Rogue Reviews Digest No. 33 - March 19, 1999


  NOTICE

If you are easily offended, not of the required legal age, or 
material of an erotic nature is illegal where you are, then do not 
read what follows.


  CONTENTS

Mailing List Information

Ratings

Note

Reviews

  "Dinner with Callie" by Edbun
  "Mom's Amorous Son" by Roderigo
  "Mowing the Lawn" by OddManOut
  "Raga" by Taria
  "The Teaser" by Al Steiner
  "Tragedy, Transition and Triumph" by Tigger
  "Zero G" by Bitbard


*****


  MAILING LIST INFORMATION

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://www92.pair.com/leevine/rogue-reviews/
* E-Mail - santiago@switchboardmail.com


*****


  RATINGS

Part 1.  OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS

SCORE = AROUSAL SCORE + STORY SCORE

AROUSAL SCORE

0  Not
1  Barely
2  A Little
3  Somewhat
4  Very
5  Extremely

STORY SCORE

0  This barely resembles a story
1  Definitely lacking, but its possible it has a redeeming quality
2  Effort is evident, but I have some problems with this story
3  Nothing exceptional, but on the other hand there are no major flaws
4  Well crafted, but is missing something, or something does not work entirely
5  Beautifully crafted, it does not seem to be missing anything


Part 2.  SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS

Not Good = This was a waste of my time, don't bother reading it

Good = This is a good attempt, but I don't recommend it

Very Good = If you have the time or like this variety of story then I 
recommend this story, otherwise I would go with something that I rate 
as Excellent or Outstanding

Excellent = I recommend that you read this story, and I really liked it, but 
it did not give me the same feeling that an outstanding story does.

Outstanding = This story was not only enjoyable, but it also gave me a 
special feeling that I cannot describe


~~~


Note that there is not necessarily a direct correlation between 
the objective analysis and the subjective analysis.  On the other hand 
the terms objective and subjective as I have used them are relative and 
not absolute terms.  In other words the objective analysis is more objective
than the subjective one, and vice versa.  This new system may not work in 
the long run, but for the moment I am going with it.

This still does not get to one of MichaelD38's criticisms, which is how 
much better is an Outstanding than an Excellent, and Excellent than a 
Very Good, etc.  To be perfectly honest I'm not sure myself.  All I 
know is that I like Outstanding stories better than Excellent ones, etc.
I have a hard time quantifying "like", or "love" for that matter.  I 
can tell you if I liked something better than something else.  I can 
tell you why I did.  I can't put on a number on it however and say that 
I liked it 20% more or twice as much.  That just does not work for me.


BTW you may have noticed that I have dropped Grudgingly Good from my 
rating system.  That rating really represented a case where I did not 
like a story, but only because I was revolted or disgusted by the subject 
matter.  With the new system I'll just say under the Subjective Analysis 
that a story was Not Good.  The Arousal score is somewhat subjective, so 
that score may suffer, but I think that I can recognize good writing 
even when it revolts me.



*****


  REVIEWS


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Rogue Review No. 326 - March 8, 1999

Tragedy, Transition and Triumph by Tigger

F/M, Femdom, BDSM

Length: 10,700 words

Objective Analysis: 7 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 2 (out of 5)
  Story: 5 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Very Good


  SUMMARY

Megan and Andre manage to rebuild their lives after Andre gets raped.


  COMMENTARY

I found this story to be a little arousing.  By that I mean that 
there are scenes in this story that are arousing, but there were only
a limited number of them.  By no means did these scenes dominate the 
story.  From reading this story, my impression is that the author did
not intend for the nonconsensual parts to be arousing.

This is a very well written story.  It has a nice flow and the 
characters seem realistic.  Despite the fact that Andre has just gone
through a rather traumatic experience, the tone that the author sets 
seems a bit subdued.

So, summing up, I liked this story, it is well written, but not what 
I consider to be A-list material.  If you are a fan of BDSM stories 
then you may enjoy this more than I did.  One thing to keep in mind, 
despite the fact that the story revolves around sex, the story is 
about much more than just sex.

Warning: If you do not care for B&D or S&M then this may not be the 
story for you.  The author has labeled it as a romance and I think 
that is a fair description.  On the other hand, the story does have 
some elements, aside from the rape, that some of you may consider to 
be rather extreme.


  LINKS

Tragedy, Transition and Triumph

* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/9169.txt [1/3]
* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/9170.txt [2/3]
* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/9171.txt [3/3]

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=332757609&fmt=raw [1/3]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=332757614&fmt=raw [2/3]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=332757620&fmt=raw [3/3]


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Rogue Review No. 327 - March 10, 1999

Mowing the Lawn by OddManOut

M/f, Teen

Length: 5,700 words

Objective Analysis: 8 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 4 (out of 5)
  Story: 4 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Very Good


  SUMMARY

Brad, 36, hates mowing the lawn, but then he meets his 17-year-old 
neighbor Katie, while returning her father's lawnmower.


  COMMENTARY

I found this story to be very arousing.  The author takes his time.  
The story begins with the rather mundane activity of mowing the lawn 
but quickly heats up.  There is some tension in the sexual encounter 
that Katie and Brad share.  It seemed realistic and served to 
increase my arousal.

This is a stroke story.  The plot is well placed, but after a point 
revolves around nothing other than sex.  The characters seem 
life-like enough, though it would have been nice if there had been 
another side to Katie.  This is a stroke story though, maybe I'm 
asking too much.

On the whole I enjoyed this story.  It is rather vanilla, but it is 
well written and arousing enough to make my B-list.  That's why I 
gave it a Very Good, under Subjective Analysis.


  LINKS

Mowing the Lawn

* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year99/19948.txt [1/2]
* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year99/19949.txt [2/2]

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=444536297&fmt=raw [1/2]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=444540683&fmt=raw [2/2]


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Rogue Review No. 328 - March 12, 1999

Zero G by Bitbard

M/F

Length: 14,500 words

Objective Analysis: 5 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 2 (out of 5)
  Story: 3 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Good


  SUMMARY

Steve Whiley is enjoying a leisurely trip to Mars, when one of his 
fellow passengers is murdered.


  COMMENTARY

This is the third story, in a series of four, about a detective named
Steve Whiley.

For the most part this story is not arousing.  I believe that was the
author's intent.  There are a few sex scenes, but they felt like the 
gratuitous sex scenes that Hollywood studios include in many motion 
pictures.  Don't misunderstand me.  I enjoyed the sex scenes in this 
story.  They were arousing, but they weren't essential to the plot 
and they were few and far between.

As far as the story goes, I liked the plot.  It was well conceived 
and well paced.  The author acknowledges that the story resembles the
works of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.  Think 'Murder on 
the Orient Express', not 'Hound of the Baskervilles'.

The story was going along nicely, until it came time for Steve to 
interview his fellow passengers, a la Hercule Poirot. The various 
passengers did not come across distinctly.  They were in and out of 
the story so fast that it was hard to remember who was who.  This was
not a problem with the main characters.

If you are a big fan of mysteries, then you may want to read this 
one.  Other than Conan Doyle and Christie, it also reminded me of 
Isaac Asimov.  This is a good attempt, but it is less polished than 
the stories I consider to be A- or B-list material, thus the Good, 
under Subjective Analysis.


  LINKS

Zero G

* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/8350.txt

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=323893063&fmt=raw

Bitbard's Library

* http://bitbard.pair.com/


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Rogue Review No. 329 - March 13, 1999

Mom's Amorous Son by Roderigo

m/F, m/m/F, F/m, Teen, Incest

Length: 12,700 words

Objective Analysis: 9 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 5 (out of 5)
  Story: 4 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Excellent


  SUMMARY

Anita interrogates Brad, her son, about his sex life.  First there 
was the lady next door, then the preacher's wife, then his best 
friend's mother.  In the end Anita decides to do something to prevent
her son from laying pipe all over the neighborhood.


  COMMENTARY

Okay, if you don't care for incest stories then you may want to stop 
right here.  Its not that this story is particularly bad, but there 
isn't much to it other than sex.

I found this story to be extremely arousing.  The author does a nice 
job of using the stories with the story to build tension.  The ending
was inevitable, but I still found it to be arousing.  In particular I
liked the fact that the story does not feature women who are unflawed
In other words they might be carrying a little extra weight or might 
not have the prettiest face, but Brad still finds them attractive.

This is a well written story.  There is not a whole lot to the plot, 
other than sex, but the author still does a nice job of laying it out
and pacing it.  The characters are a bit sex crazed.  They don't seem
to have much else to their lives.  I prefer to see characters with a 
little more depth, but maybe that is asking too much from a stroke 
story.

Well, I liked this story a lot.  I found it to be well written and 
extremely arousing.  I am giving it an Excellent, under Subjective 
Analysis.


  LINKS

Mom's Amorous Son

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=242644957&fmt=raw [1/4]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=242645176&fmt=raw [2/4]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=242645253&fmt=raw [3/4]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=242645602&fmt=raw [4/4]


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Rogue Review No. 330 - March 14, 1999

The Teaser by Al Steiner

M/F

Length: 7,400 words

Objective Analysis: 9 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 4 (out of 5)
  Story: 5 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Excellent


  SUMMARY

A man reflects on a fling he had with his next door neighbor, when he
was in college.


  COMMENTARY

I found nothing arousing in the first third of this story.  The rest 
of the story is another matter.  The sex play in the final two-thirds
of the story is very arousing.  The author takes his time with it, 
and even when it was obvious that something is going to happen the 
author still managed to surprise me.

This is an extremely well written story.  The beginning of the story 
was not arousing in the least bit, but I still found myself drawn in.
The characters seemed realistic.  The plot was well paced.  There 
isn't as much dialogue as I usually like to see, but that did not 
even occur to me until I was sitting down to write the review.  The 
story as a whole just flows very nicely.

I found this story to be entertaining both when it was arousing and 
when it wasn't.  My subjective opinion is that this is an excellent 
story.


  LINKS

The Teaser

* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year99/19914.txt

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=444222183&fmt=raw


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Rogue Review No. 331 - March 16, 1999

Raga by Taria

M/F

Length: 5,500 words

Objective Analysis: 9 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 4 (out of 5)
  Story: 5 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Very Good


  SUMMARY

A man and a woman have sex.  A prince and a servant girl make love.


  COMMENTARY

This is a well composed story.  It consists of a sexual fantasy that 
has been framed with snippets from a more realistic sex scene.  I 
think this is an excellent trick to use and that the author uses it 
quite effectively.

The sex in the fantasy story is very arousing.  In particular I 
enjoyed the servant girl's transformation from innocent to 
passionate.  The author uses some Indian terms in this story.  I 
think that they made my imagination work a little harder and, 
considering their placement, made the story a little more arousing.

I enjoyed this story, and it is well written, but I am not wild about
it.  It is for that reason that I am placing it on my B-list, rather 
than my A-list.  This is not a knock against the author's writing 
abilities.  You may enjoy the story even more than I did, so please 
do not let my subjective opinion carry too much weight.  Consider 
what I have said and the objective scores that I gave this story.


  LINKS

Raga

* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/8404.txt [1/2]
* http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/8405.txt [2/2]

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=324572676&fmt=raw [1/2]
* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=324568020&fmt=raw [2/2]

Taria's Bibliography

* http://www.bitbard.pair.com/library/tariat/


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Rogue Review No. 332 - March 17, 1999

Dinner with Callie by Edbun

M/F

Length: 7,600 words

Objective Analysis: 9 (out of 10)

  Arousal: 5 (out of 5)
  Story: 4 (out of 5)

Subjective Analysis: Excellent


  SUMMARY

Callie lets Greg, her husband, in on something she has discovered.  
It involves butter and anal sex.


  COMMENTARY

This is an extremely arousing story.  I'm not too sure how healthy it
is for a woman to baste her pussy, inside and out, with butter, but I
found the description of it to be very appealing.  I think I was also
turned on by seeing Callie take charge of the situation and not 
relying on Greg to initiate sexual contact.

This is a stroke story, but it is well written.  The author gives 
enough background information about the couple to make them seem like
more than just actors in a porn flick.  The plot is well paced and 
seems to follow a logical progression.  During the course of the 
story the author switches the point of view back and forth between 
Greg and Callie.  I think this is done very effectively.

I definitely enjoyed this one.  It is well written and extremely 
arousing.  I'll admit to at least one bias with this story.  I 
usually enjoy stories that involve characters using food, whether 
that be bananas, butter or whatever else comes off the dining room 
table or out of the refrigerator, in the course of sex play.  I still
think this is one that most readers should enjoy.  I give it an 
Excellent, under Subjective Analysis.


  LINKS

Dinner with Callie

* http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=455848388&fmt=raw

* news:7cpar2%2489l%241%40nnrp1.dejanews.com


*****


3/19/99