Tim Waggoner

I've been thinking about this one all day. I normally write my reviews immediately after finishing the book, but today was different. For the past eight hours, I've been trying to find one good reason not to give this five stars. Not because I wanted to hate it, but because I try and reserve my fivers for stories I can read over and over again, stellar outings that simply rock my socks. My final subjective viewpoint on this is: The Last Mile was fucking awesome.

Tim Waggoner's writing is show more liquid, and oh, brother, does it flow. I read this in under an hour and a half, and shockingly enough, I'm not left wanting more. It was the perfect length, with just enough mysterious circumstances, action, and jaw-dropping grotesqueness that I felt as if I'd read a complete novel. Or perhaps a longer episode of The Outer Limits. The story was unique, one of the most atypical post-apocalytic stories I've ever read. Every time I thought I knew what was coming, Waggoner nailed me with a curve ball.

This one might be too bizarre for some, but I found the weirdness fresh and exhilarating. I read for fun, as an escape, and this one allowed me a brief respite from everyday life. Damn fun is what this book is. Not to mention, disturbing as all hell. A certain scene involving a pie server knotted my guts. I dig it quite a bit when a story incites a physical reaction from me. And the dude on the motorcycle was just plain cool.

Finally, to quote the cool kids...

That ending, tho!

In summation: This is my first Tim Waggoner read, and it definitely won't be my last. Highly recommended for fans of bizarre horror who have strong stomachs and are looking for an inventive take on the old End-o'-the-World trope.

(Side note: Dear Tim Waggoner, you had me at Sutter Cane.)
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Sometimes, you’ve just gotta read a book that won’t let you sleep well.

Night Terrors, the first installment in Tim Waggoner’s The Shadow Watch series, takes place in a world where a special branch of law enforcement, the afore-mentioned Shadow Watch, is employed to keep nightmares that have “gone rogue” from escaping Nod (as in, “the Land of”) and wreaking havoc on our waking world.

So far, so good.

In this case, a burned-out former agent, Audra Hawthorne, is brought in—along show more with her partner—to track down an Incubi, an escaped nightmare.

Did we mention that Audra’s partner is her own nightmare, Jinx the clown? And that this clown is a freaking psychopath at night, but during the day is pretty protective of “his” partner?

This is a really original entry into urban fantasy, one that treads the line into horror quite completely. The real hook in this origin story is the relationship between Audra and Jinx, but that will pass quickly; the success of the series will depend entirely on whether or not Waggoner can come up with appropriately horrifying nightmares and complex cases to keep the series moving forward.

This, however, was a very refreshing take on the most unnerving part of the night. And yes, comparisons to Pennywise the clown would be appropriate.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com show less

I think reading this one gave me a better insight into coulrophobia. I mean, I guess clowns are kinda creepy, but I’ve also always found it hard to look at them and not see beyond just some guy in colorful clothes and makeup. Supernatural clowns on the other hand, are a whole other matter. Especially when they are someone’s nightmare literally come to life.

But in spite of what the title and cover initially led me to believe, this is not a horror novel. Night Terrors would probably fit show more more comfortably in the urban fantasy and paranormal section. That said, it’s also darkly comedic and not just a little bit unhinged. Think buddy cop movie meets Tim Burton, quirky and fun but also a little macabre.

The book’s protagonist is Audra Hawthorne, an officer of the Shadow Watch, the supernatural agency dedicated to patrolling the border between our world and the dream realm. Their units are generally organized into pairs made up of an Ideator and their Incubus – in other words, the dreamer and the living manifestation of their worst nightmare. For Audra, dreams of the psychotic clown Jinx has terrorized her ever since she was a child, but now they are partners working together to keep both Earth and Nod safe from rogue Incubi.

Because they are essentially the products of our dreams, Incubi come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll see some pretty wild dream-folk, like Candy, the Incubus made completely out of – you guessed it – chocolate and other yummy sweets (rumored to have been dreamt up by a dentist’s son) or the Deathmobile, a nightmare hearse. I really enjoyed these crazy manifestations and the idea that our mortal realm exists in parallel with the zany world of Nod.

And yet, I didn’t feel as excited about this book as I thought. The awesome premise aside, the plot was mediocre not to mention formulaic with all the usual elements of an urban fantasy thrown in. As a detective story it was rather predictable, which is disappointing especially given all the other cool ideas in here. And while I appreciated the contrast between the level-headed Audra versus the insane and unpredictable Jinx, I found a lot of the action to be over-the-top and mostly exaggerated slapstick. I loved the delightfully creepy way Jinx was portrayed, but personally that kind of humor just isn’t my style.

I’ll also admit I might be just a bit picky with my urban fantasy. On the whole, Night Terrors is a pretty good book, if nothing else a quick and entertaining read with some very neat, never-seen-before ideas. The story itself didn’t take off for me, I think mostly because the style just isn’t my cup of tea, but I actually think it could click with most people. show less

I really enjoyed the first book in the Matt Richter series. There are three books in this series, it sounds like the series stopped in the middle (probably when Angry Robot publishing went out of business). This book reminded me a lot of Simon Green's Nightside series which I loved. The setting for this book is very similar in a lot of ways and the different sights and characters you run across are just as strange and creative as they are in the Nightside series.

I love books that throw a lot show more of crazy and creative things at you quickly and this was one of those. At heart it's an investigative urban fantasy but the setting and our hero (a falling apart zombie ex-cop) really make it something special.

I loved the crazy world, the bizarre characters, and the constant edge of snarky darkness throughout. I can’t wait to learn more about Nekropolis and meet more of its inhabitants

Overall this was a very fun and entertaining series and I plan on continuing to read it. I would recommend to fans of gritty and darkly humorous urban fantasy. If you love Simon Green’s Nightside series you will love this one!! show less