Category:  Horror A collection of illustrated horror/sci fi poetry from around the world. From the best poets and artists in the genre.

Lee Pletzer's review
Lee Pletzers review of AA

for the SFFANZ -- Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Anomalous Appetites -- John Irvine / Dave Freeman

When John asked me to review Anomalous Appetites, a SpecFic book of poetry, I had to pause and consider it. I have never reviewed poetry before. I have written it, had some published and occasionally enjoy hearing it, but this is the first time I've been asked to review it.

I accepted the challenge and the book arrived in the post four days later.

First off: It's a beautiful book, printed by Lulu. There are three introductions, first from Editor: John Irvine, then from art director: Dave Freeman and finally from Vlad Dracul (nice touch).

All the specFic poems inside the covers are good, some are exceptional and many are from people I know (on the net). I was surprised to say the least.

This book is amazing, the layout is second to none, some parts are like an Art Coffee Table book, with poems inside images, or surrounded by them. The art is just so well done, the layout is simple and easy to read, each author has their own section and each line echoes SpecFic of a darker side. There are ghosts, vampires, werewolves, the ferryman and a Goth girl with a snake tattoo.

My picks, in no particular order are:
All the work in this volume of Ken Head, especially Camera Lucida.
Cracking eggs by Maureen Irvine.
Jamais Vu by Kurt Newton.
Disinfecting the tourist & Beadwork by Kristine Ong Muslim
Toll Call by Ken Goldman
Audition & Who's there by Guy Belleranti
Your love tears me apart & Axiomatic by Dave Freeman
Never to late to learn by Erin Mackay
Goth Girl & Shifter by Morgan Bloodaxe
The Sailor & Pale Dawning by John Irvine
Wood Shed & Harvest moon by Greg Schwartz

Those are my picks, you may like others. At 187 pages you're sure to mind several that will whet your appetite. The bios are also fun to read.


Cathy Buburuz review
Anomalous Appetites
John Irvine, Editor
Dave Freeman, Art Editor
Available from Lulu:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/anomalous-appetites/3236199

Review by Cathy Buburuz:

Anomalous Appetites is quite likely one of the most ambitious and unusual speculative poetry collections of the year. For starters, it weighs in at an amazing 200 full size pages and offers readers the work of 19 writers and 11 artists. Its editor, John Irvine from New Zealand, solicited submissions worldwide, and this resulted in an eclectic and extraordinary collection of speculative poems and illustrations that fit rather nicely into the categories of unique, morbid, bizarre, and downright nasty.

For many years, a lot of the horror and speculative fiction editors used just a sprinkling of obligatory poetry and art in their publications, but Editor John Irving’s initiative has placed illustrated speculative poetry in the limelight it so deserves. Together with art editor Dave Freeman, unique ideas emerged about how to present the writings, art and the contributors’ portraits, but I’ll save some surprises for the readers.

Anomalous Appetites ventures forth where few have dared to tread. You’ll discover poems that are lively, entertaining, and often absurd. For example, this collection includes a poem by Charles Christian that boasts a morbid sense of humour in its snapshot view of The Thirteen Days of Christmas. The closing lines will give you some idea about Mr. Christian’s ability to turn a jolly holiday into chaos:

Two copies of the Necronomicon - second editions, bound in Cthulhu hide
And a Cockatrice in a Pear Tree.

The aforementioned poem is beautifully illustrated by Matt Long, a talented young artist living in England, whose art depicts a Christmas stocking filled with an array of morbid goodies.

The same brand of humour shines through in poems like The Scene and Haute Cuisine by Canadian writer Mary Statham who unveils in her verse the details about some rather strange appetites.

Maureen Irvine, a master of poetic surprise, vivid description, and absurdities, offers six short poems designed to make you squirm. Here are the opening lines of her poem titled The Last Day:

sky the colour of diseased custard
dribbles down the sides of the magic mountain
like fresh vomitus yellow-green and sickly

Ms. Irvine’s poem Syzygy is a prime example of the peculiar surprises you’ll find within Anomalous Appetites:

somewhere in space there must be
some whirling lumps of rock
in violent opposition to one another
I can think of no other explanation
As to why the world around me
has turned to chaos
I lift the baby from the stew pot
and they all hold our their plates

The work by Kristine Ong Muslim is invigorating because, despite the bizarre nature of the three poems she contributed - The Ninth Stranger, Disinfecting the Tourist, and Beadwork - she writes in a powerful, yet subtle, convincing voice. I’ve read a lot of her work over the years, but these three poems are the ones I enjoyed most. Beadwork is especially brilliant and chilling.

Editor John Irvine contributed nine poems. The three that impressed me most were Pale Dawning for its romantic notions and highly poetic descriptions; Bombazine as a culinary statement for its slyness of tale and its ability to share insight into a character’s personality and purpose with just twenty words. Also noteworthy is Marge Simon’s exquisite illustration for Bombazine as a culinary statement which is a wonderful rendition of Mr. Irvine’s words and choice of subject.

Another example of an artist who has the ability to harmonize with a poet is Cathy Edmunds, who illustrated Mona Lisa Smile, an impressive poem by Sharon White. Ms. Edmunds also did a fantastic job with the six illustrations she provided for her own poems, and those penned by other poets.

With respect to entertaining poetry that actually might have the ability to inspire those who don’t usually indulge, Morgan Bloodaxe (also known as S. W. Smith) is Anomalous Appetites’ main man. His poem The Ghoul Saloon is undoubtedly a crowd pleaser with its 15 comical stanzas and simply delightful conclusion. Here’s an example of what you can expect from Mr. Bloodaxe:

The microphone’s smokin’, the tune is so hot.
She’s working the crowd like the daughter of Lot
that they thought was a virgin, but probably was not--
and won’t be again if the chance can be got.

When it comes to ultra cool word choices and unique ideas, Ken Head is a star. I loved Camera Lucida, his take on gadgets that record lives. His dark and moody Zero at the Bone, a dismal look at a world gone to hell, is equally impressive.

The seven poems contributed by Kurt Newton reminded me of mini creature features or condensed episodes of The Twilight Zone. I’ve always admired those poets who have the ability to conclude their poems in entertaining, thought-provoking ways. Mr. Newton, and many others whose work appears in this fine collection, possess that ability.

Under Cover of Darkness by Guy Belleranti also exhibits this skill:

Digging through the dampness
of worm infested earth
they rise from graves
and spread among the alleys
and weed-choked vacant lots.
As living children they enjoyed playing dead.
Now they play alive

While it is a challenge that requires a great deal of thought, many of these poets have proved that it is possible to write poetry with minuscule plots and satisfying conclusions.

With this review, I’ve merely struck a match amid a firestorm. This colossal collection of speculative illustrated poetry is definitely hot stuff, the kind of book that will captivate and entertain you for hours, the kind of thing you’ll want to read more than once.

Here’s hoping more editors, publishers, poets, and illustrators are this audacious and adventurous with their next project.

Cathy Buburuz,
Editor of Expressions, Champagne Shivers, the Potter’s Field anthologies, and the Side Show: Tales of the Big Top and the Bizarre anthologies


Tony Bernstein review for Star*line
Anomalous Appetites, Editors John Irvine, Dave Freeman 2009, Lulu, 209 pages, $24.51 ISBN 978-1-4092-5973-2


Anomalous Appetites is a grimly charming, delightfully twisted anthology which brings together an eclectic array of weird speculative poetry and macabre art of the fantastic. It contains eighty-one literary inspirations from nineteen of today’s best and newest dark poets. Each individual poem is complemented with an aptly horrific black and white illustration created specifically for that piece by one of the anthology’s ten contributing artists. Some of the artists here, such as Marge Simon and Cathy Edmunds, play a duel role contributing wonderful works of poetry in addition to their fine art.

Unlike most illustrated volumes of poetry, Anomalous Appetites seems to give the written word and illustration equal love. The passion its editors John Irvine (poetry) and Dave Freeman (art) share for both these crafts, and this project as a whole, is indelibly charged into every page, rendering this volume that much more exciting for the reader. This is a beautiful anthology, boasting simple elegance and a somewhat unorthodox presentation. The result is a unique, quirky package of darkling strangeness that is intriguing and fun to explore. Every author is assigned there own little chapter within this anthology containing a selection of there poems. Each chapter is headlined with the name and likeness (in some incarnation or another) of said author. All the poetry in Anomalous Appetites is presented in type that is clear and comfortable to read; every illustration is a sharp, clean presentation. Most are signed by the artist; however all of the illustrations can be easily matched with their creators by referring to the artist bios beginning on page 196.

Both poetry and art in Anomalous Appetites is on the whole quite well done, much of it is exceptional. Here you will find works of many different styles on all things horrific. Many familiar horror tropes are in evidence throughout these pages and there is a strong dose of vampire lore which becomes evident before one even lays eyes on the first poem. The collection leads off with three brief introductions: one by each editor followed by an introduction by Vlad Dracul. And like most great works of horror, Anomalous Appetites is not without a healthy, and somewhat twisted, sense of humor…

“Screaming and banging
muffled by six feet of earth
claustrophobic zombie”

The above horrorku is one of several poems by Greg Schwartz featured in Anomalous Appetites. It typifies nicely the over all spirit of this volume – one that does not take itself too seriously. Kristine Ong Muslim offers a few delightfully disturbing poems that contribute much to the diversity of horror in this anthology. In “Beadwork”, a mysterious hag with a penchant for arts and crafts shows off a collection of gruesome keepsakes which mark the watershed events in her life. The opening verse follows…

“The red-dyed one here
is my stillborn son’s eye,
the tiny orb that made
my life complete.”

One of the anthology’s several high points is the works of Ken Head: these are gripping, cautionary poems that are at once eloquently vivid and intense; most describe holocaustic futurities in frightening detail. Consider these verses from Head’s poem “Zero at the Bone”…

“Daylight thickens to berserk rain. Pinchbeck
crouching, smothered, choked
with fear, huddles amid the ruin of the world.

“Snarling, a rat out of a hole, coughing blood
and phlegm, half blind, he claws
through hurricanes into howling silence”

“Storms rage, moons real. The music of the spheres
becomes cacophony. In the teeth
of crippling winds, stars turn to anthracite dust.”

I highly recommend Anomalous Appetites to anyone who appreciates quality dark poetry and art. To those less familiar with this brand, I would recommend it as an ideal introduction to the vast and darkly wondrous realm of dark speculative poetry.

Anthony Bernstein for Star*Line ReviewUSA