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Necessary Poisons: Poems
“The world is automatic
in the courses of its living. Time
keeps the living and the dead
in its pocket…”
A woman troubled by her place in the dark manuscript of her life rediscovers her strength and power in this collection of wicked poems. Poison, plants, bloodshed, and the supernatural collide as Blythe weaves a haunting series of horror poems not for the faint of heart.
in the courses of its living. Time
keeps the living and the dead
in its pocket…”
A woman troubled by her place in the dark manuscript of her life rediscovers her strength and power in this collection of wicked poems. Poison, plants, bloodshed, and the supernatural collide as Blythe weaves a haunting series of horror poems not for the faint of heart.
68 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2024
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Blythe
13 books87 followersAndrea Blythe is an author, poet, and game writer. She is the author of four poetry chapbooks — the most recent being Necessary Poisons (Interstellar Flight Press, 2024).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 17, 2024
This is a low rating one for me. I love dark poems but this felt very confusing to read. Nothing seemed to flow or make sense. Some poems did but most did not. It felt so random... very erratic thoughts. I was left feeling discombobulated.
Then you get to the end of the book and we are told these are just sentences that were copied and pasted and rearranged to make another story. They are lines from Stephen Kings 'The Plant.' That's a neat concept but it didn't work here. Or maybe it would have if I had known that from the beginning. Then it would make more sense. I get what the author was trying to get at... the poems were trying to read Like a story where they are conntected to make a bigger, different picture than what they were originally intended for but because of so much randomness and the metaphors used it didn't quite grasp.
I did receive a free copy of this from Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press in exchange for an honest review.
Then you get to the end of the book and we are told these are just sentences that were copied and pasted and rearranged to make another story. They are lines from Stephen Kings 'The Plant.' That's a neat concept but it didn't work here. Or maybe it would have if I had known that from the beginning. Then it would make more sense. I get what the author was trying to get at... the poems were trying to read Like a story where they are conntected to make a bigger, different picture than what they were originally intended for but because of so much randomness and the metaphors used it didn't quite grasp.
I did receive a free copy of this from Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2024
Book #501
3 ⭐️
Thank you netgalley for this collection of poems one of my favorite things about poetry is the author can do so much with creator certain concepts and stories in poems and thats what i liked about this collection which had alot of floral elements to it the cover really caught my eye i will say some of them confused me a bit but thats the thing with poetry some of the poems you will get and some you wont but each poetry novel has a poem for someone. Overall quick read and i enjoyed the story element in the poems and the details and writing.
3 ⭐️
Thank you netgalley for this collection of poems one of my favorite things about poetry is the author can do so much with creator certain concepts and stories in poems and thats what i liked about this collection which had alot of floral elements to it the cover really caught my eye i will say some of them confused me a bit but thats the thing with poetry some of the poems you will get and some you wont but each poetry novel has a poem for someone. Overall quick read and i enjoyed the story element in the poems and the details and writing.
July 14, 2024
I received this ARC from Netgalley.
As I read this collection of poems, I noticed that it didn't flow well. It felt like random sentences, and sometimes random words just put together with no real meaning. Then I got to the author's note at the end and realized that's exactly what this is.
This is just a bunch of seemingly random phrases put together and it reads exactly like that. No meaning, no feeling, nothing but words.
As I read this collection of poems, I noticed that it didn't flow well. It felt like random sentences, and sometimes random words just put together with no real meaning. Then I got to the author's note at the end and realized that's exactly what this is.
This is just a bunch of seemingly random phrases put together and it reads exactly like that. No meaning, no feeling, nothing but words.
July 14, 2024
This book combined my love for horror and poetry. This is the first found poetry collection I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the poems were very cohesive and the graphics also helped convey the themes.
Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!
Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!
July 24, 2024
In Necessary Poisons, Andrea Blythe creates a cycle of found poems, all sourced and pieced together from a single longer text. The result is an atmospheric greenhouse of poems where dark thoughts bloom. It would be a fun read for anyone who enjoys the eerie intersection of horror and poetry, as well as writers or other creators who like a compelling creative project built around strict limitations that paradoxically end up leading to greater and wholly unexpected possibilities.
On my initial read through the collection, I did find it challenging to orient myself within the poems. It wasn’t entirely clear who was speaking, or what the underlying narrative was, or if there even was one. But after reading the author’s note and gaining a better understanding of the method and limitations of the project, I took another pass through the book and found myself better able to just go with the oozy, toxic flow. My favorites were the more botanical, imagery-driven poems later in the book. I especially liked the menace in “Of the Earth,” which threatens, “…I am/any deadly thing—nightshade,/belladonna, or adder toadstool.” Love those Macbeth/Weird Sisters vibes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for providing me a copy of Necessary Poisons in exchange for my review.
On my initial read through the collection, I did find it challenging to orient myself within the poems. It wasn’t entirely clear who was speaking, or what the underlying narrative was, or if there even was one. But after reading the author’s note and gaining a better understanding of the method and limitations of the project, I took another pass through the book and found myself better able to just go with the oozy, toxic flow. My favorites were the more botanical, imagery-driven poems later in the book. I especially liked the menace in “Of the Earth,” which threatens, “…I am/any deadly thing—nightshade,/belladonna, or adder toadstool.” Love those Macbeth/Weird Sisters vibes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for providing me a copy of Necessary Poisons in exchange for my review.
August 10, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for this Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of poems created using lines from Stephen King's "The Plant"--an epistolary novel that King never completed. I believe the source material and the limitations within the 'found poem' archetype created a network of flaws within this collection. For starters, there was an immense discrepancy in quality from one poem to the next. Some of the poems were entirely incomprehensible, which did not sit well with me. The incomprehensibility stemmed from a lack of context. I couldn't orient myself within the poem, couldn't discern the identity of the narrator, and sometimes could not discern the subject of the poem altogether. At worst, some of these poems appeared to be no more than a chaotic hodge-podge of sentences from the source text.
I did, however, count 5 poems that seemed intentional and well-compiled. Those five poems were the only ones that successfully completed the found-poem assignment without sacrificing clarity. Each centered on toxic botany, and each left me feeling like the poison and ooze stuck to my skin. I greatly enjoyed those five, but wished that the rest provided equal depth and interest.
The most enjoyable part of this work, however, was the art, which was sadly pulled from The Public Domain Review. I would have preferred to see art created by independent artists with each poem in mind--this would have added something special that the poems largely failed to provide.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of poems created using lines from Stephen King's "The Plant"--an epistolary novel that King never completed. I believe the source material and the limitations within the 'found poem' archetype created a network of flaws within this collection. For starters, there was an immense discrepancy in quality from one poem to the next. Some of the poems were entirely incomprehensible, which did not sit well with me. The incomprehensibility stemmed from a lack of context. I couldn't orient myself within the poem, couldn't discern the identity of the narrator, and sometimes could not discern the subject of the poem altogether. At worst, some of these poems appeared to be no more than a chaotic hodge-podge of sentences from the source text.
I did, however, count 5 poems that seemed intentional and well-compiled. Those five poems were the only ones that successfully completed the found-poem assignment without sacrificing clarity. Each centered on toxic botany, and each left me feeling like the poison and ooze stuck to my skin. I greatly enjoyed those five, but wished that the rest provided equal depth and interest.
The most enjoyable part of this work, however, was the art, which was sadly pulled from The Public Domain Review. I would have preferred to see art created by independent artists with each poem in mind--this would have added something special that the poems largely failed to provide.
August 22, 2024
1.5 stars rounded up*
Personally, this collection of poetry just was not for me. I found it to be very unorganised and lacking structure or meaning to the overall flow of the collection. The author did state at the end of the book that all the poems were actually comprised of random phrases from other pieces of work. That was an entirely new concept to me. I don't believe this approach worked well for this specific collection. I didn't understand a lot of the poems and the messages they were trying to convey. After reading the author's note, it becomes quite apparent that the author pieced sentences from other's work together.
Poetry can be a very personal piece of writing as well as extremely ambiguous, so maybe these just weren't to my taste. However, I did not enjoy this work as much as I had hoped to due to the lack of structure and the chaos evident throughout the pages.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Personally, this collection of poetry just was not for me. I found it to be very unorganised and lacking structure or meaning to the overall flow of the collection. The author did state at the end of the book that all the poems were actually comprised of random phrases from other pieces of work. That was an entirely new concept to me. I don't believe this approach worked well for this specific collection. I didn't understand a lot of the poems and the messages they were trying to convey. After reading the author's note, it becomes quite apparent that the author pieced sentences from other's work together.
Poetry can be a very personal piece of writing as well as extremely ambiguous, so maybe these just weren't to my taste. However, I did not enjoy this work as much as I had hoped to due to the lack of structure and the chaos evident throughout the pages.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2024
Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC of Necessary Poisons in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed and picked up on the throughline pretty quick, which made sense to me. A woman figuring out her story and where she fits in life both with herself and others. Mostly, what makes it a 3 for me is that there are some poems that don't seem to fit the flow great and some of the lines to me sound nice/cool but didn't make sense in the larger structure of the poem. After reading the authors note and finding out that it is all found poetry from a Stephen King novel, it made me think that some of the lines were just that. Love the idea of found poetry, but I think it's very tricky to pull off in a cohesive manner. I will give it that a majority was pretty cohesive as I could find the plot, but it got lost sometimes, leaving me with a "huh?" moment that had me questioning if I actually did grasp what was going on.
August 12, 2024
Necessary Poisons
Andrea Blythe
I really enjoyed this collection of dark poetry ...
Very much, in fact ...
But it's too hard for me to really give my thoughts full thoughts without spoiling it ...
So all I'll say is that my personal critique is just that I wish we knew what we find out at the end, at the beginning. Because I knew there was something connecting the poems (that are BEAUTIFULLY written, by the way) but I found myself constantly distracted trying to make the connection. And I personally don't think it'd harm the experience by switching up when the connection is revealed.
But that's obviously just my opinion, so I'll let you go in blindly, and make up your own mind. Very interesting idea though ...
The poems have a disquietingly dark and deep voice of their own, so I'll let them do the talking. 😉
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC ebook in exchange for honest review
Andrea Blythe
I really enjoyed this collection of dark poetry ...
Very much, in fact ...
But it's too hard for me to really give my thoughts full thoughts without spoiling it ...
So all I'll say is that my personal critique is just that I wish we knew what we find out at the end, at the beginning. Because I knew there was something connecting the poems (that are BEAUTIFULLY written, by the way) but I found myself constantly distracted trying to make the connection. And I personally don't think it'd harm the experience by switching up when the connection is revealed.
But that's obviously just my opinion, so I'll let you go in blindly, and make up your own mind. Very interesting idea though ...
The poems have a disquietingly dark and deep voice of their own, so I'll let them do the talking. 😉
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC ebook in exchange for honest review
October 8, 2024
Necessary is a collection of found poetry published by the wonderful Interstellar Flight Press. This collection has a lot of emphasis on poisonous plants and manuscripts. The poems were created by taking pages of The Plant by Stephen King, which is an unfinished epistolary novel, and blacking out words until a new poem emerges. I really find the way that the poetry was created really interesting, and I would love to try this method.
It must be difficult to create poems only using the words of others. Some of the poems were not as impactful, because of they seemed to lack a central story. This is the tricky part of only using the words on a single page. However, there were a few poems that were unbelievably good and inspiring.
If you are interested to see poems created from a Stephen King text while creating its own story that runs throughout the collection then I would recommend checking out this collection.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy for review.
It must be difficult to create poems only using the words of others. Some of the poems were not as impactful, because of they seemed to lack a central story. This is the tricky part of only using the words on a single page. However, there were a few poems that were unbelievably good and inspiring.
If you are interested to see poems created from a Stephen King text while creating its own story that runs throughout the collection then I would recommend checking out this collection.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy for review.
November 5, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
2.75⭐
Some of these poems were definitely better than others, as with every collection. I liked the idea that the poems were not written from scratch, but based on lines from Stephen King's work "The Plant", but I did not feel like they flowed nicely. I also did not know what they are based on until it was mentioned at the end of the book, which made everything even more confusing.
The art that was sprinkled through the book was cool, even if I did not feel like it was that related to the poems. Overall, a diverse collection (as the poems had different vibes) but not the best result, in my opinion. It is hard to judge this style (being based on someone else's work), but sadly this was not really memorable.
2.75⭐
Some of these poems were definitely better than others, as with every collection. I liked the idea that the poems were not written from scratch, but based on lines from Stephen King's work "The Plant", but I did not feel like they flowed nicely. I also did not know what they are based on until it was mentioned at the end of the book, which made everything even more confusing.
The art that was sprinkled through the book was cool, even if I did not feel like it was that related to the poems. Overall, a diverse collection (as the poems had different vibes) but not the best result, in my opinion. It is hard to judge this style (being based on someone else's work), but sadly this was not really memorable.
November 24, 2024
I planned to consume this collection over time, to sample each poem and let it sink in slowly.
Instead, I ended up binging it in two passes, devouring one after another like a sugar-starved child set loose on a bag of Halloween candy, with no care for the razor blades which may be hidden inside, wrapped in nougat and caramel.
Blythe's razor-blade poetry comes in a range of forms, the changing rhythms and layouts adding variety to the collection while not abandoning the tentative spine that holds the narrative in place.
I enjoy found poetry, but only when done well. Poorly curated, it reads as random or derivative. In Blythe's hands the text comes to life, sentences and imagery stitched together, shambling and shaking as it chased me down the corridors of my mind.
Excellent work, and highly recommended.
Instead, I ended up binging it in two passes, devouring one after another like a sugar-starved child set loose on a bag of Halloween candy, with no care for the razor blades which may be hidden inside, wrapped in nougat and caramel.
Blythe's razor-blade poetry comes in a range of forms, the changing rhythms and layouts adding variety to the collection while not abandoning the tentative spine that holds the narrative in place.
I enjoy found poetry, but only when done well. Poorly curated, it reads as random or derivative. In Blythe's hands the text comes to life, sentences and imagery stitched together, shambling and shaking as it chased me down the corridors of my mind.
Excellent work, and highly recommended.
March 26, 2025
I love the way Blythe describes found poetry in the Author's Note: "This is a collection of found poetry, by which I mean it is a collection of words that once existed in another text, where they had an order and a place that suited them just fine. Then, I came along and plucked them from their sentences, jostled them about, and arranged them in all new phrases and shapes, and now look at them, rubbing up against each other in new and uncomfortable ways and not quite sure what to do with themselves."
This collection, which uses as its source material an obscure Stephen King work, THE PLANT, contains a wide range of poetic forms and styles. The images conveyed by the words (as well as the literal images that pepper the book) are unsettling, frequently evoking body and botanical horrors. There's also a fascinating throughline about writing and manuscripts.
This collection, which uses as its source material an obscure Stephen King work, THE PLANT, contains a wide range of poetic forms and styles. The images conveyed by the words (as well as the literal images that pepper the book) are unsettling, frequently evoking body and botanical horrors. There's also a fascinating throughline about writing and manuscripts.
July 18, 2024
This is a dark collection of poems unlike anything I have read previously. At times disjointed and jarring, and at others poignant and piercing. The imagery flows through the poems beautifully. And after reading the Authors note the skill and creativity of these poems is even more impressive. The art work is brutally stunning, and even more meaningful in that Ms. Blythe created the art herself!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing an ARC for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing an ARC for an honest review!
September 5, 2024
thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc. this is one of my lower rated books. not all types of poetry and for everyone, and i don’t think this one was for me. i do like found poetry and dark poetry but something about the way this was brought together feels rushed, chaotic, and almost as if it has no true purpose. i liked maybe 3 of them, but for the most part i did find myself connecting or enjoying the collection of poems in this book.
July 3, 2025
This would be an excellent collection of poems, if it were just that. The fact that this is a collection of found poetry AND that is creates such a cohesive, haunting, and satisfying narrative is nothing short of extraordinary. A must read for anyone interested in speculative/horror poetry, plants, or those who simply enjoy ars poetica.
September 24, 2024
This, I found to be, a darker collection of poetry. I enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless. I definitely think it's worth the read.
October 21, 2024
Ok so when I was reading this I was a little confused because it felt like bits and pieces stuck together (which of course it is) and there were certain parts that were fantastic. But it was so confusing I was going to give this a 1 or a 2.
But then I read the end and it made so much sense and looking back on it made it enjoyable. I really feel like the explain of this type of poetry really really should be in the beginning of the book because it will make it waaaaaaay more enjoyable.
Thank you to netgalley for this book 🫶🏻
But then I read the end and it made so much sense and looking back on it made it enjoyable. I really feel like the explain of this type of poetry really really should be in the beginning of the book because it will make it waaaaaaay more enjoyable.
Thank you to netgalley for this book 🫶🏻
July 13, 2024
"Necessary Poisons" by Andrea Blythe is a sterling work of art. The only reason I give it three stars is because I have little appreciation and/or imagination for the abstract.
I appreciate receiving this ARC from Netgalley and I do highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in abstract poetry and/or eco-poetry.
I appreciate receiving this ARC from Netgalley and I do highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in abstract poetry and/or eco-poetry.
July 21, 2024
If I could rate the illustrations in this book I would give them a 4/5 stars. They are beautiful and uncanny, while fitting with the found poetry content of this collection. I love the idea of found poetry and enjoyed some of Andreas’s poems, but didn’t really connect with them or liked them enough to purchase or recommend this collection to anyone else I know. I think the idea of using Stephen king books really cool and creative way to make darker themed poetry.
December 8, 2024
This was … something. I was actually quite excited for it. However most of the poems didn’t really make sense to me. Sometimes I felt like there was a narrative throughout the whole collection and then sometimes I didn’t even understand what the poem was trying to express. I really enjoy the concept… the execution not so much.
August 11, 2024
Firstly, I want to say thank you for allowing me to read and review this collection early as an e-arc.
I'm not sure how to begin this review, so I'm just going to jump in with a...
it's odd.
Not odd in a bad way, just odd in a way. Whatever that way may be. During my time reading the poems, I was wishing I had someone to talk to, someone who understood more about nuance than me, as I was incredibly confused. There was a lot of repetition between poems (manuscript, jackal, black) and it was obvious they were connected, but I couldn't find the thread that connected them.
Until the end. It's found poetry. It was all pulled from a Stephen King book, rearranged, and had new life breathed into it. That explained so much. I do wish this was acknowledged earlier (I reread the beginning in case I missed a mention of this aspect and there was nothing) so I could've kept it in mind and not spent half the collection with my eyebrows pinching my nose going "why" every couple of stanzas.
I want to touch on the repetition real quick: I didn't care for it. The collection seems disjointed and there are two or three poems in a row that mention jackals as an analogy rather than a subject. There were more scattered about, but had some separation between. Somehow, Blythe made up her own cliches. After about halfway through, the themes seemed to play on repeat, and the newfound cliches became obvious. It ruined the fun I found at the start.
But I digress! Outside of my initial confusion, I did enjoy a good number of the poems. Unfortunately, as I now know they're found poems, I'm not sure if the lines I loved were because of King or because of Blythe. The acknowledgments at the end say that words were chosen and then rearranged in their entirety, but I've never read the book these are "found" from, so I'm not sure if Blythe is playing off the concepts King addresses. I suppose that's one unfortunate thing now knowing that it's found poetry: I'm not sure if I can wholeheartedly give Blythe the credit she is due.
So yeah. It was odd. I found it confusing. I wish I had someone to talk to about this to maybe help me understand some of these pieces better. I don't think it's bad, I just don't think it's for me. But if you like darker-toned poetry that isn't horror-based, and/or are in to different styles and methods of writing poetry, I think this could be your thing. It's just not mine.
I'm not sure how to begin this review, so I'm just going to jump in with a...
it's odd.
Not odd in a bad way, just odd in a way. Whatever that way may be. During my time reading the poems, I was wishing I had someone to talk to, someone who understood more about nuance than me, as I was incredibly confused. There was a lot of repetition between poems (manuscript, jackal, black) and it was obvious they were connected, but I couldn't find the thread that connected them.
Until the end. It's found poetry. It was all pulled from a Stephen King book, rearranged, and had new life breathed into it. That explained so much. I do wish this was acknowledged earlier (I reread the beginning in case I missed a mention of this aspect and there was nothing) so I could've kept it in mind and not spent half the collection with my eyebrows pinching my nose going "why" every couple of stanzas.
I want to touch on the repetition real quick: I didn't care for it. The collection seems disjointed and there are two or three poems in a row that mention jackals as an analogy rather than a subject. There were more scattered about, but had some separation between. Somehow, Blythe made up her own cliches. After about halfway through, the themes seemed to play on repeat, and the newfound cliches became obvious. It ruined the fun I found at the start.
But I digress! Outside of my initial confusion, I did enjoy a good number of the poems. Unfortunately, as I now know they're found poems, I'm not sure if the lines I loved were because of King or because of Blythe. The acknowledgments at the end say that words were chosen and then rearranged in their entirety, but I've never read the book these are "found" from, so I'm not sure if Blythe is playing off the concepts King addresses. I suppose that's one unfortunate thing now knowing that it's found poetry: I'm not sure if I can wholeheartedly give Blythe the credit she is due.
So yeah. It was odd. I found it confusing. I wish I had someone to talk to about this to maybe help me understand some of these pieces better. I don't think it's bad, I just don't think it's for me. But if you like darker-toned poetry that isn't horror-based, and/or are in to different styles and methods of writing poetry, I think this could be your thing. It's just not mine.
November 12, 2024
(The following review reflects my opinions of this book based on an eARC provided by Reedsy Discovery.)
The origin story of Andrea Blythe’s new book begins with the inherently deconstructive nature necessary for found poetry. For those unfamiliar with the term, it involves an author choosing words on the pages of an already existing manuscript to create original work. The existing manuscript Blythe used for Necessary Poisons was Stephen King’s incomplete novel The Plant. There are also many varieties within the genus of found poetry. In the notes, Blythe explains that she scanned the pages of The Plant for words that stood out to her, then rearranged only these “found” words to create the individual poems that make up the collection.
Like the best found poetry collections, Blythe manages to create a story arc that weaves its way through the “red” of skin and flesh and bone and page. We’re witness to the evolution (and expansion) of a protagonist as the corporeal intertwines with the botanical, and the surreal oozes in the shadows alongside the philosophical. Amidst the junked novel subbasements and lyrical tendrils, the text remains hauntingly tangible and emotionally relatable. Plus, there are a ton of tasty lines in here. A passage in “This Unforeseen Country” reads: You shifted / like water, / smoke, or breath. You lost / surface tension. In the opening lines to “Never the Last Letter” we read: We live in an America / of Motel Six parking lots, / the ordinary zenith of hell—. Towards the end of “Sudden Botany” Blythe delivers the lines: You overturned my soil, / handled / my broad, dark green leaves / and tendrils. My growth / was extraordinary, and I / produced / a cold little flower.
There are so many gems here. It’s a quick, fun, and slightly disturbing read. But Necessary Poisons really shines when dipping back in for a second or third time, mulling over all the turns of phrase and upturned soil, and truly appreciating what can be created when you strip something down, loving tear it apart, and meticulously put it back together misshapen. A worthy read for longtime fans of found poetry and newcomers alike.
The origin story of Andrea Blythe’s new book begins with the inherently deconstructive nature necessary for found poetry. For those unfamiliar with the term, it involves an author choosing words on the pages of an already existing manuscript to create original work. The existing manuscript Blythe used for Necessary Poisons was Stephen King’s incomplete novel The Plant. There are also many varieties within the genus of found poetry. In the notes, Blythe explains that she scanned the pages of The Plant for words that stood out to her, then rearranged only these “found” words to create the individual poems that make up the collection.
Like the best found poetry collections, Blythe manages to create a story arc that weaves its way through the “red” of skin and flesh and bone and page. We’re witness to the evolution (and expansion) of a protagonist as the corporeal intertwines with the botanical, and the surreal oozes in the shadows alongside the philosophical. Amidst the junked novel subbasements and lyrical tendrils, the text remains hauntingly tangible and emotionally relatable. Plus, there are a ton of tasty lines in here. A passage in “This Unforeseen Country” reads: You shifted / like water, / smoke, or breath. You lost / surface tension. In the opening lines to “Never the Last Letter” we read: We live in an America / of Motel Six parking lots, / the ordinary zenith of hell—. Towards the end of “Sudden Botany” Blythe delivers the lines: You overturned my soil, / handled / my broad, dark green leaves / and tendrils. My growth / was extraordinary, and I / produced / a cold little flower.
There are so many gems here. It’s a quick, fun, and slightly disturbing read. But Necessary Poisons really shines when dipping back in for a second or third time, mulling over all the turns of phrase and upturned soil, and truly appreciating what can be created when you strip something down, loving tear it apart, and meticulously put it back together misshapen. A worthy read for longtime fans of found poetry and newcomers alike.
August 16, 2024
Rating: 2.5/5
Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a digital ARC to review.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of macabre found poetry , the source for which is Stephen King's unfinished epistolary novel The Plant. It is a fascinating collection, if a bit flawed. Sometimes self-imposed restrictions, like only using words and phrases from a pres-existing text, can ultimately expand one's creativity. In this collection the restrictions have mixed results.
Some poems, mainly the ones about the jackal, but also a couple of others, are a pleasure to read, with an eery mysticism to them, wrapped up in a rather elegant structure. Even if the meaning wasn't transparent, those poems had a fable-like quality to them that left me with a mixture of tension and wonder. The found poetry format also allows Blythe to uncover unconventional ways of using language that probably wouldn't have occurred to her without this limit.
However, other poems, which sadly make up the majority of the collection seem somewhat unfinished, and some of those are barely comprehensible, with no clear imagery, structure or lyricism to guide the reader through. These poems also don't have a great flow (I tried reading them out loud to test it) and could have used further reworking for that alone. Also, that's a total nitpick, but in the poem "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" there is a line saying "bellies/ and breasts sewn with belladonna/ and nightshade", when belladonna and nightshade are the same plant. I have no idea if that's something taken from King's text, but it seems like a rather silly mistake for a collection centering deadly plants to have.
I really liked the artwork in the collection - it's comprised of collages that the author did from public domain imagery. It's definite proof that one can add quality artwork to book, without the budget to hire an artist, but without resorting to AI image generation.
Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a digital ARC to review.
Necessary Poisons is a collection of macabre found poetry , the source for which is Stephen King's unfinished epistolary novel The Plant. It is a fascinating collection, if a bit flawed. Sometimes self-imposed restrictions, like only using words and phrases from a pres-existing text, can ultimately expand one's creativity. In this collection the restrictions have mixed results.
Some poems, mainly the ones about the jackal, but also a couple of others, are a pleasure to read, with an eery mysticism to them, wrapped up in a rather elegant structure. Even if the meaning wasn't transparent, those poems had a fable-like quality to them that left me with a mixture of tension and wonder. The found poetry format also allows Blythe to uncover unconventional ways of using language that probably wouldn't have occurred to her without this limit.
However, other poems, which sadly make up the majority of the collection seem somewhat unfinished, and some of those are barely comprehensible, with no clear imagery, structure or lyricism to guide the reader through. These poems also don't have a great flow (I tried reading them out loud to test it) and could have used further reworking for that alone. Also, that's a total nitpick, but in the poem "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" there is a line saying "bellies/ and breasts sewn with belladonna/ and nightshade", when belladonna and nightshade are the same plant. I have no idea if that's something taken from King's text, but it seems like a rather silly mistake for a collection centering deadly plants to have.
I really liked the artwork in the collection - it's comprised of collages that the author did from public domain imagery. It's definite proof that one can add quality artwork to book, without the budget to hire an artist, but without resorting to AI image generation.
August 20, 2024
🦇Summary
A collection of horror poems centered on poison, plants, bloodshed, and the supernatural.
📚Themes & Topics: Poetry, Writing, Death, Gardens
⭐Rating: 🩸🩸
🧠 My thoughts
It's been ages since I've read any poetry. When I saw this collection, I was immediately intrigued and interested - why not step out of my comfort zone and explore some poetry? Especially poetry themed around horror.
It didn't all land for me, but there were some I really enjoyed. I loved the images scattered between the poems - odd eyes peering through flowers, beautiful and creepy. The poems themselves were simply fine. I didn't really get a lot of them nor what the connection was. I kind of got a sense of a progressing story, but wasn't really sure what the thread was that carried it through, or the perspective we were seeing it from.
Favorites Poems include A Little Background Information, The Book, All But Forgotten, Sudden Botany
When I got to the author's note at the end, I immediately wished it was at the beginning of the collect. It would have put so much more into context and framed everything much better than just blindly experiencing it. The concept is so cool, it would have benefitted from this being at the front and not the end of the collection. Overall, 2 stars from me as I only found a few poems that resonated and was generally confused with the collection.
Thank you very much to Netgalley for an ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest review!
👻Read this if you like:
Botanical Poems
Want to experience something different
👿Skip this if:
You want a coherent collection
You aren't interested in odd poetry
Horror Hodgepodge Blog Post Here!
A collection of horror poems centered on poison, plants, bloodshed, and the supernatural.
📚Themes & Topics: Poetry, Writing, Death, Gardens
⭐Rating: 🩸🩸
🧠 My thoughts
It's been ages since I've read any poetry. When I saw this collection, I was immediately intrigued and interested - why not step out of my comfort zone and explore some poetry? Especially poetry themed around horror.
It didn't all land for me, but there were some I really enjoyed. I loved the images scattered between the poems - odd eyes peering through flowers, beautiful and creepy. The poems themselves were simply fine. I didn't really get a lot of them nor what the connection was. I kind of got a sense of a progressing story, but wasn't really sure what the thread was that carried it through, or the perspective we were seeing it from.
Favorites Poems include A Little Background Information, The Book, All But Forgotten, Sudden Botany
When I got to the author's note at the end, I immediately wished it was at the beginning of the collect. It would have put so much more into context and framed everything much better than just blindly experiencing it. The concept is so cool, it would have benefitted from this being at the front and not the end of the collection. Overall, 2 stars from me as I only found a few poems that resonated and was generally confused with the collection.
Thank you very much to Netgalley for an ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest review!
👻Read this if you like:
Botanical Poems
Want to experience something different
👿Skip this if:
You want a coherent collection
You aren't interested in odd poetry
Horror Hodgepodge Blog Post Here!
October 4, 2024
This collection is a really cool mix of surreal and otherworldly poems that dive into big ideas like figuring out who you are and dealing with the messy, sometimes harsh world around us.
The poems have a fantasy and horror vibe, with a lot of inspiration from nature and poisonous plants, which gives them a wild, cosmic energy. The author have a haunting style but also really thoughtful, exploring how horror and transformation can go hand in hand.
My favorite poem was The Book it talks about our identity being made up of a bunch of different words and ideas, kind of like a book written on our skin. It mentions that other people would try to “read” us or understand who we are by looking at the surface, but they can't really get the whole picture. At the end, it says that not even we fully understand ourselves. And I think it's a good metaphor, since we never truly know a person to a 100%
In simpler terms, the poem suggests that people are complicated, and it’s hard for anyone (even ourselves) to fully understand all the layers that make up who we are. It touches on the feeling of being mysterious, even to yourself.
If you're into poetry that mixes mystical and creepy elements or are just like me, and love to read out of your comfort zone from time to time. It's a super immersive read, and it's a very short collection.
And the illustrations are a cool touch 😋👌
The poems have a fantasy and horror vibe, with a lot of inspiration from nature and poisonous plants, which gives them a wild, cosmic energy. The author have a haunting style but also really thoughtful, exploring how horror and transformation can go hand in hand.
My favorite poem was The Book it talks about our identity being made up of a bunch of different words and ideas, kind of like a book written on our skin. It mentions that other people would try to “read” us or understand who we are by looking at the surface, but they can't really get the whole picture. At the end, it says that not even we fully understand ourselves. And I think it's a good metaphor, since we never truly know a person to a 100%
In simpler terms, the poem suggests that people are complicated, and it’s hard for anyone (even ourselves) to fully understand all the layers that make up who we are. It touches on the feeling of being mysterious, even to yourself.
If you're into poetry that mixes mystical and creepy elements or are just like me, and love to read out of your comfort zone from time to time. It's a super immersive read, and it's a very short collection.
And the illustrations are a cool touch 😋👌
August 24, 2024
Horror and poetry, a combo of two my favorite things to read, so I was looking forward to this. I always like to say with poetry, it's VERY individualized as to how a reader is going to interpret and understand any given poem. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn't. It's all about how the reader can connect with the words on the page, even more so than a novel simply because there's usually fewer words to make an impact.
I enjoyed somewhere between a third and a half of the poems in this collection from Andrea Blythe, and some I just couldn't find a connection to. At the end of the collection, the author shares the inspiration and intent of this collection, which stemmed from a found poetry event, The Poeming.
I was already familiar with found poetry, so learning this after reading the collection made some of the disjointed and the "this doesn't make sense" feelings I got in some pieces make a bit more sense. I think if the collection had been introduced with the author's notes about the creation of these poems, it could put the reader in a better frame of mind for attempting to understand some of the pieces.
I received a copy of Necessary Poisons from NetGalley to read and share my opinions on. The collection release date is for October 2024, so if you have an interest in poems doused in horror concepts, you might want to give these a try.
I enjoyed somewhere between a third and a half of the poems in this collection from Andrea Blythe, and some I just couldn't find a connection to. At the end of the collection, the author shares the inspiration and intent of this collection, which stemmed from a found poetry event, The Poeming.
I was already familiar with found poetry, so learning this after reading the collection made some of the disjointed and the "this doesn't make sense" feelings I got in some pieces make a bit more sense. I think if the collection had been introduced with the author's notes about the creation of these poems, it could put the reader in a better frame of mind for attempting to understand some of the pieces.
I received a copy of Necessary Poisons from NetGalley to read and share my opinions on. The collection release date is for October 2024, so if you have an interest in poems doused in horror concepts, you might want to give these a try.
July 23, 2024
I get why others didn't like this, but I greatly enjoyed it.
Let me explain.
This is a book of found poetry, which I didn't learn until the end. It might have been better to have that information up front. Found poetry isn't for everyone. It tends to be more disjointed by the nature of what it is, and the flow is not always smooth. That is, to me, part of it's appeal.
It isn't pretty. It isn't sweet. It isn't gentle.
It's raw. It's awkward. It's made of the carcasses of other works.
That's a particularly fitting way to describe this book. The poems were macabre, dark, and fixated on death. They were also beautiful. There were multiple lines I liked so much I googled them to find what they were from only to discover they were Frankenstein-ed together by Blythe, so that something wholly new and beautiful was created. "We will all be leaving without prior notice" is simply a gorgeous line, and one of many. "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" was probably my favorite poem in the collection.
I loved the witchy vibes, loved the twisted phrases describing twisted thoughts, and overall really enjoyed it. It's a quick read and one you won't regret.
Let me explain.
This is a book of found poetry, which I didn't learn until the end. It might have been better to have that information up front. Found poetry isn't for everyone. It tends to be more disjointed by the nature of what it is, and the flow is not always smooth. That is, to me, part of it's appeal.
It isn't pretty. It isn't sweet. It isn't gentle.
It's raw. It's awkward. It's made of the carcasses of other works.
That's a particularly fitting way to describe this book. The poems were macabre, dark, and fixated on death. They were also beautiful. There were multiple lines I liked so much I googled them to find what they were from only to discover they were Frankenstein-ed together by Blythe, so that something wholly new and beautiful was created. "We will all be leaving without prior notice" is simply a gorgeous line, and one of many. "Morning, Wrapped in Maple and Pine" was probably my favorite poem in the collection.
I loved the witchy vibes, loved the twisted phrases describing twisted thoughts, and overall really enjoyed it. It's a quick read and one you won't regret.
August 25, 2024
This was a 2.5* read for me, although to some extent the fault is mine. I saw “horror” and “poetry” and got all excited, but failed to realize that this collection is composed entirely of found poems.
Intellectually, I think this is a compelling exercise, but the poems didn’t make me feel much. I feel like this is often the case for me when it comes to found poetry. Yes, I can analyze the meaning, which in this case forms a semi-coherent story in which the narrator is a palimpsest, just at the poems themselves are a form of palimpsest in a way. But just because I can think about these poems doesn’t make me feel much, if anything, about them. This is 100% to do with how I enjoy poetry, and what I want from the experience of reading a collection. Not for me, but I think fans of Stephen King in particular (who wrote the MS in which these poems were found) will enjoy the nesting-doll effect of works within works.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
Intellectually, I think this is a compelling exercise, but the poems didn’t make me feel much. I feel like this is often the case for me when it comes to found poetry. Yes, I can analyze the meaning, which in this case forms a semi-coherent story in which the narrator is a palimpsest, just at the poems themselves are a form of palimpsest in a way. But just because I can think about these poems doesn’t make me feel much, if anything, about them. This is 100% to do with how I enjoy poetry, and what I want from the experience of reading a collection. Not for me, but I think fans of Stephen King in particular (who wrote the MS in which these poems were found) will enjoy the nesting-doll effect of works within works.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
September 27, 2024
Publishing date: 07.10.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I expected: A witchy book with poems about poisons, potions, and herbs
I got: Found-poetry with themes of domestic horrors
The book left me: Reflecting on my own domestic horrors
Poetry style:
Found-poetry based on Stephen King's "The Plant". Works well here
Amount of poems: 30 poems
Features:
5 Beautiful artworks, themes of domesticity, horrors of the mind and everyday life
Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, B tier. This was a beautiful collection, one that I could relate to. If you wish to experience found-poetry for the first time, I would say this is a good collection to start. I haven't read "The Plant", so I don't know if it does the book justice. But it works well enough to pique my interest to read the book.
Favorite poems:
A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE INTENTION OF BEING
THE OTHER GRAY AREA
THE BOOK
SMILE, NO HUMOR
BELATEDLY, THE REFUSAL
A BOQUET OF ILLUSIONS
THE ZENITH
MORNING, WRAPPED IN MAPLE AND PINE
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I expected: A witchy book with poems about poisons, potions, and herbs
I got: Found-poetry with themes of domestic horrors
The book left me: Reflecting on my own domestic horrors
Poetry style:
Found-poetry based on Stephen King's "The Plant". Works well here
Amount of poems: 30 poems
Features:
5 Beautiful artworks, themes of domesticity, horrors of the mind and everyday life
Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, B tier. This was a beautiful collection, one that I could relate to. If you wish to experience found-poetry for the first time, I would say this is a good collection to start. I haven't read "The Plant", so I don't know if it does the book justice. But it works well enough to pique my interest to read the book.
Favorite poems:
A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE INTENTION OF BEING
THE OTHER GRAY AREA
THE BOOK
SMILE, NO HUMOR
BELATEDLY, THE REFUSAL
A BOQUET OF ILLUSIONS
THE ZENITH
MORNING, WRAPPED IN MAPLE AND PINE
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews