Book Review: PERMUTED

by | Sep 25, 2026 | Book Reviews, Reviews, The Horror Review News | 0 comments

Permuted
Marge Simon
Crossroad Press (May 12. 2026)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham

Permuted, written by Marge Simon, the much honored and awarded poet extraordinaire of the horror world, is a most remarkable book. She gives voice to the human experience, captures complex emotions in a few, elegantly placed words, and preserves the very essence of time. She is a cultural guardian, emotional truth-teller, and a true master of language. The poems in this book moved me to tears, made me laugh, and chilled me to the bone.

See if you don’t agree. There are 50 poems in this superb collection, so I’ll just touch on the ones that resonated with me the most, though they are all excellent.

Here’s what you get:

“April Moon” – a paean to strong women who find a way to rise above abuse and retaliate.

“Mother Eve” – A study in human hubris when a captured alien is put on display.

“Paradise Redux” – An apocalyptic poem of utopia attempted and failed.

“Rock On” – About how the reality that we live in and virtual reality lose their borders in the minds of young people and the horrific consequences of same.

“The Museum of Genetic Art” – The Earth is repurposed as a genetic freak show.

“I’ve Been Told of Fourth Street” – This poem reminds one of how our youth is becoming completely electronically oriented and dehumanized in the process. Ms. Simon cleverly makes the point with a world taken over by androids. Exceptional.

“Beguiled” – A little boy, his father, and a big cat at the zoo. Secrets revealed, secrets kept.

“Tomorrow Woman” – This one is about the drive to be unique and interesting in a society of the jaded, bored, and above-it-all.

“Tamsin X” – a heartbreaking poem of an android serving a human man with Alzheimer’s.

“Carnival of Specters” – A surreal poem about life, death, and the limbo of the carnival.

“The Lycanthrope Next Door” — …and the real dangers of calling, “Wolf!”

“Raft of the Medusa” – A ghostly mariner visits a painting in a museum.

“General Sherman’s Ghosts” – There is equity in death.

“Chocolates for Twins” – A poignant poem about Mengele’s experiments on twins at Auschwitz. I was in tears by the end of it.

“Cemetery Dance” – I love the images in this poem! It would make a great Magritte painting.

“Among the Ruins” – It’s hard to be the last ones left—especially for these creatures.

“Vision of Black Ice” – A cold-blooded murderer and the reactions of bored villagers.

“Keeping Time” – A dismissive, time-obsessed husband gets what he deserves.

These poems touch on science fiction and horror, love and pathos with equal flair, and it is easy to see how this poet had taken influences such as Theodore Sturgeon and Harlan Ellison, processed them, and made them her own. Through rhythm, meter, and metaphor, she has pushed the boundaries of language and rescued words from ordinary decay, breathing new life into everyday speech.

John Keats believed that poetry should surprise “by a fine excess” and strike the reader as a wording of their own highest thoughts. And with Permuted, Marge Simon has done exactly that. Brava.

Buy a copy of this book—everyone should.

5 out of 5 stars

About Carson Buckingham

Professionally, Carson Buckingham has made her way in life doing all manner of things, most of which involve arson. She is currently employed as a freelance writer on a work release program. In her spare time, she studies forensics, in hopes of applying her new knowledge to eluding the authorities more effectively the next time. She is originally from Connecticut, but now resides in Kentucky—and Connecticut is glad to be rid of her.

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