RRD No. 5

===========================

DISCLAIMER:

(1)  IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 THEN STOP READING NOW!!!!!
(2)  IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURAL ACTS WHICH SOME 
PEOPLE CALL PLEASUREABLE BUT YOU REGARD AS NECESSARY FOR THE 
PERPETUATION OF THE HUMAN RACE THEN STOP READING NOW!!!!!!!
(3)  IF YOU AREN'T SURE IF EITHER (1) OR (2) APPLY TO YOU THEN STOP 
READING NOW!!!!

===========================

Rogue Reviews Digest No. 5 - June 29, 1998

by Lee Vine

Contents

   Essays

     Rogue Reviews Standards and Guidelines

   Reviews

     Rogue Review No. 69 [Blood Ties by Inkubus]
     Rogue Review No. 70 [Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half by Erin Halfelven]
     Rogue Review No. 71 [Need A Lift? by Munawaruddin Ali]
     Rogue Review No. 72 [Strawberries by LeAnna]
     Rogue Review No. 73 [Hazy Shade of Winter by Hawkeye]
     Rogue Review No. 74 [Porch by Crimson Dragon]
     Rogue Review No. 75 [Palindrome by losgud]
     Rogue Review No. 76 [I Wonder by Poison Ivan]
     Rogue Review No. 77 [Hush by Brother Cadfael]
     Rogue Review No. 78 [Blindside by BitBard]
     Rogue Review No. 79 [Under the Moons of Eden by Christopher Leeson]


Note: I send my reviews individually, when I finish them, to the Sex
Stories Discussion List.  If you are interested in joining there is a 
form for doing so on my home page.

Home Page - http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/3112/

E-Mail - santiago@switchboardmail.com

======

Rogue Reviews Standards and Guidelines - June 27, 1998


Basic Story Ratings

Outstanding - You must read this story

Excellent - You should read this story

Good - Read this story if you have the time

Not Good - Do not bother reading this story


Things I consider when reviewing a story

Plot - Does it have one? If yes, at what pace does it develop?  Does 
it develop logically?

Characters - Are they stereotypes or do they seem real?  Are they 
dynamic? Are they complex?

Dilemma - Is there one?  How is it depicted?  Is it believable?

Arousal - Is the story arousing?  Does the sex begin with the first 
sentence or does the author lead up to it?


Things I like to see in a story

sarcasm, wit, humor, build up before the sex begins, characters 
capable of both happiness and sadness, personal dilemmas, characters 
who have to make tough choices, creativity


Things I do NOT like to see in a story

sex without a plot or a dilemma, characters without a function in 
life other than sex, non-consensual sex or other non-consensual 
activities that are supposedly fun, pedophilia (under the age of 
15-16)*, ...And They Lived Happily Ever After endings

* Yes, I realize this is statutory rape in some places


Random Thoughts

+ My reviews reflect how a story strikes me.
+ To each their own.
+ Feel free to disagree with me, you will not be the first or the 
  last.
+ There are exceptions to every rule.
+ Authors should not write to please reviewers.


I reserve the right to modify this enumeration of standards.

======

Rogue Review  No. 69 - June 23, 1998

Blood Ties by Inkubus

F/M, Magic

Length: 5,500 words


Note

This is the second story about Byronee.  The first is "Last Night
Together" (Rogue Review No. 51).


Summary

Byronee, a female demon, is captured by a sorcerer.  The sorcerer's
apprentice lets his hormones get the better of him and suffers the
consequences.


Commentary

I like the way the plot was crafted.  It is simple, and not
completely original, but it works.  The characters are believable.

My only complaint is with the descriptions of sex.  The paragraphs
were much longer, in that part of the story, than they were anywhere
else.  If the paragraphs had been chopped up a bit more it would have
made the story more readable.


Judgment

This is a good story, but the lengthy paragraphs should be chopped up
into smaller ones.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11678.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 70 - June 23, 1998
[Amended - June 26, 1998]

Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half by Erin Halfelven

F/M

Length: 3,200 words


Note [added June 26, 1998]

This review has been altered since I first published it.  I replaced 
the word *story* with the word *plot* in the second sentence of the 
Commentary section.  

Summary

Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half go out on a date.


Commentary

I loved the descriptions in this story.  There is not much to the *plot*, 
but what there was I liked.  It is simple and to the point.  The sex is 
going to happen, no questions about it.  What really makes this story 
are the descriptions.  Ginger's sarcasm and sexy way of looking at things 
really made my day.


Judgment

This is an outstanding story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11834.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 71 - June 23, 1998

Need A Lift? by Munawaruddin Ali

M/F/F

Length: 5,000 words


Summary

Mohammad's car breaks down, but two beautiful, eighteen-year-olds 
give him a lift.


Commentary

This was a very well paced stroke story.  Boy meets girls.  Boy fucks
girls.  What makes it work is that the author does not rush the plot.
The sex is left for the end.  The author fills the intervening time 
with diversions that seems appropriate for this sort of story.

The plot is pretty simple and the characters are not too complex, but
this story works because the author leads the reader on a little
chase before getting to the one part that we all know will be there.


Judgment

This is a good story, but definite stroke material.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11870.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 72 - June 25, 1998

Strawberries by LeAnna

F/M

Length: 8,100 words


Summary

Linda sits at a table, examines strawberries, and thinks about her 
life.


Commentary

There is a lot to this story.  It could probably be broken up into 
four or five smaller stories.  LeAnna does a good job of bringing the
various parts together.  It has a plot.  It has both complex and 
dynamic characters.  The descriptions convey feelings as well as 
images.

I cannot do justice to this story with a review.  Read it.


Judgment

This was an excellent story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11971.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 73 - June 26, 1998

Hazy Shade of Winter by Hawkeye

M/F

Length: 5,000 words


Summary

A friend to hang out with and a shoulder to cry on turn into a 
convenient cock.


Commentary

I cannot think of anything negative to say about this story.  It is 
well paced.  It has a plot.  The characters seem real.

Okay, so what's up with the title?  Why not Walk Like An Egyptian? or
Scarborough Fair?  It is not clear what the title is referring to.

I've read this sort of story many times before.  An infinite number 
of people can tell the same story and it will come out different each
time provided they each put their heart into their telling of the 
story.


Judgment

This was an excellent story, but what's up with the title?


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12152.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 74 - June 27, 1998

Porch by Crimson Dragon

F/F

Length: 5,100 words


Summary

Michelle worries about a kiss.  Lara comes round and shows Michelle 
that everything is all right.


Commentary

A good deal of this story is told through dreams and flashbacks.  The
author used these techniques quite effectively.

This story has plot.  Its characters are not cut-outs, but quite 
real.

The main character is faced with a dilemma.  The author does a good 
job of showing how Michelle copes with her dilemma.


Judgment

This is an excellent story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12213.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 75 - June 27, 1998

Palindrome by losgud

M/F

Length: 6,500 words


Summary

Darren gives it to Ray, his business partner, up the ass, and then 
does the same to Panama, Ray's girlfriend.


Commentary

This is not your standard ASSM story.  The first third is best read 
slowly.  A familiarity with the Cold War and the history of the 
United States involvement in the politics of Central America and the 
Caribbean Islands also helps.  It is witty and dripping with sarcasm,
but requires your undivided attention.

After the preamble, i.e. the first third, the sex begins.  It goes 
from masturbation and voyeurism to first vaginal and then anal sex.  
There is even a little spanky-spanky.  The sex is arousing, but the 
story would not be half as enjoyable if it were not for the sarcastic
dialogue and narration.

If you are looking for something different, then look no further.


Judgment

This is an excellent story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12263.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 76 - June 27, 1998

I Wonder by Poison Ivan

M/F

Length: 1,100 words


Summary

Read the title.


Commentary

This is a lot of fun.  There are lots of questions and no definite
answers.  It kind of reminds me of life.

[Narf, Brain]


Judgment

This is an excellent story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12265.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 77 - June 27, 1998

Hush by Brother Cadfael

M/F

Length: 1,400 words


Note

The Summary was written by BC, not me.


Summary

A man meets a deaf woman at the film development store and finds 
his knowledge of sign language to finally be of use.


Commentary

This story was good, but it felt a little rough.  It felt like the 
author was not too sure what he wanted to do with the story.  Maybe 
he had conflicting emotions about how the story would be read by 
others.  Whether he did or did not, he did a good job with the 
characters, plot and descriptions.

The woman in this story, Liea, is deaf.  Her hearing impairment is 
not used as a gimmick.


Judgment

This is a good story, but it could have been more polished.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12324.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 78 - June 28, 1998

Blindside by BitBard

M/F, Cons, NC, Teen

Length: 8,700 words


Note 1

This is the fourth of four stories about Steve Whiley.


Note 2

The Summary was not written by me, but by BB.


Summary

Has Steve finally met his match when a cat burglar targets the gem 
Steve's been hired to protect?


Commentary

This is a very well paced story.  It has a plot.  The characters are 
both complex and dynamic.  Both of the main characters are faced with
dilemmas, and the author does a good job of showing how they deal 
with their individual crises.

There is both consensual and non-consensual sex in this story.  The 
non-consensual sex is appropriate.  It is not dealt with lightly.  

I enjoy reading police and detective novels, so I may be biased.  I 
think this is a story anyone can enjoy.


Judgment

This is an outstanding story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12355.txt

======

Rogue Review  No. 79 - June 29, 1998

Under the Moons of Eden by Christopher Leeson

F/M, TG, Transform

Length: 54,600 words


Summary

Some time in the distant future a military space vessel, manned by 500 
men, is shot down and marooned on a planet light years from home.  Some 
of the men are transformed into women, including the commander, Major 
Breen.


Commentary

This is a long story.  I did not read it in one sitting.  It would 
probably be more correct to call it a short novel.

The plot is very well paced.  The characters are dynamic.  The 
transformations lead to some serious psychological problems.  The 
author does an excellent job in his handling of the psychological 
ramifications of the transformations.  There is sex in this story, 
but the transformations do not occur just so that unproductive 
male-female sex can take place.

Transformations, of the sort described in this story, are a creation 
of science-fiction.  They do, however, raise some interesting 
questions.  If a heterosexual man is transformed into a woman is it 
then natural for him to be attracted to men?  What determines sexual 
identity and sexual orientation?  If something like this actually 
happened the only papers that would cover it would be the National 
Inquirer and the Weekly World News; no one would believe it, but I 
still think these are interesting philosophical, psychological, and 
sociological questions.  I think the author handles the 
transformations and sexual orientation/identity questions quite well.
In the hands of other authors it may just have been a gimmick, 
instead of an element in the story.

One final observation, there does seem to be more stories out there 
about men being transformed into women than women into men.  There 
are stories in which a man and a woman are both transformed, but why 
is it rare to find one in which only a woman is transformed into a 
man?


Judgment

This is an outstanding story.


Link(s)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11497.txt [1/4]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11498.txt [2/4]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11499.txt [3/4]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11500.txt [4/4]

======

6/29/98