10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unconventional, but ultimately satisfying, March 3, 2005
This review is from: Like Death (Mass Market Paperback)
Now in his thirties, Scott Raymond has spent much of his life trying to recover from the trauma of witnessing the slaughter of his family as a child, an event whose specifics he has managed to suppress since that time. After seeing consulting with countless mental health professionals and consuming numerous medications in an effort to ease his pain, Scott has seemingly finally settled down with his wife Gayle and child David, pursuing a career as a true crime journalist.
Lately, however, Scott has been subject to sudden rages, episodes which have resulted in his estrangement from his wife. Already shaky from this development, Scott is pushed to the edge of insanity by his investigation into the year old disappearance of six-year-old Miranda Tanner. His probe into her presumed kidnapping leads him into unexplored territory, as he encounters a mysterious teenager who, coincidentally, goes by the name of Miranda. Scott feels a powerful attraction to the girl, who introduces him to strange shadow worlds existing just beneath the fabric of our own reality. Scott doesn't realize it, but he's being groomed to accept and fulfill a strange and dangerous destiny.
LIKE DEATH is a book which will probably provoke extreme reactions in readers, as Waggoner, who obviously enjoys pushing the envelope, sometimes strays over the boundaries of good taste; some may abandon the book in a fit of anger at the sheer outrageousness of some of the set pieces he offers, in particular a surreal scene set in a children's playground early on in the book. There's no need to go into the particulars of that scene, only to comment that what some might see as daring and unconventional, others might find offensive or just plain stupid.
That's not to say that the scene is gratuitous, only that Waggoner could have achieved the effects he sought in another manner. The author's choice to go in that direction, however, proves to be only a small distraction in an otherwise smooth read. The book's definitely worth sticking with, delivering plenty of chills and thrills as it moves to its satisfying and unconventional conclusion--as far out as some early portions might be, Waggoner is careful to leave none of his numerous plot threads dangling.
Boiled down to its essentials, LIKE DEATH provides a unique take on a hero's journey, as Scott discovers his purpose in life. Although a bit overlong, and sometimes exasperating, the book's original take on this familiar premise, coupled with the freshness of Waggoner's outré imagery, makes for engrossing reading.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like Death, June 28, 2005
This review is from: Like Death (Mass Market Paperback)
Oh my sweet lord, this is a prime example of what good, fresh, original horror writing is all about. I had this book for a while and finally got around to reading it, and once started, could not put down. Basically to give a synapsis of the story, it's about a man on the verge of divorce, a true crime journalist, who is going through what appears to be a slow and hallucination filled mental breakdown. He's a likable fellow, but with some dark undertones to his personality that he cannot get a grip on at times. This is written deftly and while the subject matter is quite intense, Mr. Waggoner makes the man likable anyway. The cover of the book is absolutely stunning. Scary, seductive, horrifying, you will not want to put it down. High recommend.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong contender for best horror novel of '05, September 17, 2005
This review is from: Like Death (Mass Market Paperback)
Tim Waggoner's literate prose at times has a haunting lyricism to it, and he has a deft way of evoking creepy, subtle terrors. But LIKE DEATH, his debut mass-market original, also packs a raw, visceral punch that rivals the likes of Edward Lee and Jack Ketchum. The mix of surreal imagery and gruesome horrors is handled superbly throughout, and the narrative never flags, taking the reader through a truly bizarre landscape of mysteries and dark wonders not easily forgotten once the final page has been turned. I suspect Waggoner is a writer we'll be hearing a lot more from in the future.
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