Darker Seuss: Extra Grim Fairy Tales of Even Grimmer Existence is a humorous collection of short stories in verse written by Dr. Matthew McKeague and illustrated by Van Gia Hao. While the subjects he covers in this collection are definitely not the Dr. Seuss material one would ordinarily read to young children, the rhythm and rhyme schemes found herein do have the cadence and movement long associated with the classic children's author’s work. McKeague includes five short works in this collection that feature individuals who are all somewhat out of step with the rest of the world. His opening story, Dave Vs Existence follows the dismal routines of a depressed man who somehow gets jolted back into life via a deadly accident with a truck. Advice from Gramps is a series of letters written in a hospice by a grandfather whose relations are all sprawled out and sleeping around him. Clean Up Aisle Jen features an obsessive clean freak who finally loses it on a trip to the supermarket.

Will Dr. Seuss be rotating madly in his grave each time someone reads Dr. Matthew McKeague's homage collection, Darker Seuss: Extra Grim Fairy Tales of Even Grimmer Existence? He might just be, but I somehow think he would also feel that that's not such a bad thing -- it might liven up the afterlife a bit. McKeague's stories are clever and funny, and his characters are astonishingly real, strange as that may seem. Van Gia Hao's illustrations are masterful. As I read the verses and followed on to the illustrations, I felt as though I had somehow fallen into a time warp. Visions of those epic underground comics from the 1960s, Zap Comix, starting competing, and blending in with the illustrator's artwork, and I began to wonder if somehow R. Crumb had been swept up in the creation of this decidedly different short story collection. There's something for everyone in Darker Seuss, but only if you have a sense of humor -- if not, try it for the illustrations -- they're sublime. Dr. Matthew McKeague's homage collection, Darker Seuss: Extra Grim Fairy Tales of Even Grimmer Existence is highly recommended.

Darker Seuss: Extra Grim Fairy Tales of Even Grimmer Existence by Dr. Matthew McKeague is a collection of five engaging stories in verse. The stories touch on a variety of themes, including hope and despair, the absurd and the ordinary, and a lot of philosophy, but they are very humorous, too. Readers will read about a grandpa writing short tips for his grandchildren, a boy who keeps to himself getting stuck in a crushing rut, but the “The Greasy Spoon Conspiracy” will leave readers laughing their lungs out. The stories are dark and absorbing, featuring characters that reflect the grim quotidian that stares at us all, even occasionally.

Darker Seuss: Extra Grim Fairy Tales of Even Grimmer Existence is a work of pure genius, a well-crafted piece of poetry with exciting rhymes and a rhythm that is as steady as the sound of the tropical dance. How beautiful the poetry is, the imagery, the perfect rhyming of well-measured poetic lines. What is astonishing is that the author doesn’t sacrifice plot for poetry. Readers will enjoy the diction — which reflects the tone of the story, the characters, and the setting. Dr. Matthew McKeague has an irresistible charm that comes across powerfully through the use of humor and a variety of literary styles. It’s entertaining in a suffocating kind of way. And then there are the illustrations that are so telling in themselves. Simply brilliant! Loved every bit of it.