Shoggoths
$8.00

Sandy DeLuca (Cover & Interior)

ProjectPulp.com Review      Where speculative poetry is concerned, the name Kopaska-Merkel always comes to mind. Anyone remotely familiar with the small press has seen the name. As both poet and editor, Mr. Kopaska-Merkel has been a driving force in the genre for more than a decade.      Shoggoths is the author’s ninth chapbook. Collected here are six poems, beautifully staged and embellished by artist Sandy DeLuca’s illustrations. A few words about the packaging: producer Sam’s Dot Publishing has done an excellent job constructing a chapbook above the small press standard. From the color cover to the interior design and layout, it appears that this publisher deliberates on the details.      And what of the contents? Having last read the author’s Results of a Preliminary Investigation of Electrochemical Properties of Some Organic Matrices [Eraserhead Press], I must admit that Shoggoths was not what I expected -- it was better. In tone and theme, Shoggoths is very different from the former, but equally brilliant. In this collection, Kopaska-Merkel the story-teller spins gripping yarns with his verse, transporting the reader to the ends of the earth, to the surface of the moon, and to the distant stars.      In "A Voyage to the Moon," Luna abducts the central character, ferrying him away from the comfort of home. The reader is swept along as the speaker mulls over his destiny, considering a host of possible conclusions seemingly as numerous as phases of the moon.      The centerpiece of Shoggoths, "At the Mountains, Madness" is an ambitious work presented in classic mythos form. Written stylistically to portray the translation of an ancient text, Kopaska-Merkel achieves a disquieting voice throughout the course of the narration -- masterfully creating nervous tension as the reader descends with the speaker through subterranean tunnels searching for a lost city on the shores of an underground sea.      One of my favorites, "A Garden Adversus," should be mandatory reading for all potential greenthumbs. Mind the tomatoes in this darkly humorous -- albeit distressingly accurate -- allegorical piece of verse.      Mr. Kopaska-Merkel’s ninth chapbook is highly recommended. Shoggoths is a series of short, well-crafted journeys that will leave readers dreaming about forgotten cities, gazing pensively into the uncertain future, and eyeing the beguiling face of the silent moon.                 ::Lee Clark Zumpe::      Have you read this title? Rate it for other customers here.