If you've read any of Darren Barker's novels you'll have an idea of what to expect from this collection, but if you haven't it's a good introduction to his dark, violent and dangerous world, a world inhabited by the sick, the evil, the mean, the mad and the wicked, a world where anything can happen, and often does. A world of blood, pain, hurt and misery, of sex and death, betrayal, crime and punishment. It isn't without it's humorous moments, but it is what is says on the front. These poems are dark, but their brevity and energy make them easy to read, if not to digest. They will leave afterimages that remain with you, that make you think and wonder. If you like poems about flowers, put the book down and step away. If you crave the dark side, buy it now. But don't say you haven't been warned.