The Distance Between Insanity and Genius edited by Vertigo Xi'an Xavier 2017 Poet's Haven Press 102 pages, wallet-sized, square bound. $10.00 US/CAN. ISBN: 978-1-64092-004-0
Review by Herb Kauderer
The Distance Between Insanity and Genius is the fourth volume in the Poet's Haven Digest series and it carries a dark and sometimes darkly humorous mood. It is not readily available after the death of the publisher, but copies are available on the secondary market.
The book contains five short stories and twenty-three poems. Apropos of its title, the book is uneven, though arguably in a good way. There is absolute silliness and broad parody at times such as “The Red Tape Invasion”, black humor such as “The Immigrant,” and brutal seriousness such as “Grandfather.” Assassins and monsters reside alongside riffs on classic SF themes, especially time travel, and there are fresher looks at other things. And a book strongly focused on villains and super villains, unsurprisingly provides many appearances of superheroes and those straddling those positions starting with “Loki and Mystique Share a Drink at a Bar.”
There are a surprising number of poems mining Christian history. I have no idea how many speculative stories and poems I have read in my life that do that, but nothing much like “The Gospel of Judas” by Jesse Parent.
It is a different type of martyrdom
to sacrifice your name.
No father calls his son “Judas.”
-47
“She Dreams of Tigers, or Remembers” may well qualify as magic realism, closing with powerful imagery and perspective shift. And speaking of powerful, consider:
If a monster’s teeth are without blood,
Does that make it blameless?
-38 “An Ordinary Man” – Andreas Fleps
The book careens with loud and sometimes horrific writings, and yet quieter and subtler pieces sneak in such as:
a syllable in which
concealing flirts with exposing
-40 “Barely Aloof” – Melissa Mulvihill
and:
No wonder her time is spent alone
Her husband she shares with the world
[...]
His cape a symbol of hope
His heart promised to her
-90 “No Hero” – Brian Rosenberger
Like other books in the series, this book combines SFPA regulars such as Marge Simon, John C. Mannone, Michael H. Hanson, and Ayaz Daryl Nielsen with unfamiliar poets such as Richaundra Thursday, Hannah Stevenson, and Jen Giacalone. Overall, if the full title of the book appeals to you, then you are likely to find some satisfaction with what you find within.
Herb Kauderer is an English professor at Hilbert College near Buffalo, NY. His poetry has appeared in hundreds of markets including the Dwarf Stars and Rhysling Anthologies. His most recent collection is The Book of Sleep, currently an Elgin nominee.
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