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"Locksmiths" by Uther Pendragon (firtst times) 10, 10, 10
"Locksmiths" by Uther Pendragon (anon584c@nyx.net). Set in the context of Valentine's day, this story can most simply be described as a description of several firsts - her first time, his first time, their first time with each other - plus a few other first times. As I have come to expect from this author, the story is both sensitive and sexy - again demonstrating that normal, moral people with consciences can actually have happy, romantic sex lives. The preceding statement is ironic, but you'll have to read the story to find out why. The author tries an interesting technique. During important sexual scenes, he views the action and emotions from the perspective of both participants. He accomplishes this by arranging the story at those points in two columns: one showing HIS perspective and the other HERS. This would work a lot better if the story were disseminated in a word- processor format (like Microsoft Word) that permitted the use of columns or tables. As it is, the text comes jumbled (with a half-line of each perspective on each text line), so that it is difficult to read these important portions of the story. I got around this problem by inserting tab keys at appropriate places. The result was a slightly jagged left margin for the right column (since I didn't put tabs in every line), but I was easily able to read both columns correctly. It seems likely that there is a better solution - perhaps knowing what font and size type the author used would enable readers to set their screen to the same size and font. The irony in this story is that the teenage daughter feels oppressed by her "unromantic" parents, who seem intent on only one thing: preventing her from having any fun, especially fun that involves sex. In reality, the parents are aware of the daughter's emerging sexuality: in fact, they have "been there" themselves. Like many parents, they simply want their daughter eventually to have a happy rather than an exploited sex life when she is eventually ready for it. Overall, this is one of the best stories by an author who writes a lot of very good stories. I know I say that often, but I think it's true every time I say it. Ratings for "Locksmiths" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 |