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.

Remembering the Lost Warriors: Dance of Necromance is a poetry book remembering the dead and fighting for the living

 

 

Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead

Sumiko Saulson

Mocha Memoirs Press, 2026

ISBN-10: 1962353338

ISBN-13: ‎978-1962353335

Ebook, 72 ppg.

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For the people whose lives were cut short and wrongs have been done, writers take the time to honor them with words. Poets, too, use their craft to shed light on those we have lost as well as those whose cause must be kept alive. In the poetry collection Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead by Sumiko Saulson, you will find poems that recognize them, remember them, and bring them to life within its pages. As ghosts, it is only fitting that they are included here in this book, a collection of poems about ghosts, haunted locations, and memories of lives lived.

 

There are poems in this book about those no longer among the living, such as a cat who once belonged to the author and a dancing Chihuahua named Coco (Cha-Cha). There is a poem about the late author Anne Rice as well, which I enjoyed reading.

 

But more importantly, there are poems that remember those in the LGBTQ community who are also no longer among the living, such as Matthew Shepard and Sylvia Rivera. Some are named and others are not in these poems; they are all remembered collectively. You will find them in various poems, either by mention or in entire poems dedicated to their memory, such as with the poem “Never Forget We Bled.”

 

“The Haunted Streets of San Francisco” is another poem I really enjoyed reading. It opens with this very intriguing stanza:

 

“When tourists come to visit San Francisco

Some of them find it a spirited place

More ghosts are found here than dancers at a disco

They add to our mystique and Victorian grace” (Page 25)

 

The poem “Death of the Artist” on page 68 is profound. I love this poem. It reminds readers to never forget those feminist, queer, and Black voices from the past who spoke out against racism, homophobia, and oppression. I like these lines especially:

 

“Dark poetry is a broader field

Than bigoted old dead white men

And includes feminist voices such as

Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson

 

Phillis Wheatley cries out from the grave

A voice of resistance among the enslaved

Speaking for a vast graveyard of the unknown

Over a dusty tome of pauper's bones

 

Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes

And folks who used to sing the blues

Ancestors whose oral storytelling taught

The finer points of suspense and plot

 

Audre Lorde and James Baldwin,

Queer poets of the revolution,

Spoke out against racism, homophobia

And other wicked institutions”

 

“Ghostly Muse” is another good poem, and one which touched on something I have often wondered about. Have there been ghosts reading right along with us? Have ghosts influenced writers and artists? And what history a ghost would carry with it! There’s so much that can be learned there and investigated. Unfortunately for us, however, we can only wonder and speculate over such things.

 

Dance of Necromance is a collection of poetry that will delight and entertain readers who enjoy reading horror and paranormal poetry. Combined with poems that explore the current political turmoil as well as stories of experiences in relation to current events, these poems are a voice for the voiceless as well as the endangered and oppressed. With poems honoring those no longer with us as well as poems pleading to never forget the crimes committed against marginalized people, this collection of verse stands out as one which will touch readers, incite calls for action, and create a sense of appreciation for those voices that can only exist in memory.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

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

 

Dystopian Horror Made Real: We’ll Always Be Here is an anthology of LGBTQ+ horror stories of solidarity and strength

 

 

We’ll Always Be Here: An Anthology of LGBTQ+ Horror

Edited by James G. Carlson

Gloom House Publishing, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8286039685

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We are living in dangerous times. ICE has turned into a modern-day Gestapo, raiding homes and yanking immigrants out of their beds to cart them off to detention centers. Scientific organizations such as the National Institute of Mental Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have lost funding, putting a hold on research that could cure diseases and save lives. And a war criminal has been applauded upon his arrival to America.

 

But the most dangerous thing about living in our country right now is to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. To be transsexual, homosexual, pansexual, etc. Because the government not only refuses to allow medical care for this marginalized group but it is also trying to erase this group entirely. People in our government don’t accept members of the LGBTQ+ community and they are trying to get rid of them. It is a disturbing and alarming stance the government has taken against the LGBTQ+ community and it has sparked fear, anger, outrage and rebellion among the many people who belong to it.

 

Meanwhile, we turn to literature for escape and possibly even for the imagined forms of revenge we would wish to exact on all the haters. And that’s exactly what readers of the anthology edited by James G. Carlson, We’ll Always Be Here: An Anthology of LGBTQ+ Horror, will find in these stories. From stories of the horrifying reality we have in store if Trump’s quest for power continues to go unchecked to those in the community who are fighting back against hate, these stories will entertain, empower, and delight fans of horror fiction.

 

This anthology starts off strong with “The Ghost Girls of Waterbury” by Rebecca Rowland. So many poor working conditions in the past have led to men and women coming down with a variety of ailments – cancer, mostly – and this story captures that in a dark, disturbing way. I love reading historical horror but this story was also a sad one. Those women were probably never compensated for the illness they all came down with as a result of where they worked.

 

“Night of the Living Fascists” by James G. Carlson was an epic story! With the addition of an alien to this story, I started to wonder if this was a nod to the many conspiracy theories that Trump is an alien. And there’s an intelligent cockroach named Bob! LOL I had to laugh over Musk being a zombie in this story and how one character noted that Musk is “on the dumb side.” The horror of Trump’s vision of how he wants to turn America into a country of blind Republican-worshiping followers was unnerving. That’s definitely an America I would hate to live in! I loved how the band members of the rock group Far Left joined the crusade to stop this alternate future from happening. They are likable characters. I loved how the alien tells the group members, “But you still have some serious struggles ahead. But with people like you in the world, I’m sure humanity will figure it out eventually.” I sure hope so. We can’t let this war of hate against the LGBTQ+ community win.

 

I also enjoyed reading “Mile-High” by Bridgett Nelson. This story is a very good example of how gender is fluid, but also a good reminder that we should never settle when it comes to love. Some people who are heterosexual transition to homosexuality even after their marriage. With me, I was heterosexual when I got married but now, after several years of marriage, I am asexual (I had to learn what this is after struggling with it for years!). Then there are some people who are homosexual and are in the closet and they feel like they should do what they are “supposed to do” and marry a person of the opposite sex just to make everybody happy or to fit in. But denying who they are is wrong and will only lead to a low sense of self-esteem and dejection. It could also create a loveless and poor marriage, as happens in this story. (And, yes, I know there are homosexuals who will marry the opposite sex JUST to have children with them then toss them to the curb with a divorce after those people have “served their purpose.”) So in this story, we see what that kind of suppression does. But I love how this story is written! And I loved the ending too. It’s a great story!

 

“Lackers” by Leo X. Robertson was such a bizarre story! What a weird term for people who are lacking parts of their bodies. But the story itself was so interesting to read! It really pulled me in and I was hooked until the horrifying ending!

 

I also loved the story “It’s Still Here” by Angellique Jordonna. It was so creepy! Her description of the monster is spot on and I was reading the escape scene with bated breath. I LOVED the surprise ending!

 

“Ethan is Following Me” by Michael R. Collins is another great story. It was SO creepy! I love reading ghost stories but this one was really scary. The ending left me surprised and speechless!

 

“Making America Straight Again” by Chisto Healy was such a good story. Warning to readers: There is transphobia in this story. It is a bunch of garbage spouted by MAGA (then again, what else do these supporters of our lying, delusional, racist, rapist, homophobic, transphobic, narcissist thieving president ever spout?). Chisto Healy is one of my favorite writers and this story was another one of his excellent works. As much as the transphobia and the MAGA characters grated my nerves and angered me, I really loved this story. Hopefully this story would make people THINK (although I realize that is too much to ask of MAGA), and just hopefully get people to understand that even if we love someone who is the same sex or even no sex, we’re all human beings who feel and care and want to be accepted.

 

And now for something completely different! That’s what readers are in for when they move on to the next story: “Kimmy Gibbler: Glamour Shot of a Switchblade Romance” by Phrique. I loved reading this script! It was hilarious in addition to horrifying. I loved watching Full House when I was younger (never watched Fuller House), so it was an interesting read. Although I gotta admit that I exclaimed “NOO! Not Michelle!” when I got to that part of the story. Still, the story was funny, surprising, and a uproarious blast to the past! The ending was surprising (though not really, if you paid much attention to the TV show) and I loved how it all came together. The spoofs of the characters were off-the-wall, farcical, and absolutely hysterical, especially the one about Aunt Becky. If only this was something we could watch on the screen! (Except for the part with Michelle. Have mercy!)

 

“Taken Away” by Denver Wheeler was another awesome story! So dark and disturbing. (Can you tell that’s my kinda story to read?) Not only do the characters in this story get lost but they end up WAY off the map where people who are “not infected” should not even be exploring. I get it that they were trying to get to a hospital, but it was like they ended up in some other kind of other dimension when they were at a hospital that just seemed so unusual. Like Mel, I was worried about what would happen to her baby. What a horrifying twist it takes at the end!

 

We’ll Always Be Here is an anthology of LGBTQ+ horror fiction that sends a powerful message to the world, a message that says, “We’re here, we’ve always been here, and we’ll always be here no matter what you try to do to erase us.” We will fight back. We will stand strong. And we’ll continue to write our stories, share our experiences, and create our art whether or not our society or our country will accept it.  

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: This review is entirely voluntary. I purchased a Kindle edition of this book and was not asked to review it by anyone involved in this book’s writing or publication. All opinions and ideas expressed in this review are entirely my own.