“Haunting and evocative, ONLY THE DEAD yields supreme moments of life through the contemplation of death! The work covers the whole range of emotions and gives one a feeling of the darkness inherent in the light and the light inherent in the darkness!”
—Tony Moffeit, Please Remove Sunglasses Before Entering
“ONLY THE DEAD is a bone jangling unrelenting ride. All the more suggestive for its brevity, its immediacy. There’s no cushion here: it grabs both your wrists with singular force.”
—Stephen Berg, There Are No Small Moments
“Carstens' words and Karlsson's images excellently complement each other in this collection.”
—George Anderson, Bold Monkey
This book isn’t for the squeamish, or those who prefer to think about death as something that doesn’t really happen. I personally think it would make a superb birthday card – a day when everyone needs a little extra reminder that life is worth living “to the point of tears.” Otherwise, clear off your self-help shelf, forget about Hallmark and syrupy sentiments, put the Xanax back on the shelf, and grab hold of a copy of ONLY THE DEAD. Then go and “be ruthless.”
—Magdalena Ball, The Compulsive Reader
“Intermingling poetry and illustration, Carstens and Karlsson remove the barrier between sound and vision, bringing the reader closer to a holistic experience. By mirroring the constant input of multiple senses that life provides, they make the reader more deeply live the collection, making the chapbook both the message and the application.”
—Dave Higgins, Dave Higgins Reviews
“While not for the faint of heart, with its gritty imagery of death—on one page worms tumble from the mouth of the dead to that of a living—Karlsson’s grotesque and caricatured art lends itself beautifully to the comic format. Alongside Carstens’ simple, straightforward verse, the project becomes chilling.”
—Raquel Thorne, Cahoodaloodling
“ONLY THE DEAD gives Shel Silverstein, Gahan Wilson, and Edward Gorey a run for their money in both authorial talent and artistic quality.”
—Ian McLeod, Ian McCloud Reviews
Full Reviews
Cahoodaloodaling, reviewed by Raquel Thorne
The Compulsive Reader, reviewed by Magdalena Ball
Hobo Camp Review, reviewed by James H. Duncan
So Meta It Hurts, reviewed by Ian McLeod
