I've been inside a few caves--the type that are well-maintained, lit, and attract tourists from all over--and despite the guided tours, caves still have a way of grabbing the human imagination and playing to some of our most basic fears. Taylor Zajonc's The Maw plays on those fears and throws in an added element of interpersonal tension that leaves the reader turning page after page. The Maw is perfect for anyone who enjoys environmental elements in their horror fiction as well as fans of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

I've said this before, you know it's a good book when you find yourself thinking about it long after you've stopped reading it. I stayed up way too late to read this, and woke up the next morning wondering what was going to happen next. Can't get higher praise than that! The descriptions of the expedition were so interesting, without going into tedious explanations of the gear needed or techniques for caving. I always love when an author is able to turn the setting into another character, and Zajonc didn't disappoint. The cave is a living, breathing entity that comes to dominate the characters lives and the story.

There was a great balance between suspense and horror here. Not a ton of character development, but Milo was fun to read about. Definitely would recommend this as an adventure novel to anyone! An interesting, fun read!

Kind of intriguing at first. Descriptive and live writing style, not as lyrical as I would have hoped but maybe adventure books shouldn't even be poetic or lyrical in the first place.

I wasn't too keen on all the historic details and psychedelic aspects. Good adventure, though. I've read better, but I've also seen a lot worse.

A great read for crazy adventure lovers who don't get too claustrophobic - there are a lot of "tight spaces" in this story. (cover design is there for a reason)

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A thoroughly immersive adventure and primordial journey seeking a subterranean passage through earth, history, and the human psyche.

Oh, man. What a wild ride full of mystery, adventure and betrayal. Milo is a history professor at Georgetown University. He is told to go to Tanzania but hasn't a clue why. Georgetown University was given a large donation so he has no choice. Once he gets there, he learns that some research on a missing expedition that almost cost him his career is very important to someone leading a mission to find the first explorers. There's a super cave where they believe this expedition disappeared in 1901. The expedition that Milo is on has plenty of professionals, including an old love of his. So many things found, so much history seen. When you're going down 1500 feet and have never even been repelling like Milo, you wonder why you came. Everything starts out fine, then hell breaks loose a little at a time. Will anyone survive, will they find what they're looking for? This book is well written and told in great detail. I absolutely loved this book. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review and no compensation.

An excellent concept marred by unlikable characters and riddled with scientific inaccuracies. Milo is one of those male protagonists you sometimes see pointed out on social media: fixated on women's appearances, restraining himself from looking down their shirts, and a regular mansplainer. The other characters are thinly drawn stereotypes and the most promising woman in the group, a doctor, can't even classify viruses correctly. A lot of background to the story is given in info dumps, which makes the beginning in particular drag. The Crichton-esque story just never materializes, unfortunately.

A historian with a particular speciality, Milo Luttrell is recruited for a dangerous expedition into an underground cave system larger than any other in Africa in THE MAW by Taylor Zajonc. According to the information Milo has been provided, eight people (including Milo) are searching for an infamous lost explorer from the turn of the 20th century who Milo happens to be an expert on. As the cave exploration deepens and several clues are stumbled upon, it becomes clear that this mission is wrought with problems and false pretenses. The real question becomes, what are they really looking for and will they survive to tell the tale?
Part of me is yearning to go cave exploring while the other part of me wants to never go near a cave and tell everyone I love to avoid them. That's what make a good story, it excites and scares at the same time. Zajonc has crafted a story with eight very interesting and well thought out characters and placed them in a perilous, beautiful and certainly unique setting of a giant underground cave system. I was reminded of Preston & Child books while I was reading THE MAW, where ancient discoveries and true intentions are slowly doled out and the truths that are revealed are layered, surprising, and yet completely believable within the context of the book.
I really had a fun time reading THE MAW and I'll just leave this one last thought: the ending is monumental and profound and I didn't see it coming at all.

Interesting premise of a series of mishaps stranding an expedition underground. I was not crazy about the convoluted history and psychedelic aspects, but overall this was a tense adventure. Being somewhat claustrophobic, I found myself feeling panicky at times...that means good, descriptive writing.

4 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

Milo Luttrell is an adjunct professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His university is given a huge donation with the proviso that Milo go to a so far unknown location on an expedition. Milo’s boss tells him that he has no choice for he hasn’t published anything for quite a while. In the “publish or perish” world of university politics, this is a serious lapse.

When he finally arrives at the site, Milo learns that Dale Brunsfield in charge of the site. He is both a rich guy and an enthusiastic hunter of fortunes. He is on the trail of the lost DeWar expedition of 1901. DeWar’s expedition is the reason Milo has fallen from grace with his colleagues. He put forth a theory that was later disproven and Milo’s reputation suffered greatly from this. The location of the hunt is in Tanzania where the largest prehistoric cave in Africa is located.

Apparently all that is really known about the lost expedition is that Lord Riley DeWar and twenty-two others disappeared after leaving Dar-es-Salaam, never leaving another trace of their existence. Brunsfield hopes to find the remains of the expedition in the cave.

Odd things are already happening at the camp. Milo finds that his backpack has been gone through and some things, such as his cell phone, are missing. As the group, including a reality television film crew enters the cave, Milo and the others are awestruck. There are cave paintings, animal bones and other wonders to behold.

When Dr. Bridget suspects that the Marburg virus is present in the cave, the group runs headlong back to near the entrance. An argument takes place about the truth of whether Marburg is present or not. They enter in another place and witness more spectacular sights. Milo finds an item that was from an earlier expedition. He also sees on the wall a carving from Lord Riley. He was really there!

During another cave crawl, disaster strikes. Rushing to safety is the only thing on the team’s mind now. One tragedy after another befalls the group. They continue to explore the cave until they can go no further. The things they see and feel are horrific and wondrous. Milo and Bridget locate Sir Riley DeWar. And they discover what happened to him.

This is an adventure story. It is dramatic and action-packed. The writing is fairly good, but the plotting tends to skip here and there. I would call this speculative fiction. A “what if” story. It is good reading, if you like this sort of novel. I like going on these flights of fancy once in a while and I like action. So, all in all, it was a pretty good read. I went to Amazon to look for others of Taylor Zajonc’s novels as I do believe I will try another of his books. I enjoyed this one.

I want to thank NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and enjoy.

The premise and the set up of a group of cavers in search of a lost expedition was interesting but the plot became too convoluted with a psychedelic turn that didn't really work with the rest of the story.


Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley