Poetry 76pp

read a sample

Winner of the Inky Tentacle for cover art at the 2023 Kitschies

On a wasted island in perpetual sun, the Father practices magic, laments his lost kingdom and commands a ragtag army of three: the passionate and damaged Daughter, the winged Spirit and an indigenous being known only as C. Behind their uniforms — white suits and full-face paper masks — the soldiers seethe with rebellion.

The arrival of the Boy, a hapless prince, and the Brother, the Father’s rival, unleashes desire, betrayal, insanity and revenge — all of it witnessed by an irate sea.

Paper Crusade is a bold reinvention of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. Michelle Penn’s vivid imagery and startling, sensual language create an unforgettable dystopia for our own time.

review by Jon Wilkins on Everybody's Reviewing

"How often do you

sit and read a poem

and are transported

to

a

Different world?

To storms and sea?

To wars and death?"

https://everybodysreviewing.blogspot.com/2022/06/r...

review by @shoutaboutbooks on instagram

"There must be something of Prospero in @mich_penn, because #PaperCrusade is utterly mesmeric & captivating."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfLZPkTgNqB/