Neil Gaiman insisted that all his Twitter buy this ebook, when it was 99 cents on Amazon.com. With that kind of recommendation backing this book, I bought the book for my Kindle with incredibly high expectations going in but absolutely no idea what the book was actually about.

In short: Death.

Slightly longer, it's about a group of people actively being messed about by Death. And Death is a total dick.

While Carroll's writing is undeniably beautiful and engaging, I can't say I truly enjoyed this book. Carroll jumped from character to character in each chapter, with little explanation or clear connection between them all. Many times, just as I found myself interested in a character's narrative, the story would jump time, place and person. After a few instances of this, I learned not to get too invested.

The ending itself was also frustrating, simply because it was so lesson-y and on the nose. Almost a fairy tale in the way it neatly taught a lesson. But since the book up to them reveled on a free form story style, the neat bow tying everything up at the end seemed out of place and lazy.

Sorry, Neil, maybe next time....5 s Dan Wilson69 2

I read this years and years ago, but had forgotten pretty much everything about it when I pulled it off the shelf this week.

Carroll is clearly a gifted writer, but his stories often feel unfinished to me. I don't mean that they need an extra draft, but more that they end as soon as things get interesting. This is especially the case in his short stories, but I found it to be true here as well. As soon as the concept behind the book is revealed, as soon as the characters have a chance to actually engage in a knowledgeable way with the world around them, the story ends. It isn't that the knowledge comes with the death of the characters, but more that the author isn't particularly interested in exploring that part of their stories.

In particular, the SPOILER ALERT idea in the final chapter of being forced to relive your life with the full knowledge of what everyone thinks of you at every given moment is a startling and interesting one, but all we actually get is a few paragraphs about the thoughts of cells and the root of Arlen's mother's resentment of her. In a more fleshed out book this part of the story could have been at least a chapter... hell, this concept could have filled an entire book as we went through formative incidents in Wyatt and Arlen's lives. Here, it's almost a throwaway moment.

In the same way, Wyatt's newfound "powers" are a fascinating concept that barely get touched on. Why even give him paranormal abilities as a result of his dreams with Death and the not let us explore them with Wyatt? Why not let us discover the disappointment of such useless power or see what Wyatt tries to do with such abilities rather than introduce them and then jump straight to dismissing them?

The book also suffers in my eyes on Carroll's reliance on "telling, not showing." The decision of having us read the story as letters or transcripts, or whatnot served to distance me as a reader. Also, it kind of falls apart at the end, as in the case of Arlen... she's been writing or calling Rose all this time, but Rose is clearly not the audience of the final chapter. So who is? Also, if we are reading journals and correspondence, then I would expect the chapters to read journals and correspondence... but it never does. The language is too "writerly" to be believed. The voice of the characters is too obviously the voice of the writer, and accusations of Arlen being a bore feel flat when compared to the fairly complex and interesting person revealed in her chapters.

In the end, all I *really* took away from the book is "Death is a dick." This portrayal of Death, as a petty, vicious, sadistic bastard is interesting mostly in comparison to how the personification is treated by authors such as Piers Anthony (On a Pale Horse) or Neil Gaiman (Sandman). In this version of reality, suffering is a direct result of Death's disliking you. Death is not a release, or a natural part of life, but a sick and twisted psychopath.

It's a shame, because despite all this, I admire the way Carroll puts words together. I think that From the Teeth of Angels would have been an excellent character study for the author to help flesh out the population of a more interesting, more compelling book. 4 s Alan1,154 135

There are fantasies that involve swords and elves... and then there are those that quietly document the intrusion of the numinous Other into our everyday lives. The latter is Carroll's specialty, the ground he treads in this and other works, such as Bones of the Moon and Outside the Dog Museum. You can tell from the titles that something unusual is going on here. Can you imagine what it must be , to be able to come up with the skew and surreal on a regular basis, and then have it relate back so well to our regular lives? Is it a blessing, or a curse? Whichever it is, Jonathan Carroll makes it look easy.

He knows how to get us hooked, too—and not just with titles. His characters are able, believable, people you wouldn't mind sharing counter space with at your favorite diner, the one with the really good hash browns, as they begin talking unbidden about their latest brush with Death. Apart from their unusual first names (Wyatt, Arlen, Leland and the ), the people in From the Teeth of Angels are ordinary, really—oh, perhaps they live more elegant lives than yours, take trips to Europe at the drop of a trilby and manage to imbue the most prosaic of breakfast foods with romance. But then Carroll pulls the covering away from the sculpted centerpiece he was hiding in plain sight, all along... and you find out that Death is real, personified, embodied as the guy at the corner newsstand or the woman driving your taxicab, another character who can be argued with, bargained with. Maybe you can cut a deal...

There is both sadness and great joy in From the Teeth of Angels. It will not give you any answers you did not already have. But it may help illuminate what you know. And if there is a reason for our existence as a species, I am sure that it is at least in part so that books this can exist.4 s Georgiana 17922,013 138

Ogni libro di Carroll sembra essere una sorta di versione in chiave Carroll della Divina Commedia di Dante. Questo in particolar modo. Tanto che ho cominciato a credere che Dante sia stato - in effetti - il primo autore di Urban Fantasy...
Naturalmente il 50%, che dico, l'80% dei significati allegorici di questo libro mi sfuggono, ma, per quel che riesco a capire credo che Carroll sia geniale! E ci sono centinaia di frasi che si dovrebbero citare. Questa è quella che mi è rimasta più impressa, forse perché si trova alla fine, ma soprattutto perché spiega il significato del libro, quindi avverto dello SPOILER. Uno dei protagonisti del libro si rivolge alla Morte:

«Ci detesti perché ci sono momenti in cui ci dimentichiamo di te. Dimentichiamo il dolore e il vuoto...
Gli aspetti che amiamo di più negli altri sono le cose che ci permettono di dimenticarti: quando qualcuno ci fa ridere, fa l'amore con noi o ci dà un bambino, ci fa sentire importanti e immortali. L'eternità non è che questo, i momenti in cui siamo soli con la nostra gioia e tu non esisti più nei nostri pensieri.
Noi invece siamo sempre nei tuoi pensieri. Anzi, nei tuoi pensieri esistiamo solo noi e tu ci detesti per questo. E ci detesti ancora di più perché noi possiamo cancellarti e dimenticarti con cose da nulla come un piccolo mulino a vento d'argento o un ricordo perfetto o una bella notte di sesso o un picnic sotto un albero su una tovaglia a scacchi. Tu vinci, tu hai l'ultima parola, d'accordo, ma noi siamo sempre al centro dei tuoi pensieri. Tu invece no. Anche quando ci sei mostruosamente vicino, possiamo lo stesso giocare con la luce e dimenticarti. E quanto ci detesti per questo!».
Il tempo di un respiro. Per un istante, il tempo di un respiro, ho visto nei suoi occhi che era la verità. sfida-fantasyosa-2012-20134 s MJ5 2

You can't go through this book without questioning everything that you believe in (esp. the concept of death)4 s Ben HodsonAuthor 9 books8

There are some really strong moments in this book that make you really look at your own life and how much you are valuing your small amount of time on Earth. When faced with a fatal illness, suddenly every moment is precious.

What makes this only a "" instead of a "love" is that it lacks direction. Many of the chapters spend a great deal of time recounting past events (instead of letting them happen in real time through the book) so you read exposition everywhere and the end doesn't quite fit together with some of these tangents.

Worth reading for the analysis of life after finding out about a terminal illness.3 s Jayaprakash SatyamurthyAuthor 40 books485

A typically excellent Carroll offering, filled with vivid characters, wonderful strangeness and a vision of human life that is compassionate, hopeful but fully aware of the nature and persistence of evil. I really wouldn't be able to accept the upbeat ending from a lot of authors other than Carroll. He makes it work because he doesn't overplay the small victories we can win in the face of death and time and other adversaries (and indeed Adversaries). 20173 s Micol Benimeo238 6

This is the book I’d to be remembered for. Says Jonathan Carroll in the Introduction. The Hell, it is. I love this author, I really do. The way he writes, the way he makes you love the two protagonist, the way he makes possible the impossible and the way he finally gets to your heart in this book are impressive. It’s a big fight between the humanity and Death, it’s trying to figure out of where life really stands. In the moments when we really forget about Him.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Amy13

This is a beautifully intricate novel with interconnected characters and relationships, all where death are concerned, embraced, or fought against. Death comes in a variety of guises in this somberly beautiful novel. To Englishman Ian McGann, death comes in a dream, offering to answer all his questions on existence but exacting a high price if he fails to understand. To Wyatt Leonard, a one-time children's TV host dying of leukemia, death appears in a surreal vision of a Los Angeles police officer, then as a friend who has previously passed on. For Arlen Ford, an actress burned out on the Hollywood fast life, death comes as the man of her dreams, a war correspondent just returned from a besieged Sarajevo. Action centers on the intersection of these three as they struggle toward an understanding of final things. The lean prose and formal Viennese settings add to the autumnal atmosphere of this stylish, haunting novel. It's one you wont ever forget and a must have to your collection. fantasy1 Jen991 94

I love love love Jonathan Carroll, as much as I hate him every time I put a book down. You're reading along, enjoying the imagery and dialogue and then WHAM he tosses something in that shifts everything you just read. This one's no different--an interesting novel about death and love; does death=love? or love=death? speculative_fiction1 C698

More amateurish writing and less complex themes than his other books, but also more straightforward in a nice way. This book didn't pierce through to the depths of my soul at any points, but I still d it.

Thanks S, and also thanks for a very accurate book description -- Me: What is this book about? S: (pause) Death.1 Velvetink3,512 235

Giving to si cotic horror-etc read-20001 All Mota197 12

Que libro!!! excelente, a mi parecer, trata muchos temas de una forma que a mi parecer es propia de elogios, en serio, y los personajes > > > > >novela1 Peter Freitag38 1 follower

For the last few days I've been re-reading From the Teeth of Angels, thirty years after I first read it. I've been saving it, hoping that going back to it, it would move me as much as before. It did. Now, in my seventies, it's taken on even greater meaning. I don't know how many years I have left but, confronting Death in this novel (as all the characters do) makes me feel as if I know how to live the rest of my life. For many years now, I haven't feared dying. I know it will happen one way or another, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps 20 years from now. It makes no difference but what does make a difference, as I've learned from Jonathan Carroll, is to defeat Death means to live one's life to the fullest.

Shortly after reading it the first time, I gave it to a friend who was dying of cancer. I didn't know how he would react to it and I never got the chance to find out. He died shortly thereafter, perhaps never even having opened the book. But, in my heart, I hope he did read it and learned from it, as I have. Thank you, Jonathan Carroll, for your imagination, your wit, your often sick humor. I can think of no one else who could have prepared me so well to live my remaining days.

For me, having read much (or most) of his novels, this one holds a special place. His masterwork. Regan844 5

This book was an engaging read, but it handled such a Big Important ™ topic that I'm not sure it was entirely successful as a whole piece.

Don't get me wrong - the characters were interesting and I cared about where the plot was headed. I was always happy to get a few spare moments to read a bit more. It just kind of...ended, though, and it felt it kind of went *phhhhhhhht.....* as it did. ...it wilted at the end and resorted to platitudes.

It's possible that I'm just feeling overly sensitized to the Big Important ™ topic right now, because in this book Carroll personifies Death. I don't know. But I felt Death's personification feel a little weirdly flat and that Carroll didn't really know what to do once he got enmeshed in the story - he just knew it was time to end the book.

Ultimately it does end on sort of an up note and it gives some food for thought. I mentioned before, if I weren't so enmeshed in death myself right now I might have found this more thought provoking. Still, it was a decent read.2009 Ji?í PavlovskýAuthor 47 books83

Kniha z kategorie "pro?ítám - a likviduji - své staré knihy". Carrolla jsem m?l v mládí rád a byl to pro m? patrn? p?edskokan Neila Gaimana (který ostatn? jeho knihy v?ele doporu?uje). Dneska, když jsem to pro?ítal, už ani netuším, co m? na tom zaujalo. Možná téma - lidé se potkávají se smrtí a mohou se jí zeptat na cokoliv... ovšem když její odpov?? nepochopí, pocítí následky na vlastní k?ži. Možná jsem byl taky v té dob? citliv?jší.

To téma je zajímavé, ale ony jsou všechny ty dialogy se smrtí utajené a v?tšinu ?asu sledujeme jen r?zné hrdiny, jak se toulají Vídní a uvažují nad životem. Ob?as mají podivné zážitky, ob?as vidí mrtvé lidi, ale celé to spíš jen tak pozvolna plyne, bez n?jakých zapamatovateln?jších okamžik? a i bez n?jakého siln?jšího finále. Je to dob?e napsané, s citem pro psychologii... ale spíš než toho Gaimana mi to (intelektuálové prominou) p?ipomn?lo Murakamiho. Toho jsem taky ?etl, nebylo to špatné, ale nebylo to nic, co by m? lákalo si to n?kdy v budoucnu zopakovat. Steve Scanlan273 1 follower

Nominated for the 1994 Bram Stoker Award, this is a thoroughly enjoyable tale about a handful of people and how Death impacts on their lives.

Ian McGann discovers that he can ask Death any question he s during his dreams. If he doesn't understand the answers however, there are consequences. Arlen Ford escapes Hollywood for a life of seclusion in Vienna where she still tries to come to terms with her existence. Wyatt Leonard follows a friend in need to Europe where he discovers some strange talents that Death has given him. The lives of these three intertwine as they attempt to understand their lives and Death's place in it.

I read this book faster than any I can remember and enjoyed every page. It is not a horror story in the typical sense. There are no monsters, no murders and very little blood. Beata Weidemann214 1 follower

Uwielbiam ksi??ki Jonathan Carrolla. Za w?asny styl i nietuzinkow? wyobra?nie gdzie magia przeplata si? z rzeczywisto?ci?
Na pastw? anio?ów to ciekawa pozycja poruszaj?ca problem ?ycia i ?mierci.
Kogó? z nas nie interesuje poj?cie ?mierci i tego co po niej nast?puje?
Smier? u Carrolla nie jest tak sympatyczna jak ta u mojego ukochanego Prathetta
ale te? jest bardzo ludzka, ma swoje upodobania, kogo? lubi a kogo? nie .......
Nie czyta sie tej pozycji ?atwo ale po zako?czeniu na d?ugo pozostaje w pami?ci Jasmin Chua280 3

What if Death hated you and was an asshole about it? As with all Jonathan Carroll books, the magical realism is only a vector for rigorous discussions about love, pain, life, and yes, death, but the multiple first-person viewpoints proved choppy and, ultimately, unnecessary. The ending also felt rushed and a little too pat, as if Carroll grew tired of the meandering and decided to just barrel on through to the finish, devil—and Death—be damned. L.D. ColterAuthor 17 books37

An exploration of mortality, death, and dying through four characters - well, five. Is it a spoiler to say Death is a bastard? Probably not. Or is death a bastard and Death just is what he is? Largely a literary exploration of theme except for the personification of death but full of truths and relationships and insightful observations. Needs to come with a trigger warning for rape. Sonia LyrisAuthor 40 books23

A seductive book that doesn't shy away from deep and profound themes. I found myself tugged along, deeply intrigued, and not at all sure what to expect. I'd rather not spoil anything, so I'll just say that I'm glad I read it, and I'd read it again. Biblioteka Pingwina130 6

Co by by?o gdyby mo?na by?o spotka? ?mier?? Usi??? i zapyta? dlaczego, po co, jak? Ja bym chyba nie chcia?a. ?mier? nas znajdzie tak czy inaczej. Lepiej skupi? si? na ?yciu...

Magiczna historia. I kolejna ksi??ka Carrolla, która mnie nie zawiod?a.2020 biblio Crystal Dalcero-Macor19

Boring

This book was extremely boring, I couldn't even finish it. I kept waiting for something interesting but that never happened. It was also hard to follow, all over the place. Vickpedraza6

Un libro muy enganchante, te desarrolla el tema de una manera sumamente adictiva que no puedes parar de leer. Una historia narrada increíblemente que no vas a poder dejar de leer. Super recomendada Boweavil365 2

Un anything I've ever read before. Quiet, thoughtful, sad and happy, surprising, well-written, and intelligent. Don't really want to tell you what happens. It's something to discover. Maciek Gil42

<3 Ella76

4,5
jedna z najlepszych ksi??ek tego roku Glen Engel-CoxAuthor 4 books55

Long time readers of my commentaries know of my fondness for Jonathan Carroll. He’s one of the authors who I try to collect in first edition hardbacks, and I’ve even written an article in which I attempted to critically assay his entire ouvre. So when I say I enjoyed Carroll’s latest, no one is surprised.

Trying to describe why I Carroll’s writing, however, I find myself somewhat tongue-tied. I tried to pinpoint in my article, “The Importance of Details,” as a level of description that he perfectly captures, just the right amount of intimate knowledge of his characters that draws a reader in. Sometimes these details are extraordinary, sometimes mundane, but they are never uninteresting.
Thinking about it, I realize that I did leave something out of the article that explains a large part of the draw of his novels for myself. I guess I thought it obvious in context, yet I should explicitly state it–Carroll’s novels are fantasies that have a basis in reality. Un some fantasy novels whose entire purpose is action/adventure, Carroll’s stories are serious studies into the nature of being human through the analogy of the fantastic. The difference is comparing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to something “Bladerunner.” While both are well-made films starring Harrison Ford jumping about, one is simply a fun-filled rollercoaster, while the other asks “what is it to be human?” Only one truly lingers in the mind’s eye.

From the Teeth of Angels is the last (supposedly) of the interconnected novels that began with Bones of the Moon, and it shows its thematic basis a little more so than others, as if Carroll was dashing this one off without veiling his purpose as much as he did in other books. It just doesn’t take very long for you to figure out that From the Teeth of Angels is about Death. Carroll has side-swiped the issue in other books (specifically, Philip Strayhorn’s suicide in A Child Across the Sky), but herein he tackles it head-on. The premise is simple and silly out of context–what if you could ask questions of Death, yet suffer consequences if you don’t understand the answers? A bizarre concept, yet Carroll makes it work because you believe in his characters, and once you believe in them, you believe in what is happening to them.

This got me to thinking about themes. What are the different ideas associated with the “Rondua” books? From the Teeth of Angels can only be about Death–it permeates the book. Bones of the Moon is about Guilt, I believe, specifically the guilt of a terminated relationship (in the extreme case there of an abortion). After Silence is about Trust, although it could be about Time as well. I think Trust because of the opening with the cartoonist wondering about his new girlfriend, and trying to gain the trust of her young son. The ending throws that theme off just slightly. Outside the Dog Museum, probably my pick for the worst of the lot, is about Glory. Carroll tries hard to portray the search for wonder, but when he separates it from conflict, it doesn’t work quite as well. I’m not sure about Sleeping in Flame, Black Cocktail or A Child Across the Sky. I’ll have to think on them. Perhaps it’s time to write another article?
fantasy fiction magic-realism ...more deb230 1 follower

Interesting but very strange.2017 Metaphorosis798 56

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