Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.72 AVERAGE
4.72 AVERAGE
To be honest, I'm reluctant to watch or read works based on real serial killers. I need the emotional distance of fiction in my horror. I also worry about glorifying and sensationalizing them, keeping them famous while their victims are always less well known or mourned.
But Sara Tantlinger has mostly won me over with her dark horror collection The Devil's Dreamland, and especially those poems that weave together what is known or imagined about the killer's life with the history of Chicago and contemplations about the nature of evil, including how society itself may be implicated. I didn't feel she was trying to get me to sympathize with the serial killer.
A little less effective for me personally were the poems about the victims, either in their own voices or in the voice of a third person persona narrator. The poems in the killer's voice were perhaps the most difficult for me to fathom, because the poetry of that voice is so, well, poetic, which is actually really disturbing, in my opinion.
But this is beautifully crafted poetry that tackles difficult topics well. The last few poems and their warnings about evil are particularly timely, and frightening.
But Sara Tantlinger has mostly won me over with her dark horror collection The Devil's Dreamland, and especially those poems that weave together what is known or imagined about the killer's life with the history of Chicago and contemplations about the nature of evil, including how society itself may be implicated. I didn't feel she was trying to get me to sympathize with the serial killer.
A little less effective for me personally were the poems about the victims, either in their own voices or in the voice of a third person persona narrator. The poems in the killer's voice were perhaps the most difficult for me to fathom, because the poetry of that voice is so, well, poetic, which is actually really disturbing, in my opinion.
But this is beautifully crafted poetry that tackles difficult topics well. The last few poems and their warnings about evil are particularly timely, and frightening.
As a true crime buff and new fan of horror poetry, this combination of both was a must-read for me!
The collection reads more like a story, following Holmes from his beginnings, to his first forays into crime and other ill pursuits, to the building of his murder castle in Chicago, and beyond. I thought I would read a few each day, but I got sucked into the narrative flow of the poems and ended up reading through it mostly in one sitting. It isn't the type of poetry book you would want to dip in and out of at random, at least until you've read it all the way through once.
Tantlinger bases the work on fact, but isn't afraid to let imaginings and possibilities fill in the holes where we don't really know the truth of what happened with Holmes and his victims.
If you are into true crime, you are probably already aware of the strange interest, that weird compulsive magnetism toward serial killers—those enigmatic and eminently terrifying monsters whose minds we just can't quite comprehend. What is it about them that compels them to horrifying acts and yet allows them to seamlessly blend in with everyone else?
If you are perhaps a bit afraid of poetry, this collection is a wonderful example of how poems don't have to be obfuscating. Tantlinger's use of language is measured, image-driven, and often playful, and her attention to line breaks and spacing give the lines fresh readings upon closer inspection.
I think the whole project could have dug deeper into the psychological component of what makes the man a monster, as it instead stay fairly narrative in structure and substance. There is space in poetry for wonderings, lucid dreamings, what-ifs, and whys that you just can't explore the same way in fiction.
I loved the poems and the story they told, but I'm left with an unfinished feeling as to what the collection was supposed to represent. It could be a lot of things: hidden evil or the cycle of evil, the psychological underpinnings of psychopaths, a study in victimology. . . But I didn't feel that the collection left me pondering a specific great question. I don't think this detracts from the collection at all, hence my 5 stars, but it could have added another dimension to an already strong piece of writing.
Just like the intricate paths, secret hallways, and hidden trapdoors of Holmes's murder castle, The Devil's Dreamland twists through the life and mind of one of America's most infamous serial killers and is sure to leave you with plenty of nightmares for your next trip to dreamland.
The collection reads more like a story, following Holmes from his beginnings, to his first forays into crime and other ill pursuits, to the building of his murder castle in Chicago, and beyond. I thought I would read a few each day, but I got sucked into the narrative flow of the poems and ended up reading through it mostly in one sitting. It isn't the type of poetry book you would want to dip in and out of at random, at least until you've read it all the way through once.
Tantlinger bases the work on fact, but isn't afraid to let imaginings and possibilities fill in the holes where we don't really know the truth of what happened with Holmes and his victims.
If you are into true crime, you are probably already aware of the strange interest, that weird compulsive magnetism toward serial killers—those enigmatic and eminently terrifying monsters whose minds we just can't quite comprehend. What is it about them that compels them to horrifying acts and yet allows them to seamlessly blend in with everyone else?
If you are perhaps a bit afraid of poetry, this collection is a wonderful example of how poems don't have to be obfuscating. Tantlinger's use of language is measured, image-driven, and often playful, and her attention to line breaks and spacing give the lines fresh readings upon closer inspection.
I think the whole project could have dug deeper into the psychological component of what makes the man a monster, as it instead stay fairly narrative in structure and substance. There is space in poetry for wonderings, lucid dreamings, what-ifs, and whys that you just can't explore the same way in fiction.
I loved the poems and the story they told, but I'm left with an unfinished feeling as to what the collection was supposed to represent. It could be a lot of things: hidden evil or the cycle of evil, the psychological underpinnings of psychopaths, a study in victimology. . . But I didn't feel that the collection left me pondering a specific great question. I don't think this detracts from the collection at all, hence my 5 stars, but it could have added another dimension to an already strong piece of writing.
Just like the intricate paths, secret hallways, and hidden trapdoors of Holmes's murder castle, The Devil's Dreamland twists through the life and mind of one of America's most infamous serial killers and is sure to leave you with plenty of nightmares for your next trip to dreamland.
Tantlinger’s exquisite poems are a brutal and beautiful exploration into the psyche of “America’s first serial killer,” H. H. Holmes, and those around him, earning her a well-deserved Stoker Award. Three blocks from my house stands a low stone wall, all that remains of Moyamensing Prison where Holmes was executed. While his ghost haunts my neighborhood, Tantlinger’s evocative collection brings him back to terrifying life.
You should know a few things:
This poetry collection won a Bram Stoker in 2018
These poems are based on "America's First Serial Killer" H. H. Holmes. If you haven't read, The Devil in the White City (a historical fiction novel by Erik Larson about Holmes, I highly recommend it as I believe that book only enhanced my reading of this collection)
Lastly, this book was included in the Night Worms package, "Feasting on Horror" November 2019 (and I am a co-owner). I was excited to buy this horror poetry collection for myself and so was Ashley, we're both big fans of Sara's after reading LOVE FOR SLAUGHTER and TO BE DEVOURED so we decided to include it for all the Worms out there.
Reading these poems was such an experience! Sara walks her readers through a timeline in history--each poem serves a purpose. The poem might be told as though we are a fly on the wall in a room observing events. It might be told through the eyes of a housekeeper who sweeps the floors of the Doctor's room--she wonders what's under the bed. There are smells.
We might get a poem from the perspective of a local pharmacist or perhaps a woman that catches the fancy of a young man with steel-blue eyes and a charming demeanor.
One of my favorite poems was told as Chicago itself, personified, after it had burned to the ground.
As I turned the pages, one thing stayed in the back of mind and that was how incredibly impressed I was with the amount of research that clearly went into this work. There are physical descriptions, dates, names, growing intensity, and patterns that I'm sure was quite likely close to reality.
Holmes' had built this "Murder Castle" and I believe Sara had to fill in some missing pieces to the puzzle but she managed to bring to life this depraved fantasy of a madman! Again I stress, this is very impressive work.
One thing I really feel like I need to say is that Sara gave H. H. Holmes such a distinct personality and voice, I felt like I yearned for more--a full novel. I could read this story in explicit detail and more in a storytelling format rather than poetry. But that's just because I'm a horror fiction lover and I'm new to the world of dark poetry. There's nothing lacking here. This is totally perfect just the way it is. I'm just greedy.
Recommend for fans of True Crime, Murder, Serial Killers, Grisly Deeds, Historical Fiction and Amazing Poetry.
This poetry collection won a Bram Stoker in 2018
These poems are based on "America's First Serial Killer" H. H. Holmes. If you haven't read, The Devil in the White City (a historical fiction novel by Erik Larson about Holmes, I highly recommend it as I believe that book only enhanced my reading of this collection)
Lastly, this book was included in the Night Worms package, "Feasting on Horror" November 2019 (and I am a co-owner). I was excited to buy this horror poetry collection for myself and so was Ashley, we're both big fans of Sara's after reading LOVE FOR SLAUGHTER and TO BE DEVOURED so we decided to include it for all the Worms out there.
Reading these poems was such an experience! Sara walks her readers through a timeline in history--each poem serves a purpose. The poem might be told as though we are a fly on the wall in a room observing events. It might be told through the eyes of a housekeeper who sweeps the floors of the Doctor's room--she wonders what's under the bed. There are smells.
We might get a poem from the perspective of a local pharmacist or perhaps a woman that catches the fancy of a young man with steel-blue eyes and a charming demeanor.
One of my favorite poems was told as Chicago itself, personified, after it had burned to the ground.
As I turned the pages, one thing stayed in the back of mind and that was how incredibly impressed I was with the amount of research that clearly went into this work. There are physical descriptions, dates, names, growing intensity, and patterns that I'm sure was quite likely close to reality.
Holmes' had built this "Murder Castle" and I believe Sara had to fill in some missing pieces to the puzzle but she managed to bring to life this depraved fantasy of a madman! Again I stress, this is very impressive work.
One thing I really feel like I need to say is that Sara gave H. H. Holmes such a distinct personality and voice, I felt like I yearned for more--a full novel. I could read this story in explicit detail and more in a storytelling format rather than poetry. But that's just because I'm a horror fiction lover and I'm new to the world of dark poetry. There's nothing lacking here. This is totally perfect just the way it is. I'm just greedy.
Recommend for fans of True Crime, Murder, Serial Killers, Grisly Deeds, Historical Fiction and Amazing Poetry.
Some of these poems were really powerful and played with beautiful haunting imagery and 65% fell flat. I wish more detail and exploration went into the word play and description
"I am / your American serial killer, wrapped up / in 19th century shreds of screaming women."
I adore Sara Tantlinger's poetry, and I am intrigued by the story of HH Holmes, so I knew The Devil's Dreamland was going to be perfect for me as soon as I heard about it. I started it as soon as it arrived, and it quickly became one of my favorite books I've read this year.
Sara's research was so in-depth, and you can see the love she had for this project poured out into the pages. Although the poems have a fictional twist, they are organized by chronological events, and the book tells HH Holmes' full life story. I loved that it was set up in this way, and it was like reading a fictional novel about a true crime story told through poems.
I loved that so many poems were from different points of view - you are not in Holmes' head the entire time. Some of them are focused on the people and things around him, and Sara did an amazing job at weaving together as complete of a story on Holmes as possible.
There are all sorts of different emotions here - this poems are so grim and gory, but some of them are amusing, some are sad, angry, hopeful, etc. A range of emotions is covered within this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Some of the poems are so lyrical that I could see this as a musical (and it would be the best musical ever). It's so easy to get invested in what's going on, and this real-life horror story is told so beautifully.
It was so hard to narrow down my top 5, but here they are: Metamorphosis, Push, The Devil's Dreamland, Unblessed Excavation, and In the Castle's Heart, You Die. These are the ones that will haunt me the most from this book.
I think this book would be perfect for true crime, horror, and poetry fans. Even if you're only a fan of one, get The Devil's Dreamland so you can enjoy the other two (I love all three). I was both entertained and unsettled by this book, and I already want to read it again.
I adore Sara Tantlinger's poetry, and I am intrigued by the story of HH Holmes, so I knew The Devil's Dreamland was going to be perfect for me as soon as I heard about it. I started it as soon as it arrived, and it quickly became one of my favorite books I've read this year.
Sara's research was so in-depth, and you can see the love she had for this project poured out into the pages. Although the poems have a fictional twist, they are organized by chronological events, and the book tells HH Holmes' full life story. I loved that it was set up in this way, and it was like reading a fictional novel about a true crime story told through poems.
I loved that so many poems were from different points of view - you are not in Holmes' head the entire time. Some of them are focused on the people and things around him, and Sara did an amazing job at weaving together as complete of a story on Holmes as possible.
There are all sorts of different emotions here - this poems are so grim and gory, but some of them are amusing, some are sad, angry, hopeful, etc. A range of emotions is covered within this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Some of the poems are so lyrical that I could see this as a musical (and it would be the best musical ever). It's so easy to get invested in what's going on, and this real-life horror story is told so beautifully.
It was so hard to narrow down my top 5, but here they are: Metamorphosis, Push, The Devil's Dreamland, Unblessed Excavation, and In the Castle's Heart, You Die. These are the ones that will haunt me the most from this book.
I think this book would be perfect for true crime, horror, and poetry fans. Even if you're only a fan of one, get The Devil's Dreamland so you can enjoy the other two (I love all three). I was both entertained and unsettled by this book, and I already want to read it again.
I did a presentation on H. H. Holmes in my criminal justice class, i did extensive research so i was very critical going into this. But holy damn, i wish i had this when i did my project. This was beautifully done
I freaking loved this collection and how each poem chronicled the dark life and crimes of H.H. Holmes from various perspectives--his wives, his neighbors, his accomplice, his victims. Once I finished, I immediately wanted to learn more about Holmes because up until this moment, I knew nothing about him ( yes, yes I know I need to read Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City")! So I will probably do a deep dive into the world of America's first serial killer now that Tantlinger has piqued my interest with her fantastic work. I sincerely hope she starts a whole series of poetry inspired by famous serial killers!