ChemICKal Reactions by Karen L. Newman

Title: ChemICKal Reactions
Author: Karen L. Newman
Genre: Horror Poetry collection, Single Author Anthology
URL: Naked Snake Press Print / Ebook
Price: US$6.99 print / $1.99 e-book

Summary (from the publisher):  Karen L. Newman uses her MS in chemistry to concoct an eclectic mixture of chemical mayhem. In this collection chemicals are the backdrop to human foibles gone bad. From illicit drugs to water and vinegar and many chemical compounds and elements in between, the worst of man is exposed in unexpected ways.

My Review:  OK.  I admit I know relatively little about poetry. I never studied it beyond what was required in school, lo those many dark ages ago, and when I do read poetry, it tends to be the old classics like Byron or Shelley.  So, this is probably going to be the shortest review I’ve ever written. But don’t let my lack of erudition on the subject matter scare you away, because this collection by Karen L. Newman is a stand-out piece of work, a collection of grisly and grim poetry that is really impressive.

The only way I can review a work of poetry is to judge it in the same way I would judge any work of fiction-- be it a short story or novel-- with respect to language,  imagery, characterization and impact. And it is in all of these areas that the collection left me in awe. 

Newman’s use of imagery is astounding especially given the brevity of the pieces. With precise and measured language, she manages to evoke images that are funny, touching, and almost beautiful in their brutality. With very few words, Newman creates really amazing visuals, visuals it would take many novelists paragraphs to accomplish. 

It is equally impressive how full the characters are that appear in these works.  They almost never have names, but by choosing her words well, Newman gives us nice, rich characters: we know who they are, what they are feeling, and in most cases we can even picture what they look like.

The vast majority of the pieces in this collection also accomplish something I always look for in horror…well, in any fiction really.  That is, emotional resonance and/or a subtle study of mankind and his weaknesses. Newman manages both with amazing regularity.  Many of the pieces will leave you with an emotional reaction or one sort of another, be it sadness or revulsion. 

But when you look at the collection as a whole, you walk away with a broader picture, one not of the specific people in each story, but about our society as a whole.  Yes, these chemicals are generally things we don’t even notice in our lives. But Newman takes those chemicals, shows how they are not only present in our live, but how we almost find them to be necessities. They are those things we feel we cannot live without; these chemicals make up those things that make our lives easier. And then she shows you the darker side of them, what they do to us physically, emotionally, and sometimes intellectually, individually and as a society.  In that respect, it’s a nice commentary on the rampant consumerism in our world; about how we as a society rush ahead without ever looking at the repercussions.

All in all, this really is a remarkable collection…dark, grim, funny and a really incisive look at the foibles of man. I recommend it highly.