The Mouth Of The Dark – Angelo Benuzzi

[Advance reader copy, due to be published on September 6th, 2018]

Synopsis: Jayce’s 20-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, and – worst of all – a monstrous being known as the Harvest Man. But no matter what Shadow throws at him, Jayce won’t stop. He’ll do whatever it takes to find his daughter, even if it means becoming a monster himself…

Review:

The reality as we know it, the world we live in, is a bit more complex of what we experience every day. Way more dark. The preamble of this novel is that it coexists with the Shadow, a place that’s barely perceivable for us. But this different level exists and its inhabitants are fully aware of us. For a common man like Jayce, the main character of this book, the shift from our world to the Shadow will be a real shock. But when a father is on the run to find his missing daughter, there’s nothing too scary or too dangerous to stop. Not everything is hostile in the Shadow. There are people like Nicola, a very interesting woman, who are able to exploit the best of both worlds and still have what needed to understand the desperation of a stranded father. Like Virgilio for Dante in the Divine Comedy, she will take the time and the trouble to lead Jayce all the way into the Shadow, no matter how dangerous it could be.

The pros of this book are many, not a surprise giving the craft of the author. All the main elements of this novel, starting with the quest of the main character to find his daughter, work like a charm (pun intended) and the cast of humans and not-so-humans are graphically depicted. The creatures and the humans in the Shadow are remarkable and the mysterious Harvest Man will leave a mark in your memory for a while. Even the action scenes, a weak point for many authors, are definitely enjoyable. A bit of warning for those who are cautious about the explicit sex scenes: you fill find such scenes in this book and they are fully functional to the plot. Just don’t skip it.

The cons of this book are about a few bits in the main character. I don’t want to spoiler anything but there a couple of scenes that are a tad inconsistent with the conclusion of this novel. It doesn’t work against the plot or against the general experience of reading this book, but it’s a little disturbing for the suspension of disbelief.

Where to find it: Flame Tree Press, Amazon.

Vote: 08,00 / 10,00.