From the author of EVERSLEEP: The Beauty of Dark Silence, comes another bone-chilling foray into modern romanticism with a gothic twist. The Raven Redux and Other Poems is a collection of dark poetry from poet and writer, Alexander Bentley.
From the FOREWORD
In Edgar Allan Poe's short life, he accomplished a great many things. One of his most famous works was a poem titled, The Raven. That poem consistently dominates as one of the most powerful pieces involving the macabre side of life, darkness, and the inevitability of death. Alexander Bentley created The Raven Redux and Other Poems as a nod to the legacy that Poe left behind and has created a masterpiece that reminds us about the true, often lonely and unknown thoughts about death.
The entire book is an immersive journey through dying, death, and dealing with the loss of others. Alexander says poetry "can penetrate the most quickly into the reader's subconscious mind. A person has many barriers, emotionally and mentally. Poetry bypasses those protections and implants itself into the reader's mind. This is one reason I love poetry so much. I also love that a reader can draw their own conclusions about the meaning behind the words." But it is not just the writing on the page that pulls readers into the poems that Alexander penned for this collection.
The entire book, from cover to cover, is a collective experience. The words are some of the most powerful I have ever read, and yet, it does not stop there. The illustrations draw the reader even deeper, adding to the overall experience of the book. They are dark, detailed illustrations that amplify the feeling behind the words. Where Alexander's words set imaginations on fire, the illustrations are the gasoline that makes the words burn in readers' minds long after the last words are read.
The Raven Redux is one such journey that will remain with readers. The image of the raven and the word 'nevermore' are iconic to Poe's famous poem. Alexander takes this to the next level. He shows readers the man that inspired us, as if the raven himself were haunting him. I was captivated by each and every line as the momentum picked up, speeding towards the end. Not only are the words lyrical, but readers will find there s a beat, slowly increasing in tempo until the last line. The words are weaved together like a spell, and the ending will leave you -- the reader -- craving more.
- Sarah Doughty
BONUS
For the first time in print, Alexander Bentley's short story, The Ship of the Starved: The Last Voyage of the Blessed Mary, is available in paperback format. The Ship of the Starved begins to scratch and claw at the true origin story of zombies. The story uses a 'message in a bottle' narrative to tell us where the infectious curse of these horrible creatures came from.
