I took more time than I should to finally start writing this review so I do admit that the book is not that clear in my head anymore, but there are some things that I could not forget about this great reading:

O'brien has the ability to get the reader's full attention, to crave more and more of his beautiful writing. I love the way that he mixes many different things in just one poem and makes it work so well, he can make you feel so much with so little and I do believe that more people should be reading his words. My personal favorite is "Commit", that one really spoke to me and now it has a special place in my heart.
I was expecting a bit more horror in the book so I had different expectations for it and that may have affected my enjoyment of the reading, but it doesn't change how good this book was.
Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 I like the artwork but couldn't finish it and that's what I get for picking this up solely on the fact that the cover is beautiful and it was a poetry book. I'm also not the biggest fan of horror but this would definitely be up horror fanatics alley!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most original and imaginative works of poetry I've read. Each poem is written in the way of a chaotic but fascinating story. If you're a fan of / familiar with H. P. Lovecraft's work, this collection is your cup of tea and will definitely be interesting for you. Otherwise, not knowing about the references may decrease the joy you're getting from reading this collection. In any case, with its strong style, Brandon O'Brien, sometimes by humoring and other times by grabbing and shaking his reader, offers a great poetry experience.

Unfortunately, I think this poetry was just not my style. That's not to say that I do not think it is a good book, I just do not think this is the book for me. I think that a lot of people would enjoy this read, it just was not formatted in a way that was enjoyable to me. That being said I would still love to give this book a second chance some day, I just think as of right now I personally did not mesh with it. However I still would be likely to recommend this book to others if I knew they were looking for this style of poetry.

I haven't read a lot of poetry but the cover of this book pulled me in. It is gorgeous!
I was confused by a lot of the poems but the others felt like a work of art.
I really liked the vivid descriptions and the gore.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this copy.

Like many people, the cover drew me in, but after reading the synopsis and seeing the themes and what was to be discussed in this collection, I was even more intrigued.

Although there were some really beautiful and thought provoking pieces included in this, the majority of what I was reading didn't make sense to be and seemed like a lot of random sentences and structure.

This may just be a me problem. I'm still very green to the world of poetry, let alone speculative poetry (which I think this was my first dip into), so I was just incredibly lost.

I really appreciated what the author had to say in the Author's Note. It gave me more understanding on what he wanted to achieve and had it all been more like that, essay form (I understand I'm asking for something completely different) I probably would have gobbled it up more so than I did with this.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the intended audience to fully appreciate it.

this review can be seen in my goodread page.


Before I started my review, I would like to thank the publisher of this book, or Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book.

This book wasn't my cup of tea. I signed up for getting this book ARC copy because I thought this was a contemporary book, since both the cover and the title were cute. But yeah, turnsout this was a poem collection, so try to read it, and try to understand the prose.

However, I couldn't understand some of the poems, until I read the author's note. Maybe I should signed up for poem reading class (since I was not a native speaker, now, if you read this review, you know why). And also, I couldn't feel the suspense nor the horroric atmosphere described in this book.

I really appreciate the poet's prose. It was beautiful and cute.

And, for a non-native speaker of english, I learned a lot from this book. It increase my vocabulary knowledge.

Alright then, but seriously I don't know how to end this review. But thanks for reading, and I hope it's useful for the poet to grow a lot more better.

Bye!

For me this book was all about being in the right mindset while reading it.
The first time I picked this up, this was really just some words on the page. Which made me sad because Lovecraftian things are often my jam.

I thankfully came back to try and read it again,
This time I found so much more enjoyment in this, and it felt like walking into the pages of a familiar book,

I really enjoyed reading this collection of scifi poetry, it was really well done and I enjoyed each one. I really had a good time with this book.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

An anthology of poems that tell the story of black people. This book using poems, puts the intimate realities of black people into words for people to create conversations with

Thank you Netgalley

This collection of poems is based on a super interesting premise which is how to take on Lovecraft, an absurdly racist yet influential sci fi author and insert influential black artists into his stories about these classic monsters. Turning stereotypes on their head and making you think while also being funny and entertaining. The more familiar you are with Lovecraft’s work the more you will probably enjoy this collection but even as someone who has not read a lot of his work I really enjoyed this collection. It’s extremely well-written and the stories really draw you in.
The author’s note at the end is great and puts the whole collection in a new light. I read it first and I would suggest doing that. I didn’t expect this collection to be this deep when I first started to read it but all the layers only add to the experience of reading. I’m more of a casual poetry reader so I’m sure this would be even better for people who are more familiar with the style of symbolism but I still found it really enjoyable!
My favorite poem was “Time, and Time Again”. It was a little unexpected in the best way.

This poem collection was rather unusual, with its chaotic and weirdness , each poem was still very beautifully written and I would love to explore more works by Brandon o'Brien in the future

Can You Sign My Tentacle? is one of the most beautiful poems collection I’ve ever read. I didn’t start it with high expectations to be honest, I thought it to be about something entirely different. But my mind was blown away by the criticism of climate change, racism, sexism and classism. It was so well and deeply written, our society’s worst problems summed up in a few short lines, yet they hit home. O’Brien has a great talent and I can’t wait to read more poems by him.
My top five poems were
the repossession of skin; it haunted me, it had mayor Among Us vibes and really freaked me out
the lagahoo speaks for itself; humanity from a monster’s point of view. SO interesting and well written
Birth, Place; an exploration of home - what is home and why do we feel attached to a mark on a landscape? I loved it, it was spiritual and gave me the chills
time, and time again; it broke my heart, no poem ever touched my soul like this one
Cthylla asks for J.Cole’s Autograph; it made me feel so empowered and strong

All in all, this perfect mixture of horror, imagination and bitter truth was an incredible read. I’m pretty sure I’ll reread this collection at least ten times in my life and I encourage everyone else to give it a chance.

This is a great combination of interaction with the canon of speculative fiction, the black experience, and pop culture all intersecting to say something new and amazingly well written. Definitely interested in future works from this poet. Keep an eye out for him.

*I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.*

It's kind of challenging to review a poetry book, because poetry is meant to be read and processed so differently than the novels or even non-fiction that I usually read. I didn't fully understand all of the poems - there are a lot of references to mythology, horror and pop culture that I didn't understand, but that will make these poems much more delightful and add a lot more depth for those who do get them. From my perspective, if I love and am touched by a few poems from a collection, that's enough for me to give it a high rating, because I don't expect every single poem to work for me. And this collection certainly did that. I'm also writing from the perspective of a Trinidadian woman familiar with Trini history, culture and spaces, and I definitely connected with these works on that level.

This collection is written from a playful but also subversive and radical place, as the author's note explains (I read it after reading most of the poems, but I would recommend reading it first, as it gives a better understanding of what the poet is trying to achieve). The perspective of mythological/horror monsters interacting with pop culture, and specifically Black, icons is such an interesting premise. But many poems are also deeply Trinbagonian in the way they incorporate folklore, history, and the local crime situation. It's not a light read, as it also deals with racism, colonialism, violence and murder.

There were many poems that touched me:

Hunting Dog was a poignant look at the murder rate through the lens of folklore, referencing murder victims Sean Luke, Keyana Cumberbatch and Dana Seetahal.

I was absolutely floored by Birth, Place, which left me staring into the distance while contemplating the country's legacy of slavery and suffering and the hope and faith and hard work that went into building a better future. Lines like "make my children potters / of a planet, give them / farmers' hands", and "shade will one day grow / in the place where your father's / bones once called me low." are so deeply evocative. "I will plant a time I cannot see/ for children I will not know" had me thinking of my own work on the climate crisis, and the hope we need to have for a better future for generations to come. This is definitely my favourite poem in the collection.

The Metaphysics of a Wine, in Theory and in Practice was an incredible read, with an almost academic look at something so rooted in our culture. I loved the references - I want to know what each of those songs are.

Time, and Time Again brought me to tears, this look at queer love and loss and grief. Anyone who has lost or faces the loss of a loved one will relate to the line "I have tried to find / the space and time / when you still are."

Lovecraft Thesis #5 is relevant to anywhere with a legacy of colonialism, "a land already bought in / blood"

I'm so grateful to Interstellar Press for this ARC, it's a truly relevant read and a valuable addition to any collection of poetry books and to any collection of Caribbean writing. I will probably be buying a hard copy of this for my own shelf.

It is a poetry collection of sci-fi and horror poems.

It's truly bizarre, interesting and kind of crazy. My imagination ran wild whole reading the book and there were a lot interesting lines that captured my attention.

Although I'll admit that I was a bit confused too and sometimes I couldn't comprehend what was going on.

But overall, a great collection and very refreshing to read. Also the title and cover is just perfect!

This is a delight and a trip and full of joy and angst and passion and fear and amazing, original language. I want everyone to read it and talk about the author's descriptions and constructions and flair. An excellent read for anyone who enjoys poetry and SFF.

When I requested this, I knew liiterally nothing about this other than the fact it was a poetry collection (which I enjoy reading). But I also thought it was going to be this weird and abstract collection. Alas it was neither weird or abstract, in terms of content.

The style of how this collection was written was in fact chaotic and confusing. I didn't understand the majority of this as a lot of it went over my head completely. However, one that I was able to understand was the poem "Time and Time Again." It was beautfully written.

All in all, I went into this with low expectations and it somehow still disappointed me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so this collection is brilliant and fascinating, and I am going to flail through trying to talk about it because I’m not great at talking about poetry anyway. And there’s always this slightly complicated dynamic when you’re talking about work by Black creators, in that you want to support and celebrate the work and meet it where it’s at, without appropriating it or trying to make where it’s at all about you and your whiteness.

I guess a good place to start with this is that SFF has long had a Lovecraft problem: in the sense that his writing is seen as fundamental to our understanding of horror and has shaped the genre inescapably. (My favourite goddamn boardgame is Lovecraft-inspired) But he’s also, and there’s no way of saying this sensitively, like … racist. Like next level racist. Which I’m not saying to demonstrate my amazing sensitive allyness: it’s just kind of … a fact that, while we’ve got better at pretending it isn’t there, or it doesn’t matter, must be all kinds of fucked up to navigate around if you’re a Black SFF writer. Though, of course, there’s an also a burgeoning collection of work that exists directly to address this (The Ballad of Black Tom, She Walks in Shadows both spring to mind) and I think it is to these texts (as well as to Black art and culture more generally, for example in its hip hop influences), over and above Problematic Uncle Howie, that Can You Sign My Tentacle is most explicitly in dialogue.

There’s a lot going on, both whimsical and serious, in Can You Sign My Tentacle but its central conceit is this: what if these unspeakable monstrosities that exist primarily as manifestations of some white guy’s fear of the known were just, like, super fans of Black artists? The opening poem is called ‘Hastur Asks for Donald Glover’s Autograph’. Which, y’know, if that amuses the hell out of you, then this collection will not disappoint. For all the significance of its themes, essentially positing Black significance as both defense against and answer to Lovecraft’s terror of cosmic insignificance, these poems are deliciously playful. Unabashedly weird. It is rare, I think, to find something that engages so uniquely—so transformatively—with the mythos (and I say this as someone who often digs through Lovecraft’s pockets when I’m writing).

I think the other thing that this collection serves to highlight—and the author discusses this in the note at the end (something that white readers will probably find illuminating to read first)—is, like, just how fucking privileged do you have to be for “fear of the unknown” to have such an overwhelming effect on you. I mean, the rest of us have plenty to fear from the shit we do know. Couple this with the idea that insignificance in the face of arbitrarily powerful ‘others’ that aren’t like you and don’t care about is, when you get right down it, what living with a marginalised identity is like. And so what you get here are a collection of poems that speak far more to human nature, identity and the monsters we create for ourselves than Lovecraft ever could.

It’s always really difficult to play favourites with a poetry collection because I feel if a collection is put together carefully enough the placement becomes, well, kind of its own poem really: there’s another journey here, with its own rise and fall, and its emotional resonances. And this is definitely true of Can You Sign My Tentacle. There is such precision here, not just in the construction of each poem individually, but in how the poem is placed among its fellows. But, for me, some of the highlights include: because who she is matters more than her words; the lagahoo speaks for itself; That Business They Call Utopia, Part Two; time and time again; Young Poet Just Misses Getting MF DOOM’s Autograph.

Really, this is just a stunning piece of art. While every poem is unlikely to work for every reader—and if you’re white then they’re explicitly written within and speaking to a cultural framework that doesn’t include you (and, y’know, that’s okay, we’ve apparently got Lovecraft)—there’s still something really bold, charming and very much worth experiencing here. It will take me a while, I think, to fully understand the depth and breadth of these poems. But given how much Lovecraft shit I’ve consumed down the years? That feels fair enough.

I can't help but feel out of my depth reviewing Can You Sign My Tentacle?. I know almost nothing about Lovecraftian horror and rap music which I've learned can be an obstacle when reading a poetry collection billed as "Cthulhu meets hip-hop". But it's a testament to Brandon O'Brien's skill as a poet that even with my blind spots I found this collection to be an enjoyable read.

The most arresting aspect of O'Brien's work is his visceral use of language. His poems are rich with imagery and often have a guttural, rhythmic fluidity that was amazing to read. This tone works perfectly with the subject matter of a lot of his poetry. This collection frequently touches on identity, racism, imperialism and sexism and the imagery evoked to discuss those themes was stunning. O'Brien was at his best when discussing his connection to the earth and his culture and the ways systems of power have attempted to rip him from it.

If I were to pick a handful of favourites from this collection I would say "Time, and Time Again" a tragic poem exploring the grief of losing a lover was a standout. The poem was the perfect blend of tragedy and hope and the cosmic framework of the narrative only added to the beautiful storytelling. ​I can see myself revisiting that one frequently.

​I also surprisingly adored the poem “The Lagahoo Speaks For Itself". This poem evokes Trinidadian mythos rather than the Lovecraftian and goes to show that being unfamiliar with certain elements of myology didn’t necessarily take away from my reading experience. The bitting imagery and gripping descriptions of this poem hooked me in and I loved it.

In the end, Can You Sign My Tentacle? is a difficult collection to recommend. There were moments I felt lost while reading it because of my lack of familiarity with its subject matter. If you know more about Lovecraft and hip-hop than me you'll probably get more out of it. But my lack of familiarity with the subject matter didn’t hinder my enjoyment all that much and that could be the same for others. Brandon O’Brien is a skilled poet whose work I’m definitely willing to seek out after reading this collection.