BOOK REVIEW: SEVERIN by Lydian Faust



A collection of poetry that splices science fiction and horror.

I’m not that great at book reviews, but I’m even worse at poetry reviews. I am clueless when it comes about technique and form and so on, so I can’t come from an objective place in my opinions, but subjectively, this collection is fan-fucking-tastic. Elements of sci-fi, horror, and folklore are combined in a way that shouldn’t work, and at times do clash, but in the most beautifully discordant way.

Did I “get” the poems in the sense that I could say “Ah yes, it’s a metaphor for this”? Absolutely not. But the imagery and moods evoked with Faust’s razor sharp, fiery voice struck a chord and delighted me all the way through. The collection closes with the short story Little Gus, a lovely dark fable that I first read months ago when Faust shared it on social media, and it had just as much impact upon rereading.

This is a perfectly unusual collection that I will be revisiting frequently when I’m craving something beautiful and strange (which is always).

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