Celestial Reviews 7 - July 29. 1995 - by Celeste

     "Athens" by Dorvis Slaughter (Sensitive story of a "boy 
          lover") 10.
     "Hard Day at the Office" by Christine (ff sex with the boss) 
          7.5.
     "Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?" by Garrett Faulkner 
           (low mpact sex with the educational super sleuth) 8.
     "Star Wars - Tarkin" by Walter Slaven (Sci Fi Adventure
           Sex) 7.5
      "Anna" by Michelle D. Lurker (Boy becomes girl) 10
      "Fun with Roget's" by Gang o' Three (Humor) 3

"Athens" by Dorvis Slaughter.  When I think of "boy lovers," I usually 
don't have pleasant thoughts.  The idea of a dirty old man seducing a 
sweet young boy is a real turn-off to me.  Then I come across a story 
like this, and it makes me stop and think.

First, let me say that in spite of minor errors that could be cleaned 
up with a more careful proofreading, this is an extremely well written 
story.  The language flows naturally, the mood is set beautifully, and 
I had the feeling that I was really understanding the emotions that 
were being expressed.  In addition, if I approach the story purely as a 
case study of a man who likes to have sex with attractive little boys, 
it's an excellent case study.  A person who wants to understand (but 
not condone) child molesters would be well advised to read this story 
in order to more completely understand the mind of "boy lovers."

Aha!  I've called them child molesters!  I've entered a moral judgment, 
which the author said in his disclaimer is unfair.  Not really.  I get 
the feeling that although he sees some ambiguity, the author pretty 
clearly approves of the activity of the protagonist of this story; and 
so he is inviting the possibility of disagreement.  Most people in our 
society disagree with the author.  I personally don't like to have to 
live with the idea that my sister has to watch out so that the nice 
young man who coaches her son's baseball team isn't left alone with her 
son too often, for fear that he might decide to "love" the boy.  The 
notion that the sex in this story is a "consensual" activity is 
ambiguous; our society assumes that adults are capable of mature 
judgment and sexual consent, whereas children are not. (This is 
obviously a wrong assumption in many cases; but that's the way the laws 
are written.)  I know several children who have gotten into emotional 
trouble as the result of almost exactly the kind of "romance" described 
in this story.  On the other hand, I hasten to point out, that although 
they experienced serious emotional difficulty, most of them eventually 
grew into mature, sexually happy adults.

Enough!  This story is either a good case study, an interesting story 
about a romance between a child and an adult, a dangerous story that 
could encourage people to consent to highly inappropriate activities, 
or a combination of all of these.  But it's a good story.  (Rating: 10)

"Hard Day at the Office" by Christine.  A woman who is working late 
finds a sexy magazine and begins to masturbate.  The boss catches her 
and requires the woman to have sex with her.  At first the woman 
resists, but then she enjoys it.  The sex scenes are well written, and 
the sex is hot.  I like stories a little better when I see more 
character development, but others like this more direct approach.  I 
also get my back up when a story gives favorable treatment to what 
would obviously be called sexual harassment in real life; but I can see 
the excitement in a *fantasy* that involves getting backed into a 
corner sexually.  I think the main imperfection in this story is that 
it just ends when the sex ends, rather than coming to an actual climax 
- if you'll pardon the expression in this context.  (Rating: 7.5)

"Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?" by Garrett Faulkner.  If you're in 
need of a story that will get you sexually and emotionally aroused, 
this one won't do it.  But if you want a really cute (sorry about that, 
Garrett) satire on the children's television show and detective game, 
you'll enjoy this story.  The author does a really good job of putting 
together an geography-based detective mystery.  The "real" Carmen 
Sandiego steals things like the Sphinx or the Brooklyn Bridge, and 
children use geographical clues to track her down.  In this story the 
relentless thief steals rhinoceros horns (an aphrodisiac), an ancient 
copy of the Kama-Sutra, and an original manuscript by the Marquis de 
Sade, before the detectives track her down in an ancient temple of 
Aphrodite in Corinth.  I may have ruined the geography part for you; 
but astute readers of a.s.s. would have figured those clues out anyway.  
I'll let you read the story to find out who gets into Ivy's pants and 
who makes it sexually with Carmen herself.  Again, this is not hot or 
romantic sex, but it's really good, clean fun. (Rating: 8).

"Star Wars - Tarkin" by Walter Slaven.  This story is a spin-off from 
the "Tie Fighter" story currently being posted in installments on 
a.s.s.  It's not as polished as the main story line, but it's still a 
good story.  This one contains mild bdsm, and I often react negatively 
to what I view as bdsm's degradation of one of the partners.  But this 
one worked for me; I found it sexy - probably because both of the 
participants were villains anyway.  You'll enjoy this most if you've 
been following the excellent "Tie Fighter" series; but it also stands 
alone effectively.  (Rating: 7.5)

"Anna" by Michelle D. Lurker.  This was a truly delightful story.  I 
don't want to tell you too much about it, because the enjoyment lies in 
finding out what's going to happen next.  Basically, a young man is 
living with a young woman who is his friend but not his lover.  The 
relationship is strained, and both are confused.  One day she is 
granted a magic wish, and she wishes that something would happen to 
make their relationship better.  Poof!  He becomes an extremely 
attractive woman, and the plot begins to thicken.  Don't miss it!  
(Rating: 10)

"Fun with Roget's" by Gang o' Three. I read this because I wanted 
something mildly enjoyable to do quickly without thinking at all. I was 
not disappointed.  In this unfinished story the Gang o' Three is either 
in a (really smelly) restroom at a coffee shop having a small-scale 
orgy or at their computer keyboards describing this orgy.  Their 
descriptions include as many as possible of the cliches that often 
occur in sex stories, and the effect is often hilarious.  My impression 
is that three people got together on an IRC or through e-mail and took 
turns writing the "story."  The posted product looks like it's hot off 
their collaborative keyboards; and it would be interesting if someone 
would polish it up a little.  I thought it was fun just for the thought 
of what someone could do with this idea of combining sexual cliches 
creatively.  (Rating: 3)