Archive of Reviews of Books from the Poison Pie Publishing House

This page contains reviews for books from the Poison Pie Publishing House. For a list of books from other publishers reviewed by the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House, click here. For a list of music reviewed by the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House, click here.

July 8, 2015
Critique of Jacob's Dream by The Midwest Book Review
Jacob's Dream, an illustrated prayerbook by Ruth M. Keffer and David J. Keffer was reviewed by the Midwest Book Review. Here is what they had to say

"Jacob's Dream" is an unusual, creative interpretation of the Bible verse in Genesis 28:12, about Jacob's dream of a ladder ascending to heaven, with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Each pair of pages describes a rung of the ladder, starting with the eleventh rung, and ends with a special prayer for the angel of that rung. The facing page is decorated with primitive-style crayoned drawings of miraculous beings. The prayers are most poetic, including a Prayer for Humility, a Prayer for Abandoning a Path of Error, a Prayer for the Tempering of Pleasure, a Prayer for Not Fitting In, a Prayer for Accepting Our Roles, A Prayer for the Untalented, a Prayer for Those Who Dwell in Penumbra, a Prayer for Those Who Go Too Far, an Apocryphal Prayer, a Prayer in the Tongue of Birds, a Prayer of Supplication, a Prayer for Balance, and a Prayer for Dreamers. Perhaps a most moving moment in the prayers comes at the end of the Prayer for Dreamers: "Lord, as with Jacob, signal Your protection and favor in our dreams, for we are all dreamers, who have dreamt of both horror and hope and perceive in hope only the value of our modest contribution." Every page of "Jacob's Dream" is a devotion to be gently tasted and savored. "Jacob's Dream" has elements of childlike wonder and glory in it, but it will deliver many special consolations to the adult reader also.
Nancy Lorraine
Senior Reviewer

Jacob's Dream is available in paperback in the shop.

February 7, 2015
Critique of The Implacable Absence by The Midwest Book Review
The Implacable Absence: A Non-Idiomatic Improvisational Duet by Henry E. Gorton and David J. Keffer was reviewed in the Small Press Bookwatch of the Midwest Book Review. Here is what they had to say

Critique: Unique, engaging, superbly written and presented, "The Implacable Absence: A Non-Idiomatic Improvisational Duet" is a seminal reading experience from beginning to end. Erudite, complex, and solidly entertaining, "The Implacable Absence" is very highly recommended for community and academic Literary Fiction collections and personal reading lists.

The Implacable Absence: A Non-Idiomatic Improvisational Duet is available in paperback and ebook formats in the shop.

January 7, 2015
The Implacable Absence Review
A review of the The Implacable Absence, a non-idiomatic improvisational duet by Henry E. Gorton and David J. Keffer is posted on the blog Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock. The novel is a post-existential fantasy investigating the juxtaposition of individual destinies across separate timelines. The book can be purchased in paperback or a variety of electronic formats in the shop.

March 18, 2014
A review By H.E. Gorton of the illustrated book, The Faerienomicon, has been posted on his blog, Ixuru Speaks, and added here. The Faerienomicon, assembled by the Keffer family in Knoxville, Tennessee and published in 2014 is available in paperback from the shop.

October 28, 2013
A review By H.E. Gorton of the novel, Hysteresis: An Asymmetric Account of An Individual Apocalypse, has been posted on his blog, Ixuru Speaks, and added here. Hysteresis: An Asymmetric Account of An Individual Apocalypse, written in 1995 in Minneapolis, MN, is available in paperback and ebook in the shop.

July 27, 2013
A review By R.F. Ochs of the illustrated book, The Mushroomnomicon, has been added here. The Mushroomnomicon is available in paperback in the shop.

July 13, 2013
A review By H.E. Gorton of the novel, The Ruins of My Daughter's Cities, has been added here. The Ruins of My Daughter's Cities is available in paperback and ebook in the shop.

March 6, 2013
The two Tales of the Mushroom People illustrated books have been reviewed at Arcane Candy. Check them out! Both books are available in paperback in the shop.

December 25, 2012
Mr. Roy Poonawala has given a brief shout out to the "Tales of the Mushroom People" illustrated books (available from our shop) on his blog.

December 24, 2012
Mr. Takeshi Goda has posted a review of the two "Tales of the Mushroom People" illustrated books (available from our shop) on his blog. (The review is in Japanese.) Also mentioned are several of the movies from the Poison Pie Publishing House, including the fan-favorite "2 To Mugen No Torihiki" by Derek Bailey & Keiji Haino, rendered as fingerpuppets.