What do you think?
Trench Mouth
Fathom Five … a state-of-the-art oceanic research facility, suspended far below the surface. There, in the dark and the deep, a team of top-notch scientists study the ecosystems and denizens of an aquatic environment as alien as another planet.
There, they also conduct illicit experiments upon hapless human subjects, with the goal of giving our species a chance to adapt to a changing world. Or, at the very least, to create mutant freaky fish-people, because, why not?
Oh, the arrogance and hubris of genius! Oh, the freaky things that already dwell in the strange, hostile depths! In the cold, crushing, silent pressure of a blackness lit only by eerie bioluminescence. Things that don’t take kindly to intruders Things that are ancient, and enormous, and hungry.
Things like … TRENCH MOUTH.
There, they also conduct illicit experiments upon hapless human subjects, with the goal of giving our species a chance to adapt to a changing world. Or, at the very least, to create mutant freaky fish-people, because, why not?
Oh, the arrogance and hubris of genius! Oh, the freaky things that already dwell in the strange, hostile depths! In the cold, crushing, silent pressure of a blackness lit only by eerie bioluminescence. Things that don’t take kindly to intruders Things that are ancient, and enormous, and hungry.
Things like … TRENCH MOUTH.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 13, 2021
Christine Morgan’s latest novel turns her extreme horror sensibilities onto the beloved ‘when sea monsters attack’ genre with ‘Trench Mouth’; a big, fun summer read featuring an especially memorable sea-beast, there to eat its way through the ill-fated cast.
The Fathom Five research station, based deep below the surface of the ocean, is home to top-secret and highly illegal human experiments, turning people into human/fish hybrids. One unwitting group has been picked for the next stage in these inhuman studies, but their fate may actually turn out to be even more dire.
There is a creature living deep down in the depths of the ocean, its territory invaded by the Fathom Five station, and it does not take too kindly to competition. This monstrous deep-sea denizen has been the unchallenged top of the food chain for as long as it remembers, and has no intention of allowing that to change.
Big, adventure-packed books about deep-sea creatures with a taste for human flesh are almost a genre unto themselves at this point, and as much fun as they are, it can’t be easy to stand out in such a crowded and niche marketplace. The fact that one of the genres most well know hardcore horror writers has penned it is a big selling point but, as a fan of these types of books, there was a lot that stood out to me.
What does help ‘Trench Mouth’ stand apart is the humour that pervades everything about the book. It is very meta, with characters constantly aware of the ridiculousness of their situation, and often referring to it in pop culture terms (nods to Jason Statham’s ‘Meg’ movie abound, amongst many others). Having said that, the story is played straight and the humour comes from the absurdity of the situations and not at the expense of the characters.
As readers of books of this type have come to expect, ‘Trench Mouth’ is also very action-heavy, and does not skimp on the body count. There are a lot of moving parts, and dozens of different characters that get their turn in the spotlight, many of whom are destined for a very unpleasant end. The book doesn’t so much build up tension, but rather kicks straight off from page one and doesn’t stop until the very end. Given who the author is, I didn’t find the violence or horror any more extreme than, say a Hunter Shea or Steve Alten book, but I can’t imagine horror fans will be remotely disappointed in that regard.
Bombastic bloodshed, big-scale action and a fun, meta take on the deep-sea terror tropes, ‘Trench Mouth’ is a gleefully ridiculous book that makes ‘Sharknado’ seem like ‘Schindler’s List’ in comparison. If you want to kickstart your summer with pure, gut-munching entertainment, then this book is mandatory beach-side reading.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/richard-m...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
The Fathom Five research station, based deep below the surface of the ocean, is home to top-secret and highly illegal human experiments, turning people into human/fish hybrids. One unwitting group has been picked for the next stage in these inhuman studies, but their fate may actually turn out to be even more dire.
There is a creature living deep down in the depths of the ocean, its territory invaded by the Fathom Five station, and it does not take too kindly to competition. This monstrous deep-sea denizen has been the unchallenged top of the food chain for as long as it remembers, and has no intention of allowing that to change.
Big, adventure-packed books about deep-sea creatures with a taste for human flesh are almost a genre unto themselves at this point, and as much fun as they are, it can’t be easy to stand out in such a crowded and niche marketplace. The fact that one of the genres most well know hardcore horror writers has penned it is a big selling point but, as a fan of these types of books, there was a lot that stood out to me.
What does help ‘Trench Mouth’ stand apart is the humour that pervades everything about the book. It is very meta, with characters constantly aware of the ridiculousness of their situation, and often referring to it in pop culture terms (nods to Jason Statham’s ‘Meg’ movie abound, amongst many others). Having said that, the story is played straight and the humour comes from the absurdity of the situations and not at the expense of the characters.
As readers of books of this type have come to expect, ‘Trench Mouth’ is also very action-heavy, and does not skimp on the body count. There are a lot of moving parts, and dozens of different characters that get their turn in the spotlight, many of whom are destined for a very unpleasant end. The book doesn’t so much build up tension, but rather kicks straight off from page one and doesn’t stop until the very end. Given who the author is, I didn’t find the violence or horror any more extreme than, say a Hunter Shea or Steve Alten book, but I can’t imagine horror fans will be remotely disappointed in that regard.
Bombastic bloodshed, big-scale action and a fun, meta take on the deep-sea terror tropes, ‘Trench Mouth’ is a gleefully ridiculous book that makes ‘Sharknado’ seem like ‘Schindler’s List’ in comparison. If you want to kickstart your summer with pure, gut-munching entertainment, then this book is mandatory beach-side reading.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/richard-m...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
January 6, 2022
Christine Morgan really outdid herself with this one! An over-the-top pulp horror novel, written with a literary flair. I thought this was just gonna be a Jaws-esque story, except with a giant anglerfish instead of a shark. Turned out, there was SO MUCH more going on here. A mashup/sendup of every "underwater research lab" trope you could think of, ratcheted up to 100 and seamlessly blended together. The prose is on point. The story unfolds in surprising ways. Weird, exciting, gory, tense, funny. Had a lot of fun reading this. Loved it.
June 14, 2022
I enjoy the good literary equivalent to a summer blockbuster, and "Trench Mouth" certainly fits the bill. Overall, I had some fun with this goofy adventure, but I really feel I must warn you about a number of crucial flaws and general characteristics that might make an otherwise enjoyable deep sea romp not quite work for some readers.
1) The writing style. Choppy. Terse. A lot of single words. Short phrases. When used sparingly, short sentences can be quite effective at emphasis. "Jesus wept." But Morgan forgets herself and peppers her prose so liberally with this kind of stuff that at times it feels like you are reading the outline for a novel rather than a cohesive narrative. No bueno.
The author also has the infuriating habit of hyphenating everything. It is not unusual for multiple sentences within just a few pages to contain five hyphens or more. Why? Because she overutilzes compound words, and when she can't think of the right adjective or a noun, she invents a compound word to give you the gist.
"...this no-daylight is bigtime messing with my head.”
"...the ex-SEAL set off every this-town-ain’t-big-enough-fer-the-two-of-us nerve in his body."
"...her best welcome-to-the-Tupperware-party smile."
"...her baseline gonna-start-some-shit-with-me? combative attitude."
"...we’re not dealing with any previously-thought-extinct whatever.”
Then she has the nerve to follow her hyphenated words with an interjection, which means more hyphens! It makes some sentences practically unreadable.
"Vance did finger-guns at them–whythefuck? he felt like an ass when he did that!–and left them to their planning."
"... chortle-clicking over some of their discoveries-porn, probs."
It is clear the author is just spitting words onto the page as she thinks aloud, and doesn't have any awareness of how unnecessarily difficult it is for the sober reader to plod through over 300 pages of conversational style prose without getting a migraine.
Her dialogue doesn't fair much better, consisting of a great deal of inane B.S., arguments, and snarky comebacks. The author took the time to write down so much banter that didn't really contribute to the story, but it doesn't help us understand or relate to the characters any better. In fact, except for about two characters, you can't tell anyone apart when the dialogue exchanges in rapid fire. They all sound like drunk seniors in high school or 11-year-olds playing Terraria online while trying to be funny or sarcastic. But the humor mostly falls flat, or is the equivalent of fart jokes that we've heard a hundred times before.
2) The narrative tone is meant to evoke excitement, but I suspect quite a few readers will find it monotonous instead. Whether trying to capture the inner thoughts of a character or just delivering the narrative from an omniscient perspective, the author maintains a child's sense of macabre humor no matter if the scene is supposed to be light-hearted, introspective, dramatic, suspenseful, or horrific. For example, there is a particular scene of emotional poignancy where a character is exploring the wreck of a submarine and finds a stuffed animal. The author here throws in one of her overly hyphenated exclamations like a patient with Tourette's: "fuck-fuck-fuckety-fuck!" I suppose this is a natural reaction for the character, and I guess that's one way to break the tension. But it's as if the writer is constantly reminding you that this is juvenile entertainment, and the only takeaway feeling allowed from this book is "Balls to the wall, bro!" When she writes about death and carnage, she sounds like a loud-mouth fanboy getting overly excited about the latest Disney Plus superhero show, eliminating absolutely any emotion or suspense. Speaking of carnage...
3) Some disappointed readers left negative reviews because they thought the book was marketed as being extreme horror. Ed Lee even has a blurb on the front cover! But if you pay attention to what Lee says, his description is pretty accurate. "Think Sea Lab of Dr. Moreau meets Jersey Shore..." That's really what this is--a big hodgepodge of collected geštalt, cliches, scenes, and references to music, TV, books, and movies all readily identifiable to anyone between 12 and 30. It's one big party! Lie out on the beach or by the pool, crack open an ice cold brewski, stick a lime in it, and get your groove on at page one! But it is not really extreme horror. If anything, it is closer in tone to Ed Lee's own "White Trash Gothic," which I did enjoy (see my separate review for that one). Except for a few "cut-away" scenes, very little carnage candy happens until a third of the way into the book. Then we get another lull until almost the three-quarter mark. When things do get bloody in this book, it's like watching my 8-year-old grinding up NPCs on Garry's Mod. A squid chomps off the head of a character, and brains like oatmeal go spilling all over the place. The narration then says, "This was some hardcore gory shit!" What a way to ruin a tense or disturbing moment with such a childish exclamation that only serves to point out the obvious! I know she is trying to be meta, and that you are not supposed to take any of this seriously. But it's not funny enough to be a comedy, not scary enough to be a horror, not abusive enough to be extreme. All the elements are there to satisfy your escapist needs, but I feel a little more color and cadence to the prose could have really elevated this.
4) Characters have personality but lack development. The main plot centers around a deep sea research station called Fathom-5, but the staff certainly don't act like they are mature adult geniuses working on a high liability scientific project. One of the characters points out that "This isn't high school anymore." Well, you could've fooled me. Again, I blame the choices of dialogue and narrative voice. Each had a backstory or defining characteristic, so I can't say they were wooden. But the ensemble cast rarely transcended their individual cliches. Two characters have a twist to their story, but I guessed it almost immediately because the author didn't try very hard to make it less than obvious. And then there's the Dolphin Gangbang 'Bros. You heard me right. Complete with real dirty-talking porpoises. Yeah, I think it was supposed to be funny. Not so much.
5) Descriptions of places and events lean very heavily on film and pop culture references. Perhaps this is what Ed Lee meant when he commented on her "uniquely visual style." For example, the undersea base around which much of the action takes place is described as a cross between Star Trek sterile mixed with the station on "The Abyss" and the facility in "The Meg." I get where she was going with this, but does she assume her audience has no imagination of their own and can only understand what they've seen while streaming? And to give an excuse for her incessant spewing of pop culture, her characters are more versed in science fiction and fantasy than in science. There is even a computer technician on the base named Hobbit Shire Sinclair (Hobbs for short), and as you can guess, he is a constant source of Tolkien nostalgia. The reader doesn't mind this sort of thing until it gets out of control. And here it does. The characters in the book get annoyed with Hobbs' constant LoR and GoT obsession. Well, how does the author think her audience is going to feel reading this same stuff? Unfortunately, contemporary genre novelists seem to rely too heavily on nods and winks to their audience to boost emotional investment rather than crafting a compelling story.
6) It's too long. The book wore out it's welcome by 150 pages and still had 200 or so to go. Now, this book is the literal equivalent of a cheap CGI shark movie on the Scifi channel, so could you tolerate watching one that took eight hours to finish? And besides, this is not haute literature. One of the chapter titles is literally "Oh Shit!" Why would an author writing a story for a target audience that is looking for a quick thrill ride test the limits of their attention span like this?
"But Warren, you who delight in deep-sea debauchery," I hear you say, "you've complained long enough. What did you LIKE about the book?"
Well, for one, there are moments of genius on the part of the author, where she grafts a variety of seemingly unrelated scenes into something that is smarter than it's "Oh Shit!" and "I know, right?" and "Dolphin Gangbang" parts. Essentially what we have here is an exploration of transeunt causation vs imminent causation, the former being a series of events that leads to another series of events, and the latter being caused by an agent. The infinitude of events that occur as this great ecosystem moves through time can certainly create some seemingly random "fluke" consequences that border on the realm of fantasy and the absurd, and that is just what happens in this book. You've got a big anglerfish, a curious giant squid (though I think she meant "colossal" squid), sharks attacking tourists on a beach, lamprey migration, human experimentation, artificial evolution, undersea exploration, and several side plots of human drama that really highlight the butterfly effect and how consequences have a way of coalescing into the perfect storm. Unfortunately, this is why the book is 350 pages, which is fine if all of the plot elements arc in a satisfying way, but they don't. I think she's got great potential to be a very exciting talent, but here she is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Perhaps the most positive thing I can say is that the book has a certain energy that carries the reader along like a wave, despite it being a bumpy ride. Christine Morgan was clearly having fun writing this novel, and she was inviting the reader to have fun along with her. The sheer joy she puts into her writing is infectious.
But for the life of me, I do NOT understand all the five star reviews. To what are they comparing it? If you are one of those people who genuinely liked it that much, I'm glad it was worth it, but I find it hard to believe we read the same book.
So will "Trench Mouth" float your own boat? I can safely put it into perspective for those of you who are still on the fence about reading it:
Are you normally a big Friday the 13th fan, but hate the 2009 reboot because it somehow crossed the line between fun cheesey camp to superficial cliche? If yes, this book will likely irritate you.
Did you pick up this book looking for an underwater creature feature with extreme horror sensibilities? Well, I'm not sure you came to the right place. If you give it a try, curb your expectations on the "extreme" part, and know that when the action does get going, you'll not find J.F. Gonzalez in these pages, but something more akin to Eric S. Brown mixed with Ed Lee at his goofiest.
Can you happily watch a marathon of movies like "Ouija Shark" without cringing once? Or does the sound of some of the author's other titles like "Spermjackers from Hell" excite you? If yes, then DO give this book a try! Clearly this book has it's fans who adore it, and you may be one of the Fellowship.
1) The writing style. Choppy. Terse. A lot of single words. Short phrases. When used sparingly, short sentences can be quite effective at emphasis. "Jesus wept." But Morgan forgets herself and peppers her prose so liberally with this kind of stuff that at times it feels like you are reading the outline for a novel rather than a cohesive narrative. No bueno.
The author also has the infuriating habit of hyphenating everything. It is not unusual for multiple sentences within just a few pages to contain five hyphens or more. Why? Because she overutilzes compound words, and when she can't think of the right adjective or a noun, she invents a compound word to give you the gist.
"...this no-daylight is bigtime messing with my head.”
"...the ex-SEAL set off every this-town-ain’t-big-enough-fer-the-two-of-us nerve in his body."
"...her best welcome-to-the-Tupperware-party smile."
"...her baseline gonna-start-some-shit-with-me? combative attitude."
"...we’re not dealing with any previously-thought-extinct whatever.”
Then she has the nerve to follow her hyphenated words with an interjection, which means more hyphens! It makes some sentences practically unreadable.
"Vance did finger-guns at them–whythefuck? he felt like an ass when he did that!–and left them to their planning."
"... chortle-clicking over some of their discoveries-porn, probs."
It is clear the author is just spitting words onto the page as she thinks aloud, and doesn't have any awareness of how unnecessarily difficult it is for the sober reader to plod through over 300 pages of conversational style prose without getting a migraine.
Her dialogue doesn't fair much better, consisting of a great deal of inane B.S., arguments, and snarky comebacks. The author took the time to write down so much banter that didn't really contribute to the story, but it doesn't help us understand or relate to the characters any better. In fact, except for about two characters, you can't tell anyone apart when the dialogue exchanges in rapid fire. They all sound like drunk seniors in high school or 11-year-olds playing Terraria online while trying to be funny or sarcastic. But the humor mostly falls flat, or is the equivalent of fart jokes that we've heard a hundred times before.
2) The narrative tone is meant to evoke excitement, but I suspect quite a few readers will find it monotonous instead. Whether trying to capture the inner thoughts of a character or just delivering the narrative from an omniscient perspective, the author maintains a child's sense of macabre humor no matter if the scene is supposed to be light-hearted, introspective, dramatic, suspenseful, or horrific. For example, there is a particular scene of emotional poignancy where a character is exploring the wreck of a submarine and finds a stuffed animal. The author here throws in one of her overly hyphenated exclamations like a patient with Tourette's: "fuck-fuck-fuckety-fuck!" I suppose this is a natural reaction for the character, and I guess that's one way to break the tension. But it's as if the writer is constantly reminding you that this is juvenile entertainment, and the only takeaway feeling allowed from this book is "Balls to the wall, bro!" When she writes about death and carnage, she sounds like a loud-mouth fanboy getting overly excited about the latest Disney Plus superhero show, eliminating absolutely any emotion or suspense. Speaking of carnage...
3) Some disappointed readers left negative reviews because they thought the book was marketed as being extreme horror. Ed Lee even has a blurb on the front cover! But if you pay attention to what Lee says, his description is pretty accurate. "Think Sea Lab of Dr. Moreau meets Jersey Shore..." That's really what this is--a big hodgepodge of collected geštalt, cliches, scenes, and references to music, TV, books, and movies all readily identifiable to anyone between 12 and 30. It's one big party! Lie out on the beach or by the pool, crack open an ice cold brewski, stick a lime in it, and get your groove on at page one! But it is not really extreme horror. If anything, it is closer in tone to Ed Lee's own "White Trash Gothic," which I did enjoy (see my separate review for that one). Except for a few "cut-away" scenes, very little carnage candy happens until a third of the way into the book. Then we get another lull until almost the three-quarter mark. When things do get bloody in this book, it's like watching my 8-year-old grinding up NPCs on Garry's Mod. A squid chomps off the head of a character, and brains like oatmeal go spilling all over the place. The narration then says, "This was some hardcore gory shit!" What a way to ruin a tense or disturbing moment with such a childish exclamation that only serves to point out the obvious! I know she is trying to be meta, and that you are not supposed to take any of this seriously. But it's not funny enough to be a comedy, not scary enough to be a horror, not abusive enough to be extreme. All the elements are there to satisfy your escapist needs, but I feel a little more color and cadence to the prose could have really elevated this.
4) Characters have personality but lack development. The main plot centers around a deep sea research station called Fathom-5, but the staff certainly don't act like they are mature adult geniuses working on a high liability scientific project. One of the characters points out that "This isn't high school anymore." Well, you could've fooled me. Again, I blame the choices of dialogue and narrative voice. Each had a backstory or defining characteristic, so I can't say they were wooden. But the ensemble cast rarely transcended their individual cliches. Two characters have a twist to their story, but I guessed it almost immediately because the author didn't try very hard to make it less than obvious. And then there's the Dolphin Gangbang 'Bros. You heard me right. Complete with real dirty-talking porpoises. Yeah, I think it was supposed to be funny. Not so much.
5) Descriptions of places and events lean very heavily on film and pop culture references. Perhaps this is what Ed Lee meant when he commented on her "uniquely visual style." For example, the undersea base around which much of the action takes place is described as a cross between Star Trek sterile mixed with the station on "The Abyss" and the facility in "The Meg." I get where she was going with this, but does she assume her audience has no imagination of their own and can only understand what they've seen while streaming? And to give an excuse for her incessant spewing of pop culture, her characters are more versed in science fiction and fantasy than in science. There is even a computer technician on the base named Hobbit Shire Sinclair (Hobbs for short), and as you can guess, he is a constant source of Tolkien nostalgia. The reader doesn't mind this sort of thing until it gets out of control. And here it does. The characters in the book get annoyed with Hobbs' constant LoR and GoT obsession. Well, how does the author think her audience is going to feel reading this same stuff? Unfortunately, contemporary genre novelists seem to rely too heavily on nods and winks to their audience to boost emotional investment rather than crafting a compelling story.
6) It's too long. The book wore out it's welcome by 150 pages and still had 200 or so to go. Now, this book is the literal equivalent of a cheap CGI shark movie on the Scifi channel, so could you tolerate watching one that took eight hours to finish? And besides, this is not haute literature. One of the chapter titles is literally "Oh Shit!" Why would an author writing a story for a target audience that is looking for a quick thrill ride test the limits of their attention span like this?
"But Warren, you who delight in deep-sea debauchery," I hear you say, "you've complained long enough. What did you LIKE about the book?"
Well, for one, there are moments of genius on the part of the author, where she grafts a variety of seemingly unrelated scenes into something that is smarter than it's "Oh Shit!" and "I know, right?" and "Dolphin Gangbang" parts. Essentially what we have here is an exploration of transeunt causation vs imminent causation, the former being a series of events that leads to another series of events, and the latter being caused by an agent. The infinitude of events that occur as this great ecosystem moves through time can certainly create some seemingly random "fluke" consequences that border on the realm of fantasy and the absurd, and that is just what happens in this book. You've got a big anglerfish, a curious giant squid (though I think she meant "colossal" squid), sharks attacking tourists on a beach, lamprey migration, human experimentation, artificial evolution, undersea exploration, and several side plots of human drama that really highlight the butterfly effect and how consequences have a way of coalescing into the perfect storm. Unfortunately, this is why the book is 350 pages, which is fine if all of the plot elements arc in a satisfying way, but they don't. I think she's got great potential to be a very exciting talent, but here she is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Perhaps the most positive thing I can say is that the book has a certain energy that carries the reader along like a wave, despite it being a bumpy ride. Christine Morgan was clearly having fun writing this novel, and she was inviting the reader to have fun along with her. The sheer joy she puts into her writing is infectious.
But for the life of me, I do NOT understand all the five star reviews. To what are they comparing it? If you are one of those people who genuinely liked it that much, I'm glad it was worth it, but I find it hard to believe we read the same book.
So will "Trench Mouth" float your own boat? I can safely put it into perspective for those of you who are still on the fence about reading it:
Are you normally a big Friday the 13th fan, but hate the 2009 reboot because it somehow crossed the line between fun cheesey camp to superficial cliche? If yes, this book will likely irritate you.
Did you pick up this book looking for an underwater creature feature with extreme horror sensibilities? Well, I'm not sure you came to the right place. If you give it a try, curb your expectations on the "extreme" part, and know that when the action does get going, you'll not find J.F. Gonzalez in these pages, but something more akin to Eric S. Brown mixed with Ed Lee at his goofiest.
Can you happily watch a marathon of movies like "Ouija Shark" without cringing once? Or does the sound of some of the author's other titles like "Spermjackers from Hell" excite you? If yes, then DO give this book a try! Clearly this book has it's fans who adore it, and you may be one of the Fellowship.
July 8, 2021
What a terrifying under sea adventure. I loved that the mad science aspect wasn't over done, over explained. The book took you on a quick journey of transformation so it could get right back to the story.
If I wasn't afraid of the ocean before I certainly am now.
If I wasn't afraid of the ocean before I certainly am now.
June 20, 2021
Horror Bookworm Reviews
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/
A crew of top notch doctors, techs and scientists are gathered to explore the deep waters of the ocean. This mysterious aquatic void is not only a murky foreign trench, but also inhabits sea creatures that are capable of haunting your dreams. The crew of Fathom-5 will not only face those horrific scavengers of the deep, but will also confront their own deep dark secrets.
Author Christine Morgan takes her gore soaked talent below the oceanic surface and into a universe of uncharted territory. Trenchmouth follows not only a team of skilled professionals, but also a group of volunteer test subjects. These guinea pigs have committed to the study of body manipulation relating to aquatic aptitudes and nautical transformations. In addition, the various underwater life inhabiting its ecological area has brought a new face to splatterpunk fiction. From giant squids to Lovecraftian nightmares of the deep, these creations flow freely from the undercurrent of Christine Morgan.
Among the melee and slaughter, Morgan pieces together a concoction of human evolution and claustrophobic spookiness. Her ability to paint a detailed picture for the reader is very uncommon. I found myself visualizing the conditions and circumstances surrounding each chapter with ease. This allowed the “special effects unit” in my mind to succeed at fueling my imagination.
Reasons for grabbing your copy of Trenchmouth...”catched & released” by Madness Heart Press...the al”lure”ing cover art is beautiful...Ed Lee “setting the hook” with his blurb...the content will definitely “reel” you in...Christine’s creativity shines brighter than the luminescent glow of an anglerfish...and more sensual than dolphin porn.
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/
A crew of top notch doctors, techs and scientists are gathered to explore the deep waters of the ocean. This mysterious aquatic void is not only a murky foreign trench, but also inhabits sea creatures that are capable of haunting your dreams. The crew of Fathom-5 will not only face those horrific scavengers of the deep, but will also confront their own deep dark secrets.
Author Christine Morgan takes her gore soaked talent below the oceanic surface and into a universe of uncharted territory. Trenchmouth follows not only a team of skilled professionals, but also a group of volunteer test subjects. These guinea pigs have committed to the study of body manipulation relating to aquatic aptitudes and nautical transformations. In addition, the various underwater life inhabiting its ecological area has brought a new face to splatterpunk fiction. From giant squids to Lovecraftian nightmares of the deep, these creations flow freely from the undercurrent of Christine Morgan.
Among the melee and slaughter, Morgan pieces together a concoction of human evolution and claustrophobic spookiness. Her ability to paint a detailed picture for the reader is very uncommon. I found myself visualizing the conditions and circumstances surrounding each chapter with ease. This allowed the “special effects unit” in my mind to succeed at fueling my imagination.
Reasons for grabbing your copy of Trenchmouth...”catched & released” by Madness Heart Press...the al”lure”ing cover art is beautiful...Ed Lee “setting the hook” with his blurb...the content will definitely “reel” you in...Christine’s creativity shines brighter than the luminescent glow of an anglerfish...and more sensual than dolphin porn.
July 24, 2021
Exactly my kind of summer blockbuster.
June 23, 2021
Christine Morgan's Trench Mouth is an aquatic horror summer blockbuster flick in print form. Packed to the gills with pop culture snark (we get some delightful riffs on The Meg, but can you spot the Finding Nemo reference?), humorous prose, mad science, and ancient marine creatures with insatiable appetites, it is an absolute blast.
At the bottom of the ocean, aboard the Fathom-5 facility, Dr. Margot Yale is conducting an experiment upon a group of volunteers that will forcibly drive the next step in human evolution and rewrite our genetic code to allow our species to adapt to the coming horrors of climate change. Yes, ladies and germs, Dr. Yale is intent on creating a new breed of human-fish hybrids to populate the seas! Thankfully, we know from past fictional encounters how well man's best intentions coupled with the tampering of natural law and scientific order work out for everyone, so it may not be much of a surprise when things go a tad bit haywire. Oh, but that's not all! You see, lurking in the deep trenches of the ocean is a massive, primordial anglerfish - and she's going to give Yale a run for her money as the one, true Queen of the Deep!
Trench Mouth is a rollicking mash-up of a few things I hold near and dear, a sort-of Jaws meets Jurassic Park with a splash of X-Men (or maybe Aquaman is more fitting here), along with some body horror (I actually had to pause my reading to see how much Morgan was embellishing anglerfish reproduction and...nope. It really is that grotesque and incredible, proving once again that Mother Nature really is the original biggest, baddest bitch in horror.), and plenty of ribald humor for good measure. Morgan takes all these references, inspirations, and touchstones and, like Dr. Yale, does her own bit of genetic modification, running the recognizable and familiar through her own storyteller's version of CRISPR. The end result is a story that feels similar, but is also something new and surprising, a sort-of recombinant DNA version of aquatic horrors, all spun together and twisted into unique strands. Along the way, Morgan makes a solid case for dolphins being frat boy dicks, but I'll let her tell that story...
While the blood, gore, and fishy body horrors are sublime, what I most appreciated about Trench Mouth was its subtle environmental messaging and Morgan's telegraphing of the many ways in which the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Humans are sloppy-messy, and our big brains oftentimes convince us we're doing the best and smartest thing for the best and smartest reasons, oftentimes to our own peril. Humanity possesses this neat double-whammy of sticking our nose where it doesn't belong and tampering with all the things we shouldn't, which ultimately makes pretty fertile ground for horror where the end result of our unintended consequences can be supremely bloody and gory. These are the moments in which Morgan righteously revels, pushing her characters into moments of turmoil and intriguing conflict. Because, hey, what could possibly go wrong with too-smart for their own good scientists, genetically modified fish-people, and ancient rulers of the deep all coming together at the bottom of the ocean?
Some readers may find themselves frustrated by the open-ended nature of the climax, but I found it rather fitting. Morgan doesn't wrap everything up all neat and tidily, but the hints of ecological calamity she provides in the book's denouement leave plenty of promising tidbits for reader's imaginations to run wild with. Or, maybe, if we're lucky, it's a sign that a sequel is on the way? Nearly three quarters of the Earth is water, after all, and as one character notes, "The ocean was goddamn freaky," leaving Morgan plenty of wiggle room to further explore the fallout of Dr. Yale's experiments. I mean, hell, we got three Sharktopus movies and six -- freaking six! -- Sharknados. I certainly would not say no to Trench Mouth 2, especially given the literal question mark this book ends on, if Morgan is willing. In the meantime, my own brain is having a field-day running wild with some of the various plot threads left dangling, and the repercussions of the Fathom-5 experiments, and... Just how often is it you can take a big, wild, goofy popcorn creature feature like this and, subversively, be left with so much to consider and mull over in its aftermath? Not often enough, I reckon, and that alone makes Trench Mouth a true winner in my book.
At the bottom of the ocean, aboard the Fathom-5 facility, Dr. Margot Yale is conducting an experiment upon a group of volunteers that will forcibly drive the next step in human evolution and rewrite our genetic code to allow our species to adapt to the coming horrors of climate change. Yes, ladies and germs, Dr. Yale is intent on creating a new breed of human-fish hybrids to populate the seas! Thankfully, we know from past fictional encounters how well man's best intentions coupled with the tampering of natural law and scientific order work out for everyone, so it may not be much of a surprise when things go a tad bit haywire. Oh, but that's not all! You see, lurking in the deep trenches of the ocean is a massive, primordial anglerfish - and she's going to give Yale a run for her money as the one, true Queen of the Deep!
Trench Mouth is a rollicking mash-up of a few things I hold near and dear, a sort-of Jaws meets Jurassic Park with a splash of X-Men (or maybe Aquaman is more fitting here), along with some body horror (I actually had to pause my reading to see how much Morgan was embellishing anglerfish reproduction and...nope. It really is that grotesque and incredible, proving once again that Mother Nature really is the original biggest, baddest bitch in horror.), and plenty of ribald humor for good measure. Morgan takes all these references, inspirations, and touchstones and, like Dr. Yale, does her own bit of genetic modification, running the recognizable and familiar through her own storyteller's version of CRISPR. The end result is a story that feels similar, but is also something new and surprising, a sort-of recombinant DNA version of aquatic horrors, all spun together and twisted into unique strands. Along the way, Morgan makes a solid case for dolphins being frat boy dicks, but I'll let her tell that story...
While the blood, gore, and fishy body horrors are sublime, what I most appreciated about Trench Mouth was its subtle environmental messaging and Morgan's telegraphing of the many ways in which the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Humans are sloppy-messy, and our big brains oftentimes convince us we're doing the best and smartest thing for the best and smartest reasons, oftentimes to our own peril. Humanity possesses this neat double-whammy of sticking our nose where it doesn't belong and tampering with all the things we shouldn't, which ultimately makes pretty fertile ground for horror where the end result of our unintended consequences can be supremely bloody and gory. These are the moments in which Morgan righteously revels, pushing her characters into moments of turmoil and intriguing conflict. Because, hey, what could possibly go wrong with too-smart for their own good scientists, genetically modified fish-people, and ancient rulers of the deep all coming together at the bottom of the ocean?
Some readers may find themselves frustrated by the open-ended nature of the climax, but I found it rather fitting. Morgan doesn't wrap everything up all neat and tidily, but the hints of ecological calamity she provides in the book's denouement leave plenty of promising tidbits for reader's imaginations to run wild with. Or, maybe, if we're lucky, it's a sign that a sequel is on the way? Nearly three quarters of the Earth is water, after all, and as one character notes, "The ocean was goddamn freaky," leaving Morgan plenty of wiggle room to further explore the fallout of Dr. Yale's experiments. I mean, hell, we got three Sharktopus movies and six -- freaking six! -- Sharknados. I certainly would not say no to Trench Mouth 2, especially given the literal question mark this book ends on, if Morgan is willing. In the meantime, my own brain is having a field-day running wild with some of the various plot threads left dangling, and the repercussions of the Fathom-5 experiments, and... Just how often is it you can take a big, wild, goofy popcorn creature feature like this and, subversively, be left with so much to consider and mull over in its aftermath? Not often enough, I reckon, and that alone makes Trench Mouth a true winner in my book.
September 27, 2021
Trench Mouth begins with a series of vignettes.
It begins with human intrusion into the ocean depths upsetting a balance that existed in an alien world on our own planet, drawing a cruel and vicious attention to our existence--our delicious flavor--and ultimately to the surface waters where unsuspecting prey is in abundance.
It begins with eight people who have nothing left to lose signing up for a chance to become something more, something new, something better than they are. In the dark depths of the ocean, where Fathom-5 illuminates a tiny patch of ocean floor just beyond a seemingly bottomless trench that carves down into the crust of the Earth, experiments are being conducted.
Will Dr. Yale and her colleagues advance the next stage of human evolution, preparing us to venture into a massive new realm largely off limits until now? Will monsters, both man-made and ancient, tear everything apart before we even have a chance to find out for ourselves?
We know how it begins. I guess you'll have to read past the beginning to discover how it ends for yourself.
It's appropriate to talk about how it all begins, because Trench Mouth feels like a beginning, the origin story of some larger tale that might unfold over years to come. I, for one, would gladly join Christine Morgan in the depths again if she chooses to tell us more of this world she's created.
Reminiscent of my favorite underwater science fiction/horror novel, Starfish by Peter Watts (the beginning of his Rifters series), Morgan has done something fantastic with Trench Mouth in telling a story that stands up next to a novel written by a man with a Ph.D and a long history of working as a marine biologist. Nothing feels out of place or poorly researched within these pages, and it makes the whole experience feel that much more immersive.
Perhaps my favorite element is the Morgan makes the denizens of the deep feel like fleshed out characters in and of themselves, by sharing perspectives that are at once alien and strangely familiar.
It begins with human intrusion into the ocean depths upsetting a balance that existed in an alien world on our own planet, drawing a cruel and vicious attention to our existence--our delicious flavor--and ultimately to the surface waters where unsuspecting prey is in abundance.
It begins with eight people who have nothing left to lose signing up for a chance to become something more, something new, something better than they are. In the dark depths of the ocean, where Fathom-5 illuminates a tiny patch of ocean floor just beyond a seemingly bottomless trench that carves down into the crust of the Earth, experiments are being conducted.
Will Dr. Yale and her colleagues advance the next stage of human evolution, preparing us to venture into a massive new realm largely off limits until now? Will monsters, both man-made and ancient, tear everything apart before we even have a chance to find out for ourselves?
We know how it begins. I guess you'll have to read past the beginning to discover how it ends for yourself.
It's appropriate to talk about how it all begins, because Trench Mouth feels like a beginning, the origin story of some larger tale that might unfold over years to come. I, for one, would gladly join Christine Morgan in the depths again if she chooses to tell us more of this world she's created.
Reminiscent of my favorite underwater science fiction/horror novel, Starfish by Peter Watts (the beginning of his Rifters series), Morgan has done something fantastic with Trench Mouth in telling a story that stands up next to a novel written by a man with a Ph.D and a long history of working as a marine biologist. Nothing feels out of place or poorly researched within these pages, and it makes the whole experience feel that much more immersive.
Perhaps my favorite element is the Morgan makes the denizens of the deep feel like fleshed out characters in and of themselves, by sharing perspectives that are at once alien and strangely familiar.
January 18, 2024
Christine Morgan is an author I've not heard much about except for her continuing on the Infernal series of books which Edward Lee began a couple of decades back and that her writing style when it comes to the horror genre is delightfully abnormal and extreme. I love the splatterpunk genre, but I haven't had a chance to delve into all the different kinds of authors it has, simply because I get attached to a particular author or two. But I want to try out different writers this year and I've heard good things about Christine's work and Trench Mouth in particular.
Fathom Five is a state-of-the-art scientific facility underneath the ocean. Inside a group of scientists are about to welcome a series of test subjects on a mission to save humanity's future. But with a mad scientist and a few untrustworthy or suspicious characters, it seems the new arrivals have got more than they bargained for. But in the deepest depths of the ocean, an ancient creature is about to arise and it will destroy and eat everything in its wake!
Christine Morgan has written a brilliant and engaging novel that feels like a combination of The Island of Dr. Moreau and Jaws but instead of it being set on land, it's underneath the ocean. It's a very atmospheric novel that you can tell is well-researched and thought out by the author making for both a very intellectually interesting and terrifying read. It is a story with complex characters, illegal inhumane experiments, and a monster lurking under the sea.
It's a brutal read that delves into the harsh realities of humanity, from how much we poison our world in a fit of self-greed and fame, to inflicting pain on one another in the misguided sense of progress or for our own selfish beneficial reasons. It's a disturbing read with both an eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere and lots of gruesome scenes. I love mad-scientist stories and Christine Morgan has done a terrific job piecing together a very realistic interpretation of how a character like this would be in real life because whilst Dr. Yale may be mad their still fundamentally connected to humanity and have an honorable goal in mind, that could benefit not only humanity's future but the earth itself to a degree. It's the sheer obsessiveness and disregard for morality that makes them unhinged.
I do have a criticism however for this novel. It's the fact we're introduced to a character called George who's long since been left behind by his ex-wife and son due to his alcohol problem. A quarter of the way in, we eventually see him and his son confront each other and it turns out his son works in the facility which admittedly is a big coincidence and unfortunately, nothing is done with it. I get what Christine was going for with defying expectations and taking the reader by surprise by taking the son out of the story so early on, especially since it comments on the whole overused trope, of two individuals who haven't seen each other for years because they hate one another, but eventually come to an understanding due to their surprising reunion. I like the idea of going against the idea of doing that but I genuinely would have found it more exciting if the son became an active antagonist throughout the story, refusing to get along with his dad no matter how much he tries, rather than just dropping him only a few chapters after his introduction.
Overall: A brilliant book that whilst it isn't quite perfect does highlight just how good of an author Christine Morgan is and I'm excited to see what she has in store for me next! 9.5/10
Fathom Five is a state-of-the-art scientific facility underneath the ocean. Inside a group of scientists are about to welcome a series of test subjects on a mission to save humanity's future. But with a mad scientist and a few untrustworthy or suspicious characters, it seems the new arrivals have got more than they bargained for. But in the deepest depths of the ocean, an ancient creature is about to arise and it will destroy and eat everything in its wake!
Christine Morgan has written a brilliant and engaging novel that feels like a combination of The Island of Dr. Moreau and Jaws but instead of it being set on land, it's underneath the ocean. It's a very atmospheric novel that you can tell is well-researched and thought out by the author making for both a very intellectually interesting and terrifying read. It is a story with complex characters, illegal inhumane experiments, and a monster lurking under the sea.
It's a brutal read that delves into the harsh realities of humanity, from how much we poison our world in a fit of self-greed and fame, to inflicting pain on one another in the misguided sense of progress or for our own selfish beneficial reasons. It's a disturbing read with both an eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere and lots of gruesome scenes. I love mad-scientist stories and Christine Morgan has done a terrific job piecing together a very realistic interpretation of how a character like this would be in real life because whilst Dr. Yale may be mad their still fundamentally connected to humanity and have an honorable goal in mind, that could benefit not only humanity's future but the earth itself to a degree. It's the sheer obsessiveness and disregard for morality that makes them unhinged.
I do have a criticism however for this novel. It's the fact we're introduced to a character called George who's long since been left behind by his ex-wife and son due to his alcohol problem. A quarter of the way in, we eventually see him and his son confront each other and it turns out his son works in the facility which admittedly is a big coincidence and unfortunately, nothing is done with it. I get what Christine was going for with defying expectations and taking the reader by surprise by taking the son out of the story so early on, especially since it comments on the whole overused trope, of two individuals who haven't seen each other for years because they hate one another, but eventually come to an understanding due to their surprising reunion. I like the idea of going against the idea of doing that but I genuinely would have found it more exciting if the son became an active antagonist throughout the story, refusing to get along with his dad no matter how much he tries, rather than just dropping him only a few chapters after his introduction.
Overall: A brilliant book that whilst it isn't quite perfect does highlight just how good of an author Christine Morgan is and I'm excited to see what she has in store for me next! 9.5/10
August 1, 2021
When I was a small little Damien child, I was obsessed with the cartoon “Street Sharks” and any sea monster movie I could get my hands on. I still am for the most part, so it’s extremely pleasing that Christine Morgan’s Trenchmouth fulfilled all of those cravings I’ve been having lately. A human can only watch Humanoids from the Deep so many times before they need some form of new and fresh take on the depths. This book reads like Morgan is a mad scientist taking everything everyone loves from every aquatic based horror, putting it into some sort of Frankenstein type creation and coming out with something completely new, but familiar. The writing here is perfectly to my taste like salmon to a dolphin (not even sure this metaphor is correct, or if it’s not lame enough to fit here) there’s descriptive passages of creatures of the deep, there’s grade A dialogue, there’s some humor places here and there as well. If you’re like me and long for something fresh in the deep sea aquatic horror monster, whatever we’re calling it now, give Trenchmouth a read, it’s a wild ride that will have you adding every thing Christine Morgan has written to your TBR quicker than I am to defend Aquaman’s coolness. Aquaman is cool.
June 16, 2021
Christine Morgan’s Trenchmouth is a story about people, hubris, and that which lives in the unexplored depths. Part creature horror, part sci-fi thriller, this intense and bloody tale is not to be missed!
Hardcore fans of Morgan don’t need a review to tell them about how fantastic her characters are or how entertaining the character interactions. To newer fans and those who have yet to partake of her works, her characters are diverse, vivid, and realistic; and the character interactions are intense, often humorous, and wholly entertaining. The characters in Trenchmouth are no exception and may even be the finest examples of this yet. And that includes the things roaming the deep. Yes, they, too, are characters in this fast-paced and compelling tale.
I love everything about this book: the story, the characters, the suspense, the action, the writing, even the ominous and magnificent cover. And especially the deep sea creatures. This is a shelf-worthy and gripping read. Highly recommended.
Hardcore fans of Morgan don’t need a review to tell them about how fantastic her characters are or how entertaining the character interactions. To newer fans and those who have yet to partake of her works, her characters are diverse, vivid, and realistic; and the character interactions are intense, often humorous, and wholly entertaining. The characters in Trenchmouth are no exception and may even be the finest examples of this yet. And that includes the things roaming the deep. Yes, they, too, are characters in this fast-paced and compelling tale.
I love everything about this book: the story, the characters, the suspense, the action, the writing, even the ominous and magnificent cover. And especially the deep sea creatures. This is a shelf-worthy and gripping read. Highly recommended.
July 12, 2021
This book. This book. The hilarious references and jokes, the memorable characters, all the sea life you can handle, and an enjoyable writing style. Trench Mouth really is the whole package. Usually when I really like a book I rush through it, but I paced myself because I DID NOT want the experience to end. If you took away all the plot holes and bad cliches of bad creature features from the SyFy channel, you would be left with the rough skeleton of what this book is. BUT THEN, Christine Morgan adds her brilliant humor into the mix, fleshes out that skeleton with great characters, and gives her own spin on the trope, and you’ll have an idea of just what you’ll be getting into when you pick up this book. I don’t often reread books, but I see myself reading this one over and over again for years to come. It’s just that good!
October 13, 2023
Trenchmouth was so much fun, and my god I really didn’t need another sea creature to be terrified of 🤦🏻♀️
An eclectic mix of sci fi, horror and comedy, Trenchmouth is a constant barrage of action that just takes turn after turn. I don’t want to explain the plot too much, I think it’s a good one to go into blind. All I will say is I’m still not over chapter 11 😭
If you are a fan of movies like Piranha DD or Jaws, this one is a read for you!
An eclectic mix of sci fi, horror and comedy, Trenchmouth is a constant barrage of action that just takes turn after turn. I don’t want to explain the plot too much, I think it’s a good one to go into blind. All I will say is I’m still not over chapter 11 😭
If you are a fan of movies like Piranha DD or Jaws, this one is a read for you!
September 8, 2021
This book was like nothing else I've ever read. Really. Loved it.
June 10, 2022
Monster sea creatures and mad scientists, say no more.
The author, Christine Morgan, catches your attention with the opening scene and the story takes off from there.
Morgan introduces us to a cast of characters (Human and otherwise) where you find yourself picking sides. Just when you do, there is a shift in the story and there is no looking back.
The ups and downs of the story work wonders to keep you engaged and eager to turn to the next page. One of my favorite parts involved the under water station and something other than the amazing beast on the cover of this book.
By the last page, I found myself wanting to more. You won't regret picking this book up. Even if you are reading by a big body of water.
The author, Christine Morgan, catches your attention with the opening scene and the story takes off from there.
Morgan introduces us to a cast of characters (Human and otherwise) where you find yourself picking sides. Just when you do, there is a shift in the story and there is no looking back.
The ups and downs of the story work wonders to keep you engaged and eager to turn to the next page. One of my favorite parts involved the under water station and something other than the amazing beast on the cover of this book.
By the last page, I found myself wanting to more. You won't regret picking this book up. Even if you are reading by a big body of water.
September 14, 2021
Jesus
Who told you it was OK to write like this? If somebody did they were very very wrong, sorry bud.
Who told you it was OK to write like this? If somebody did they were very very wrong, sorry bud.
July 14, 2021
Christine Morgan’s undersea creature-feature horror novel Trench Mouth is absolutely delightful! There’s an under-sea research station called Fathom-5. They’re exploring the nearby area finding new and fascinating forms of marine life, but one of the scientists wants to do more. She recruits a bunch of seemingly unlikely candidates to be transformed by gene science–into something capable of living down in those depths. But there are already much stranger things living down there–and they’re hungry!
This book doesn’t get too hung up on the science, including just enough to “feel” right. This is especially the case in regards to the gene therapy, which gradually changes our guinea pigs’ ability to master high-pressure, underwater environments. Each one seems to change in a way that suits them best. The older woman who’s a diver is elegant. Her handsome young husband is colorfully flamboyant (and a little bit poisonous). The older ex-military man develops camouflage. The swimmer becomes super-fast, and others change according to their needs.
There’s a Queen of the deep that’s taken notice of Fathom-5 and her charges: a massive anglerfish with her bioluminescent lure, her “court” of followers, and her equally massive appetite. There’s also a giant squid that would like to get to know the mysterious metallic visitor. We get wonderful sections in which we see things from the perspective of various sea creatures, as well as a variety of characters inside Fathom-5 and out.
The characters are smart and quirky and fun. There are secrets had, embarrassing (and horrifying) stories to tell, personality clashes, marauding monsters of the human, monster, and hybrid kinds, and more. Content note for explicit sex and sexual material and gory injuries/deaths.
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/07/...
This book doesn’t get too hung up on the science, including just enough to “feel” right. This is especially the case in regards to the gene therapy, which gradually changes our guinea pigs’ ability to master high-pressure, underwater environments. Each one seems to change in a way that suits them best. The older woman who’s a diver is elegant. Her handsome young husband is colorfully flamboyant (and a little bit poisonous). The older ex-military man develops camouflage. The swimmer becomes super-fast, and others change according to their needs.
There’s a Queen of the deep that’s taken notice of Fathom-5 and her charges: a massive anglerfish with her bioluminescent lure, her “court” of followers, and her equally massive appetite. There’s also a giant squid that would like to get to know the mysterious metallic visitor. We get wonderful sections in which we see things from the perspective of various sea creatures, as well as a variety of characters inside Fathom-5 and out.
The characters are smart and quirky and fun. There are secrets had, embarrassing (and horrifying) stories to tell, personality clashes, marauding monsters of the human, monster, and hybrid kinds, and more. Content note for explicit sex and sexual material and gory injuries/deaths.
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/07/...
June 15, 2021
Trench Mouth is underwater horror that is set in a tropical tourist destination. While celebrities and tourists visit the destination, they have no idea that an underwater base named Fathom 5 sits just offshore in one of the deepest parts of the ocean.
Fathom 5 houses some of the “cream of the crop” scientists and doctors who have built and discovered technology that could possibly make human civilization in the sea a reality. To test their theories, a group of super human test subjects have been recruited to see if the technology can help them evolve into what is necessary to survive in an under sea environment.
We have very little knowledge of the deep oceans and its horrific inhabitants. Myths and legends come alive within these pages. I love how Christine Morgan gives us glimpses into the sea creatures thoughts and feelings as they too become characters in the story!
If the trenches of the deep weren’t already scary enough, Christine Morgan takes it to a whole new frightening level! The anticipation and creepiness she builds works fantastic with this underwater setting. The story is told so well that it fuels the imagination to go wild. Gore, under pressure with teeth, oh my!
Fathom 5 houses some of the “cream of the crop” scientists and doctors who have built and discovered technology that could possibly make human civilization in the sea a reality. To test their theories, a group of super human test subjects have been recruited to see if the technology can help them evolve into what is necessary to survive in an under sea environment.
We have very little knowledge of the deep oceans and its horrific inhabitants. Myths and legends come alive within these pages. I love how Christine Morgan gives us glimpses into the sea creatures thoughts and feelings as they too become characters in the story!
If the trenches of the deep weren’t already scary enough, Christine Morgan takes it to a whole new frightening level! The anticipation and creepiness she builds works fantastic with this underwater setting. The story is told so well that it fuels the imagination to go wild. Gore, under pressure with teeth, oh my!
January 21, 2023
Trench Mouth is a bit of a mixed bag. A group of down-on-their-luck folks (this author loves hyphens so I thought I'd throw a few in of my own) volunteer for experiments that turn them into fish people. While the book is called Trench Mouth, the book focuses more on the conflicts between the scientists, facility security and the human guinea pigs. The star of the show, Trenchmouth, is not given near enough page time. Another thing that irked me was the constant Lord of the Rings references from the character Hobbs. He's a nerd and those references start out cute enough but they just keep coming, and coming, and coming. The characters are not well-developed and certainly don't evolve over the course of the novel. There are some exciting parts though and the experimentees develop some cool abilities, but overall, this is a novel that once finished, will be quickly forgotten.
August 2, 2021
I was a big fan of White Death by Christine Morgan when I read it a couple of years back, so I jumped at the chance to read Trench Mouth where Morgan takes us miles beneath the waves to encounter so truly gargantuan sea monsters.
Coupled with that, we have a group of volunteers taking part in a programme to alter their DNA to enable then to function better beneath the waves.
This is the creature feature, turned up to eleven, however, some of its greatest strengths are also its greatest weaknesses. Morgan develops her characters well, she offers multiple threats, and multiple threads. Normally the typical creature feature tends to be rather short, but this is really developed. Sometimes, there was too much going on, and some elements of the story had to go on the back burner. It wasn’t until the second half of the novel, for example, that we really got to the bit with the mutant humans, and that was the bit I enjoyed the most.
If you like your creature features with more meat on their bones, you’ll enjoy this.
Coupled with that, we have a group of volunteers taking part in a programme to alter their DNA to enable then to function better beneath the waves.
This is the creature feature, turned up to eleven, however, some of its greatest strengths are also its greatest weaknesses. Morgan develops her characters well, she offers multiple threats, and multiple threads. Normally the typical creature feature tends to be rather short, but this is really developed. Sometimes, there was too much going on, and some elements of the story had to go on the back burner. It wasn’t until the second half of the novel, for example, that we really got to the bit with the mutant humans, and that was the bit I enjoyed the most.
If you like your creature features with more meat on their bones, you’ll enjoy this.
April 5, 2022
I wanted to give this five stars but in the end I had to settle for four, though this nearly was a three. It’s very well written, and the parts involving the sea creature were very well done. Even the mad scientist side plot was very well done as well. However, what dis slightly irk me from an enjoyment perspective were two things. 1) the first 25 pages that were chaotic and left me with a wtf was going on type of vibe. 2) after an admittedly brilliant long stretch of the book building tension and getting to see more of the anglerfish in the deep, we cut off to the dolphin side plot again, which to me felt wholly and entirely unnecessary and pulled me right out of the story again for fifty or so pages.
I really hate to be so critical of books and I did enjoy this but just the dolphin angle was so seriously unnecessary in this readers eyes.
I really hate to be so critical of books and I did enjoy this but just the dolphin angle was so seriously unnecessary in this readers eyes.
February 7, 2022
This book felt incomplete to me. Maybe the authour intended it to feel this way but the whole book spends time building towards the “deep queen” and her attack on the underwater complex and then…nothing really happens
In addition, this area of the ocean seems to be teeming with horrors and giant creatures but somehow an underwater lab go constructed and absolutely nothing happened during construction? Seems like a glaring omission to not at least allude to some earlier catastrophes but nope, underwater lab is there and only now do things start going wrong
The above gripes aside, I did enjoy this book. It’s fast paced and well written. I just wish it had a little more than what was offered
In addition, this area of the ocean seems to be teeming with horrors and giant creatures but somehow an underwater lab go constructed and absolutely nothing happened during construction? Seems like a glaring omission to not at least allude to some earlier catastrophes but nope, underwater lab is there and only now do things start going wrong
The above gripes aside, I did enjoy this book. It’s fast paced and well written. I just wish it had a little more than what was offered
July 30, 2024
3.5 STARS
I always love me some underwater laboratory horror, so this seemed perfectly suited for me. Author Christine Morgan is no stranger to the genre and she puts forth a more than solid effort here with Trench Mouth. Fun characters, a very unique situation, and some incredibly dangerous and hungry creatures make this a guaranteed good time for any horror fan. Some surprisingly fleshed out characters, too. However, I wanted the science to be a bit more grounded and not as silly as some of the situations became. I would have preferred a darker, more atmospheric tone to the book, but can still recommend it. Nicely paced and impressive on the body count, this should please most people interested in underwater research labs gone awry.
I always love me some underwater laboratory horror, so this seemed perfectly suited for me. Author Christine Morgan is no stranger to the genre and she puts forth a more than solid effort here with Trench Mouth. Fun characters, a very unique situation, and some incredibly dangerous and hungry creatures make this a guaranteed good time for any horror fan. Some surprisingly fleshed out characters, too. However, I wanted the science to be a bit more grounded and not as silly as some of the situations became. I would have preferred a darker, more atmospheric tone to the book, but can still recommend it. Nicely paced and impressive on the body count, this should please most people interested in underwater research labs gone awry.
August 19, 2021
DNF….reading the “dolphin fun boys” rape dialogue was it for me. I couldn’t take it any longer.
I was so pumped for this book. I love under water stories, and I especially thought I would love one that included experiments on humans to see if we could survive in deep water without equipment. Well….zero lead up to the experiments. One minute they are normal humans, the next minute they have gills and can swim in deep water without issue. We got no info on how that came to be. This could have been such a cool part of the book. Missed opportunity.
Super cheesy. Super disappointing.
I was so pumped for this book. I love under water stories, and I especially thought I would love one that included experiments on humans to see if we could survive in deep water without equipment. Well….zero lead up to the experiments. One minute they are normal humans, the next minute they have gills and can swim in deep water without issue. We got no info on how that came to be. This could have been such a cool part of the book. Missed opportunity.
Super cheesy. Super disappointing.
November 21, 2024
A pretty original take on the deep sea "horror" trope. For anyone expecting actual horror, you'll be very disappointed. Even the most graphic parts of the story were still amusing in some way - maybe it's slapstick horror? Having said that, I really enjoyed this and I appreciated that it ended on a little bit of a cliffhanger. The characters were a little bit flat in the personality department, but I forgive that because the premise was cool. The different points of view added an intriguing layer to the story as well.
October 13, 2021
The science? Terrible. The story? Unbelievable. The plot holes? Probably could drive a truck through them. But did I like it? Hell Yes.
If you like terrible, horrible, absolutely insane "disaster-porn" movies or books (or enjoy a good RiffTrax) you'll love Trenchmouth. It's so bad, it's good. I seriously couldn't put it down, I had to know what horrible thing was going to happen next, it was AMAZING!! And the characters were really solid, like more than several novels I've read recently!
If you like terrible, horrible, absolutely insane "disaster-porn" movies or books (or enjoy a good RiffTrax) you'll love Trenchmouth. It's so bad, it's good. I seriously couldn't put it down, I had to know what horrible thing was going to happen next, it was AMAZING!! And the characters were really solid, like more than several novels I've read recently!
December 31, 2021
this is a goofy, trope-y-cheesy-pop-culturey-but-self-aware-about-it horror story that gave me a lot of what I was looking for to end our the year - but if I had to read the phrase "dolphin gang bang" one more time I think I would have thrown my phone out the window. wish it hadn't fizzled out the way it did, but would read more from this author!
January 19, 2022
I loved this book. Christine Morgan has an amazing ear for true-to-life dialogue peppered with pop culture references. She's got a great talent for creating people that feel as real as the guy who cut you off in traffic this morning and then eviscerating them on the page. Trench Mouth feels like a funnier Jurassic Park.
May 15, 2022
Would give it 4 and a half stars if I could. Loved this book. Great writing style, felt very informal and cool. Just felt like reading the 50s monster movies I like but with a bit more character development. Find it inspiring too. Definitely makes me think I can write mt b-movie shark novel book one day. Will try and read some more of her work.
July 24, 2022
I loved this book. The writing was so funny, and the story so unlike any other 'creature' book! The characters were likeable (or hateable, depending) and even the "denizens of the deep" had personalities! Amazing. Great read, I highly recommend!
I will say, what happened to the hobbit and slipper girl? Loose end... 😐
I will say, what happened to the hobbit and slipper girl? Loose end... 😐
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