By Melissa Ann
“Decayed hands emerge from blood. Fallen angels smile as the world rots away. The seeds are planted and no one is safe. The dead will emerge to watch us burn” – Darkness: Poems of Extreme Horror
Author Eric Kapitan brings readers 36 poems filled with violence, gore, acts of depravity, and death in his new book Darkness: Poems of Extreme Horror. These stories are not for the casual reader or faint of heart, but should definitely find an audience with those who prefer darker reading material. Even though the poems could be described as grotesque, some still manage to paint a beautiful gothic picture.
My favorite poem was ‘The Last One Night Stand’, which tells of two strangers meeting and having a one night stand. It turns out to be much more than the woman bargained for and ends in a bloodbath. The poems that I found myself going through a bit too quickly were those that mentioned aborted fetuses (‘Can You Handle It?’) and molestation (‘Daddy’). That is not to say that these poems aren’t well written, because they are. But, as I already mentioned, the topics aren’t exactly pleasant at times.
While the book isn’t a long read, it is most definitely worth checking out, especially if you enjoy authors such as Clive Barker and Edward Lee. I have read this book twice through and I imagine I will read again when the mood strikes. I look forward to future dark works from Eric Kapitan.
Rating: 7.5/10
