Weird Worlds by Colleen Anderson, cover illustration “Ribcage” by Skinny Gaviar, Weird House Press, 2024, 162 pp. Trade pbk, $16.95, ISBN-10: 1957121807
A Review by Sandra J. Lindow
Weird Worlds by Colleen Anderson is a long meaty book with tendrils and tentacles that catch readers unexpectedly. The 86 poems are divided into five sections with foreword by Carina Bisset and introduction by Marge Simon.
The first section is entitled “This is Horror,” and “Wolf Skin,” the second poem, contains these evocative lines:
Let us know each other through and through
our outer coats of pure intent
peel back the bristly brindle fur
shuck the ivory canine fangs
pull each claw from your feet
and bare your soul to me (4)
This invocation asks us to remove our sharp wolfy exteriors so that we can be honestly and openly ourselves. The book further explores the difference between death and living death. ”Obsessions; or, Biting Off More than One Can Chew” dreams of living death: “you are the apple / from which that worm has crawled / your bosom white as casket lilies shudders” (6). How do we set aside such dreams and focus on the life we have left even though we know that “Life, a jealous lover, will toss you to death’s portal” (9). “Crossroads” is a kind of prayer for meaning after death that asks “plant seeds beneath my tongue / water with my tears / where the whispers of life / might grow anew.” It continues:
let me be a warning
that misinterpreting the esoteric
symbols, songs, incantations
being first to breach portals
exposes truths—eternity means something
and nothing is forever (13)
In the second section, “Shadow Country,” “Still Life with Gods and Monsters” describes a hunter’s journey to the river Styx. Loss of physical presence is contrasted by a widening vision that is interwoven into every stanza including these surprising lines:
Osiris, the dismembered god
with severed hand passes me a condom
I don’t need these anymore (34)
“Upon Discovery” is a palindrome shaped like a dragon with furled wings while “the Drowning Ones” describes willing and ecstatic sacrifice, consumption by the ocean. “The Metallurgist’s Dream” is a heart-breaking poem about the impossibility of art reclaiming a loved one from remains such as” your glasses, shirt, hair and teeth / bones, your favorite ring and book” (44):
when I finish, you stand before me
a hollow statue unmoving
there is no wit here, no laughter
and I awake, tears falling
silver in the night (44)
“Legend,” a rhyming poem about a dragon’s death contains this touching line: “Weary sighs in cataract eyes” (52).
In “Mythic Nature” the third section, trees hold mythic power, Eve swallows Eden’s serpent freeing her thoughts and voice. This redolent haiku: “butterfly effect / possibility’s garden / Schrodinger’s cat leaps” (64) may be a mantra for poetic inspiration, something happening somewhere causes something to happen that makes a difference between life and death. “Topsy Turvy” reflects a world where any little girl can become an Alice: “we cannot fathom how the Alice views the world / when the mirrors are inward fracturing” (69) [ …] “beyond the normal mimsy ways / in which the world folds over / turning into origami flowers” (70).
Section four, “Closet Skeletons.” addresses the things we do behind closed doors, our creepy personal and interpersonal obsessions, the marks of sadomasochism and incest, a victim’s revenge, or meeting angels with “Divine-tipped claws” (100). “How to Cook with Children” contains these whimsically horrific lines: “Once roasting, skim off whales, snails, puppy dog tails / Everything nice and extra fat
Trim make-believe and imaginary friends” (95). But “Divinity in the Afterglow” leaves humanity behind amidst nuclear holocaust: “It is only in this final moment / As flesh melts and bones burn / That I see forms aglow” (104).
The last section, “Dark Matter,” explores the darker side of sf poetry. “Masquerade” describes necessary alien camouflage apparel: “a hundred coats / kept for all occasions” (112). “Perfect Lover” describes unfortunate albeit expensive android sex: “my attentions brought you moaning, crying out / you melted, oil bubbling through your crystal eyes spilling / from your silicate nose” (119). “Machine (r)Evolution” is a cautionary history of machine development beginning with Archimedes and ending with “01110010 00101110 / Have we got a deal for you!” (123).
In conclusion, there are at least two ways to read Colleen Anderson, the first is to take the poems at face value, as fantasy, horror, or science fiction. The second is to read them as an exploration of being human, finding our true selves within loving relationships with others and learning to live carefully in our one and only world because there are many awful ways to stray into destruction. Highly Recommended.
Sandra Lindow has served as Vice President and Acting President of SFPA. Her poetry has been seen in various markets including Asimov’s, Star*Line, Dreams and Nightmares, Dwarf Stars, and the Rhysling Anthologies. Her spec related editing includes Dwarf Stars, Eye to the Telescope, the second Rhysling winners anthology, Alchemy of Stars II, and most recently the 2025 Valentines Day page. She lives on a hilltop in Menomonie, Wisconsin where she attempts various strategies to keep varmints from eating her vegetables and perennials.
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