Bram Stoker and Elgin Award-winning poet Pedro Iniguez invites you to attend The Build-A-Monster Workshop - sneak into an eldritch, abandoned building filled with rusty antique tools, mad scientist's contraptions and all manner of bloody body parts. Let your imagination run wild as you examine the horrors assembled and documented so far. Try your hand at creation and see what new and terrifying beasts emerge.
The Build-A-Monster Workshop explores themes of the monstrous in all forms, from creatures that lurk in the shadows to the demons living within ourselves. Lessons are broken into four Mad Science, Revenants, Ghosts and Monsters. Iniguez applies his unique perspective to the question of why evil exists and how we live and cope with it in our daily lives.
Steeped in both the American tradition of Hollywood monsters and the Mexican folklore of witchcraft these poems look back to the roots of our cryptid stories as well as forward to the ways, and the reasons why, our society births new and twisted abominations to fear.
Pedro Iniguez is a speculative fiction writer who also enjoys reading and painting.
His work can be found in magazines and anthologies such as Space and Time Magazine, Crossed Genres, Dig Two Graves, Tiny Nightmares, Deserts of Fire, and Altered States II.
His cyberpunk novel, Control Theory (Indie Authors Press,2016) and his 10-year collection, Synthetic Dawns & Crimson Dusks, (Indie Authors Press,2020) are available on Amazon.
Originally from Los Angeles, he now resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he is currently working on his second novel.
This was a great in-between read, but I honestly think most poem collections are. It was a great palate cleanser between two heavier books.
The poems were deep enough to be interesting, filled with metaphors and hidden meaning. It had just enough creepy vibes to be considered horror, though I would have liked it to lean into that direction just a little more. The collection combined the horror elements with humor quite well, the social commentary was very nicely done as well.
Some poems were great, but there also were a few that were sadly a miss for me. Still, quite an enjoyable little poem collection!
**Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for a honest review**
My thanks to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for an advance copy of this book of poetry that deals with the monsters in our hearts, our minds, those on the silver screen, and those that lurk next door, under the bright sun and the darkest moon.
I am not a big fan of the memoir genre. People telling their life story with perfect recall, with dialogue and thoughts about what they were thinking encompassing the most trival moments, and the most critical. I can't remember what I had for lunch a few hours ago. I don't know what comic made me a fan of sequential art? What made me interested in movie soundtracks, Star Wars, Blade Runner or Conan the Barbarian? Why did I suddenly become a fan of jazz, after ignoring for so long when my father played it? And what made me interested in poetry after years of ignoring its existence. I was in my twenties, maybe even thirties when I found myself looking at poetry in literary magazines. Something I never had done before. I was aware of it, even took a class on it, but the interest just passed me by. Another question I will never have an answer for. Thankfully I have collections like this to enjoy and look forward to more of. The Build-A-Monster Workshop is a collection of poems by Pedro Íñiguez dealing with denizens of the dark, noxious nightmares, and silver screen shadows some good, some evil, and some disturbingly human.
The poetry is horror based, but not horrific. Íñiguez uses the trappings the genre of horror in all its different forms to tell stories of darkness, creepiness, and internal dissension and good old human fears. Some of the works are long, some are short, and told in different styles. Íñiguez draws on classic tales from literature, Universal monsters, bits of Lovecraft and elder gods. Scientist labs in abandoned buildings, familiar setups from tv and movies and more.
I enjoyed this collection quite a bit. I must admit I have been remiss in reading poems that are genre related. This might come from my old way of reading anthologies where if I saw a science fiction poem, I just kept flipping pages. These poems are quite good, some dark and like I said earlier, some are funny. Íñiguez has a real skill with words, describing backgrounds that seem familiar, from other books, movies, or even dark dreams that humanity share. Íñiguez uses folk tales, movies, cartoons, even some wrestling horror movies, at least that's the feeling I got. As with many collections some poems hit harder than others, and some were not for me as a reader. As I say about many of these, your results might vary. I liked many of these so much that I have gone back a few times to see what Íñiguez did to make them so perfect for me.
There are a lot of references, and a lot of fun call outs that will make veteran horror fans go, hey I get that. Some of this might be a little much for casual poetry fans, but for people wanting to see new writers, new ideas, this will be perfect. This is the first thing I have read by Pedro Íñiguez, though I understand he is also a writer of fiction and short stories. I plan to investigate more works by him, as Íñiguez is a writer with a very large future.
I was fortunate to recieve an advanced copy of this fron NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press. Thank you for sending me this!
Review Title: Short, Sharp, and Socially Conscious: A Masterclass in Modern Monster-Making Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars
The Good: Pedro Iniguez has crafted a collection that functions like a literary Frankenstein’s monster—stitched together from Hollywood tropes, Mexican folklore, and biting social commentary. The "short and sharp" nature of these poems allows the horror to hit quickly and leave a lasting bruise.
Standout pieces like "Turnip Head" provide a haunting look at how society devalues life once it is no longer "potential," while "Evil Crayons" offers a brilliantly creative and chaotic take on the "creation of abominations" theme. I particularly loved the nuanced approach to legendary figures; reimagining La Llorona through the lens of postpartum depression was a deeply empathetic and dark highlight. From "insomniac mummies" to poems exploring how systems of oppression—like the parasitic nature of certain types of tourism—act as the world's real monsters, Iniguez proves you don't need a full-length novel to deliver a profound message.
The Even Better: The quality of the writing is so exceptionally high in the standout poems that the few "merely good" pieces can feel slightly weaker by comparison. When a collection hits this hard, you find yourself wanting every single page to maintain that same level of "wonderful terror."
Final Verdict: This is a must-read for fans of horror with a social commentary bent. It is body horror with a soul, perfect for readers who appreciate the visceral, culturally grounded narratives of authors like Stephen Graham Jones, V. Castro, or Gabino Iglesias.
The Build a Monster Workshop poetry collection is a metaphor of what it means to embrace the weird and the ugly. This is poetry that deconstructs social norms and uses the classic metaphor of monsters while weaving in well suited social commentary. This is a collection that explores my two loves: poetry and horror. With poems like ‘La Llorona’s Guilt’ and ‘An Apology of H.P Lovecraft” – you are bound to fall in love with the simplicity of forms written with speculative intent. All this collection confirmed is we need more horror poetry! I wish Iniguez dabbled in some experimental forms, but this collection really nails the speculative notions. Just like the title and Frankenstein’s monster – there is a blend of diction and curated lines that really define the monsters within society. I indulge you to go on an adventure with this one. Some poems are less metaphor heavy and therefore blunt – in between the monsters and haunted houses. I wanted more raw horror and the imagery to slowly crawl through the pages! There is a poem here for every horror reader! Thank you Pedro Iniguez, Raw Dog Screaming Press, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own! For more reviews, recommendations, and reviews, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
This poetry collection is at its best when it fully embraces its main theme (monsters) and goes wild in its metaphors. I believe this book has a poem for everyone, since its range of styles and ideas is quite broad.
Pieces like “Assembling a Father” and “Cabal of the Homunculi” engage with the ideas of monstrosities and how intimately they are connected with humans, while more dream-like poems (“Dem Bones” and “The Girl Who Played by the Tombstones” come to mind) demonstrate the beauty in death and decay, creating this soft and endearing aura around itself.
There are also quite humorous poems as well, like “Attack of The Fifty Foot Zombie II: The Revenge” and “Chupacabra, 30, looks unrecognisable during rare public outing” (one of my favourites from this collection, I can’t lie). I love how Iniguez weaves some social commentary into these, while maintaining its bite and sarcasm.
I didn’t quite like some poems that were perhaps too on the nose, with a few of them sounding trite and pedantic. However, I still think this collection as a whole is quite enjoyable, and I’d love to read more from this author.
I went in without knowing what to expect from this book. I have read other books by Pedro Iñiguez and really enjoyed them. I loved the subtle political messages in the stories. “No child should be shot in a classroom.” Writing is political, and I am glad Pedro went there.
Some of the stories reminded me that there are consequences when we harm others. The stories also showed us how we are harming ourselves in the process. That is a great message! Especially during these disturbing times.
All the stories had a great message. I know the book is a horror book, and the ending of some of the stories truly shocked me! This is a great thing. That’s what I expect from a good storyteller. Some stories made me gasp, and the super short ones made me laugh out loud.
I love poetry, and this book reminded me how powerful it can be. This book has inspired me a lot, and I can’t wait to read more of Iñiguez’s books.
Thank you so much to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC read of this short book of poetry. Love love love!
I was utterly captivated by this short read. Perhaps my lifelong fascination with monsters played a part, but this collection of poetry, dedicated to the strange, abnormal, and beautifully bizarre, was nothing short of a masterpiece. It was a perfect blend of gripping narrative and thrilling verse. What truly set it apart was the compelling nature of the poems, which often managed to be surprisingly humorous. I'm already planning to share a selection with my seven-year-old daughter—a budding monster enthusiast herself—as I believe she will absolutely adore them.
Pedro is an auto-read author for me. I love his poetry collections especially Mexicans on the Moon, and I love that this collection leaned more into horror and reflected on the real monsters of the world. It showed humanity’s ugly side and took the wrappings off of the monsters in the end to show they’re just human too. I enjoyed every poem, and some stuck out more to me than others such as The Infernal Ghost Machine, Dem Bones (remember the Bones music video from the Killers? It reminded me of that!), La Llorona’s Guilt, and Final Moments of a Witch: A Poem Told in Reverse. I think it’s one of those collections you reread all the time and get something new out of it. Especially in our political climate. Many thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press for the e-arc from Netgalley!!
Thank you to RDS Publishing & NetGalley for the advance copy
TLDR: Eerie poetry speckled with just a little bit of fun Rating: 3/5 stars
Specific thoughts: A fun book of poems which alternately delves into serious topics and surfaces with an absolutely ridiculous poem. Many of the poems draw interesting comparisons between the monster/spirit of myth and something very real and relevant. I don't read a ton of poetry but this was a quick and fun read. While some of the poems missed the mark or left me a little confused, I enjoyed the majority of them ! Some very fun turns of phrase.
Thank you NetGalley and Pedro Iniguez for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also thank you publishers for your hard work!
OK this was one of the fastest reads ive had recently. Im honestly not sure if this was poetry or what. When i read the summary I thought it was going to be a workshop and me learning about monsters, but thats not what it was about at all. Its was fun, unique and truly interesting. It was all over the place dealing with all sorts of monsters. Tales short and sweet and definitely disturbing at times.i had fun reading through them and just experiencing it all.
Great selection of poems based on monsters. Each are short so great for a quick read. If you like light horror themes and poetry than this book might be for you. Each poem is half to a page long. Well written and interesting. I really enjoyed this book of monster poetry. Would be great for a Young teen to adult wanting to read some poetry, for enjoyment or inspiration.
Thank you to the publisher and author for letting me read this book as an ARC. I have read poetry since I was a young kid and would of loved to of had this book back then. Really worth a read.
Poetry isn’t something I normally seek out, but I wanted to give this one a try. I’m glad I did, since I really enjoyed the entire collection. Sharing a common theme of horror, the works in this book are arranged by themes (monsters, ghosts, etc.) and range from spooky to funny to a little creepy, all while containing a healthy dose of social commentary. Fantastic for horror fans who enjoy poetry.
A stunning collection of poems from one of the best writers in the game right now. Everything I read from Pedro Iniguez is so captivating and has me hanging on to his every word.
Iniguez has crafted something so awesome with these poems. Maybe he is the Frankenstein of poetry? Creating a monster out of words, waking us up and showing us the horrors of yesterday and today. Monsters aren’t always creatures, but often man and what we do to others.
Iniguez had some real gems in this collection! The poems range from fun monster tales to heavier topics. I really enjoyed several of these poems, with my favorites being:
Turnip Heads Shell shock The infernal ghost machine Zombie haiku Meta Zombies The girl who played by the tombstones Chupacabra, 30, Looks Unrecognizable During Rare Public Outing The slumber of Cthulhu
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Iniguez has put together this collection of fiery, incisive poems. Filled with vivid images and built through precise diction, his poems give life to traditional and original monsters and entities. The tone ranges from clever to poignant to unsettling. His previous collection won the Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry and this will likely receive similar and well-deserved accolades.
What is better than the combination of horror and poetry? I would argue this horor poetry collection from Pedro Íñiguez. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but given my history of reading Pedro's previous works, I knew I would be in for a treat. And, I wasn't wrong. The poetry was haunting, deep, and told well through vivid imagery. I'm looking forward to his next work!
This was a great collection of short horror-themed poems. It was a quick read and interesting throughout and while some of the poems tried have some deeper and thought provoking concepts, it was the simpler ones that stood out to me. There is talent here, and the effort these poems took in their creation deserves to be recognized.
Enjoyed this poetry collection from Pedro Iniguez. All of them were good, but my favorites were in Part 4, Monsters. #TheBuildAMonsterWorkshop #NetGalley
“It’s not her devouring these kids, she tells herself lapping up the last of his blood, the world has already done that.” -Carnival Barker
Each poem was a little one page short story typically with a line or a twist at the end that makes all the pieces fall into place. Some of these poems made me laugh while others hit a little too close to home. You know that point in Frankenstein when you realize that Victor is really the monster? Well the same thing happened to me while reading this collection of poems, even the ones that were about horrific monsters could be interpreted as being about humans.
Still, these were quick and fun overall. A great way to reset your head in between long books