“Tim Waggoner is a magician. He weaves layers of profound emotionality without losing the thrill and thrust of the story. The Face of Pain is as real as it is fantastical and we are given the gift of reading in both light and dark, passage to passage, as if Tim is in the room with us, controlling all illumination therein.” –Josh Malerman, New York Times-bestselling author of Bird Box and Incidents Around the House
“The names of the levels and groups in the Red Tower sparked dark poetry in me! The story of Tricia’s need to give birth in spite of having cancer, to change this life-threatening disease into the creation of new life, a kind of messiah and the Red Tower in this darkly surrealistic book totally captivated me. Tim’s writing carried me through this maddening tale from beginning to end!”—Linda D. Addison, award-winning author, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and SFPA Grand Master.
“Bram Stoker Award®-winner Tim Waggoner delivers a macabre and malignant tale examining motherhood, medical malpractice, and mental illness in The Face of Pain, a chilling weird-science thriller from one of horror’s best authors. Hauntingly plausible, The Face of Pain looks set to become a cult classic. Unnaturally good fiction.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories
“The Face of Pain is the weirdest book of Tim Waggoner’s that I’ve read so far, and I mean that in the absolute best possible way. The depth of imagination that was poured into this short volume was astounding, not to mention chilling. The Face of Pain is a ‘must-have’ for any horror fan worthy of the title, or for anyone who just enjoys plain old exemplary writing” – Carson Buckingham, Hellnotes
“Tim Waggoner’s The Face of Pain is a grim, fast-paced story that leans hard into both psychological dread and visceral brutality, delivering what feels like a tightening grip. Even the quiet moments felt loaded with unease. It’s an exploration of suffering, not just as a physical experience but as a moral one pushing the limits of endurance. Atmosphere, bleak. Narrative, unrelenting. Nightmare, disturbingly plausible. If you like your horror cruel and unflinching, The Face of Pain is for you.” – Gaby Triana, author of Moon Child
