The shadows mapped in this impressive collection are cast by a variety of experiences yet never less than lit from within by a firm, tenderly attentive spirit of affection and camaraderie.
They celebrate the world of nature around us and the importance of friendship while, as in the chilling ‘Annalise’, fully acknowledging the darker side of human behaviour. Often deceptively anec-dotal, these are poems that deserve and reward careful reading.’
John Mole, Poet in residence in the City of London, and President of the Ver Poets Society.
‘Treatments of the Great War are quite common these days, but Chris Delaney’s narrative poem, ‘Finding Remus’, (the first poem in Mapping Shadows) seems to me to be a new angle, still containing those elements that reverberate through the best WW1 literature. It is balanced perfectly in its constituent parts.
‘Return’ gets it off to a lovely start. ‘School days’ has a very affecting Words-worthian pastoral tone. Everything that charms the reader is encapsulated in ‘Camaraderie’. It is a lovely mosaic. I can’t imagine a more moving climax than ‘Ascension’ to a fine poem.’
Adrian Buckner, Senior Lecturer of Creative Writing at Derby University, and Poet Laureate of Nottinghamshire 1999.
