A review by Sia of The Sign of the Dragon at Every Book a Doorway, August 2025
“The Sign of the Dragon is not like any book you’ve ever read before, for a few reasons…. Xau might not be a once-in-a-generation warrior – but his story is a once-in-a-generation book.”
A review of How to Navigate Our Universe by The Sciku Project, January 2025
“It’s safe to say that I’m a fan of poet and author Mary Soon Lee. I adored Elemental Haiku, her series of haiku based on each element of the period table. I also really enjoyed The Sign of the Dragon, a stunning epic fantasy poem sequence that’s well worth seeking out (and has recently been published in an illustrated version). And my three-part interview with her was fascinating, leading to a continuing and delightful sporadic correspondence over the past few years. So, please take this review of her 2023 collection of poetry How To Navigate Our Universe with a pinch of salt…. Salted or not, How To Navigate Our Universe is a joy.”
Strange Horizons review of How to Navigate Our Universe by Vivian Wagner, February 2024.
“How to Navigate Our Universe is a collection of speculative poetry by Mary Soon Lee which plays with the notion that planets might have personalities, moons might have jealousies, and the universe itself might be understood by examining its neighborhoods….”
Goran Lowie’s Goodreads review of The Sign of the Dragon, December 2021.
“But if you are one of those Becky Chambers-loving, hopeful people who look for the positive in humanity, if you are someone who wants to read something truly experimental, a kind of multicultural hopepunk story with Guy Gavriel Kay-level emotions… You will love this book as I did. You will cherish the characters, the words and the lyricism.”
A review of Elemental Haiku by Marian Christie, February 2021.
The elements are presented according to their atomic number, beginning with hydrogen, ‘fundamental, essential’, and ending with the hypothetical element 119 which has not yet been synthesised and which, I discover, has the temporary name ununennium. Lee has a magisterial ability to impart facts clearly, concisely and engagingly. In these short poems she succeeds in conveying the distinctive characteristics of each element, their inter-relationships, their applications and their role in history, be it on a human, planetary or cosmic scale.
A review of Elemental Haiku from Provo City Library, December 2020.
These brief, structured poems present the wonders of the universe in a very accessible and light format as science and art combine beautifully…. A perfect book for reading aloud or just contemplating quietly while you relax, Elemental Haiku would make a great gift for the science nerd in your life.
A review of The Sign of the Dragon by Ann K. Schwader, June 2020.
What an utterly beautiful, impressive, & occasionally heartbreaking reading experience! Having read Crowned, the first portion of this fantasy novel-in-poems, a few years ago, I was eager to see what the whole novel would be like — and it did not disappoint. In fact, it turned out to be much more than I’d been expecting, both in quality & in scope….
A review of The Sign of the Dragon by Beth Cato, June 2020.
I love this book. It’s as close to perfect as a book can get, which is saying a lot, especially when I add that this is a novel-sized volume of fantasy poetry that truly reads like a novel….
A review of Elemental Haiku by Donna Giachetti at Educational Innovations, March 2020.
A few months ago, a colleague at Educational Innovations shared with me a poetry web page he thought I’d enjoy. It was a joyful little corner of the Internet called Elemental Haiku. (Thanks, Ted!) The author, Mary Soon Lee, composed 119 science haiku – a poem for each element in the Periodic Table….
A review of Elemental Haiku by Esther Santiago at Long River Review, March 2020.
… A few weeks ago, I came across a fascinating book titled Elemental Haiku: Poems to honor the periodic table, three lines at a time by British author Mary Soon Lee. The poetry collection features one poem for each element of the periodic table (a total of 118), and the bottom of the page includes a footnote describing the element, so you learn as you read. The three line poems carry an essence of simplicity, musicality and marvelous imagery….
I’m delighted to report that my poem Outlaw, Exile, Traitor has been published in Baubles From Bones 🙂
There’s a lovely review by Sia of The Sign of the Dragon at Every Book a Doorway 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am delighted to report that I have had four more poems accepted by Uppagus 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
My poem “Not Like This” (part of The Sign of the Dragon) has been reprinted in the Worldcon 2025 Souvenir Book 🙂 The poem first appeared in Apex Magazine.
My poem “To Undertake a Quest” has been reprinted in the Worlds of Possibility Poetry Anthology 🙂
