Rachel Plummer (1)

I'd been wanting to support Emma Press for a while now, but not ready to pay international shipping to do so. But as soon as I saw mentions of this popping up on twitter, I knew this would be the one. I hit pre-order and waited impatiently.

It was love at first sight. I loved the beautiful cover. I loved the poems -- telling stories that were familiar and strange both at once. I loved the illustrations throughout. I found myself reading a handful of poems each day, so that I could enjoy them show more in bursts. I loved the unexpected twists, the explorations of identity.

Some particular favorites: "Nimblemen," with their fabulous warriors with well-glittered hair, "Nessie," who knows who Nessie is and isn't. "Mairead," and her chainmail dress and flame-proof hat. "Love Song for a Wulver," with the wolf and his husband. "The Seven Big Women of Jura."

Recommended for all fans of fairy tales. show less

As a reader and writer of a fairly niche genre, I'm always looking for speculative poetry anthologies that work on multiple levels. First, as a reader, I want collections that challenge my ideas about the genre as well as introduce me to writers whose work I'm not familiar with. And second, when readers not familiar with speculative poetry ask me for recommendations, I want to be able to suggest collections that are accessible to both science fiction fans who don't normally read poetry as show more well as poetry readers who aren't familiar with SF tropes. Multiverse succeeds on both levels. I was delighted with the narrowed scope of the book--all the poems are science fiction, whereas most speculative poetry anthologies contain fantasy and horror poems as well--as well as the consistently solid quality of the poems within. I will be seeking out collections from poets whose work I wasn't familiar with before--many of the poets are outside the US, which is refreshing to me as a US-based poet who mostly encounters the work of other US-based poets. I'm also confident that readers not familiar with the genre will find much to enjoy in the book. A highly recommended read. show less