
Rituals
by Lorcán Black (Author), Tim Durham (Illustrator)
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Pub Date May 31 2019 | Archive Date Sep 30 2019
Description
In the search for truth, for meaning, for purpose, Black's poetry illuminates the wonder in all of us. With petrifying portrayals of mental institutions, doctors, nurses, Egyptian mythos, all intertwined in a mixture of natural visions and harbors, this collection fortifies our nature to hunt for a life worth living.
The ritualistic aspects are dismal, at best, and speak to the monotony of the modern world and that hopeless feeling of being part of the herd. Readers will find themselves clawing their way through the muck and grime of the everyday, finding that maybe only love can save them, or at least, the hope for love.
Advance Praise
“Pale stars wink jealousies at my feet and I walk godly.” Lorcán Black’s Rituals is the restless, roaming lovechild of Neruda and Trakl, with some fiery genetic material borrowed from Plath, as well. These poems walk toward and through wreckage at once ordinary and surreal—a family, an asylum, a body learning fraught desires, the “eerie / whiteness” of Antarctica, and a “window suck[ing] its slice of moon / in the mirror of its mouth.” Piercing in its vulnerability, this book often achieves a magical authority at the same time. Black dares to speak in the voice of a sorcerer, an oracle, a god: “Watch: I shall the call the elements, / I shall cast sacrilegious circles in sand.” This is a collection of dark yet gleaming marvels. – Chen Chen.
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9780988206175 |
PRICE | $11.99 (USD) |
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Featured Reviews

Wonderful poetry. I enjoyed the poems and they were beautiful. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the arc

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!
I'd say Rituals was a short, quick read. The poetry was thought-provoking. I enjoyed the majority of the book, although some poems just didn't hit the mark for me.

Rituals was a quick, short read. The poetry was very descriptive, although at times a little too flowy and confusing. Overall I enjoyed the book, and ended up thinking about it after I read it.

Rituals by Lorcán Black is an arrangement of vivid images and edgy, emotional writing that also grips the reader. I have shared about it gladly on my blog, along with some other poetic titles. Many thanks to the publisher for this digital advance copy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. One of the most beautiful books of poetry I have read in a long time. Faith, madness, reality, all combined. What is faith? What are we to believe? How do you show that faith? These poems are all about what you feel.
I enjoyed the artwork as well. Everything fit well into the atmosphere of the poetry. This book may be dark to some, but I personally love the dark.

This collection of poetry featured quite a lot of themes in it:mental health, being in mental institutions,feeling trapped in your own head, war,consequences of war,depression and many,many more. The author has such a unique style of writing, creating an atmospheric experience. All poems were dark,and as you read them you feel like you are drowning and with each poem you go down a little deeper. Don't think I will reread this one,but it will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.

I loved everything about this book. I didn’t know what to expect and I am so glad this book found me. Beautifully written, dramatic prose, soulful pages of relevant and important topics. I felt lost occasionally but it was because I was stuck thinking about the previous sentence or two and had to go back and read it again because of the different ways of perceiving. Will recommend!
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