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"Voodoo" by mc_writer (mind control). Baird: 10, 10, 10
"Voodoo" (mc, Mdom, MF, FF) by mc_writer (mc_writer@hotmail.com). Reviewed by Baird Allen (thebear@io.com) "Voodoo" tells the story of a man, displeased with his wife's frequent "headaches" and minimal sexual responsiveness, who consults a Voodoo practitioner and arranges to have his wife's passions aroused and her loyalty assured. In fact, the treatment turns her into his sexual slave, obedient to his every word so long as he possesses the amulet that controls her. If that were the sum total of this story's plot, it would be no different from any other mind control story that you might find on any casual skim through a.s.s. This one is different, however, in its unexpected affirmation of the value of free will. How is that difference achieved? Sorry, I can't tell you that without ruining the plot. The summary above barely skims the surface. I recommend that you read the story yourself. Now, a word about the meaning of the numbers at the end of this review: An email correspondent recently accused me of going soft and giving out too many 10-10-10 reviews. There may be some truth to this, but if so it is only my attempt to make the ratings on reviews that I write equivalent to the ratings on reviews written by Celeste herself. Perhaps a 10-10-10 once meant that a story was exemplary in every way, a jewel among lesser gems; but it is my perception that it has come to be awarded to stories that do not necessarily stand out above the crowd of *good* stories, but rather have nothing wrong with them to justify downgrading them below 10s. I do not want any writer to suffer for being reviewed by me rather than by Celeste, so a story that has nothing technically wrong will get a 10 on Athena and a story that has adequate plot and characters will get a 10 on Venus. The Bear score remains my own, but if a story pleases me I will tend to rate it highly, perhaps higher than I would have in the past. "Voodoo" is a perfect example of what I mean. The writer uses the English language competently, with no jarring typos or glaring grammatical errors to jolt the reader out of the story. That gets a 10 on Athena. The plot advances, twists, and turns, with nothing to disrupt the willing suspension of disbelief by the reader. The characters are not drawn as exquisitely as those of some of my favorite mainstream authors, but they are not mere cardboard cutouts either. So, a 10 on Venus. I liked the story, especially when it turned or twisted in some way not in accord with the expected formula. OK, a 10 on the Bear rating as well. This is a good story, well-written. I suggest that you read it, even if you ordinarily skip over stories of mind control and magic. Ratings for "Voodoo": Athena (technical merit): 10 Venus (plot and character): 10 Bear (appeal to reviewer): 10 |