Village of dunes. Valley of slumber-dust.

Sandsnarl is a settlement steeped in sand – though where it came from and how long ago is a matter of tall tales and steely whispers. The sand itself makes accurate record-keeping impossible. It is drug, ore, plague and delicacy. The inhabitants of this region (or is it a fallen kingdom?) talk and think through its haze. Some alter their shape, as if shaved by it. Others seethe, resisting its rattle and buzz.

These poems eavesdrop, extract, sift. Together, they make up a brief impression of time and place, a Buñuelian musical without the music.

Reviews

“Reading these poems was an uplifting experience. Stone creates a flow of light and dark imagery, threaded through a game of ‘now you see it, now you don’t’, which includes (how could it not) hints of apocalypse, yet because of its energy and wit, conveys an overall a sense of optimism.” – Alex Josephy, The London Grip

“Sandsnarl isn’t just poetry — it’s fantasy. Sand has taken over everything and obsessed everyone, like anything we hope will save us: drugs, riches, ideology, religion, art. Jon Stone uses rhyme, alliteration and other delights to make the reading experience itself intoxicating.” – Ramona Herdman, Sphinx

“These telling titles introduce an arresting cast of characters, all economically defined by role rather than name (...) The disorienting juxtapositions and intriguing amalgams (the ‘Sand Orphan’; the ‘Sandsinger’) are succinctly evocative.” – Lorna Dowell, Sphinx

“Sandsnarl is a unique fantasy adventure told solely in the form of poems. It is clever. It is immersive. And I enjoyed every second I spent reading it.” – notashotasmyteapot

Extracts