"You are wild and I'm in your possession.
Nothing's free so, fuck me kitten."
-- REM
April Fools!
No, these are real reviews. Honest.
Ahhhh, back to regular programming. Well, except for "Death by
Chocolate", which I'm sad to say I missed during the Birthday
Reviews. News servers. Ack. I've rectified the situation here, and
I'm glad that I did. It's a wonderfully fun story that should be
reviewed.
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The missives below are merely opinions, publicly stated, but only
opinions. Dragons may be immortal, but they are not infallible. Read the
stories for yourself, and form your own opinions. Then, let the author
know what you thought. Celeste's blowjob principle isn't smoke in the
wind.
- Crimson Dragon ([email protected])
/~Crimson_Dragon
http://members.tripod.com/~Dragon_Of_Crimson
Review Archives:
/~Crimson_Reviews
Thanks to Denny for checking over the reviews for obvious
bungles, though ultimately any errors herein are mine and mine
alone.
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Story Summary:
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Death by Chocolate -- Souvie and Dryad
(mystery)
[10,10,10,10]
Pictures -- Spiller
(MF, inc, grownups)
[10,7,6,5]
Hidden -- Dancer
(MF oral)
[10,10,9,10]
Escape -- Dryad
(MF,oral,cheat)
[9,10,10,10]
Welcome Return -- Sven the Elder
(MF Cons)
[9,9,8,8]
Divine Love -- Bradley Stoke
(FF)
[10,10,9,10]
The Sunstroke Cure -- oosh
(FF rom Lesbian)
[10,10,10,10]
E is for Ecstasy -- DrSpin
(M/F+, very confused)
[10,10,10,10]
Make Me -- Selena Jardine
(MF, writer, mild roughness)
[10,10,10,10]
Dance With Me -- Alexis S.
(FF, Flash, RP)
[10,10,10,10]
Reviews:
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Death by Chocolate -- Souvie and Dryad
(mystery)
Story:
/~Dryad/deathbychocolate.html
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/40948
Authors' Sites:
/~Souvie
/~Dryad/
The question of the hour is: "Who exactly killed Kenny?"
The answer is ...
Now wait a minute, Mr. Socks Fox. You don't think that *I'll* ruin
the suspense, do you? Why, it could have been Alexis. It could have
been Dryad. It could have been Souvie. Or Ray. Or Denny. Or
Aquillae. Or Wiseguy. Or Desdmona. Or cmsix. Or Jack. Or Virago. Or
Katie. Or Nat. Or ... you get the idea. Any of us could have done
it. Maybe even a gentle Dragon.
So who killed Kenny?
Trudy knows. And if you read this story (and you should), I guess
you'll find out, too.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
Editorial Note (1):
Souvie and Dryad chose not to code this story, and I won't either.
It's a mystery, and story codes have no place in mysteries. Right?
Editorial Note (2):
Bad dragon. I missed this story for the Chocolate Birthday
reviews. !#*(@&#@* news server probably ate it. Better late than
never, I always say.
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Pictures -- Spiller
(MF, inc,grownups)
Story:
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41075
Author's Other Works:
http://assm.asstr.org/cgi-bin/field_search.cgi?search=spiller48@ho
tmail.com&index=email&submit=Search
Hmmm, I'll admit right up front that reviewing this story is
difficult for me. A review was requested via the <*> marker, and
normally, I also pay attention to the story codes. I probably would
have passed on this story except for the request. Nevertheless, I
did read it, and so I'll review it. I'll try to be honest.
A picture tells a story, and that's what Spiller begins with here.
Pictures of Annie as she is growing up. Pictures of Annie as she
falls into an incestuous relationship with her father. And finally
pictures of Annie as she falls into yet another relationship with
her father-in-law after her own father dies.
I have to admit that Spiller actually did do a reasonable job at
presenting character. I couldn't relate, but that doesn't mean that
character was missing. I felt for Annie. Truly I did. And perhaps
that's why I didn't really like the way the plot and story
eventually went. I'm not a fan of incest at the best of times,
especially when that incest involves obvious children and so enters
Crimson's bias despite my attempts to curtail it.
Anyway, I think the story failed to explore the darker side of
incest, or explore the underlying personality of Annie. In so doing,
I think it missed an opportunity to show more meaning than it
ultimately did. I'm not sure if Spiller's intent was to glorify the
relationship(s), or to make us think. It made me think, but I'm not
sure I was thinking what Spiller intended.
As I said, I'm not a big fan of incest stories, and I didn't see
much point to this one beyond the graphics. On the other hand, I
also think the attempt at character here was admirable, in a way,
even if incomplete.
Technical : 10
Eros : 7
Character/Plot : 6
Crimson : 5
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Hidden -- Dancer
(MF oral)
Story:
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41063
Author's Site:
/~EmpathAndDancer/
They meet in a club, our mystery lady spinning about the dance
floor. Mesmerised, Mark approaches her, and uses one of those lines
that makes one cringe, but somehow seems believable in this story.
"I want to fuck you." She deftly steals his glasses and slips them
into her top. And so, she takes him back to a motel, where they do
exactly what you might expect them to do, given his choice of pickup
lines. But when she calls his name out, he sobers enough to realise
that he never mentioned his name to her. Quite a mystery our dancing
girl.
At first, I thought that this story was going to revolve solely
around the sexual encounter, and truthfully, it mostly does. But
Dancer managed to pique my interest with the mysterious hints about
our two characters. This is more than a simple stroke story.
The sexual descriptions weren't overboard, surprisingly, and while
there wasn't much of a resolution, sometimes, I think, the mystery
is enough. Well done.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 9
Crimson : 10
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Escape -- Dryad
(MF,oral,cheat)
Story:
/~Dryad/escape.html
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41369
Author's Site:
/~Dryad/
Our narrator arrives at the house, replacement CD writer gathered
under his arm. The lady of the house opens the door, and guides him
through the house, apologising for the mess. Sound like a typical
lead up to a cheating story? (Well, there was this plumber, see ...)
Well, it's not. Dryad tells a compelling tale here, giving the
characters life, and managing to tell a male POV story amazingly
convincingly. Her characters are human; they have emotions and
reason and motivation well beyond the scope of a typical cheating
story.
[ "Right around the corner," she said, nodding towards {thehallway}. ]
Oops.
I noticed a couple of other punctuation issues, none of which were
serious. Besides which, the story carries us along enough that
punctuation seems like a far and distant thing. The sex is hot, when
it arrives, and the emotions of the characters runs deep. I felt
for the characters here, both of them, and still do. That's an
accomplishment.
Not a typical cheating story.
Technical : 9
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
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Welcome Return -- Sven the Elder
(MF Cons)
Story:
/~sven_the_elder/37%20Welcome%20Return.htm
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41316
Author's Site:
/~sven_the_elder/
Sven arrives at a lonely farmhouse where Sam opens the door into
warmth away from the winter night. A mist rolls in, and Sven calls
his wife, Pam, to let her know that he won't be returning home this
night. Sam, ever the welcoming hostess, relives old times with Sven.
[ A little while later, Pam having told him not to be silly, she'd be
furious if he didn't spend some time with Sam and at the same time
{recovered from and already trying journey}, Sven agreed that it
would be sensible to use her spare bed and stay the night. ]
Aside from the typo marked, I had an awkward time of reading this
sentence. I think it ought to be a number of shorter ones, if only
for readability.
[ {At one point as Sam leaned in Sven} turned towards her to say
something and they ended up nose to nose. ]
[ {As the kiss died away Sam} opened her eyes and smiled gently. ]
While I realise that this may simply be Sven's writing voice, it
would be a good deal easier to read with a couple of commas in the
lengthy introductory phrases here. The trouble with using lengthy
introductory phrases without commas, is that they tend to flow into
the subject of the sentence, forcing the reader to really struggle
for the meaning.
I found the story a little heavy on the sex -- the character
suffering a little as a result. It is obvious that Sam and Sven have
a history, but that history is only hinted at. I found the character
a little lacking, though there were tantalising hints of their
history, and details of their lives that almost made up for it. For
instance, I didn't really get a handle on how Sven, and/or Sam felt
about Sven's wife, and why/how their sexual liason was so readily
accepted by all parties. I suppose that I don't really *need* to
know such things, we can assume a lot, but I was curious, and so I
mention it here.
Enough of the technical jargon. The story, other than that, was
clear and descriptive. I liked the setting and the premise. A cool
misty English farmhouse. What's not to like?
Technical : 9
Eros : 9
Character/Plot : 8
Crimson : 8
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Divine Love -- Bradley Stoke
(FF)
Story:
/~Bradley_Stoke/08_Divine_Love.htm
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41220
Author's Site:
/~Bradley_Stoke
In a convent tucked far into the countryside, nuns have forsaken
worldly possessions, living in poverty and denial. All has been
voluntarily foresworn -- physical love, clothing, and perhaps even
understanding. When Sister Love enters the convent, Sister Divine is
torn between conflicting loves -- her devotions to the Lord above,
and her desire for the tall black nun that shares her humble worldly
abode.
As usual, Bradley pushes us to consider our world. Here, he asks us
to consider the role of religion, and sex, and God, and love. I'm
not sure exactly where Bradley was heading with this, and what the
ultimate conclusions are, but perhaps that is exactly what Bradley
wants us to think about.
This story is heavy, without doubt, but Bradley somehow makes the
naked nunnery something far more than a typical male fantasy stroke
story, even while supplying us with hot sex amongst the themes.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 9
Crimson : 10
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The Sunstroke Cure -- oosh
(FF rom Lesbian)
Story:
/~oosh/suncure.html
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41328
Author's Site:
/~oosh/
When I began to read this story, I have to admit that I was
confused. Here we have the story of Helen and Jane, somehow off on
vacation, told by Clare to Marjorie. Who are these girls? And why
should I care about them?
And oh, my, oh my. Oosh has some way with words, drawing us in and
slowly, ever so slowly, wrapping the story around us, and grabbing
us until not only do I understand Helen and Jane, I can't put the
story down to save my life. Why should I care about them? Because
oosh made me care about them, in the most wonderful and unusual way.
Her characters evolve slowly and sensually into persons that I could
see, and almost taste. I cannot tell you more of the plot, because
to do so would be doing oosh, and yourselves, a grave injustice. The
story is meant to be the way it is, and it is perfect the way it
is -- if I tell you more of the story or relationships it would ruin
the beautiful sense of discovery that oosh has managed here.
However, I can tell you that it is a story of love, and romanticism,
and understanding -- on a number of levels.
A true gift, and if you read nothing else from these reviews, read
this story. It's stunning, and beautiful, and everything that a
story should be. Thank you, oosh, for a delightful diversion. Tens
simply aren't enough.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
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E is for Ecstasy -- DrSpin
(M/F+, very confused)
Story:
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41360
Author's Other Work:
http://assm.asstr.org/cgi-bin/field_search.cgi?search=drspin@newsg
uy.com&index=email&submit=Search
Hmmmm. Story code: "very confused". *This* I have to read.
Harry, our narrator, decides to confess his infidelity to his wife
during a cocktail party. This may or may not be a good idea.
However, what this simple confession begins is the most confusing
and delightful mishmash of characters that I've read about or seen
in a long, long time. First there is Janey, Mick's adulteress, and
Mick himself trailed by Kim, the teenage drug dealer (who might just
be the most sane character in this group). Later, Teresa (Mick's
wife) arrives after Eduardo drops her like a hot potato. Jimmy
(who?) arrives sometime later.
The flowchart trying to sort out this mess, just about killed me.
And I loved Kim's exit, stage left.
Now, are you completely confused, yet?
For some reason this story reminded me of the Tarantino-esque "Pulp
Fiction" and the more recent Tim Allen movie "Big Trouble", but with
sex and drugs and rock and roll thrown in to add to the delightful
confusion.
I must admit that I had no idea what I was getting into when I began
reading, and I still don't quite know what it was all about. All I
know is that Neil has a very strange imagination, and that somehow,
just somehow, it all worked. It's sexy, it's confusing as hell,
with utterly despicable but lovable characters, and it somehow made
one Dragon smile the entire way through it.
I truly enjoyed it.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
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Make Me -- Selena Jardine
(MF, writer, mild roughness)
Story:
/~Selena_Jardine/MakeMe.htm
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41364
Author's Site:
/~Selena_Jardine/
A woman that writes porn? Say it isn't so ...
When Kevin discovers that Sandy writes erotic stories under a
pseudonym, he confronts her -- unusually forceful and mocking.
Sandy tries to explain, but Kevin, well, he's unimpressed by both
her fantasies that expose him and their life together, and perhaps
worse, those that do not involve him at all.
And so the question is, what will Kevin do about it? And how will
our female porn writer handle the situation?
Ah, dear reader, that is for you to find out.
Selena has done an outstanding job presenting this story. It is very
well written, and has a cleverness that we simply don't see around
here very often in erotica land. Even though it might be obvious
what this story is all about, it still gave me shivers as I realised
where it was heading.
Go read it.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
Editorial Note:
Selena didn't code this story, nor is she required to. Story
codes are only approximate, as generated by a half-asleep Dragon.
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Dance With Me -- Alexis S.
(FF, Flash, RP)
Story:
/~Alexis_S/HIA_fffac.htm
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2003/41348
Author's Site:
/~Alexis_S/
Why don't men dance?
They'll buy a woman a drink, even use comical pickup lines, but ask
her to dance? Granted, some rhythmically challenged individuals
honestly shouldn't, but dancing is an expression of desire and
sexuality and abandonment.
Alexis captures this wonderfully here, when in desperation, Jenna
asks Meg to dance. They do. And I'm still left with the question:
Why don't men dance?
Foolish creatures.
Technical : 10
Eros : 10
Character/Plot : 10
Crimson : 10
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