Xeno Hemlock

The Pokémon Sun and Moon games introduced 88 new Pokémon in the franchise. The Lion Eating the Sun had 88 poems. This parallel was not a coincidence.

“How many is too many?”

“How few is too few?”

Those were the questions I asked myself when it came time to finalize the roster for my anthology The Lion Eating the Sun. I couldn’t just pick a number. There’s got to be a meaning or reason for the decision.

Then one day, it hit me like a Marshadow’s Sucker Punch. Pokémon became one of my unexpected influences while working on Lion, I might as well embrace the serendipity. I did.

At the time of the book’s development, the Generation VII games Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon were the latest releases of the Pokémon franchise. Two of my cats that died were named after characters from the games: Cosmog and Nebby. Cosmog was killed by a vehicle right in front of our house. I didn’t see the culprit, only Cosmog’s lifeless body. In the games, Cosmog evolves into Cosmoem then into either Solgaleo or Lunala. Since my cat Cosmog was a male, I decided to name the book The Lion Eating the Sun. Solgaleo is the lion eating the sun.

What you’ll find below are the titles of the 88 poems in The Lion Eating the Sun. You might spot a few familiar titles as I posted them here on my website before for free reading.

Here are the poems from the book which are free to read:

• Miss You
• Miss You (New Year’s Eve)
• Asleep Underground
• Maybe
• The Forgotten
• The Party
• Moral Crusaders
• Too Soon
• The Purple Lady
• Mandy
• Do Not Envy
• Can I Dump My Feelings in a Basket?

The Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon games added five new Pokémon mid-generation. The upcoming Ultra Edition of The Lion Eating the Sun will add five new poems to the roster. This parallel is not a coincidence.

Birthed fom the clouds of dust, cats, Pokémon, Survivor, and philosophy, this poetry collection tells stories of life, love, and loss. This book also contains elements from the author’s other works and upcoming second novel.

If you already own a copy of the book, it will be updated to the Ultra Edition at no extra cost. If you don’t have your copy yet:

Get your copy.