Review of Common Plagues

[Marsha JJ]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Common Plagues" by Mercrutiofaust.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Common Plagues is a collection of dark poems that exposes the reader to every manner of suffering. Author Mercrutio Faust indicates at the beginning that there must be some purpose in sharing his suffering. There must be a plan of some sort. He then launches into his collection of poems, each tackling a different aspect of suffering. His poems include “Poverty,” “Hypochondria,” “Addiction,” and several poems dealing with various ailments, such as “Ulcer” and “Migraine.” These poems included an abundance of unpleasant references to everything from maggots and worms to a fungus that feeds on the body. The author takes us down a road filled with gloom and doom. The unifying theme was suffering. There’s decay, pain, bleeding, disease, infections, fear, and emptiness.

I searched high and low to find something positive to share here, but it would honestly be a stretch to do so. I wish the author would have leveraged his passion for storytelling into something that had more of a point. He suggested that there must be a point to sharing his suffering. Yet, I did not find that point. He revisits the issue of suffering at the end of his collection of poems, and any hope of finding a point seems to be completely lost.

A key issue with this collection of poems was the subject matter. It is simply unpleasant to read about suffering and various disgusting aspects of the body and its ailments. If there was some meaning behind the poems that the reader could find, then there might be some motivation to suffer through them. Yet, in the absence of meaning, there is nothing to be gained from reading them. I found it difficult to read about phlegm, maggots, scum, rats, disease, and all sorts of other sordid topics. I didn’t find anything thought-provoking amidst the gloom. If you’re looking for a ray of hope in this collection, you’ll have a hard time finding it.

I didn’t appreciate this collection of poems. The subject matter of each poem was generally unpleasant. Common Plagues is a short book at only fifty-nine pages. It was exceptionally well edited. I gave it a rating of 2 out of 4 stars, subtracting two points for the unpleasant subject matter, lack of any clear purpose, and disappointing content.

I don’t recommend this work. However, if you enjoy dark, gloomy poems about unpleasant subjects, this collection of poems could appeal to you. There is one instance of severe profanity, so this collection is for adults only.

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Common Plagues
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[Dayna Frank]

The first sentence captivated me. You did a fantastic job at this review!