Horror So Real: Melancholia is a collection of dark poetry reflecting on real-life horrors

 

Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry

Sumiko Saulson

Bludgeoned Girls Press, 2024

Ebook, 95 ppg.

ISBN: 979-8990327719

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Collections of dark poetry can be about anything. They can be poems that are truly dark and disturbing, or they could be poems of dark things found in the real world. For Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry by Sumiko Saulson, it is both. Here readers will find dark poems of fictional creatures as well as dark poems about truly horrific events and goings-on that are in the real world, both past and present.

 

Not all of the poems in this book are dark, however. “The Doormouse Is Dreaming” is a cute poem. With descriptions of “Blankets and pillows/All covered with down” and “shallow waters puddle-wide.” I can almost picture the Doormouse dreaming while asleep, comfortably reclined on “handknit doilies.”

 

“The Child on the Lawn” was a sad poem to read. It reminded me of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old shot and killed by police when he was playing with a fake gun at a park. This poem is so profound, with lines like “Were there tears in his eyes/When he held his head down?” and “Now he's walking the streets/Though the guilty may hide/Their sanity is unwound/By the sound of his/Telltale Heartbeat.”

 

I loved how the poems “Replika, My Ex” and “Faceborg” explore our addiction with the internet/smartphones. Some of that addiction can be pretty terrifying, and there are no holds barred in these poems. These poems also touch on things many people fixated with this connection to artificial technology would understand.

 

I also liked the poems “The Queen of Death, Perplexed” and “The Melancholic Eye” and “Coachella Ghost.”

 

Many of the poems in this book are about real-life horrors as well as fictional horrors. Some of them are personal, while others are imaginative and dark. All of them are good poems and I enjoyed reading them.

 

Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry is an entertaining, thought-provoking collection of poetry that will leave readers with a sense of trepidation. Some of these poems will make readers think, while others offer reminders of how we cannot allow the injustices taking place in our society to continue. These poems are both haunting and depressing, leaving the reader with a lingering sense that perhaps it is time to do more to create change.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You Might Think You’re Tough But You’ll Never Be Tougher Than a Farm Girl: Farm Girl is a horror story of what happens when three guys mess with the wrong family

 

Farm Girl

Jerry Blaze

Independently Published, 2026

Ebook, 121 ppg.

ISBN-13: 979-8255819829

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On the one night that the 16-year-old Rowan asks for a chance to get out of town with her bestie to go to a concert, her mother says no. But that doesn’t stop Rowan from going anyway. She sneaks out and takes off with her best friend Libby, determined to have a night of fun. But once she returns home, Rowan finds her mother, uncle and brother bloody and beaten, and her younger sisters crying while hugging each other. Strange men are in her house. Men who look like they are up to no good. Men she knows that she must take care of in order to save her family.

 

The reader gets to read this story from different points-of-view: Rowan, Rowan’s mother Roxanna, Uncle Ralph, and the three men who are attacking Rowan’s family. This change in POV is not disruptive to the reading experience. Sometimes the changed POV happens from chapter to chapter, or in one of the chapters. When it is done in a chapter, it can be a little jarring, but this changed POV helps to move the story forward. For example, in chapter eight, it starts with the character Strozzi (one of the bad men), jumps to Uncle Ralph, then jumps to Barker (another one of the bad men). These changes allow the reader to get a better idea of what the characters are feeling/thinking as a scene unfolds, and these perceptions adds to a reader’s understanding of them.

 

I appreciated how the author shares the background of the bad men in a way that is comfortable for readers to receive. The backgrounds are not provided as info dumps. Some bits of information is shared here and there in different parts of the story. The initial information shared when they first appeared in the story, however, lets the reader know that these three men are VERY bad men with evil intentions. It’s actually a good introduction because it lets the reader know that some seriously horrific actions are about to go down because of these three bad men. (And the author does not disappoint in this regard. Some of the things they do to Rowan’s family made me cringe.)

 

And while this story is short, it’s filled with tension, horror and gore. It’s a real treat for horror fans who love reading stories of bad guys getting their comeuppance. I loved how Rowan uses farm equipment to go after the bad guys. I was cheering her on and loved how she was so brave as she fought them. The surprise at the end made this story all the more enjoyable and it’s definitely a story I will be reading again.

 

Farm Girl is a quick read for horror fans as well as readers who enjoy stories of vigilante justice. I loved reading this YA horror story and I felt it was a good story of how one teenager did what she had to do to save her family. A story of how one teen rises above a horrific nightmare thrust upon her family, Farm Girl is a story that will remind readers that you should never mess with a farm girl.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Horrors Both Real and Imagined: The Rat King is a collection of dark poetry that sheds light on what society would rather ignore

 

 

The Rat King

Dark Poetry by Sumiko Saulson

DookyZines, 2022

ISBN-13: 979-8835153923

Ebook, 90 ppg.

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One thing a poet must do is bring to life what other people fail to see. And only a poet can put into the right words the civil injustices as well as the wrongs enacted against the marginalized communities. With The Rat King by Sumiko Saulson, readers will see just how well this can be done. Here is a collection of poetry from the perspective of one such person in one such marginalized community who is not afraid to speak up and bring to light the many kinds of negative actions inflicted upon them. Not only this, but this particular poet takes a stand against those who feel no qualms about being bigoted assholes, as well as speaking out against those who try to downplay their very identities.

 

There are the unreal horrors written about in this book, but also the real horrors. Real horrors of what BIPOC queer people endure under the current regime. One poem that shares this horror is “Mantra of the Oppressor.” It is strong and profound, echoing exactly what many BIPOC people, as well as those who are BIPOC queer, are currently going through. They are being told to be silent. To be quiet. Not to speak out against oppression. I liked the hashtag statement repeated in this poem, as though it is the speaker’s mantra in an attempt to try to stay calm and not lose their shit over what is happening and how it affects them.

 

The title poem “The Rat King” is not really so much about the actual Rat King of lore but a metaphorical Rat King that preys on the homeless/unhoused. I support helping the unhoused, so this poem made me angry over the prejudices and hatred spewed against those who are forced to live on the streets.

 

Another good poem in this book is “The Latency of Racism in Sunny California” which is on page 68. This poem stands out because it’s the reason why so many people are cutting off others who are acting racist. I know someone who ended a friendship with a person because he got fed up over this person’s constant use of the “n” word when referring to someone who is Black. We may have tolerated racism in the past but we cannot tolerate it anymore. And for a person who is Black and has to hear racist language that other people spew, it’s damging. As it says in the poem:

 

“Ignoring bigoted things you do

Is bad for my mental health

I am sorry you are so defensive

I didn't want to war

But your racist microaggressions

Are too consistent to ignore”

 

Plus, it says a lot about the people who DO tolerate racist language and behavior from others. You know, We CAN stand up against racism. We can end a conversation or leave a room or change the channel. Doing these things does not mean we are “sensitive” or a “snowflake.” It means that we won’t tolerate racism! Though the aggressor may not see it this way and just see our refusal to tolerate it as a sign of weakness, as the poem says here:

 

“If people don't go along with

Your racist bullshit

You tell us we have a thin skin

We have to suffocate on

All of your garbage

In an attempt to fit in”

 

But standing up against racism proves that we don’t agree that that sort of behavior or language is okay. It’s NOT okay. And we should not have to suffocate on it, either.

 

I really enjoyed reading all of the poems in this collection. They are strong, defiant, outspoken and powerful. There are many poems that bring to light topics and issues some people may not realize and that’s one of the remarkable qualities of these poems. They don’t just set right what was set wrong but they give a voice to what many people fail to see or understand. The poems in The Rat King say the things that others are not brave enough to say, making these poems a collection that will linger and make people think.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.