An edition of Shadows Before the Maiming (1999)

Shadows Before the Maiming

1 edition
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Last edited by qbitsof
August 10, 2022 | History
An edition of Shadows Before the Maiming (1999)

Shadows Before the Maiming

1 edition
  • 5.0 (1 rating) ·
  • 1 Want to read
  • 1 Have read

I think this excerpt from a description of me following the publication of this book, written by J Penton, editor & publisher of Sick Puppy Press, is probably one of the best descriptions I could come up with, better than any I would write. What follows is a short excerpt.

"When poetry focuses on the more sinful, cruel, and pathological side of human nature, we typically refer to it as “dark.” I wouldn’t describe Scott Holstad’s poetry that way. His works are so violent, angry, and self-effacing that they seem to transcend darkness; they are so engorged with pain that questions of morality and immorality seem irrelevant. Despite his recent Pulitzer nomination, Scott remains active on the small press circuit, which is odd, because you’d think most small presses would be afraid to print this stuff." J Penton, Publisher Sick Puppy P.

Publish Date
Publisher
Gothic Press
Language
English
Pages
50

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Edition Availability
Cover of: Shadows Before the Maiming
Shadows Before the Maiming
August 1, 1999, Gothic Press
Mass Market Paperback in English - 1 edition

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Book Details


First Sentence

"Creatures kneeling in the dark/ waiting for the rain to fall/ precious moments wasted..."

Edition Notes

* As seen on TODAY's August 8, 2022 holiday special, "65 Best Halloween Quotes: Short Halloween Quotes from Movies," where in an excerpt from Shadows Before The Maiming, Scott Holstad was attributed with one of the 65 Best (known) Halloween quotes, joining quotes from such authors and celebrities as Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Oscar Wilde, Sue Grafton, John Steinbeck, Vincent Price, H.P. Lovecraft, William Shakespeare, Anne Rice, Edgar Allen Poe and other notables. This piece was then picked up and published on websites such as Yahoo, Latest Movs and Flipboard. [https://www.today.com/life/holidays/halloween-quotes-rcna41306]

Published in
Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Copyright Date
1999

The Physical Object

Format
Mass Market Paperback
Number of pages
50
Dimensions
8.2 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
Weight
3.2 ounces

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL8321446M
ISBN 10
091304508X
ISBN 13
9780913045084
OCLC/WorldCat
44908166
Library Thing
2241862
Goodreads
1634502

Excerpts

"This Is It, Folks"

I try to convince people that we are in
Hell
That life is merely death at its best.

No one is asked whether they wish
To be born. Everyone is asked to die.
Life is comprised of the noisy silence
One makes of it.

And I’ve got Satan in my back pocket
Waiting for you….

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"torture technique"

i’m saving the bloody towels
as souvenirs,
the bathtub is sweating
bloody rivulets over
its stained carcass,
my sink casts a dark
light over the spreading
red oily spots on the floor
the knife in my hand
casts a gloriously
mean reflection in the
spattered mirror
my limbs are
leaking heavy fluids
a
bullet would be faster
but
a knife will do
just fine
Page 11; 15, added by qbitsof.

I chose these two separate poems because I think they represent what I view as the protagonist initially displaying a pragmatic (to him), albeit dysfunctional, life view, one in which he apparently tries to influence others. Transition to the second poem then and somehow he's made a leap, or rather jumped down into a huge bottomless bit where he seems to be, or already have, losing (lost) himself. I think this book sets readers up for the next one, The Napalmed Soul, which carries things even further...

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 10, 2022 Edited by qbitsof Edited without comment.
August 10, 2022 Edited by qbitsof Added a paragraph about an excerpt from the book being featured in a TODAY Halloween special where it was named one of the 65 best Halloween quotes ever
February 21, 2022 Edited by qbitsof Edited without comment.
February 5, 2022 Edited by qbitsof Added the first sentence
April 29, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record