Rogue Review  No. 79 - June 29, 1998

Under the Moons of Eden by Christopher Leeson

F/M, TG, Transform

Length: 54,600 words

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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!!!!

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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]
