Book Review: Inhuman, by Joshua Gage

I've had this book for a year or so now, but haven't been able to find the time to read it until this week.  Zombies have invaded popular culture for a while now, and there's plenty of zombie poetry to be found.  Some of it is good, and some of it is crap that people are just throwing out there to try to make money.  Inhuman: Haiku from the Zombie Apocalypse is a strong collection of zombie poetry that can stand with the best of them.

Inhuman is a small chapbook of zombie poems, written by Joshua Gage.  It's almost pocket-sized (5.5" x 8.5") and it's only 36 pages long.  The book is broken into four sections: Genesis, Outbreak, Invasion, and Survival.

The haiku in this book paint a vivid picture of how the zombie apocalypse begins.  Gage shows you exactly what takes place, in stark snapshots of terror and confusion.

open grave
the moonlight glistens
on coffin splinters

Some of the poems bring the scenes into focus, while others are jagged action shots.  All are good, and make this an outstanding collection.

subway doors
the stretch of its skin
before it rips free

There are far too many good poems to list or describe them all here.  Gage is a master poet, using the haiku form effectively.  Punctuation is minimal, letting the images speak for themselves.  The haiku are spread out enough that they don't seem crowded on the page.

The book includes poems that have been published in journals and magazines, including Fear and Trembling, Niteblade, Scifaikuest, and more.  There is an excellent introduction by Deborah P. Kolodji that discusses both zombie poetry in general and this collection in particular.

Inhuman: Haiku from the Zombie Apocalypse is #18 in The Poet's Haven Author Series, published in May 2013.  It sells for $6 on both the Poet's Haven website and Amazon.com.  It is well worth the price.  Inhuman is the best collection of zombie haiku I've read.