''The poems in the collection, drawn representatively from the spectrum of Dewdney's career, 'merge into/the details of the world' ('Seven Electrical Angels') in a consistently surprising and thoughtful manner. The resulting selection is a fascinating archive of the way in which those details have merged differenly over time--havin subtly remodeled Dewdney's poetics like a language remoder the brain.... [Editor] Karl E. Jirgens'...observations are suggestive and the accompanying bibliography of critical sources constitutes an important contribution to the study of Dewdney's work.''

''The quest for a wider audience for poetry may be quixotic, but this series makes a serious attempt to present attractive, affordable selections that speak to contemporary interests and topics that might engage a younger generation of readers. Yet it does not condescend, preferring to provide substantial and sophisticated poets to these new readers. At the very least, these slim volumes will make very useful introductory teaching texts in post-secondary classrooms because they whet the appetite without overwhelming.''

''The texts ... challenge the anthology by collecting larger, more representative samples of the poet's oeuvre and by pairing creative work with an essay by a contemporary critic and an aesthetic statement by the poet. This innovative format certainly succeeds in making the text more accessible and comprehensive. The result is a timely reminder that poetry is, in fact, enjoyable and might just be able to, as Dewdney writes, ''perforate everything around the shape of the real.''... [A]s a university instructor, I would use this text and applaud Besner's attempts to remedy contemporary poetry's lack of popularity. Children of the Outer Dark will, as Besner intended, appeal to a large and varied readership.''