Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions

by Maxwell I. Gold

This collection weaves the anxious pall of cosmic dread with the bones of the bizarre and the strange. From indescribable dimensions to the bleakest parts of our worst nightmares taking the reader back to the thrones of the Cyber Gods; the reader is transported.

This follow up to Gold's two-time Elgin-Award nominated prose poetry collection, Oblivion in Flux: A Collection of Cyber Prose, is composed of 50 prose poems that throw us into the mouth of dead stars, through old nameless cities, and down to the inward terrors we might dare to reveal to ourselves...

Advance Praise
“Good writing takes us out of ourselves for a few precious minutes; great horror writing makes us wonder if we can find a way back. Maxwell I. Gold is a great horror writer, and Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions may have taken a part of me forever. Beautiful, horrifying, haunting, and utterly unique.” —Six-time Bram Stoker Award winner Lisa Morton

“Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions is a brilliant collection of poems. Deeply insightful, beautiful, horrifying, and unflinching. Bravo!” —Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of NecroTek and editor of Weird Tales Magazine

“I always look forward to entering the otherworldly dimensions of Gold’s imagination. In this book his songs of lost reality echo in twisted images, like shadowy dreams half remembered. The prose/poems morph on the page as they tell the story of humans and their deteriorating existence. I do not know this mutating universe, but the author’s striking use of language effortlessly transported me there. My shadow enjoyed this haunting journey.”—Linda D. Addison, award-winning author, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and SFPA Grand Master.

“Maxwell Ian Gold does it again! A raw but exquisite collection of poems, Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions, is Gold’s best work yet. And considering his excellent body of work, that is saying a great deal. A true talent for writing, which leaps from the pages and grabs your attention to the end.” —Cindy O’Quinn, Bram Stoker Award Winner

“Tiny Oblivions is a devastatingly heartfelt poetry collection of the regret of the tortures of time, the anguish that arises with brutal memories, and the regret that lingers for pain inflicted we could not stop. Maxwell Ian Gold’s gripping and poignant lyricism shimmers.”—Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Crime Scene

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2024

About the author

Maxwell I. Gold is a Rhysling Award nominated prose poet, focusing on weird fiction. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Spectral Realms, Space and Time Magazine, Weirdbook Magazine, The Audient Void, and more. His short stories and prose primarily center around his cosmic and profane Cyber Gods Mythos.

Reviews

[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

e-review in Booklist Online and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2024/08...

Three Words That Describe This Book: cosmic horror, thought provoking, immersive

Since this is an online only review, I got many more words and it will be posted quickly as part of the SF/F/H spotlight issue.

Readalikes-- Horror poetry, especially as published by Raw Dog Screaming Press, is a great option for public libraries. It is one of the best ways to introduce the joy of poetry to a general audience-- and by joy I mean it in the Horror frame because while they bleak cosmic horror issues that are contemplated here are disturbing, those who enjoy cosmic horror and its intense existential dread, want read these books and in a way, get joy out of them.

Stephanie Wytovich and Christina Sng are two excellent options for people who want more Horror poetry. They have MANY collections between the two of them.

But this will also apply to fans of Cosmic Horror -- especially stories-- so James Chambers, Lucy Snyder, T Kingsolver (The Twisted Ones and Hollow Places), of course Lovecraft and Chambers and Blackwood.

More when review goes live

[Emi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Publishing date: 22.08.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and RDS Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own. 


The book as a meal: I ate my meal in the dark and I am still unsure what I ate
The book left me: Confused


Negatives:
Formatted a little strangely
Colorful language that subtracts more than it adds


Positives:
Themes I haven't really read before


Features: 
Two books combined into one, long form poems, themes of existentialism, dread, and how beautiful our worst nightmare can be


Why did I choose this one?
Horror poems can be really hit or miss, and I thought I should see which way this went


Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Ehhh, put-down-able. I think this is more of a me issue, but long-form-poems aren't really my cuppa. I feel like they drag quite a bit, and the language starts to blend in a lot. I end up more so staring at the page thinking that I am reading, but really I am just staring and not processing anything


What was the vibe and mood?
Do you feel dread because of the universe and everything we don't know about it? Ever read that dread manifested, but more so in an existential way? Well, here is your opportunity


Final ranking and star rating?
2 stars, D tier. This was not for me at all. I really wanted spooky and deep poems, but this water was a little too deep for me. I wanted to understand what was happening on the page ... but I was too lost. The poems felt a little too long. I didn't connect with anything.However- The writing is not bad. I see a lot of potential, but I will not be the first in line to see it blossom. A miss, sadly

[Kerry]

With its intriguing cover art, Maxwell I Gold’s Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destruction offers just under 100 pages with 51 poetic prose works published through Raw Dog Press, 2024. The collection begins with a charming dedication and continues with nods to H.P. Lovecraft, physical and spiritual explorations, and wars “...where cracked bones and sad songs bled through wrinkled lips…” and “...nightmares lay buried under the immensity of dreams and unconscionable terror sealed beneath iron doors of night…” This “fantastic catastrophe” features the “music of flamethrowers” and “mushroom-clouded delusion.” So, if you like unstructured poetic prose inspired by cosmic horror, archaic language mixed with modern and futuristic ideas, and nods to ancient and cyber gods, this is the collection for you.

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a real weirdo to write cosmic horror. And it takes a real nerd to write poetry. By that logic, it takes a super uber nerdy ass weirdo to write cosmic horror poetry. Luckily super uber nerdy ass weirdos are my people, so this was pretty cool.

[Lauren Drinkard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!