9/16/98 Korean Dry-Cleaning Lady (Richard Rivers); The Unicorn Prayers (Thomas M. Carvett); The Lens as Mirror (Adhara Rawcalyn); Summer 1976 (Jim Keigel); The Root of Evil (Tooshoes)
9/21/98 The Starr Report (Kennth Starr); The Court of President Jezebal: Gerrold's First Day and Story Three (Akhenaten); Misty Red Elk (William Will Willie Bill); Theatre of the Flesh, Parts 1, 2, and 3 (Harry Tasker); My Fair Laddie (Davis Trell); Vincent Goes to the Movies (YLeeCoyote); Maid to Serve Sri Lankans (Lebny); Website Review: The Hall of Statuary
9/30/98 Fantastic Forum (Black Rose); Forest Fire (November Tuesday); Monastery Tales, Chapter 3 (James Stuart); Novelty Store (Blue Words); The Reality of Virtual Possession (Tigger); Website Review: Erotic Fiction by Magician
Here's something different this week--a whole set of reviews
based on normal male/female heterosex. That's right, heterosex. I
didn't plan it that way, but there happened to be so many
excellent stories out, things just sorta fell into place. Because
these are heterosex stories my reviewing apparatus is tuned a bit
differently. I'm a bit more critical than usual.
Korean Dry-Cleaning Lady [A+]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/11/98
Author: Richard Rivers
Address: r_rivers@cryogen.com
Not all consensual M/F stories are vanilla. Some are flavored with kim chee.
The narrator of this story develops a crush on the Korean owner of a dry cleaning store, passing by daily to note her activities and moods. (He also drops off his dry cleaning.) His passion grows. One day when he drops in as she is closing to have a personal conversation with her. His dreams come true when they have a tumble on a pile of dirty laundry.
This story was an excellent depiction of the ordinary sexual encounter most people might have in daily life; though "small" it held my attention, mainly through the author's heartfelt prose. I felt I was peaking into someone's personal diary, and, oddly, I feel privileged for it.
The Unicorn Prayers [A]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 8/29/98
Author: Thomas M. Carvett
Address: tcarvett@earthlink.net
Website: http://home.earthlink.net/~tcarvett
A young girl loses her mother and develops a vaguely incestuous relationship with her father. He rejects her, knowing it isn't right, so she turns to fantasies of unicorns to satisfy her budding desires. She eventually discovers that, by putting out, she attracts lots of boys, but the boys don't matter; only the fantasies do, which she puts down on paper using her artistic talents. One day she disappears after painting a unicorn mural on the wall of the boys' lavatory (!!?)
I really liked this story; it was sweet and true to life and psychologically insightful; the tone was assured and elegant, kind of like a fable. I was all set to give it an A+ until the end, which destroyed the whole thing for me. Why the hell does she decorate a row of urinals? It's not exactly a sexy thing to do, although the symbolism of the story says it should be. (Male bathroom = male sex.) Teenage girls aren't, on the whole, enthusiastic cockmistresses; they regard male equipment as little more than leaky sewer pipes. If the girl wanted to give a last "gift" so to speak, to her male conquests, it makes more sense for her to paint the house of one of them, or the place where they hang out, such as a school.
The Lens as Mirror [A-]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/11/98
Author: Adhara Rawcalyn
Address: eros_dreams@hotmail.com
A woman married to a photographer consents one day to pose for him. He usually photographs younger models and both are surprised at how sensual the pictures of her turn out to be. He displays them in a gallery and the enthusiastic reception they get inspires him to renew the passionate bond he once had with his wife.
This was a nicely written, modest story but it really bothered me on one point--that images are more important than people. The husband never notices how appealing his wife is until he prints her on emulsion, while the wife assumes her sex life is over because she thinks "bony" 19-year-old models have more appeal than a 43-year-old. I am so sick of this. Not everyone who has a satisfying sex life looks like a Calvin Klein ad. I know unattractive men married to beautiful women. I know Queen- sized women going out with skinny little guys. I even know of two cerebral palsy sufferers who got married even though they couldn't take more than two steps in the same direction. So what does that say about image and attraction?
Summer 1976 [B+]
Author: Jim Keigel
Address: jimkeigel@hotmail.com
The author prefaced this story with "If you don't like this one then I give up." Come on. I'm not evil enough to wreck someone's writing career, am I?
This story was part of the continuing chronicles of a guy named LC--who may be a stand-in for the author--and purports to be based on real life sexual activity. LC is a rock and roller and has a second job as a sort of security guard at a remote power plant. One morning on the job he encounters a naked chick, in the parlance of the time, who is wandering around as if on a drug trip. Like most naked chicks in such accounts, she's young, sexually desirable, sexually skilled, and sexually available. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be a naked chick. She'd be a fat cow or hard-ass bitch or whatever. In the parlance of the time. Lots of sex follows as the stoned naked chick displays her sensual prowess, causing some humorous situations between LC and his boss. She eventually flips out and tries to kill herself by sitting on top of an electrical transformer after giving the hero a case of clap.
The story was funny in places and an evocative memoir of its time--that period in the 70s when the sexual excesses of the hippies had finally filtered into the mainstream--but was hampered by the narrative voice. The author couldn't decide whether to write the story in omniscient POV("John did that") or first ("I did that") and settled for a strange median ("Our man LC decided to do that") which gave the strange effect he was talking about himself in the third person.
On a personal level, the story did not appeal to me because it was too much like the articles that used to appear in the old National Lampoon and High Times magazines on which I cut my porn- reading teeth as a young pre-pubescent in the 70s. Frankly, they gave me the wrong idea as to what male-female sex was all about. Being a stoned hippie chick sex machine in order to please men is not a very appealing picture for a tender 11-year-old. So, in order to answer the author's question, No, I didn't like this story--it carried some bad memories--but looking at it from an unbiased viewpoint, it had its moments.
The Root of Evil [A+]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 7/31/98
Author: Tooshoes
Address: tooshoes@cris.com
Website: http://www.cris.com/files/Authors/tooshoes/www
A lonely guy becomes infatuated with an exotic dancer in this story, or rather an adult club dancer, as ballet and jitterbugging could be considered very exotic to a native of Borneo or Tierre del Fuego. Gradually he spends more and time at the club, tipping his crush generously, and a friendship develops based on the exchange of sensual energy for hard cold cash. He begins to fall in love. The dancer likes him and cuts him a special deal, but she's still a dancer who has to work for a living, and this is where the story's conflicts come into a play. Eventually the narrator gets more and more possessive and confesses his love, which freaks her out (the #1 rule of adult club dancers being Don't Get Involved) and leads her to oh-so-gently withdraw. The narrator considers suicide, but has a startling change of heart.
The first nine-tenths of this story was an excellent depiction of the feelings of an adult man caught up in the particular male trap of exchanging cash for female attention, which has been going on for as long as there's been prostitution in the world. It deserves an A+ for the sensitivity involved. However, I was not so crazy about the conclusion. I could see the narrator deciding that his infatuation was ridiculous and resolving to live his life as free and sensually as the dancer lives hers, but such a resolve does not occur in one night, nor do the feelings of pain and rejection go away easily. I expected him to give up clubbing for good and instead find a real woman, but the last paragraph has him returning to the club and starting out the relationship with his dancer on a fresh foot. Wish fulfillment maybe, but not real life. Still, the rest of the story was excellent, and that's why I gave it the grade I did.
See below for LADY CYRRH's reaction to the Starr Report!
The Starr Report [B]
Where posted: Various Internet sites
When released: 9/11/98
Author: Kenneth Starr and staff
This report, widely available on the Internet and in bookstores, depicts the political fallout from the President's affair with a young White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. As if you didn't know that. It was by turns pathetic, sinister, enraging, and touching, but, unfortunately, not sexy. It was clear to me the author has a logical, analytical mind, but such qualities aren't much help in describing steamy sexual encounters in the Oval office and various bathrooms.
Consensus: If you're a powerful man having an embarrassing affair, don't ejaculate. And if you're a young woman having an affair with a powerful man, don't get emotionally attached, and understand that he owes you NOTHING, though if you whine a bit you may receive a cushy job.
The Court of President Jezebel: Gerrold's First Day [A/A-]
The Court of President Jezebel: Story Three [B+]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/13/98
Author: Akhenaten
Address: AmenhotepIV@usa.net
Website: http://members.tripod.com/~AmenhotepIV
It's the year 2098 and America, and by extension the world, is ruled by the military and sexual dictatorship of President Jezebel, a depraved female sybarite who wears rings through each nipple and a diamond in her clit. Slavery is rampant and legal, and Senators too have to demonstrate their sexual talents in order to ascend to Congress. From this rather juicy background come these stories, which are part snuff, part slave, and part combat, almost a futuristic Rollerball version of Ravensword's catfighting sagas.
In "Gerrold's First Day," Senator Gerrold has to demonstrate his loyalty to the President by raping, torturing and killing a virgin slave girl, all the while controlled by a barbaric cock ring/ball ring setup to control his erection and monitor his arousal. In "Story Three", which is tamer if not as grippingly written, the victims are slaves, two men and two dildo-wearing women, who fight flesh-to-flesh for the amusement of Congress, the winner impaling the loser in the ass. The losing couple are then strapped to the rack, maneuvered so the man penetrates the woman, and electrocuted to death when they reach simultaneous orgasm.
These stories are not pretty as they deal with death and torture, but as they are fairly well-written, creative variations that deliver the goods, I gave them the grades I did. There also seemed to be a sly note of humor involved as well, with congressional pages, presidents, and senators acting like extras from a sadistic Italian horror film, which may or may not be reflective of this country's current presidential crisis. At least I thought it was funny.
Misty Red Elk [A]
Where posted: ASS
When posted: 9/17/98
Author: William Will Willie Bill
Address: LIBERTYES@prodigy.net
This story seemed to be the prologue and first chapter of a novel in the comparatively underused genre of Native American porn. Misty is a young Indian girl of the Comanche tribe, and this first chapter describes her early sex life. There's lots of passionate M/F fucking and ethnographic details like:
Since marriage was not a sacred rite, to break the vows was not
a
sacrilege. A woman's husband might loan her to a guest for the
night,
make her a pawn at the gaming board, or put her up for sale. A
woman
could negotiate, through an older woman, for her own purchase
by a man
she desired. Regardless of their marital status, men and women
could
fuck each other whenever they pleased, it was not the business of
either
husbands or wives how much love was made to their mates. Sex
was good!"
Yes, I definitely think sex is good too, though I wouldn't want my
husband to tell me to fuck a fat white muskrat-pelt trader or some
old toothless chief who can't get it up.
Regardless, this was an interesting story, and if there's more chapters with more of a plot, as I sense there is (it's the Wild West, of course) it's probably worth your time.
Theatre of the Flesh, Parts 1, 2 and 3 [A]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/11/98
Author: Harry Tasker
Address: harry-tasker@harry-tasker.demon.co.uk
Uptight though innately sensual Louise goes with her husband Chris to a sex show in Amsterdam (of "Sex, Drugs and Democracy" fame--this documentary is highly recommended if you can find it) where they make the acquaintance of a Frenchman and his wife. When the performance begins the French couple start fondling each other, to Louise's chagrin and disgust, but gradually she starts becoming aroused. The acts on stage (a greased dancer humping a giant black leather dildo, and a three- way between a redhead, a black man, and a white man) stimulate her further, and she joins in the fun, giving the Frenchman a handjob and his wife a taste of his cum. Her husband, amazingly, doesn't realize what she's doing. The French couple invite her to go back to the hotel with them, and she accepts while hubby still has his eyes glued on stage.
I found this a well-written story about a married couple's efforts to spice up their union and one of those shy-wife-discovers- she's-a-sex-bomb ones, so if you like either category, it's sure to please. It was also literary and elegant enough to please people who would like to read something hot but don't like "hard" porn.
My Fair Laddie [A]
Where posted: ASSG, ASSGM
Author: Davis Trell
Address: davistrell@aol.com
As the title suggests, this story is a gay role-reversal of the musical "My Fair Lady." In Edwardian England a young man and his lover hire a cockney-talking street urchin to be the young man's "bride," for if he doesn't marry he won't receive the material privileges of his class. Why didn't they hire a female urchin? Well, it is a gay story. The three share a honeymoon together and everything ends happily.
The story was well-written, with lots of intimate details about Edwardian life. (I postulate that Mr. Trell may be antique dealer in his other life.) The ending seemed tacked-on and sketchy, as if written in haste. But what came before was very entertaining.
Vincent Goes to the Movies [B+]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/1/98
Author: YLeeCoyote
Address: YLeeCoyote@juno.com
The hero of the title sneaks out at night to go to, guess what, the movies! (The particular movie was not given.) He stays out longer than expected and has to walk home alone by a park given to criminal activity. The young teen is soon set upon by several older boys who spank him and then fuck him. At home, he has to endure a spanking from his father.
This story was too sketchy for literary porn, as a lot of things were left unsaid, and not vivid and detailed enough for stroke porn, as again a lot of things were left unsaid, particularly the intensity of the victim's physical reactions. If anything, it read like a children's story in the style of "Madeline" where one line is repeated at the end of every paragraph: "Vincent was young and brave and fearless." Otherwise the writing was OK, but it really needed more of a plot.
Maid to Serve Sri Lankans [C]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM, ASF (alt.sex.femdom)
When posted: 8/29/98
Author: Lebny
Address: lebny@hotmail.com
Damika is from the slums of Colombo, the capitol city of Sri Lanka, working her way up in the world by being a maid to a rich man named Martin. Unfortunately, Martin has a bitchy girlfriend named Susan who abuses her. One day Martin comes upon Damika crying and comforts her, leading him to throw Susan out on her ass. Damika gets a taste of self-esteem and the power that comes with having a man be attentive to her. She finds out that Martin is a sub male who enjoys being dominated and steps into his former girlfriend's shoes. In a matter of time she is dressing him up in her old maid's costume and forcing him to use his tongue as a wad of toilet paper.
I can truthfully say that as a reviewer I don't "get" femdom stories; the concept of females forcing men to act like submissive females is completely inexplicable to me. Therefore, I grade such stories on how well and vividly they are written and how plausible they make the events sound (keep in mind the fact that any man would WANT to be dressed in a french maid's outfit with a big bow over his butt is very implausible to me.) This particular story was not well written. It jumped all over the place and did not give any insight into either the mindset of the maid or the rich guy, though I imagine femdom addicts night want to read about the exploitive upper class rich guy getting the role reversal he deserves.
Click here to see Website Review: The Hall of Statuary
Hi, here's another batch of stories. The three-a-month schedule is
working out well, and I will probably stick with it.
I received an email lately asking how I thought stories should be broken up for web publication. Well, that is entirely up to the writer and their news feed. Some programs enable you to post messages up to 100,000 words; others, 1,000 words or less. I myself feel a length between 2,500 and 6,000 words is ideal, as it can be read by most people within a few minutes or so and lets them decide if they want to continue on with the rest of the story. On the other hand, it's not short enough to be annoying, which a story of, say, 40,000 words broken into 40 chapters of 1,000 words each would be. Remember this is the internet; story posts--which may contain major plot points--get lost all the time. So the closer to 5,000-6,000 words you can go, the better; and the less postings you can make, the better. The story itself may also lend itself to be being cut at certain points, such as the revelation that the Duke's mad daughter was in reality a son, wherein all the candles go out and a burst of eerie laughter is heard: MWUH-HUH-HUH-HUH!
Clear 'nuff?
Among other news, kudos to rock star Marilyn Manson for making himself like a "Jem and the Holograms" fashion doll on acid, with a cataract, on the cover of the October 15th Rolling Stone. Kudos also to the photo of MTV brat Jessie on page 59, who will be making my gay friends squirm in their jeans, and an article on a cybersex rape trial in New York.
Fantastic Forum [C]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/24/98
Author: Black Rose
Address: josh_t@hotmail.com
The Fantastic Four have some carnal adventures in this superhero story which Stan Lee would have never approved of. Unfortunately, they were orchestrated through the agency of "Kristoff Von Doom...a fifteen year old with no outlet for any of his sexual energies" which means they were more than a little on the mindless side and incompetently written, most likely by a thinly disguised version of Mr. Von Doom himself. Yes, I'm afraid the "Josh T." was a giveaway. No one over fifteen is named Josh these days. And the use of "cunny" which no red-blooded British man over the age of fifteen uses either.
Forest Fire [B]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/27/98
Author: November Tuesday
Address: november919@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/3193
This story was an attempt at literary erotica wherein a man and woman go out into the forest to commune with nature, the sensual sights, sounds, and smells bringing out their wild instincts. It wasn't bad, but waaayyyy overwritten, and frankly the overwritten description of someone's camping trip just isn't very interesting to me. I'd rather read about distinct personalities and the fucking they do, and the odd circumstances that up to that fucking.
An exercise in sensual writing; nothing more.
Monastery Tales, Chapter 3 [A-/B+]
Where posted: ASSGM
When posted: 9/21/98
Author: James Stuart
Address: ehistorian@yahoo.com
Inspired by "The Name of the Rose" and various Brother Cadfael mysteries, this series of stories set in a medieval Italian monastery details the wilder-goings on between the good brothers and their younger charges, which means a lot of man- boy, boy-boy, and teen-boy sex, enlivened by authentic medieval details which are given in a low-key, non-pushy way. In this particular chapter, young Leo, the story's hero, is called upon to serve the Head Abbot at his table with his young friend, while the Head Abbot tries to convince his recalcitrant, spendthrift nephew of the pleasures available to him in the Church. Those pleasures include the asses of young boys.
This story was interesting and full of good historical color, but suffered in that some of the dialogue was wooden (even considering the characters are monks) and as a continuing narrative it lacked a strong focus, the characters just rambling on to one sexual adventure after the other. On the other hand, it was fairly reflective of what *really* went on behind closed monastery doors.
Novelty Store [A]
Where posted: ASS, ASSM
When posted: 9/27/98
Author: Blue Words
Address: bluewords@yahoo.com
I laughed throughout this story, which is that rare thing, a light- hearted bondage gear romp that isn't on the self-mocking side (the "I-know-it's-only-a-story-so-I'm-going-to-stick-in-as- much-kink-as-I-can" syndrome.) In other words, titillatingly realistic. A man who doesn't know what to buy his wife for her birthday decides to give the gift of himself--he will be her slave for a weekend. His wife immediately gets ideas and drives him to the local adult toy store. He goes along with it amiably at first as the wife, under the pretext of testing out and trying on the equipment, gets him more and more kinked up, right there in the store. And he loves it. What more can be said?
But what was really sneaky about this story was the dialogue--the continual wifely "Yes dears," so indicative of normalcy, that serve to pacify the puzzled husband on his descent into submissionville. Also, kudos to the author for not describing the couple much physically, which made it easy for the reader to imagine whomever they wanted in the roles.
Even if you don't do kink, read this one for the humor.
The Reality of Virtual Possession [A]
Author: Tigger
Address: tigger@alices.com
Here's another story in which a man is topped, this time by a computer program. A scientist with a PhD in cybernetics builds a Virtual Environment Immersion Device consisting of a series of electrodes taped along his skull and body, which allow him to experience being the slave of a domina known as "Mistress Ellen" in a dungeon setting, complete with chains. After flogging, caning, and coring, he emerges from the program triumphantly refreshed, and we find out the REAL reason why he's built such an elaborate and expensive setup. As in all of Tigger's endings, it's a surprise and completely unexpected.
The writer seemed a little concerned about not catching the femdom feel in this story; but as a reader, I couldn't really judge. Certainly the story proved that dominas and their male slaves Are People Too, in capitol letters. But then, femdom stories, unless they're humorous, are always hard for me to get into, as I just can't imagine why a man would want a woman's abuse. In my experience, men are far more likely to be abusive of women, especially in the area of returning their phone calls.
Do I jest?
Click here to read Website Review: Erotic Fiction by Magician