Achroma follows a (mis)adventuring party of six on their quest to witness 'unspeakable richness' in the Cave of Creation. Its poetry is rich in excesses of images, wordplay, and surprise.

The tale oscillates between tonal and linguistic polarities. By navigating these spectra of meaning and form, a raucous journey becomes revelatory, notwithstanding the 'scorch-black trail' they leave behind.

Ian Macartney works with words, sounds, images and other people. Previous publications include languishing, cute (with Maria Sledmere; Tapsalteeire), The Infinite Fury and other stories (Strange Region), and Shale Bings (Broken Sleep Books). He can be found online at ianmacartney.scot, but for how much longer? 

“A rich history lies in the margins of the original manuscript of Achroma, blotched with the ink of different hands. Here, we explore the first stanza’s marginalia, as they respond to the royal decree which triggered the events of the book.”

Read more about the first stanza and its marginalia on Substack.

Softcover, 64 pages, numbered edition of 50, 2026