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cellular_cosmogony's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 2.5/5
Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a digital ARC to review.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of macabre found poetry , the source for which is Stephen King's unfinished epistolary novel The Plant. It is a fascinating collection, if a bit flawed. Sometimes self-imposed restrictions, like only using words and phrases from a pres-existing text, can ultimately expand one's creativity. In this collection the restrictions have mixed results.
Some poems, mainly the ones about the jackal, but also a couple of others, are a pleasure to read, with an eery mysticism to them, wrapped up in a rather elegant structure. Even if the meaning wasn't transparent, those poems had a fable-like quality to them that left me with a mixture of tension and wonder. The found poetry format also allows Blythe to uncover unconventional ways of using language that probably wouldn't have occurred to her without this limit.
However, other poems, which sadly make up the majority of the collection seem somewhat unfinished, and some of those are barely comprehensible, with no clear imagery, structure or lyricism to guide the reader through. These poems also don't have a great flow (I tried reading them out loud to test it) and could have used further reworking for that alone. Also, that's a total nitpick, but in the poem "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" there is a line saying "bellies/ and breasts sewn with belladonna/ and nightshade", when belladonna and nightshade are the same plant. I have no idea if that's something taken from King's text, but it seems like a rather silly mistake for a collection centering deadly plants to have.
I really liked the artwork in the collection - it's comprised of collages that the author did from public domain imagery. It's definite proof that one can add quality artwork to book, without the budget to hire an artist, but without resorting to AI image generation.
Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a digital ARC to review.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of macabre found poetry , the source for which is Stephen King's unfinished epistolary novel The Plant. It is a fascinating collection, if a bit flawed. Sometimes self-imposed restrictions, like only using words and phrases from a pres-existing text, can ultimately expand one's creativity. In this collection the restrictions have mixed results.
Some poems, mainly the ones about the jackal, but also a couple of others, are a pleasure to read, with an eery mysticism to them, wrapped up in a rather elegant structure. Even if the meaning wasn't transparent, those poems had a fable-like quality to them that left me with a mixture of tension and wonder. The found poetry format also allows Blythe to uncover unconventional ways of using language that probably wouldn't have occurred to her without this limit.
However, other poems, which sadly make up the majority of the collection seem somewhat unfinished, and some of those are barely comprehensible, with no clear imagery, structure or lyricism to guide the reader through. These poems also don't have a great flow (I tried reading them out loud to test it) and could have used further reworking for that alone. Also, that's a total nitpick, but in the poem "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" there is a line saying "bellies/ and breasts sewn with belladonna/ and nightshade", when belladonna and nightshade are the same plant. I have no idea if that's something taken from King's text, but it seems like a rather silly mistake for a collection centering deadly plants to have.
I really liked the artwork in the collection - it's comprised of collages that the author did from public domain imagery. It's definite proof that one can add quality artwork to book, without the budget to hire an artist, but without resorting to AI image generation.
gildergreens's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is definitely an interesting and eerie poetry collection. It isn't precisely my kind of thing, but I can see it being really well appreciated by goth baddies.
This is definitely an interesting and eerie poetry collection. It isn't precisely my kind of thing, but I can see it being really well appreciated by goth baddies.
bookswithnichol's review against another edition
2.0
I received this ARC from Netgalley.
As I read this collection of poems, I noticed that it didn't flow well. It felt like random sentences, and sometimes random words just put together with no real meaning. Then I got to the author's note at the end and realized that's exactly what this is.
This is just a bunch of seemingly random phrases put together and it reads exactly like that. No meaning, no feeling, nothing but words.
As I read this collection of poems, I noticed that it didn't flow well. It felt like random sentences, and sometimes random words just put together with no real meaning. Then I got to the author's note at the end and realized that's exactly what this is.
This is just a bunch of seemingly random phrases put together and it reads exactly like that. No meaning, no feeling, nothing but words.
dreamtokens's review against another edition
Necessary Poisons is a playful experiment in collage, both visual and textual. The volume takes you into a dark, botanical world of carnivorous plants, women and witches. It’s an interesting piece of work bringing found poetry to a coherence I didn’t know it could have, as it spans a whole series of poems.
Thanks netgalley for the e-arc!
Thanks netgalley for the e-arc!
alexutzu's review
2.75
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Some of these poems were definitely better than others, as with every collection. I liked the idea that the poems were not written from scratch, but based on lines from Stephen King's work "The Plant", but I did not feel like they flowed nicely. I also did not know what they are based on until it was mentioned at the end of the book, which made everything even more confusing.
The art that was sprinkled through the book was cool, even if I did not feel like it was that related to the poems. Overall, a diverse collection (as the poems had different vibes) but not the best result, in my opinion. It is hard to judge this style (being based on someone else's work), but sadly this was not really memorable.
Some of these poems were definitely better than others, as with every collection. I liked the idea that the poems were not written from scratch, but based on lines from Stephen King's work "The Plant", but I did not feel like they flowed nicely. I also did not know what they are based on until it was mentioned at the end of the book, which made everything even more confusing.
The art that was sprinkled through the book was cool, even if I did not feel like it was that related to the poems. Overall, a diverse collection (as the poems had different vibes) but not the best result, in my opinion. It is hard to judge this style (being based on someone else's work), but sadly this was not really memorable.
natixii's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
charliesbookshelf's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
this collection is a book of ‘found poetry’, a reordering of an existing literary work to create new meanings. here, the author reconceptualised ‘the plant’, an unfinished stephen king novel about a rejected author sending an evil plant to take over a publishing house in an act of revenge. andrea blythe reworked this story into a poetic representation of a woman uncomfortable with her body and mind, her place in the world, and how others perceive her. i really liked this - i thought it was really creative and unique and ultimately succeeded in what it was trying to do. however, for the most part it didn’t evoke a very strong emotional reaction in me (possibly because it was created from someone else’s work rather than something entirely new coming from the author themselves?). because of this, i don’t think it will stick with me long-term like other poetry has. i still really recommend reading this though if you are interested by the synopsis!
my favourites
- the intention of being
- on taboo ground
- a wake
- a matter of transition
- making arrangements
- all but forgotten
- sudden botany
- of the earth
- student of more
thank you netgalley for the e-arc :)
mindysbookjourney's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Necessary is a collection of found poetry published by the wonderful Interstellar Flight Press. This collection has a lot of emphasis on poisonous plants and manuscripts. The poems were created by taking pages of The Plant by Stephen King, which is an unfinished epistolary novel, and blacking out words until a new poem emerges. I really find the way that the poetry was created really interesting, and I would love to try this method.
It must be difficult to create poems only using the words of others. Some of the poems were not as impactful, because of they seemed to lack a central story. This is the tricky part of only using the words on a single page. However, there were a few poems that were unbelievably good and inspiring.
If you are interested to see poems created from a Stephen King text while creating its own story that runs throughout the collection then I would recommend checking out this collection.
I received a copy for review through NetGalley.
I received a copy for review through NetGalley.
yellowbinge's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Publishing date: 07.10.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I expected: A witchy book with poems about poisons, potions, and herbs
I got: Found-poetry with themes of domestic horrors
The book left me: Reflecting on my own domestic horrors
Poetry style:
Found-poetry based on Stephen King's "The Plant". Works well here
Amount of poems: 30 poems
Features:
5 Beautiful artworks, themes of domesticity, horrors of the mind and everyday life
Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, B tier. This was a beautiful collection, one that I could relate to. If you wish to experience found-poetry for the first time, I would say this is a good collection to start. I haven't read "The Plant", so I don't know if it does the book justice. But it works well enough to pique my interest to read the book.
Favorite poems:
A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE INTENTION OF BEING
THE OTHER GRAY AREA
THE BOOK
SMILE, NO HUMOR
BELATEDLY, THE REFUSAL
A BOQUET OF ILLUSIONS
THE ZENITH
MORNING, WRAPPED IN MAPLE AND PINE
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I expected: A witchy book with poems about poisons, potions, and herbs
I got: Found-poetry with themes of domestic horrors
The book left me: Reflecting on my own domestic horrors
Poetry style:
Found-poetry based on Stephen King's "The Plant". Works well here
Amount of poems: 30 poems
Features:
5 Beautiful artworks, themes of domesticity, horrors of the mind and everyday life
Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, B tier. This was a beautiful collection, one that I could relate to. If you wish to experience found-poetry for the first time, I would say this is a good collection to start. I haven't read "The Plant", so I don't know if it does the book justice. But it works well enough to pique my interest to read the book.
Favorite poems:
A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE INTENTION OF BEING
THE OTHER GRAY AREA
THE BOOK
SMILE, NO HUMOR
BELATEDLY, THE REFUSAL
A BOQUET OF ILLUSIONS
THE ZENITH
MORNING, WRAPPED IN MAPLE AND PINE