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New Review: Black Moon: Graphic Speculative Flash Fiction by Eugen Bacon, illustrated by Elena Betti

Black Moon: Graphic Speculative Flash Fiction by Eugen Bacon, illustrated by Elena Betti

IFWG Publishing, 2020

ISBN: 978-1925956658

Available: Paperback ( Amazon.com )

With evocative illustrations and fabulous cover art by Elena Betti, the soft-hued blue pages of Black Moon by Eugen Bacon invite us to experience a pastiche of speculative poetry, prose, narratives and images. The titles of this collection of short pieces, such as “Cinders in Her Hair,” “Unlearning the Sea,” and “The Book of Unfinished Parables,” spark the imagination and tease the intellect. The widely diverse themes run from societal issues to personal experience and even fantasy. The tone varies from serious, to playful, to philosophical, to dark. Eugen clearly has eclectic interests and tastes and reveals them in an uninhibited, relatively unstructured fashion.

The poetic hybrids Eugen experiments with are definitely worth extra attention, but they seem to be in the middle of development. It is difficult to discern whether Bacon intentionally leaves the reader to her own devices in creating meaning in Black Moon or whether that effect is inadvertently caused by the writer’s artistic choices. Some of the pieces are quick snapshots of moments or ideas, but they do not include that particular magic of word choice or arrangement which little gems require. Other pieces are a bit longer and provide more context but seem unsatisfyingly without purpose or incomplete in some vague way.

Reading this book is like taking a stroll through a dream in which you recognize familiar objects but realize they are somehow out of context. It is also, at times, like reading a book in another language and trying to figure out a word you don’t know by comparing it to words that seem similar but end up having quite a different meaning. This abstract quality has its charm: eyes that are “serenading” and that are “shifting” “like an opal,” but sometimes it is just confusing: a window that “floundered” back to “her” house where she “locked herself to” tears.

Overall, Black Moon is a visual fusion that projects the author’s vision in such a way that the writer’s words become more concrete for the reader and the illustrations become more meaningful for the viewer. This is a natural synthesis that has the potential to evolve into a form that lovers of both poetry and art will enjoy.

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: The Plot Against Heaven by Mark Kirkbride

The Plot Against Heaven by Mark Kirkbride

Omnium Gatherum, 2020

ISBN: 13: 9781949054293

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Hell is a version of Las Vegas. Heaven is an armed camp. The two places seem to be located side by side, even though elevators going to hell travel downward. Paul is making these observations as he tries to force his way into God’s inner sanctum in order to demand why his wife Kate died in an accident before her time.

The Plot Against Heaven soon becomes more Satan’s plot rather than Paul’s. Mark Kirkbride has written a fast-paced story that can be read in one sitting which, as Poe would recommend, is ideal for steadily building emotion to a climax. There are many surprises along the way. After all, who would expect Paul to accept a media job in hell? How could Paul be so wrong about both his and his wife’s true situation? Was Kate right in thinking that when faced with a choice between doing what is right versus doing what is necessary, doing what is right is always the correct choice?

Kirkbride has an interesting take on the afterlife and how heaven and hell function. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader invested in Paul’s search for justice, entertained by his interaction with Satan, and caught up in the mysteries created by deception. This story is a fable/parable about our misconceptions regarding the nature of good and evil, particularly how human beings are so unaware of the pervasiveness of evil and so blind to its insidious harm. Could it be that an adventure tale is exactly the vehicle to further the deception? A chilling thought! Recommended.

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Kirsten, Reply

Vampirates Blog Tour– Stay Tuned!

If you were a middle grader in 2005, you may remember the Vampirates books by Justin Somper. I was an elementary school media specialist then and I certainly do! There are six books in the series and if you loved vampires or pirates, you probably stumbled across them. But then vampires went from scary to romantic, and the Vampirates were lost at sea. But the books are back in print now, and ready for a new generation. To celebrate their return, Monster Librarian is taking part in a blog tour, and later this week we will have a review up of the first book, Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean, followed shortly by a guest post from the author, Justin Somper. If you’re interested in following along, below is a schedule of where Justin Somper can been seen over the next week! Be warned, the Vampirates are coming!