“The Pustoy” is a frightening and effective set of vignettes detailing the rise of a genocidal dictator in a dystopian future Britain.  When scientists ostensibly discover “the soul,” a scapegoated underclass, accused of being without souls, are executed on sight.  They are “The Pustoy” (Russian for “empty”), and their government sanctioned murder is painted cheerfully by the government as a needed national public service.

Philippe Blenkiron’s creation is an epic political poem with depth and detail, but it is still quite easy to read.  Fans of “1984”and “Brave New World” will doubtlessly find it a dark and satisfying bedtime story.

I think what surprised me the most is that this poetry collection will please fans of horror and thrillers as well.  Blenkiron has a terribly nice knack for rendering fearful images – be sure to take a close look at his various descriptions of the Staffhounds.  Yeesh.  If Blenkiron so masterfully creates such scary bad guys, it makes me wonder whether he might write horror stories.  I’d happily read them if he does.

He has a wonderfully unique voice.  And his ability to juggle of various points of view – each of which has a distinct, character- specific voice – is admirable.

This is a compelling set of poems.  Pick it up here at Amazon.com: