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Cigarette Teeth

Maul Allan Hewish (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 14 ratings · 10 reviews

In the grimy midnight world of the Australian suburbs, there are those who serve an unseen, wish-granting force that watches from a sub-spatial realm. A force known primarily as 'The Magician.' MIKE HADLEY is an Executive in The Magician's mysterious collective; a man with no past and no direction. A phone call at the end of every day wipes his memory clean. When a job goe ...more

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Paperback, 528 pages

Published December 4th 2020 by Red Theatre Press

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Dec 03, 2020 Tania Brown rated it it was amazing

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a very fast moving, action packed novel that is best read when you have some hours to spare so that you can get fully immersed. The author has the ability to put you right into the scene with his considerable attention to detail when describing the surroundings and atmosphere. I found myself getting exhausted with so much going on and no let-up. I did wonder if anyone would be able to handle that much me ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 JaeRavenClaw rated it liked it

Shelves: book-sirens, horror-challenge, horror-reads, kindle

I received a digital ARC of Cigarette Teeth from BookSirens, so I want to thank them, Maul Allan Hewish and Red Theatre Press for the opportunity to indulge in a book.

Be forewarned. This book gets GRAPHIC in spots. And if you do not like roaches, this might not be for you.

Cigarette Teeth hits different. Very much a sci-fi nightmare of mutilation, desire, horror, mystery and bugs. Lots of bugs.

I remember when I was younger and reading a copy of Bret Easton Ellis’ book, American Psycho, and thinki ...more

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Nov 06, 2020 MikeBy rated it it was amazing

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After being totally let down by The Call of Cthulhu I hadn't planned to go near any more "horror" stories for the foreseeable future, but this book caught my eye.
It is a tale of extremely horrible goings on, including some absolutely atrocious characters, but it at no point seems gratuitous. Loads of gore, sexual abuse (which the author warns of in the introduction), but nothing titillating; in fact, quite the ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Toby Smyth rated it it was amazing

A supernatural mystery/horror, this is an intense work, not for the faint-of-heart. But if you dare, you'll be rewarded. A sublimely written meditation on the nature of wanting, wrapped in layers of mind-bending cosmic unreality yet somehow all too real. For a debut novel, this is an impressive amalgamation of body-horror, cosmic horror, sci-fi and detective fiction, with a uniquely Australian twist. The antagonistic force is simultaneously a world-ending big bad and human nature itself.

I'm goin ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cosmic-horror, dark-fiction, explicit-content, horror, science-fiction, debut-novel

I received an e-Galley ARC of Cigarette Teeth, authored by Maul Allan Hewish, from BookSirens; below is my honest review, freely given. I am thankful for this opportunity.

I rated this novel 5 stars.

The pacing of this novel is intense. Imagine Crank (2006) with Jason Statham, just non-stop, no letting up, causing the protagonist’s actions to mainly be defensive and reactive. Except this was astounding. Aesthetically I kept being drawn to my memories of The City of Lost Children (1995), Dark City I received an e-Galley ARC of Cigarette Teeth, authored by Maul Allan Hewish, from BookSirens; below is my honest review, freely given. I am thankful for this opportunity.

I rated this novel 5 stars.

The pacing of this novel is intense. Imagine Crank (2006) with Jason Statham, just non-stop, no letting up, causing the protagonist’s actions to mainly be defensive and reactive. Except this was astounding. Aesthetically I kept being drawn to my memories of The City of Lost Children (1995), Dark City (1998), their blend of technology and otherness, their darkly clothed boogie men. And Carnivale’s worn buildings and poverty. And Battle Angel Alita’s outcome for the citizens of the floating city of Tiphares (not spoiling either for you!) Make no mistake, this is a unique gem, hacked bleeding from the meat of the earth; you just can’t help to start imagining this world created by the author, and these were my reference points, quickly morphing into more appropriate shapes for this work.

I could see this as a graphic novel or comic series, maybe a limited animated series, and if done right being breathtaking, heartbreaking and horrifying to have visually represented; I also doubt the chances of it being done completely unedited. There are explicit scenes of violence (not the problem) and molestation and rape of minors (this is the issue for unedited). I just don’t see those scenes making it, unless it’s implied off page/screen. The author warns us it’s there before we start the book proper, but I’ll be honest, it does not prepare you for the reality of reading those passages. And it shouldn’t. He is speaking from memories, his own and others from support groups, it’s not in the book for a thrill or clout; they read like the gangrenous wounds that they are.

This is a beast of a book, for never letting up the plot is densely packed too, and it impressed the hell out of me. If this book’s components were represented by spinning plates on poles, and they were also being moved through a halo of fire, not one would fall. The amount of planning and attention to detail that had to go into this, the author left parts of himself in the book, I have no doubt. This may not be the book for everyone, it hits on tragic things, asks forbidden questions; but if you do pick it up, this is one of the reads that changes people. ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Hadley rated it really liked it

In this day-and-age, everyone is willing to do anything to get what they want. People leave their morals and values behind at the drop of a hat. Partly, because of this, mental illness is at an all-time high and happiness is at an all-time low.

What if I told you there was a phone number you could call that would give you whatever you wanted...for a simple favor in return? Enter : Cigarette Teeth. The horror novel concerns two different places that exist in our world: the Pleasure Palace, where t In this day-and-age, everyone is willing to do anything to get what they want. People leave their morals and values behind at the drop of a hat. Partly, because of this, mental illness is at an all-time high and happiness is at an all-time low.

What if I told you there was a phone number you could call that would give you whatever you wanted...for a simple favor in return? Enter : Cigarette Teeth. The horror novel concerns two different places that exist in our world: the Pleasure Palace, where the Magician resides in an overcast of red light where he helps make peoples' 'dreams' come true, and our reality - - - the world as we've grown to know it.

Our main character, Mike Hadley, can't remember his past or how he ended up working for the Magician, but he's more than happy to do what he's told in Cigarette Teeth. Some things seem familiar to him, like his working partner, Tommy; but if you asked him what he did last night for the Magician, he wouldn't be able to tell you or remember it himself. Harper, a man Hadley meets early on in the story, who is the stereo-typical hardened detective, tells Hadley that he knows that the Pleasure Palace has been the cause of hundreds of disappearances - - - including Harper's own brother and sister- - - and demands that Hadley help him get into the Palace to find them.

Hadley is kidnapped by Harper while people working for the Pleasure Palace begin to come after them, trying to kill them. Unlike Hadley, Harper has done a lot of detective work on the Pleasure Palace and knows much more than he does. For Hadley, a lot of things begin to make sense and no sense at the same time, like people who work for the Pleasure Palace can't die, instead they regenerate in a very gruesome way- - - something he had never seen happen before. Now, being away from the Palace, whenever Hadley falls asleep, memories start to come back to him in the form of dreams; most of them take place in metaphorical places that slowly unwrap his tragic past to the reader.

I often found myself fascinated by the characters Hewish came up with that live in the Pleasure Palace. One being the Zipper Sisters: "Kela and and Lua Von Zipper. Conjoined twins; connected at the hip and zipped into the one gigantic pinched- leather corset. Two heads, two arms, and four legs, all sealed in an ornate, Victorian-style leather dress hemmed with black lace.

Their makeup was corpse-white, their lipstick blood red. Their eyes were shadowed with a weeping pastel green, like something from a carnival sideshow. Their 18th-century dress continued with ruffles and lacy stockings, all the colour of snow. The two pairs of shoes they wore- - - shiny little school shoes, the ones with the clasps over the top- - - completed the look. It gave these sinister twins a suggested air of innocence- - - the filthiest of lies. "

When the pair meet with the Architect of the Pleasure Palace (Horitoshi Li), the story really begins to take off. The information given to them by Li about the Magician is the real start to their journey to stop the Palace and find Harper's missing siblings, as long as they include Li in the plan.

As expected, a friend of Harper's, named Sophie, gets caught up in their journey- - - saving their lives more than once, thanks to her nursing background. Sophie felt like a filler character at first, but in the end, I think she was needed to make the story well-rounded, like her insight of psychology: "...But...it's just interesting. Did you know the second most common dream people have is about their teeth? After the 'being chased' phenomenon that usually coincides with a hallway and a door. Most notable psychologists don't really offer insight on dreams- - - the most popular consensus is that they're nothing more than cerebral static, just garbled images and words that occasionally form to make something that seems to have weight..."

Though I want to say so much more about the novel, it would give away a lot of the surprises that are hidden inside. Hewish's writing is gold; the way he describes scenes is beautifully done, but he did waste some of this talent on places where the characters weren't even there for more than a scene (and nothing really came of it). Also, Harper states one time early in the book that he has killed Hadley before... this is never explained or spoken of again. I think that was a very important part to this story, especially with how things turn out between Harper and Hadley.

There were only a few inconsistencies that are completely able to be looked over and don't ruin the novel. This is master storytelling, and I am looking very forward to more work by Hewish! I would recommend this book to fans of the show "Twin Peaks," and the video game (because I love horror video games) "Evil Within." Highly recommend! ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Ruth Finneran rated it it was amazing

I received a free advance copy of this book and this review is voluntarily given and my honest opinion.
I do not typically reach for horror books; they don’t scare me and as such often drag on. This book was the opposite for me, there were moments where I was genuinely scared. This is one the most unique horror novels I have ever read and it is exceptionally well written. Hewish’s prose is frighteningly descriptive, but it serves the story wonderfully. At no point did I struggle to imagine the e ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Cale Smith rated it it was amazing

I received a free advance copy of this book and this review is voluntarily given and my honest opinion.
Horror is not my preferred genre, but I do enjoy sci-fi explorations of humanity and what it means to be human. Cigarette teeth digs into the ugly parts of the human experience, showing the world for what it is without hiding behind supernatural or technological excuses for the characters behavior. These flamings only serve to highlight the darkness everyone is capable of. Hewish masterfully b ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 Robert rated it liked it

Firstly, thanks to the author, publisher and Booksirens for a free ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wish I could give this book a higher rating than 3 stars, but unfortunately, I found it a really hard book to get into, and even harder to stay engaged. Let me also state that this could be my fault because of the way I read - in short, sharp sessions rather than long sit-down readathons, like some people do. But as a result of that, I need a book to be able to easily drag ...more

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Jan 04, 2021 Tam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good, old-fashioned horror at its best! A captivating, suspenseful, Twilight Zone-ish delight!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

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About Maul Allan Hewish

Maul Allan Hewish

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Maul Allan Hewish is a Brisbane-based author and visual artist. His fiction, art and poetry decipher the horrors of waking life, mirror his own experiences with mental-illness, grief and childhood trauma. His works have been published twice in Grotesque Quarterly Magazine, and featured in several anthologies.
He also manages the travel blog of an adorable crochet Dachshund named Frank who loves go ...more