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el_stevie's review
5.0
This collection was received free in return for an honest review from Crystal Lake Publishing.
Eighteen poems, dark, disturbing and undeniably compelling. To the soundtrack of jazz and the backdrop of death, Manzetti has created a world of nightmare and tragedy. The collection opens with The Pearl, his tribute to Janis Joplin, the lines weaving a frantic pace, the aggressive language and glaring imagery creating a turbulence to match the singer’s own life. The Maiden tells of the Joan of Arc, her burning, treating the event as a storm raging between God and the Devil. Whose servant was she truly? The Ballroom breathes jazz and death and voodoo, No Mercy, the despair of the down and out, Yuki hints at childhood abuse in the most delicate language and then confirms it later in Yuki’s Monster and the violence of her revenge. The narrative and imagery of the final Apocalyptic Mass is extraordinary, yet the short, stark bleakness of Morning Suicide hits harder. This is a collection of poems written with an amazing mastery of language, at times subtle, at times ‘in your face’. There is nothing pretentious here, and that comes from someone who often reads modern poetry and is left cold. Provided you like your poetry dark, you will enjoy this.
Eighteen poems, dark, disturbing and undeniably compelling. To the soundtrack of jazz and the backdrop of death, Manzetti has created a world of nightmare and tragedy. The collection opens with The Pearl, his tribute to Janis Joplin, the lines weaving a frantic pace, the aggressive language and glaring imagery creating a turbulence to match the singer’s own life. The Maiden tells of the Joan of Arc, her burning, treating the event as a storm raging between God and the Devil. Whose servant was she truly? The Ballroom breathes jazz and death and voodoo, No Mercy, the despair of the down and out, Yuki hints at childhood abuse in the most delicate language and then confirms it later in Yuki’s Monster and the violence of her revenge. The narrative and imagery of the final Apocalyptic Mass is extraordinary, yet the short, stark bleakness of Morning Suicide hits harder. This is a collection of poems written with an amazing mastery of language, at times subtle, at times ‘in your face’. There is nothing pretentious here, and that comes from someone who often reads modern poetry and is left cold. Provided you like your poetry dark, you will enjoy this.
exorcismofemilyreed's review
4.0
"Always the same scene in her head / when the ghost comes."
No Mercy is an intriguing collection of 18 poems by Alessandro Manzetti. This was the first time I had read any of his work, and these poems are grim. I enjoyed reading this book. I can't say that I completely understood everything, but Manzetti's writing is dark and beautiful. My top 5 poems were The Pearl - 10/4/70, No Mercy, The Window, The Ghost Subway, and A Dream of Milk and Blood. I will definitely be reading more of his work.
No Mercy is an intriguing collection of 18 poems by Alessandro Manzetti. This was the first time I had read any of his work, and these poems are grim. I enjoyed reading this book. I can't say that I completely understood everything, but Manzetti's writing is dark and beautiful. My top 5 poems were The Pearl - 10/4/70, No Mercy, The Window, The Ghost Subway, and A Dream of Milk and Blood. I will definitely be reading more of his work.
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