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Bitter Distillations
Bitter Distillations is a collection of disquieting, disorientating and otherwise uncategorizable tales for which poison provides the inspiration.Poisons conspicuously sinister or quietly innocuous; deliberately distilled or unknowingly harvested; psychotropic, lethal, sickly or sweet. Care to partake?All 18 pieces are newly written and previously unpublished.The full table of contents is as NIGHT AT THE MINISTRY by Damian MurphyTHE BLISSFUL TINCTURES by Jonathan WoodTHE TARTEST OF FLAVOURS by Rose BigginTHE DEVIL’S SNARE by Timothy J. JarvisTHE POISON GIRLS by Rosanne RabinowitzTHE INVISIBLE WORM by Ron WeighellCHATTERTON, EUSTON, 2018 by Nina AntoniaOUT AT THE SHILLINGATE ISLES by Lisa L. HannettTHE OTHER PRAGUE by George BerguñoTHE JEWELED NECROPOLIS by Sheryl HumphreyNOT TO BE TAKEN by Kathleen JenningsTHE GARDEN OF DR MONTORIO by Louis MarvickOF MANDRAKE AND HENBANE by Stephen J. ClarkBEYOND SEEING by Joseph DawsonI IN THE EYE by Yarrow PaisleyCANNED HEAT by Jason E. RolfeWORDS by Alison LittlewoodAN EMBRACE OF POISONOUS INTENT by Carina BissettEdited by Mark BeechThe book is a lithographically printed, 320 page hardback with colour endpapers; limited to just 340 copies.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 5, 2020
56 people want to read
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Mark Beech
19 books14 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 17, 2025
Anthologies are a hard sell. Meaning they hardly sell. I know a bit about this, having edited several volumes myself. Heck, I even won an award for editing one, a long time ago. Note that it's been a long time since I've edited a fiction anthology. I love short fiction, but editing a short fiction anthology is hard work, if you're doing it right. And it's often thankless. I remember speaking with author Stepan Chapman years ago about editing anthologies and his comment was "something for everybody to hate"! Truth.
A great anthology is one in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A careful balance has to be maintained for this to work. A theme needs to be strong, but not overwhelming. And there needs to be a variety of voices, but not so varied that they all become a choir of chaos.
Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales is an anthology that could easily fall out of balance in this regard. But it largely (though not completely) succeeds. Mark Beech, the editor, thankfully took a broad approach to the theme, though there is a preponderance of stories about "poison gardens". Of course, it might be difficult to winnow down the the absolute best stories about poison gardens, but that is an editor's job - to build a collection, then hack it down to the best of the best.
The presentation is nothing short of amazing. This is a book you want to have in your collection to show off to your friends. It is beautiful, well-built, and smartly-designed. This is typical of Egaeus Press books. You know you're getting a quality artifact when buying an Egaeus volume.
Some of the stories herein are outstanding. I guessed this would be the case after looking at the table of contents. Many of my favorite contemporary authors had stories in here, and they did not disappoint. There were other authors unknown to me (which is, actually, something I always look for in an anthology - including "unknown" authors was something I prided myself on while editing), some of whose stories succeeded, some of whose didn't quite. If you're on Goodreads, you'll note I gave the anthology a four-star rating. Not because most of the stories were four-star stories, but because many were five-star stories, and a not-insignificant amount were three-star stories. With that, here are my notes on the stories:
"A Night at the Ministry" is as crisp and decadent as one should expect from
Putting the "decay" back in "decadence," the story "The Blissful Tinctires," by Jonathan Wood, marries the grinding post-grandeur of Peake's novels or Wilde's Dorian Gray with the banality of Great War England (and France, for a critical few short moments). It is a grueling, lustrous, dirty, pathetic, and triumphal read, all at once. This is Wood at his hollow, beautiful finest, mixing glory and defeat. It's a tricky story, one that you think you have figured out in the split-second before you figure out you were completely (and delightfully) wrong. I like being tricked in this way.
"Delightful" isn't the first word one would use for a story about poisoning, but Rose Biggin's "The Tartest of Flavours" is light-hearted. This tale, set in the universe of Alice in wonderland (in a slightly different guise) is, shall we say, "frivolous"? I didn't dislike it, but, at times, it seemed to be trying too hard to be cute (in a grim sort of way). Still a nice change of pace, but the weakest story to this point of the book.
Timothy Jarvis' "The Devil's Snare" is everything I would expect from his pen: carefully-crafted mythic storytelling with a limning of dry-humor and dark beauty. What I was not expecting was the ending. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming - but should the townsfolk. Alas, they are in for a big surprise. I love the mix of rather ordinary people moved to extraordinary visions here.
Rosanne Rabinowitz hits a simultaneously melancholic and celebratory mood here with "The Poison Girls". It's a long story, grazing over many years, and the main character, Marla is a complex and interesting person. The story blurs the line between the nostalgic and the imaginal, "breaking" chronological constraints in an emotionally-satisfying story of joy and grief, healing and pain. Beautiful.
I greatly enjoyed "The Invisible Worm" by Ron Weighell (if one can call cringing discomfort brought on by masterful writing "enjoyment"), but I fail to see how it fits, thematically, with the rest of the volume. I suppose it is, loosely speaking, a "poisonous" tale, but it involves no poisonous substance outside of religious fanaticism. Still, it's a great story, though it reads like an introduction to a novel.
A nice, evocative poem with a deeper story between the lines in "Chatterton, Euston, 2018" by Nina Antonia.
"Out at the Shillingate Isles" is a tragic story of a socially-rejected woman named Gert making a living in a harbor fishing village. She meets a new friend, "Low-key," who has compassion for her and her plight. He has a flair for performing strange tricks of magic. They go together on a scheme to give Gert the upper hand against her enemies, and things seem to be going great. Seem to. Four stars to Lisa L. Hannett.
When George Berguño is at the top of his game - and he is at the top of his game in "The Other Prague" - there are very few who can match his writerly voice. Calvino, Borges, Schwob . . . he stands in good company. And this story is polysemic, not content to settle on one meaning . . . or the other. All is one. And none is all.
I don't know that I've read Sheryl Humphrey's work before, but if "The Jewelled Necropolis" is an indicator of the quality of her writing, I will read her work again. This is part of the joy of reading an anthology: discovering a new (to me) author whose work I can continue to explore. I love the framing piece of an anonymous manuscript found as a result of the Federal Writer's Project, and the way Humphrey leverages it is more than just clever. It's a dreamlike tale of searching and finding a glimmer of paradise.
"Not to be Taken," by Kathleen Jennings begs the question "who is who's victim"? Or, more properly "who is the real perpetrator"? It's a story of disturbed individuals who happen to meet and orbit around each other, further disturbing the universe around them. It's a touching piece, in Its own perverse way, with very distant echoes from the decadent tradition. Four stars.
With a writerly voice reminiscent of Sarban, yet with a cuttingly-clever humor very unlike the staid Sarban, Louis Marvick, in his uniquely Marvickian way, immerses the reader in a sea of poisonous plants with "The Garden of Dr Montorio". But he takes it a step further, not only trapping the protagonist in a presumably lethal maze, but by trapping readers in a deadly story within a story. Marvick continues to amaze.
I've been effusive in my praise of Stephen J. Clark's writing. "Of Mandrake and Henbane" does nothing to quell my enthusiasm. Here the triple goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone are tied to The Green Man (under a slightly different guise) by a "sacred unguent" that binds them all together. This is a beautiful story of loam, love, and loathing that blossoms under Clark's deft pen.
There's a kernel of what could be a good story in Joseph Dawson's "Beyond Seeing," but it appears to me that this is a rough draft in need of serious revision. I was willing to cut some slack, but with an awkward writerly voice that is too terse and too verbose in all the wrong places, I had little patience with such a predictable plot. This is harsh, but the anthology would have been stronger without this story.
For some reason, I sometimes greatly enjoy stories that obliquely or peripherally toy with the theme of an anthology (though I do like some connection). Such is the case with Yarrow Paisley's excellent "I in the Eye". Poison plays a part, but only a small part in the larger narrative of dissociation with self and family. The writing here is fantastic, and this is one of the darkest stories in the volume. Five stars.
Jason E. Rfe's "Canned Heat" was quaint, in a disturbing way. It feels like there could have been so much more to this story; should have been more. It felt like a pedestrian effort to me.
Alison Littlewood's "Words" is a weak story, strongly told. But I'm afraid that the eloquence, in this case, doesn't outweigh the inevitability of the plot. There may be something to "tried and true" stories (I'm certain I've written a few myself), but when one can determine what's to happen when one is only a quarter of the way through the story, no amount of good writing can save it, ultimately (and unfortunately).
The tone of Carina Bissett's story "An Embrace of Poisonous Intent" is strikingly different from the rest of the book. This is high sorcerous fantasy replete with unicorns and griffins. The mythic element here is powerful, and the story excellent. It stands on its own strength, meaning it contrasts, somewhat jarringly, with the rest of the volume. But I can't fault the story itself. Viva la difference!
So overall, an excellent anthology. It has it's weaknesses, but every anthology does. The strongest stories (Murphy, Wood, Jarvis, Berguño, Humphrey, Marvick, Clark, Paisley) will infiltrate your veins and seize your brain, just as one would expect from the theme. Cheers and bottoms up!
A great anthology is one in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A careful balance has to be maintained for this to work. A theme needs to be strong, but not overwhelming. And there needs to be a variety of voices, but not so varied that they all become a choir of chaos.
Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales is an anthology that could easily fall out of balance in this regard. But it largely (though not completely) succeeds. Mark Beech, the editor, thankfully took a broad approach to the theme, though there is a preponderance of stories about "poison gardens". Of course, it might be difficult to winnow down the the absolute best stories about poison gardens, but that is an editor's job - to build a collection, then hack it down to the best of the best.
The presentation is nothing short of amazing. This is a book you want to have in your collection to show off to your friends. It is beautiful, well-built, and smartly-designed. This is typical of Egaeus Press books. You know you're getting a quality artifact when buying an Egaeus volume.
Some of the stories herein are outstanding. I guessed this would be the case after looking at the table of contents. Many of my favorite contemporary authors had stories in here, and they did not disappoint. There were other authors unknown to me (which is, actually, something I always look for in an anthology - including "unknown" authors was something I prided myself on while editing), some of whose stories succeeded, some of whose didn't quite. If you're on Goodreads, you'll note I gave the anthology a four-star rating. Not because most of the stories were four-star stories, but because many were five-star stories, and a not-insignificant amount were three-star stories. With that, here are my notes on the stories:
"A Night at the Ministry" is as crisp and decadent as one should expect from
Putting the "decay" back in "decadence," the story "The Blissful Tinctires," by Jonathan Wood, marries the grinding post-grandeur of Peake's novels or Wilde's Dorian Gray with the banality of Great War England (and France, for a critical few short moments). It is a grueling, lustrous, dirty, pathetic, and triumphal read, all at once. This is Wood at his hollow, beautiful finest, mixing glory and defeat. It's a tricky story, one that you think you have figured out in the split-second before you figure out you were completely (and delightfully) wrong. I like being tricked in this way.
"Delightful" isn't the first word one would use for a story about poisoning, but Rose Biggin's "The Tartest of Flavours" is light-hearted. This tale, set in the universe of Alice in wonderland (in a slightly different guise) is, shall we say, "frivolous"? I didn't dislike it, but, at times, it seemed to be trying too hard to be cute (in a grim sort of way). Still a nice change of pace, but the weakest story to this point of the book.
Timothy Jarvis' "The Devil's Snare" is everything I would expect from his pen: carefully-crafted mythic storytelling with a limning of dry-humor and dark beauty. What I was not expecting was the ending. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming - but should the townsfolk. Alas, they are in for a big surprise. I love the mix of rather ordinary people moved to extraordinary visions here.
Rosanne Rabinowitz hits a simultaneously melancholic and celebratory mood here with "The Poison Girls". It's a long story, grazing over many years, and the main character, Marla is a complex and interesting person. The story blurs the line between the nostalgic and the imaginal, "breaking" chronological constraints in an emotionally-satisfying story of joy and grief, healing and pain. Beautiful.
I greatly enjoyed "The Invisible Worm" by Ron Weighell (if one can call cringing discomfort brought on by masterful writing "enjoyment"), but I fail to see how it fits, thematically, with the rest of the volume. I suppose it is, loosely speaking, a "poisonous" tale, but it involves no poisonous substance outside of religious fanaticism. Still, it's a great story, though it reads like an introduction to a novel.
A nice, evocative poem with a deeper story between the lines in "Chatterton, Euston, 2018" by Nina Antonia.
"Out at the Shillingate Isles" is a tragic story of a socially-rejected woman named Gert making a living in a harbor fishing village. She meets a new friend, "Low-key," who has compassion for her and her plight. He has a flair for performing strange tricks of magic. They go together on a scheme to give Gert the upper hand against her enemies, and things seem to be going great. Seem to. Four stars to Lisa L. Hannett.
When George Berguño is at the top of his game - and he is at the top of his game in "The Other Prague" - there are very few who can match his writerly voice. Calvino, Borges, Schwob . . . he stands in good company. And this story is polysemic, not content to settle on one meaning . . . or the other. All is one. And none is all.
I don't know that I've read Sheryl Humphrey's work before, but if "The Jewelled Necropolis" is an indicator of the quality of her writing, I will read her work again. This is part of the joy of reading an anthology: discovering a new (to me) author whose work I can continue to explore. I love the framing piece of an anonymous manuscript found as a result of the Federal Writer's Project, and the way Humphrey leverages it is more than just clever. It's a dreamlike tale of searching and finding a glimmer of paradise.
"Not to be Taken," by Kathleen Jennings begs the question "who is who's victim"? Or, more properly "who is the real perpetrator"? It's a story of disturbed individuals who happen to meet and orbit around each other, further disturbing the universe around them. It's a touching piece, in Its own perverse way, with very distant echoes from the decadent tradition. Four stars.
With a writerly voice reminiscent of Sarban, yet with a cuttingly-clever humor very unlike the staid Sarban, Louis Marvick, in his uniquely Marvickian way, immerses the reader in a sea of poisonous plants with "The Garden of Dr Montorio". But he takes it a step further, not only trapping the protagonist in a presumably lethal maze, but by trapping readers in a deadly story within a story. Marvick continues to amaze.
I've been effusive in my praise of Stephen J. Clark's writing. "Of Mandrake and Henbane" does nothing to quell my enthusiasm. Here the triple goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone are tied to The Green Man (under a slightly different guise) by a "sacred unguent" that binds them all together. This is a beautiful story of loam, love, and loathing that blossoms under Clark's deft pen.
There's a kernel of what could be a good story in Joseph Dawson's "Beyond Seeing," but it appears to me that this is a rough draft in need of serious revision. I was willing to cut some slack, but with an awkward writerly voice that is too terse and too verbose in all the wrong places, I had little patience with such a predictable plot. This is harsh, but the anthology would have been stronger without this story.
For some reason, I sometimes greatly enjoy stories that obliquely or peripherally toy with the theme of an anthology (though I do like some connection). Such is the case with Yarrow Paisley's excellent "I in the Eye". Poison plays a part, but only a small part in the larger narrative of dissociation with self and family. The writing here is fantastic, and this is one of the darkest stories in the volume. Five stars.
Jason E. Rfe's "Canned Heat" was quaint, in a disturbing way. It feels like there could have been so much more to this story; should have been more. It felt like a pedestrian effort to me.
Alison Littlewood's "Words" is a weak story, strongly told. But I'm afraid that the eloquence, in this case, doesn't outweigh the inevitability of the plot. There may be something to "tried and true" stories (I'm certain I've written a few myself), but when one can determine what's to happen when one is only a quarter of the way through the story, no amount of good writing can save it, ultimately (and unfortunately).
The tone of Carina Bissett's story "An Embrace of Poisonous Intent" is strikingly different from the rest of the book. This is high sorcerous fantasy replete with unicorns and griffins. The mythic element here is powerful, and the story excellent. It stands on its own strength, meaning it contrasts, somewhat jarringly, with the rest of the volume. But I can't fault the story itself. Viva la difference!
So overall, an excellent anthology. It has it's weaknesses, but every anthology does. The strongest stories (Murphy, Wood, Jarvis, Berguño, Humphrey, Marvick, Clark, Paisley) will infiltrate your veins and seize your brain, just as one would expect from the theme. Cheers and bottoms up!
January 7, 2021
One of my very favourite stories is Rappaccini’s Daughter, an 1844 tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which a woman is immune to poison. There is a lot more to the story than that (a poison woman might be a femme fatale for example) and I am being deliberately vague over the plot as it is a wonderful read. In real life, the extraordinary tale of poisoner Graham Young (1947-1990) also gripped my imagination. He was sentenced to Broadmoor at the age of fifteen for slowly poisoning members of his immediate family, the experiments and dosages meticulously recorded. Upon release, he went on to poison some of his co-workers. I guess it was in his blood…
Given these archetypes the current distillers have their work cut out for them to wring some new twists on these tales. Works by Rosanne Rabinowitz, Sheryl Humphry and Louis Marvick involve poison gardens and though each had a quite different ‘take’ on them they all felt slightly lacking in some element. I have a lot of time for Rabinowitz (her story in ‘The Far Tower’ put her firmly on my radar) but in this case, it seemed to lose its way slightly despite a very interesting idea. This is not to say that it (and the others mentioned) were ‘bad’ but they felt just a touch unrefined.
A number of others utilize the folkloric/occult elements of potions. Of course, we expect nothing less from Ron Weighall and although Timothy Jarvis’ story is a good and solid, Hannett’s twists hers in a manner that I fond more intriguing despite it seeming a little unclear at times. Rose Biggin also gives a familiar tale a twist which, although witty, was not to my taste as I twigged it fairly early on.
Indeed, despite some great writing, Kathleen Jennings’ stands out, I found little niggardly elements in most of the stories. Sometimes this was in the plot, and I only cite Damien Murphy in this respect because I thought he had probably the best idea in the volume but somehow allowed it to slip away, or sometimes it was a style; Kathleen Jennings had another great tale but I found it a little ‘folksy’ in its telling. These are just my own preferences as a reader coming to the fore, sorry- that's just how I am.
Overall, I found this book something of a disappointment, Perhaps I should have read it in smaller doses and not allowed myself to build up immunity, crikey it seems as if I have been subtly poisoned against this book by the very reading of it, perhaps I came to it with too high an expectation.
BUT! There is one magnificent tale to be found here, and that is Jonathan Wood’s ‘The Blissful Tinctures’. Wood’s interprets the word ‘poisonous’ in a number of interlocking ways. Not just poison as a chemical tincture but the more insidious moral poisons of interpersonal/intergenerational relationships. I sometimes find Wood’s prose too ornate, but here he is at his very best, as sharp and corrosive as an acid, describing the bliss and pain of addiction in a manner that De Quincy would be proud of. It’s a real tour de force and possibly the best thing I have ever read by him. No! It IS the best thing I have ever read by him.
Does this story make it the proverbial “worth the whole book for this story alone”? I personally think not, but then I imagine this book will probably be sold out very soon so its an academic question. For those who missed it, I would be astonished if Wood’s tale is not picked up for reprinting in all those ‘best of’ volumes, but each to their own poison…
Given these archetypes the current distillers have their work cut out for them to wring some new twists on these tales. Works by Rosanne Rabinowitz, Sheryl Humphry and Louis Marvick involve poison gardens and though each had a quite different ‘take’ on them they all felt slightly lacking in some element. I have a lot of time for Rabinowitz (her story in ‘The Far Tower’ put her firmly on my radar) but in this case, it seemed to lose its way slightly despite a very interesting idea. This is not to say that it (and the others mentioned) were ‘bad’ but they felt just a touch unrefined.
A number of others utilize the folkloric/occult elements of potions. Of course, we expect nothing less from Ron Weighall and although Timothy Jarvis’ story is a good and solid, Hannett’s twists hers in a manner that I fond more intriguing despite it seeming a little unclear at times. Rose Biggin also gives a familiar tale a twist which, although witty, was not to my taste as I twigged it fairly early on.
Indeed, despite some great writing, Kathleen Jennings’ stands out, I found little niggardly elements in most of the stories. Sometimes this was in the plot, and I only cite Damien Murphy in this respect because I thought he had probably the best idea in the volume but somehow allowed it to slip away, or sometimes it was a style; Kathleen Jennings had another great tale but I found it a little ‘folksy’ in its telling. These are just my own preferences as a reader coming to the fore, sorry- that's just how I am.
Overall, I found this book something of a disappointment, Perhaps I should have read it in smaller doses and not allowed myself to build up immunity, crikey it seems as if I have been subtly poisoned against this book by the very reading of it, perhaps I came to it with too high an expectation.
BUT! There is one magnificent tale to be found here, and that is Jonathan Wood’s ‘The Blissful Tinctures’. Wood’s interprets the word ‘poisonous’ in a number of interlocking ways. Not just poison as a chemical tincture but the more insidious moral poisons of interpersonal/intergenerational relationships. I sometimes find Wood’s prose too ornate, but here he is at his very best, as sharp and corrosive as an acid, describing the bliss and pain of addiction in a manner that De Quincy would be proud of. It’s a real tour de force and possibly the best thing I have ever read by him. No! It IS the best thing I have ever read by him.
Does this story make it the proverbial “worth the whole book for this story alone”? I personally think not, but then I imagine this book will probably be sold out very soon so its an academic question. For those who missed it, I would be astonished if Wood’s tale is not picked up for reprinting in all those ‘best of’ volumes, but each to their own poison…
February 12, 2021
A really enjoyable short story anthology with a unique and interesting theme of Poison. Lots of different genres from horror to absurdism to fantasy. As usual my ratings are below. The Blissful Tinctures and The Poison Girls were my two faves.
- A Night at the Ministry - by Damien Murphy (6)
- The Blissful Tinctures - by Jonathan Wood (8)
- The Tartest of Flavours - by Rose Biggin (6)
- The Devils Snare - by Timothy Jarvis (7)
- The Poison Girls - by Rosanne Rabinowitz (8)
- The Invisible Worm - by Ron Weighell (5)
- Chatterton Euston 2018 - by Nina Antonia (5)
- Out at the Shillingate Isle - by Lisa L. Hannet (5)
- The Other Prague - by George Berguno (7)
- The Jewelled Necropolis - by Sheryl Humphrey (7)
- Not to be Taken - by Kathleen Jennings (7)
- The Garden of Montario - by Louis Marvick (7)
- Of Mandrake and Henbane - by Stephen J Clark (8)
- Beyond Seeing - by Joseph Dawson (8)
- I In the Eye - by Yarrow Paisley (7)
- Canned Heat - by Jason E. Rolfe (6)
- Words - by Alison Littlewood (7)
- An Embrace Of Poisonous Intent - by Carina Bissett (6)
- A Night at the Ministry - by Damien Murphy (6)
- The Blissful Tinctures - by Jonathan Wood (8)
- The Tartest of Flavours - by Rose Biggin (6)
- The Devils Snare - by Timothy Jarvis (7)
- The Poison Girls - by Rosanne Rabinowitz (8)
- The Invisible Worm - by Ron Weighell (5)
- Chatterton Euston 2018 - by Nina Antonia (5)
- Out at the Shillingate Isle - by Lisa L. Hannet (5)
- The Other Prague - by George Berguno (7)
- The Jewelled Necropolis - by Sheryl Humphrey (7)
- Not to be Taken - by Kathleen Jennings (7)
- The Garden of Montario - by Louis Marvick (7)
- Of Mandrake and Henbane - by Stephen J Clark (8)
- Beyond Seeing - by Joseph Dawson (8)
- I In the Eye - by Yarrow Paisley (7)
- Canned Heat - by Jason E. Rolfe (6)
- Words - by Alison Littlewood (7)
- An Embrace Of Poisonous Intent - by Carina Bissett (6)
February 6, 2023
Various (Editor: Beech, Mark) - Bitter Distillations
Assorted decoctions, vile cordials, the sweet aperitif before the hand clutches for the throat.
“The Blissful Tinctures,” by Jonathan Wood, opens in a trench in the Great War. Patrick serves King and Country, nudged to enlist, it appears, by his parents, whose decadent habits flower in his absence.
Arguments and snide barbs are exchanged between the upper trays and the self-effacing lot. Between the crustless cucumber sandwiches, the perfectly crafted canapés, the expensive cold cuts, and the neglected fruits. Of course, there are stray human types in Rose Biggins’ “The Tartest Flavours,” but who would be interested in that lot? I mean, really!
They resembled angels. They possessed wings, though their bodies were supple and naked, unlike messengers of the Divine. The pair tended the garden, as well as the bees. Marla refers to them as “The Poison Girls.” Marla even accepts the jar of honey they leave her.
It was an open air museum, out in rural Tennessee. Actually it was closer to an homage, or open air art installation. (Think Himley Hall model village or Gwynedd, North Wales). Castoff bits and shards, repurposed, fashioned into a peaceful environment. Alas, “The Jeweled Necropolis” slowly boils to an intoxicating aroma, only to dissipate unexpectantly. I wonder if the writer is holding back for a novel?
The same cessation in “The Garden Of Dr. Montorio.” Characters grow, a mystery deepens, suspense tightens – then – quitting time. At least, a secondary character has the good grace to echo the reader’s frustration. Still, come on!
More satisfying, “Not To Be Taken,” by Kathleen Jennings, surveys the collector. Two collectors, actually. One hoards vintage poison bottles, vials, ampules, as well as the lethal contents. The other collects a more dangerous game. This is a dark remembrance of predators and potions, and how important it can be to make friends with the neighbors.
Assorted decoctions, vile cordials, the sweet aperitif before the hand clutches for the throat.
“The Blissful Tinctures,” by Jonathan Wood, opens in a trench in the Great War. Patrick serves King and Country, nudged to enlist, it appears, by his parents, whose decadent habits flower in his absence.
Arguments and snide barbs are exchanged between the upper trays and the self-effacing lot. Between the crustless cucumber sandwiches, the perfectly crafted canapés, the expensive cold cuts, and the neglected fruits. Of course, there are stray human types in Rose Biggins’ “The Tartest Flavours,” but who would be interested in that lot? I mean, really!
They resembled angels. They possessed wings, though their bodies were supple and naked, unlike messengers of the Divine. The pair tended the garden, as well as the bees. Marla refers to them as “The Poison Girls.” Marla even accepts the jar of honey they leave her.
It was an open air museum, out in rural Tennessee. Actually it was closer to an homage, or open air art installation. (Think Himley Hall model village or Gwynedd, North Wales). Castoff bits and shards, repurposed, fashioned into a peaceful environment. Alas, “The Jeweled Necropolis” slowly boils to an intoxicating aroma, only to dissipate unexpectantly. I wonder if the writer is holding back for a novel?
The same cessation in “The Garden Of Dr. Montorio.” Characters grow, a mystery deepens, suspense tightens – then – quitting time. At least, a secondary character has the good grace to echo the reader’s frustration. Still, come on!
More satisfying, “Not To Be Taken,” by Kathleen Jennings, surveys the collector. Two collectors, actually. One hoards vintage poison bottles, vials, ampules, as well as the lethal contents. The other collects a more dangerous game. This is a dark remembrance of predators and potions, and how important it can be to make friends with the neighbors.
January 16, 2021
“This path is my ritual; each night it leads me into the heart of the Earth while the others sleep.”
An extremely powerful, so far, epitome or apotheosis of this book’s Poison Garden and its ambivalent effects, including a mother-daughter relationship, and the Gaia of a girl’s or woman’s body in ‘engulfed’ susceptibility to the intrusive or healing essence of what we have learnt so far from this unique Egaeus poison book. Including or additionally a “witch’s salve’ and a “green boy” and ‘beasts in drawings.’ Poison as lover. And the adoption of one girl of another girl as waif or stray or previous relative — within a support bubble in the wheezing house? We shall see. I intend to savour this work slowly. It seems to me that I should.
“; it felt like I was coming down with something. My head was full; my limbs heavy like wading through treacle. […] It’s like there’s an illness spreading and even the house is catching it, wheezing as it does. […] All the people; gone. All the friends; gone. Gone like the old streets out there and the old life.”
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
An extremely powerful, so far, epitome or apotheosis of this book’s Poison Garden and its ambivalent effects, including a mother-daughter relationship, and the Gaia of a girl’s or woman’s body in ‘engulfed’ susceptibility to the intrusive or healing essence of what we have learnt so far from this unique Egaeus poison book. Including or additionally a “witch’s salve’ and a “green boy” and ‘beasts in drawings.’ Poison as lover. And the adoption of one girl of another girl as waif or stray or previous relative — within a support bubble in the wheezing house? We shall see. I intend to savour this work slowly. It seems to me that I should.
“; it felt like I was coming down with something. My head was full; my limbs heavy like wading through treacle. […] It’s like there’s an illness spreading and even the house is catching it, wheezing as it does. […] All the people; gone. All the friends; gone. Gone like the old streets out there and the old life.”
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
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