all he can to find her. The more he seeks the more he learns about her life and his own. From the strange concoctions sold at the Crazyqwik, to the dog-eaters who think he's a meat thief, to the Harvest Man, and just wait until you encounter the pink devil. It's all like his mother told him time and again...

"The world is a dangerous place."

At its heart, The Mouth of the Dark is about The Shadowers—people who can see—and interact with the darker aspects of existence.

I can always count on Waggoner to find the weird in a story and there's plenty of that in The Mouth of the Dark. As is the case with most of his original work. Tim has an original voice in the horror community and is a genuine wordsmith...

"Their ages ranged from early twenties to a foot-and-a-half in the grave."

The book is filled with truly horrible images, yet I found myself smiling more often than not. Sex, violence, and an all-around crazy good time.

Totally recommended.

The Mouth of the Dark is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in all formats.

From the author's bio - Tim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001 Since then he's published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. He writes original fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. In addition to writing, Tim is also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College.
...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Mommacat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: highly-rec, favorites-shelf, horror, kindle

Review Copy

Stop right here. If you're into horror, you'll want to buy this book now. Here's why.

I've always liked Tim Waggoner's writing, but THE MOUTH OF THE DARK exceeded all of my expectations and is one of my favorite books of the year. I'm trying to figure out where it places in my all time favorites. I'll work on that. I know it's very high up there.

This is a horrifying tale of a father's love for his missing adult daughter. The occult elements are downright terrifying and heartstopping. T ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Laura Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror

Egads. That best describes my thoughts on this one. I knew from the description it was going to be out there, but this was such a strange read.

It all begins with a man searching for his daughter. That’s the only thing normal about this story. It quickly turns into a bizarre story of finding himself, plunging him into a strange world of demonic sex toys (AKA: Pink Demon) and just plain weird experiences.

Now, I’m not that squeamish. I can take gore, hideous death scenes and terrifying paranormal o ...more

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Aug 24, 2018 Red Lace Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-for-review, horror-paranormal-supernatural, tim-waggoner

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 revie ...more

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Aug 09, 2018 Acanthea Grimscythe | The Ghastly Grimoire rated it really liked it

The Mouth of the Dark is the second book by Tim Waggoner that I've read and, after completing it, I'm pretty convinced I'll like just about any of his work. Waggoner is imaginative and original, and The Mouth of the Dark takes readers to an entirely new world of monstrosities. It's easily one of the most fantastic books I've read this year.

Jayce Lewis's daughter has gone missing. No one's seen her and in pursuit of her whereabouts, Jayce stumbles upon a world known as Shadow. Shadow is a dangero ...more

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Apr 20, 2020 William M. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, weird-fiction

4 AND 1/2 STARS

I've been reading Tim Waggoner for years and he always manages to produce amazing work. The Mouth of the Dark is no exception. Brutal and sometimes shocking, the narrative takes the reader into unique and mind-bending territory. What appears to be the simple premise of a father in search of his missing daughter turns out to be anything but. Waggoner writes to the beat of his own drum and his smooth prose and unpredictable twists will have you in adult horror heaven. If this were a ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Reading Reindeer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a1-i-own-books, a1-netgalley, 2018_new-weird, 2018_reads, 2018_let-s-read-indie_challenge, 2018_4-seasons_ha, 2018_net-galley_reads, august_2018_reads

Review: THE MOUTH OF THE DARK by Tim Waggoner

I loved this scary horror novel! In Oakmont, the underworld isn't organized crime. Instead, it's an extensive "region" called Shadow, a sort of shifting portal to that (and those) which lie Beyond. Open, to an extent, to "normals," Shadow magnetizes humans who possess "the Eye," and continued exposure results in "changes." Jayce can't remember a frightening incident when he was thirteen, nor can he account for the subsequent missing time. But now that ...more

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Sep 03, 2018 Tammy rated it really liked it

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Delightfully twisted and disturbing, The Mouth of the Dark is part Tales from the Dark Side , part Poltergeist , and completely bat shit crazy.

The launch of small publisher Flame Tree Press caught my attention last month when they were blasted all over the internet—good marketing, guys!—and I was curious enough to h ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Don Gillette rated it really liked it

Fast-paced and a bit on the quirky side, The Mouth of the Dark is another great, new release from the folks at Flame Tree Press who are proving quite rapidly they are in the business to bring game to the genre. And bring it, they do.
While not a great fan of "creature-type" fantasy/horror, I got over that a few chapters into the book and it developed into quite the page-turner.
The story is simple enough; Jayce's daughter has gone missing and he heads toward the seedy part of town to post some fly Fast-paced and a bit on the quirky side, The Mouth of the Dark is another great, new release from the folks at Flame Tree Press who are proving quite rapidly they are in the business to bring game to the genre. And bring it, they do.
While not a great fan of "creature-type" fantasy/horror, I got over that a few chapters into the book and it developed into quite the page-turner.
The story is simple enough; Jayce's daughter has gone missing and he heads toward the seedy part of town to post some flyers and ask a few questions. From there, he's introduced to more strange people than you can count and also encounters a sort of parallel universe that exists with ours called "Shadow." Shadow can only be seen and experienced by a select few And Shadow is seriously fucked-up in every degradation imaginable. Think "Labyrinth" meets "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with a side order of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Thunderdome" for dessert.
Tim Waggoner manages to pull this off deftly and impressively while giving slight clues and promises of the climax to come when the book hits its high note.
Characters are interesting, if a bit under-developed, but that's understandable given the book takes place in a short time span (a few days from what I could gather, but I wasn't reading for that so it didn't really register until I'd finished). One character in particular, a dude named "Ohio Pig" is most intense and enjoyable in a perverse sort of way.
Dialogue is a bit elongated in places but isn't overly done or melodramatic. Considering the circumstances Jayce finds himself in, it could have gone either way, but Waggoner manages to reel it in to fit the occasions.
The "ah-ha!" moment was slightly "not-ah-ha!" given the reader gets a fairly obvious precursor to it, but even with that, it wasn't one of those, "I saw that coming a mile away" type of things.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of explanation for the appearance and behavior of the bizarre assortment of creatures occupying Shadow. They were well-described, but their motives were never clear--you'll see what I mean the first time you meet the guy with the green rubber gloves.
Overall, The Mouth of the Dark was an enjoyable trip into the land of disbelief suspension and certainly worth a read.
...more

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Sep 05, 2018 Kristy rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

**Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for a free e-copy of The Mouth of the Dark in exchange for an honest review.**

Woah. Okay y'all, if you love horror but feel like reading something totally unique and weird as hell, this is your next read. It's graphic and has some sexual scenes that will make you super uncomfortable. You know, like when you're reading in public and look around to see if people can tell you're reading something so messed up? You will do that multiple times reading The ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Sage rated it it was amazing

This book is really awesome. It features a man searching for his daughter in a dangerous realm next to ours called Shadow where all sorts of creepy things live. This is a great mix of urban fantasy, horror, and bizzaro fiction. I highly recommend it.

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May 18, 2020 Zakk Madness rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Weird and twisted read, not at all what I was expecting. Great imagery and gnarly action. I'd definitle read more from Waggoner,

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Jul 30, 2018 BookLoversLife rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book was seriously weird!! Right from the start I was constantly going, what the heck is going on, and it didn't let up. It's not a bad weird, it's just a seriously out there weird!! There were times when I wanted to put this aside because I wasn't enjoying it enough, but it was also strangely compelling and I had to keep reading to see what happens and to see if it finally came together at the end.

In all honesty, I'm still not sure if I enjoyed this or not. The plot of the dad trying to fi ...more

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Sep 24, 2018 Alan Baxter rated it really liked it

Shelves: dark-fantasy, fantasy, horror, urban-fantasy

Truly bizarre, dark and twisted, a lot like Barker’s CABAL, but with bucketloads of extra WTFness. Recommended.

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Aug 21, 2018 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, mystery

This is the third Flame Tree Press ARC I've read, and it's just as impressive as the first two. I'm loving how awesome and different every horror title has been so far.

Jayce Lewis is a simple man with a complicated past, but right now all he cares about is finding his 20-year-old daughter. Emory is missing and although Jayce's ex doesn't seem very concerned, he decides to print up some flyers and hits the street.

The only problem is that from the moment he steps into CrazyQwik--where Emory worked ...more

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Sep 02, 2018 Audra (ouija.doodle.reads) rated it it was ok

Shelves: horror

Here is a horror offering for those interested in weirdness that can go over the top and the intrigue of hidden worlds beneath our own.

At it's core, this is a story of a father searching for his daughter and discovering a truth about his past that he's kept repressed.

For me, the narrative didn't keep me fully involved the way I expect a great story to. I found myself wandering off, thinking about other things; I wasn't invested in Jayce's narration and I found him to be a bit unrealistic.

For e ...more

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Aug 23, 2018 Stormi (BMReviewsohmy) rated it liked it

So it seems this author has been around for a while and written a lot of books for like Supernaturals, Resident Evil and Kingsmen! Yet, I have never heard of him till I decide to try this book and I don't know how his other books are but this is the weirdest, strangest, weirdest book I ever read. Not sure if this was the best book to start out with for this author but I must admit I am curious about reading more from him...lol.

It's about a father looking for his twenty-year old daughter who has So it seems this author has been around for a while and written a lot of books for like Supernaturals, Resident Evil and Kingsmen! Yet, I have never heard of him till I decide to try this book and I don't know how his other books are but this is the weirdest, strangest, weirdest book I ever read. Not sure if this was the best book to start out with for this author but I must admit I am curious about reading more from him...lol.

It's about a father looking for his twenty-year old daughter who has been missing for a few weeks. The place he lives in has a shadow world that only a few people can see and it gave off a Total Recall type vibe to me. Jayce goes to where he thought Emery was working and the guy said he had never seen her before, but while Jayce is there he starts noticing some strange things.

Then outside by an alley he hears some weird sounds and runs into some "dog-eaters" some strange teenagers with sharp teeth and a nasty smell (maybe I should have turned away at this point), a strange woman Nicola helps him out of that situation and he goes on trying to find Emery but keeps seeing strange things going on so decides to follow Nicola.

Jayce goes to his daughters appointment looking for clues when he has thoughts about things there he just shouldn't. Then he finds something under her bed and (this is where I should have quit!) finds an object and while looking at it some tentacles come out and start choking him while other go below the belt! Yes, it's a sex toy that could kill you! The shadow world things are messed up!

Nicola ends up helping Jayce look for his daughter but in doing so she takes him to places he didn't know existed and finds out he has this shadow site which is why he sees strange things. While we have all these strange things going on there is also a man called The Harvest Man, who breathes out black dust and then breaths it in and you turn to dust.

Once Jayce goes to this one bar and meets some strange people the book picks up and he starts remembering things from when he was younger than tie into the ending which I kind of guessed it was going to go that way. I can't say that the weird went away as it didn't it was pretty strange through the whole thing and the ending was just okay.

It was plain curiosity that kept me going with this book because it had a lot of things I wasn't a huge fan of in it, wierd sex toys only being a part of it! I wasn't comfortable with the thoughts in Jayce's head about his adult daughter's sex life and I will leave it at that! There is that weird part of me though that kind of liked this book despite the parts I didn't like. It was really fast paced which we all know is what I love and so I finished it up in about a day and a half so it was quick.

I don't have a lot to say about the characters as I wasn't really a fan of any of them but if I had to pick one I liked more it would be Nicola, she was just plain weird but interesting. I didn't care much for the dad but overall I did root for him to find his way out of the mess he lands him and hoped he could find his daughter alive. It really is just a book about a dad trying to find his daughter and finding out more about himself but amped up on weirdness x 10. :)

It wasn't really scary but it was just plain weird and strange so if you like that kind of thing then I say go for it! :)

3.5 stars ...more

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Nov 22, 2018 Niki rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, fantasy, netgalley

3,5 stars. A great effort that needed more meat on its bones in the end.

Somehow, from reading the synopsis, I thought that the entire book would be set in a different dimension; even though it technically wasn't, it might as well have been, considering what goes on in Shadow.

It wasn't a scary book, but it was creepy, it was VERY imaginative, and also rather graphic (keep that in mind if you're uneasy with graphic violence or sex) Like other reviewers have mentioned, I was cool with all the insan ...more

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Sep 14, 2018 S.J. Budd rated it it was amazing

This has definitely got to be the most WTF book I have ever read? At the end of every page I was like "WTF?!" And it only got weirder further in.

This is a really fun book and Tim Waggoner certainly has an amazing imagination which has earned him a Bram Stoker Award.
Jayce, a middle aged man stuck in a rut has lost his daughter. She's vanished into thin air and it's taken all these years following his bitter divorce to realise he barely knows anything about his beloved Emory. But one thing he is ...more

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Jul 30, 2018 OutlawPoet rated it it was amazing

Weird.

Surreal.

And very, very extreme!

In The Mouth of the Dark, Tim Waggoner brings us into an urban landscape full of monsters, debaucheries, and things that don’t just go bump in the night – they’ll tear off your head in broad daylight.

As we join Jayce in his search for his missing daughter, we learn that, sometimes, shadows are better left unexplored.

Expect to be shocked, horrified, and heartbroken.

And expect that you’ll think twice when something just a little bit odd catches your eye.

An exc ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 jillannjohn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a fast-paced, crazy weird book. It;s is an extremely imaginative story. I'd describe it as horror with the vibe of the TV series, Supernatural, but much darker and more graphic.
I identified with the central story of Jayce looking for his missing 20 year old daughter, Emory, and his determination to find her at any cost. During his search for his daughter, Jayce discovers Shadow, a reality alongside our ordinary reality. The descriptions of this world and the freaky characters there are a ...more

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Dec 11, 2018 Ken rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

Started book but could not finish after I read the word "shemale" being casually used in narration. The worldbuilding had potential, too, so I'm really disappointed.

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About Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

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Tim Waggoner has published nearly fifty novels and seven short story collections, and his articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest and Writers’ Journal, among others. He's won the Bram Stoker Award and has been a finalist for both the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. He teaches creative writing at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Visit him on the web at www.timwag ...more