Celestial Reviews 289 - June 20, 1998
Note: A salesman in a strange city was feeling horny and wanted release. He
inquired for the address of a good house of ill repute. He was told to go to
365 East West Street.
By mistake, he went to 365 WEST East Street, the office of a podiatrist. Being
met by a beautiful woman in a white uniform surprised but intrigued him.
She directed him to an examining room and told him to uncover and someone
would be with him soon.
He loved the thought of the table and the reclining chair and was really
getting aroused because of the strange and different approach this house
offered.
Finally the doctor's assistant, a really gorgeous redhead, entered and found
him sitting in the chair with his generous member in his hand.
"My goodness", she exclaimed, "I was expecting to see a foot."
"Well," he said, "if you're going to complain about an inch, then I'll take my
business elsewhere."
Second note: The little boy wakes up 3 nights in a row when he hears a
thumping sound coming from his parent's bedroom. Finally, one morning he goes
to his mom and says, "Mommy, every night I hear you and daddy making noise;
and when I look in, you're bouncing up and down on him."
His mom is taken by surprise and says, "Oh, well, I'm bouncing on his stomach
because he's fat, and that makes him thin again."
Theboy replies, "That won't work."
"Why?" asks his mom.
The boy replies, "Because the lady next door comes by after you leave and
blows him back up again using his penis!"
Third note {from the Did This Really Happen Department}:
One of those discount airlines recently had a promotion through which they
offered free air-fare to wives who accompanied their husbands on a business
trip. Seeking some valuable testimonials, the PR unit of the airline sent out
letters to the wives who had taken advantage of the offer. Presumably, both
written and telephoned responses are still flooding their offices asking,
"What trip ?!?!?"
Final note: Remember: even though someone else may be posting my reviews for
me, my e-mail address is still Celeste801@aol.com.
- Celeste
"Farewell" by Nick (romantic nostalgia) 9, 9, 9
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11082.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=351990785
"A City Situation" by Watcher (business romance) 10, 8, 8
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11712.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=358010874
"Palindrome" by Losgud (humping the bitch) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12263.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363593703
"Accepting Gina" by Bernadette (tender ff romance) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=359259968
"An Interlude in the Bahamas" by Marlene Darcy (exotic romance)
10, 7, 5
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363587416
"Robyn's Nest" by Sven the Elder (one-night frolic) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=361552469
"Blindside" by BitBard (detective sex & romance) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12355.txt
"Exhibitionist's Handbook" by Tiger Lily (exhibitionism) 8, 8, 8
http://x7.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=314435199
"While My Hubby Slept" by William Will Willie Bill or maybe
by Sybarite (slut wife) 8, 6, 5
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363994777
"A True (and fun) Story" by Unknown Author (literary rip-off)
(no rating)
Guest Reviews:
"Gwen" by Friar Dave (incest & pedophilia) 10, 10, 8
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178181 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178190 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178197 (1)
"Closing Up the Cottage" by Losgud (adult incest) 9.8, 8.5, 9.0
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=309642690
"Boss Files" by Unknown Author (comic book sex) 6
"A Tale for the Retelling "by Terry Jones (abduction exploration)
9, 10, 7
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742368
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742374
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742382
"A Certain Circle in New York" By Marc Proust (advanced
sex education)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=354649425
Reposted Reviews:
* "We Were Hippies Then" by Longfellow (hippie sex) 9, 6, 6
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363587447 (1)
* "Amazonia" by Tom Bombadil (stranded on an island with
naked women) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912771 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912777 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912784 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912789 (1)
* "Adrenaline Games" by DG (high-risk sex) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=321739189
* "Hotsprings" by Delta (D&s romance) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=247297514 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=247281038 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=246988912 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=246989014 (2)
(1) Repost not by original author
(2) For convenience an earlier copy by the author was linked to.
Delta's current e-mail address is: delta@nym.alias.net
========================
On this day in Celestial history:
Celestial Reviews 93 - June 22, 1996
========================
* "Peer Pressure" by Wollstonecraft (rough first time sex) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=215277331 (1)
* "Bushido" by Sachi Mizuno (sex in Medieval Japan) 10, 10, 10
{Unarchived -- lost forever?}
========================
"Farewell" by Nick (nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11082.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=351990785
The narrator is watching his nextdoor neighbor drive away with her new
husband. He had grown up with the girl, basically holding her in contempt but
then becoming attracted to her during adolescence. The story is a sort of
poignant take on the "road not taken" theme. It's good stuff!
Ratings for "Farewell"
Athena (technical quality): 9
Venus (plot & character): 9
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 9
"A City Situation" by Watcher (llxzt@hotmail.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11712.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=358010874
The man had the hots for a woman working for a company with whom he was doing
business; and so he got her transferred to work on the account, with the hope
of getting into her pants. The previous day he had thrown a party and had
invited her; but she had left in a huff, when she discerned that she was being
used.
The story focuses on the man's thoughts as he walks the three blocks to her
apartment in the heat to return the dress she had left at his place. "This
guy's an asshole," I thought. "I hope he doesn't score." He doesn't, but then
why is this a sex story?
Ratings for "A City Situation"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 8
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 8
"Palindrome" by Losgud (lushgod@hotnomail.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12263.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363593703
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backward or forward. For
example, the first man in the Garden of Eden allegedly introduced himself to
his spouse by saying, "Madam I'm Adam." And Napoleon is supposed to have
uttered, "Able was I ere I saw Elba." Exactly why this story is entitled
"Palindrome" I'll leave up to you to discover.
The basic plot consists of the narrator and his friend doing business with
Fidel Castro in Cuba. His friend brings along his trophy girlfriend, who
exudes reciprocal feelings of contempt for our narrator. But when the friend
goes back to the States to wrap up the details, our narrator sort of finalizes
things on the Island.
The story is stuffed full of clever business details - probably enough to
drive some readers crazy; but I liked the cleverness. The sex is perhaps
bizarre but very hot. I really enjoyed this story.
Ratings for "Palindrome"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
"Accepting Gina" by Bernadette (bernadette@yahoo.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=359259968
Wow! As I completed the first quarter of this story, I told myself that
unless this author really somehow screwed up, this was going to get straight
10s. And then it got better.
The narrator is a person named Jessica, whose life was altered suddenly when
her boyfriend dumped her on the night that her sister (Gina) was killed in an
automobile wreck. In an attempt to resume her life after this trauma, she has
joined a poetry group, where her major project will be to express herself
through a poem entitled "Accepting Gina." She befriends a fellow budding poet
named Cassandra, who is from Tasmania. Then she meets Mr. Right, who scares
her away because he confesses to her that he is bisexual. Then.... You can
read the story yourself to see how it works out. You even get a really good
poem thrown in as a bonus.
I'll grant you that this is not up there with rape, incest, sodomy, or action
adventures; but this is one heckuva good story. This is a tender romance set
in a realistic context. It doesn't even have dirty words - just good sex.
This story was originally published in a zine called _Art & Love on the 'Net_
(http://www.artandlove.org), which was founded by a person who used to write
and review stories for this newsgroup under the name Green Onions. I don't
normally plug web sites; but I visited this one, and it was a very pleasant
experience. It's good to see one of our former colleagues make good in the
real world, and I hope Green Onions continues to send an occasional story from
his zine over to our newsgroup.
Ratings for "Accepting Gina"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
"An Interlude in the Bahamas" by Marlene Darcy (specpress@earthlink.net).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363587416
This story is an excerpt from a novel entitled "Love and Surrender," which is
published as an Obelisk Library Etext by Spectrum Press Inc. I personally
have no objection to publishers doing this sort of thing, as long as the
excerpts stand alone as stories and are well written.
Madeline is a 32-year-old, recently divorced lady from New York who wants a
family and children, but she also wants something more than that. Now she's
lying on a beach in a white bikini in the Bahamas. She develops a lust for
the man next to her on the beach, and masturbates to fantasies about this
stranger.
Presumably the full story will tell us how Madeline works out her emotional
stress through a passionate romance on the island. But so far, this is really
pretty tame - almost boring - stuff. One wonders why a publisher would use
something so bland as an inducement to lure us to a novel.
Ratings for "An Interlude in the Bahamas"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 7
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 5
"Robyn's Nest" by Sven the Elder (sven@brass-neck.demon.co.uk).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=361552469
This is another of those sexual frolics for which Sven has become famous. The
way Sven tells it, a reader may be led to believe that being seduced by a sexy
barmaid could be a lot of fun, rather than the degrading experience that it
must certainly be.
Granted that it's not all that hard to convince readers that sex is fun, I
still marvel at the simplicity of expression that Sven uses to get across the
notion that two people are really having fun together. People who feel the
need to give measurements and who are unable to write the word "penis" without
an adjacent stereotypical adjective should take a look at this author's style
to see how to do tell a sexy tale more simply and authentically.
One minor flaw in the story is that the barmaid talks more like an Irish lass
than a California girl.
At first I was distracted by the apparently arbitrary and unnecessary
introduction of the Warthog as Sven's traveling partner; but an interesting
twist at the end of the story put this detail into perspective. I suspect
that this may be the first in a series of Warthog as Sven travelling together
- kind of like John Steinbeck and his dog Charlie.
Ratings for "Robyn's Nest"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
"Blindside" by BitBard (bitbard@newsguy.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12355.txt
I appreciate it when author's revise their stories. This author even gives us
the dates when he created and revised this story - indicating that he revised
it six days before he created it! That's hard; but then "hard" is good in a
sex story. Actually, if the most serious criticism I have of a story is the
typographical error in the revision line, then this must be a very good story
indeed.
And it is. Somehow this author's Steve Whiley detective stories haven't
received the acclaim they deserve.
In this story Steve Whiley is bent on solving the case of the purloined pussy,
so to speak. First Steve gets picked up for an extended one-nighter by a
beautiful woman named Kate, whom he quickly finds to be the best lay he has
ever had. Meanwhile, "the pygmy bandit" has stolen the Vandleberg diamond from
Danzil's Auction House in spite of its expensive security system. Steve has
been hired as a consultant to protect the next diamond scheduled for display
in the city. Next we discover that Kate was raped as a young girl; and as
amateur psychiatrists we begin to suspect that perhaps she is depraved because
she was deprived. More precisely, she likes to be in control now in reaction
to the loss of control then. How all this turns into a really interesting sex
story is something you'll have to discover for yourself.
So what we have hear is a mixture of romance and criminal intrigue. The
dialog is hot and the sex is good, and there's a nice twist at the end. What
more could you want?
Ratings for "Blindside"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
"Exhibitionist's Handbook" by Tiger Lily (t-lily@usa.net).
http://x7.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=314435199
This "story" is actually an essay in three parts: Basic Exhibitionism,
Intermediate / Advanced Exhibitionism, and Male Exhibitionism. The writing is
sometimes ungrammatical and a bit awkward, but this is a pretty good
presentation. It reads like an unproofread version of an article in Penthouse
Magazine - complete with presumably "true" anecdotes to illustrate the
scientifically researched guidelines.
Especially for you young (under 35) readers, I suggest that you read this as a
guide to things you can fantasize doing or things you'll claim you did at the
bar or at the hairdressers. Getting arrested for indecent exposure can get
you in trouble at school (if you still happen to be in school at age 35) or
embarrass your family or employer. Doing these things in prison, on the other
hand, can make you very popular.
I suspect that authors may find some interesting ideas for their stories in
this essay.
Ratings for "Exhibitionist's Handbook"
Athena (technical quality): 8
Venus (plot & character): 8
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 8
"While My Hubby Slept" by William Will Willie Bill (LIBERTYES@prodigy.net) or
maybe by Sybarite (sybarite32@hotmail.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363994777
Our narrator fell in love with George while she was watching him take a leak
out by his car after he drove her lousy, drunken, unfeeling husband home for
the umpteenth time. Once she finds release, she becomes a real slut and
offers to tell us more about her adventures.
I have a few basic problems with the story. First, the dialog is a bit
artificial and Victorian: "We must fuck, baby, or I'll cum right now into your
pretty mouth ... oh." Not even English teachers talk like that during sex.
The second problem was stated succinctly by a correspondent on a.s.s.d.:
"First question: If George is kneeling in front on you licking away, how do
you reach his cock without George loosing contact with your pussy?
"Second question: Just how long is this George's tongue? He is able to
thrust that mighty tongue to the back of your throat. I must have kissed all
the men that had short-ass tongues, as never have I had one get that far back.
Tongues, remeber, are what we are speaking of here.
"Third: Does it hurt for George to have his cock bent down to the floor so
sharply? That is the only way I can picture you sucking a 9" cock and resting
your cheek against his thigh at the same time. I would like to know if this
does hurt; for if it doesn't, I know there have been times I would have dearly
loved to have rested my weary head during a suck session....
"Lastly: Having never been that drunk and certainly not having a penis
myself, I was wondering is it really possible to fuck a drunk guy that far out
of it. Does the cock really still respond no matter the level of alcohol?"
Another correspondent, Greybeard, summarized the problem nicely: "...silliness
aside: descriptions of lustful acts that make me stop and ask, "Now, how in
hell do they do _that_?" tend to derail one's train of thought and bring
suspended disbelief crashing to the floor of concrete reality [note to self:
work on metaphors]. That is, they destroy whatever lustful mood the author
might have intended to engender.... So I request ... that authors who intend
to tickle my fancy take care not to joggle my funny bone inadvertently."
That's very good advice. The inconsistencies detract from the plot of the
story.
Ratings for "While My Hubby Slept"
Athena (technical quality): 8
Venus (plot & character): 6
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 5
"A True (and fun) Story" posted by trisnics@hotmail.com.
When somebody posts a "true" story, one would assume that the person doing the
posting and referring to himself as "I" is the person who wrote the story and
is vouching for its authenticity. So imagine my surprise when I recognized
this story as a rip-off of "Anniversary Party," to which I gave high ratings
in CR 286.
"Teacher! Teacher!" my astute student asks. "How do you know that the other
story wasn't a rip-off of this one?" It's called textual criticism. The
critical researcher looks for patterns in the text. Since the person who
composed the present rip-off is a moron the task is easy. For example, the
present version refers to the same anniversary as both the 22nd and 1st
anniversary, whereas the author of the other version consistently refers to it
as the first anniversary.
The present version also omits the second half of the original; and so if you
want to read a good story, skip this one and look for "The Anniversary Party,"
which is archived at http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=352765238
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=352765248
The question that needs to be addressed is what sort of moron goes out and
mutilates someone else's obvious fiction and posts it as his/her own "true"
story? I'm sure my readers will come up with theories regarding the sexual
inadequacies and personality dysfunctions of a person who would do this - to
say nothing of that person's obvious proclivity to slobber while licking
his/her partner's excrement. However, I am going to move immediately to the
next step and simply put a curse on this person: May the person who has
stolen this fine story become a complete asshole who has the respect of none
of his acquaintances and may he be forced to live with himself and feel like a
complete fool until he reforms his life.
See! My curse has already had its effect. The preceding description already
fits this person perfectly.
Ratings for "A True (and fun) Story" {Inappropriate. Read the original
story.}
"Gwen" by Friar Dave. Guest review by LeAnna. This only means my
opinion, nothing more.
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178181 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178190 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=360178197 (1)
The narrator is a grizzled old guy who has just moved to Manhattan. His
13-year-old niece comes over the next day to help him "unpack"; but as the
narrator suspects, it wasn't really for that purpose. As they're unpacking,
the narrator and Gwen get into a heart-to-heart about boys. The narrator is
distracted, not really paying attention to what his niece is chattering about,
until she starts talking about breasts in an attempt to get the narrator to
notice her. And then 'touching'. And then sex. And then... the narrator
starts to notice his 13-year-old niece, y'know, sexually. The sexual
dialogue/noticing is first spurred by reminisces about the narrator's ex, and
it gradually grows into something new started by his niece. And then the
inevitable happens.
I don't condone pedophilia. I find incest to be just as disgusting. I warn
you, they're in this story, and they're very strongly in this story. I only
reviewed this story because Friar Dave is an excellent writer, probably one of
the best writers that this NG is honored with.
And the major reason that I read this is because I was sure he knew this:
there is disgusting, pointless pedophilia, and then there's pedo with a cause.
A reason. Not an 8-year-old across the street that the 40-year-old guy
thought would be fun to fuck. This is pedophilia with a reason, and the
author demonstrates this with enough skill to keep my squicking at a minimum.
This is interesting psychologically -- the thinking and reasoning of a tomboy
that is trying to turn on her uncle to see if she really can turn someone on.
Although it apparently works in the story, readers, don't try this at home as
a means of boosting your niece's self-esteem. :-) I actually found that
concept a bit disturbing; however, it's well used in this story. I don't find
it realistic, but again, it's well used in this story. The fact that I found
the pedophilia and the incest disturbing, though, is why I took off two LeAnna
points.
This story is fueled by excellent dialogue, and there are a few laughs in
their conversation; heck, throughout the entire story. There are literary
devices that probably wouldn't be noticed by anybody other than a careful
reader or an author -- for instance, the art of irony as it should be used.
This is a story that I urge you to at least take a peek at.
Ratings for "Gwen"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
LeAnna (appeal to reviewer): 8
"Closing Up the Cottage" by Losgud (losgud@hotmail.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=309642690
Story Summary: Sister seduces brother
This was a very intriguing story. Brother opens his big mouth and offers to
help his little sister close up her cottage in the mountains. Wife
conveniently goes on vacation with the kids the same day his parents send him
plane tickets to Rita's cottage. He arrives at a rinky-dink airport only to
find that the airline lost his bag. Sister shows up and drives him to her
cottage. He takes a nap and wakes up to find Rita sitting on his groin. They
get to work and he finds her consistently rubbing up against him and exposing
herself all day. That night, he finds his only clean clothing a pair of
borrowed silk panties and a long shirt. They go to bed on the pullout sofa.
He wakes up with her lying all over him. He finally catches on when she
begins massage certain body parts. The rest is predictable.
A nicely written tale. Near technical perfection. A few quibbling errors.
The style is adequate though not spectacular. Its pacing felt slightly
rushed. A very readable story.
I did have problems with the characterizations. Treating this story merely as
stroke fiction, they are more than adequate. However, the tale seems to be
wanting more. The suspense of exactly why she is trying to seduce him is
never made very clear. The narrator comes off rather thick. Even after she
has started giving him a handjob, he still doesn't seem to get it. His
motivation is also barely tenable. Yes, she has been giving him an erection
all day, but the incestial taboos that he had been using to keep himself calm
disappear without even a fleeting mention. Sprinkling a bit more of this
conflict would have allowed excitement build to the climax. Instead it sags
somewhat. This story reached its climax and resolution a little too easily.
Overall, a good, hot story. Not perfect, but definitely one worth
considering. The seduction is believable even if the climax is somewhat weak.
Ratings for "Closing Up the Cottage"
Technical: 9.8 A few quibbling mistakes. Style felt slightly rushed
Characterization and Plot: 8.5 Characters needed more fleshing out
Appeal: 9.0 Sex was great but storyline was lacking somewhat
"Boss Files" by Unknown Author. Guest review by Dave Myers.
This is the first "comic book sex" story I have ever read. You know when
you're reading about shape-changing robots and characters named Surge, Blazon,
Stretch, and Cherry Bomb that something is different than usual. If you can
get past the oddness of the comic book sensibility in the story, you will find
an above average plot line. Unfortunately, most readers not familiar with such
outlandish settings make take too long to get the idea of what this world is
like, only understanding it by the end.
This is the kind of piece that could be turned into a series with more
character development and distributed in installments like a comic book. As it
stands, in this one feature, I suspect that the small amount of heat generated
is not enough to satisfy most people's tastes.
Rating: 6
"A Tale for the Retelling"by Terry Jones (wld_rascal@hotmail.com).
Guest review by Bitbard (Formally Sandman -- bitbard@newsguy.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742368
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742374
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363742382
First off, this story is not for the squeamish. It describes in graphic
detail the kidnapping, humiliation, and rape of a woman in a BDSM situation.
That said, the author uses a rather clever trick to sneak this story in under
my "squick" zone. This story is told from the woman's perspective *AFTER THE
FACT*, while she is talking to the police investigators. That's important,
because the subject matter, while troubling to the extreme, is relayed from
the comfort and safety of a police station.
The effects are "OH MY GOD! HE DID THAT?" as opposed to "OH MY GOD! COULD IT
GET ANY WORSE?" Yes, it can get worse, but at least we know Sara survives.
The author also seems to have a keen sense of when he might be getting too
intense for the reader and inserts questions by the police officers taking the
report to remind everyone that Sara's fine.
Sara has been abducted by an unknown assailant. She is drugged and awakes in
a strange place completely at her captor's mercy. What transpires from there
is a common BDSM theme of a tender, caring yet strict Dom breaking in a new
submissive. Only here there are no safe words, and the submissive did not
volunteer for her new role.
This is extreme stuff, even for BDSM but I'll have to admit it was well
written extreme stuff. The psychology of the victim was explored well and was
consistent with the reactions one might expect. The ending even brings into
play the Stockholm syndrome, though I'm not sure if this was intentional on
the part of the author or if the story falls into the cliche that women enjoy
being kidnapped and raped. Considering Sara's conflicting feelings at the very
end, I tend to believe the Stockholm theory. A cliche I think would end with
Sara wholeheartedly in her tormentor's court.
I'll also note the fuzziness of using the word "rape" here. It might be
considered a "forced seduction" from the reader's standpoint. I however
consider what transpires to be rape. What is very interesting is that the
author also acknowledges this. Like I say -- this isn't your typical "rape
the woman and make her like it" story. The "forced seduction" confuses Sara,
and it confused me enough to again help this subject matter stay under my
"squick" zone.
I didn't find this story the least bit sexy and really didn't expect to. But
I did find this story to be a well-written character study. There were some
problems starting around the middle where Sara's report actually started to
sound like a report for too long (too many he did, I dids) and also a few
misspelled and misused words that will impact Athena. Venus is getting a good
score not for the sex but for the realistic exploration of a character under
extreme circumstances.
Whether it's a good psychology drama or not, I simply can't give an overly
high appeal rating to a story this brutal. Rape, torture, humiliation are
definitely not my gig but if I *have* to read a rape, torture, humiliation
story -- this wasn't a bad one to get stuck with. The fact that there *IS* an
appeal here means the author did something right.
Ratings for "A Tale for the Retelling"
Athena (technical quality): 9
Venus (plot & character): 10
Bitbard (appeal to reviewer): 7
"A Certain Circle in New York" By Marc Proust. Guest Review by Bitbard
(Formerly Sandman -- bitbard@newsguy.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=354649425
This story is set back in the 1950s when nobody knew anything at all about sex
and kinky positions. I mean that would imply our parents knew about these
things, which obviously they don't; not any more than what's minimally
necessary to produce us anyway.
This is a *VERY* erotic story about a man who discovers to his surprise (and
pleasure) that his new maid has been instructing his wife in the art of sex.
When I say very erotic, I mean it. The sex is very, very well described and
the author uses words as an artist uses a paintbrush. The imagery is so vivid
it leaps off the page and right into your imagination.
Two things to watch out for before you begin. There are no blank lines
between paragraphs. I keep harping on this because on a screen the lack of
lines tends to make the text run together and it's harder to keep your place
within the story. For stories like this I usually print them out. On paper,
the effect is not distracting. A second thing to watch out for is that for
some reason apostrophes show up as 1's -- something easily fixed by a mass
search and replace. There's no point deduction for these problems, I'm just
giving you a fair warning so it won't be distracting to you.
This one's definitely a must read.
Ratings for "A Certain Circle in New York"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Bitbard (appeal to reviewer): 10
* "We Were Hippies Then" by Longfellow (barryw@direct.ca).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363587447 (1)
On a hunch I looked up "hippy" in my Groliers Electronic Encyclopedia. "Word
not found in encyclopedia." So hippies were so much a thing of the past that
they weren't even in the encyclopedia anymore. On a second hunch I tried
"hippies". Still not there, but only because I had mistakenly entered
"gippies." Actually, there was a whole section on hippies under the
"Counterculture" entry. In a way, it made sense that I could find them only
in the plural. I never saw a hippy alone. They always seemed to travel in
pairs, like Jehova's witnesses.
According to my encyclopedia, the hippies rejected the traditional family in
favor of other arrangements based on love. In practice, a person lived for
however long he or she wished with whomever they wished, in couples or in
groups known as communes. Sexual relations in these groups might occur
whenever mutual attraction was strong enough. Hippies made love, not war.
They strove to live in the present, to "go with the flow," and to "hang
loose," rather than to be "uptight."
They were big on psychedelic drugs - especially LSD and marijuana. The quasi-
religious nature of psychedelic experience led many young people to forms of
mysticism. Oriental philosophies, such as yoga, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and
the Chinese I CHING (Book of Changes), were studied, and their more easily
accessible aspects were absorbed. Others followed Western occult pursuits,
such as astrology, tarot, palmistry, and witchcraft.
Hippies preferred to spell their singular "hippie," since the "y" version also
meant a person with big hips. Hippies were "hip" in the sense that they were
"with it." They were most prevalent in big cities - especially San Francisco;
but paradoxically they often endorsed rural values, even though their rural
neighbors often looked askance at their countercultural values. They liked to
live in communes on farms and to bake their own bread. Their fashion
statement consisted of long hair, beads, no bras, and folksy clothing. The
most significant modern remnant of the hippies consists of people slightly
older than me who cuddle on the couch with their lovers and listen to Peter,
Paul and Mary on public television.
This story is a reminiscence by a former hippy. Its main theme is two couples
making love in close proximity. One of the males is an intense guru who
mystified and attracted young women. The introductory information that I
supplied will actually help you enjoy this story. It's actually a pretty good
story - just not developed as fully as it might have been. If you read this
story and wonder why it doesn't turn you on more, the answer, my friend, is
blowing in the wind; the answer is blowing in the wind.
Ratings for "We Were Hippies Then"
Athena (technical quality): 9
Venus (plot & character): 6
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 6
* "Amazonia" by Tom Bombadil (stbush@iglou.com)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912771 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912777 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912784 (1)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=362912789 (1)
As in a scene from a B movie, Tom Largent is kidnapped by a shady character,
who forces Tom to fly him to an island. After the bad guy parachutes to his
apparent demise, Tom himself is forced to crash land on a desolate island,
apparently somewhere in the general area of Polynesia. The unique aspect of
the island is that it appears to be occupied solely by women - by women who
require Tom to service them sexually. Is this an adolescent's wet dream? Is
this paradise? Well, at the very least it's an extremely interesting story.
I won't tell you any more details. Read it yourself. This is another good
story.
Ratings "Amazonia"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
* "Adrenaline Games" by DG (dionysian@hotmail.com). Guest review by BillyG.
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=321739189
"Adrenaline Games" is a very well-written, tightly-knit tale by DG that
touches on the aphrodisiacal powers of risk and fear. DG gives his e-mail
address as dionysian@hotmail.com which gave me pause for a moment, for one of
the definitions of dionysian includes irrational, frenzied or undisciplined.
But it also touches on the orgiastic and ecstatic. As it turns out, none of
those apply so much as Nietzsche's philosophy of creative-intuitive power.
That intellectual rumination aside, the story's hot, fast paced and just a
little bit tense as, of course, it's intended to be. Andrew Miller is a
21-year-old college student who's just been arrested for the rape of Sarah
Glassman. When questioned by the detectives, he maintains that it was all a
game, that Sarah *wanted* to be raped for the thrill of it.
The detectives are initially unmoved but when Andrew offers to tell the whole
story, they're willing, even eager to listen. The story flash backs are very
well done, capturing the mercurial antics of unpredictable Sarah, "a weird
chick." Initially she goads Andrew into tying her up but she wasn't prepared
for his creativeness. He surprises and thrills her with his spontaneous
topping. She clearly gets off on edge work. Hunter Thompson might well have
used her in his book, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
They get hooked on their own adrenaline-producing scares. I've done just
enough of my own edge work to have an appreciation for fear-generated juice.
But did something go wrong? Did Sarah go round the bend on the last one? Is
Andrew going to take a fall because of this "weird chick?"
By all means, read the story and try to imagine yourself in it. It'll get
your juices going.
Grades: 10,10,10
* "Hotsprings" by Delta (delta*@bc.sympatico.ca).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=247297514 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=247281038 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=246988912 (2)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=246989014 (2)
(1) Repost not by original author
(2) For convenience an earlier copy by the author was linked to
Delta's current e-mail address, which is: delta@nym.alias.net
When Delta first started posting this story, I gave it a good review on the
basis of the first two chapters and my previous experience with one of her
stories. After I did that, I thought maybe I had made a mistake - not because
of anything this author did but rather because I had gotten burned by a couple
of other stories that started out good but faltered later. I thought maybe it
would be better to avoid rating stories until they were finished. Toward the
middle chapters of this story, I got even more worried; it was getting just
plain silly with all these people wandering around the campsite wearing
matching chokers. But in the end, my patience was rewarded. Everything fell
into place. It really is a good story.
The plot centers around the activities of the workers at a recreational
campsite. Kat, the new business manager, is introduced as a beautiful but
conniving dominatrix, who seems intent on building herself a sexual empire.
Fred is introduced as a good, strong, patient man who doesn't want to play
Kat's games. Big Jake is the free-spirited owner who loves his wife but also
loves his freedom and lots of other women. He treats his wife, Jennie, and
the other females pretty much like objects; but Jennie still loves him. And
then there are about four other interesting characters. The author combines a
lot of hot sex with an interesting plot (that I don't want to divulge) to make
the story really interesting. (If it starts seeming silly, just repeat
several times, "Celeste says this is interesting." It will become interesting
again. As a matter of fact, if you're not intent on critiquing the story, you
might not have this silliness reaction at all.)
When I started reviewing a.s.s. stories, I didn't think I would like D&s
(domination and submission) stories. I still don't have a driving urge to
have my husband submit to torture whenever he disobeys me or fails to satisfy
me sexually, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this story - especially the
final two chapters, which are practically non-stop hot sex. Notice that I
have labeled this story "D&s romance." Originally I thought the two concepts
were incompatible; but I was wrong. At least in the world of fiction, they
are sometimes compatible.
Ratings for "Hotsprings"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
* "Peer Pressure" by Wollstonecraft (an285729@anon.penet.fi). In the past
Terry has said no to guys who wanted her to go to far. Result: no dates for
six months. Her peer counselor, Jenny, has convinced her to loosen up; and
now, as Bobby's tongue duels with hers, she's following that advice. Being
lonely is not fun. Sex is. Some choice! At Bobby's urging, she opens his
zipper, takes his cock in hand, and thinks, "Please, don't try to put in me,
please, please, don't!" Bobby moans and says, "Thanks, Terry! That'll be
enough for tonight!" He zips his fly, takes her home, and gives her a sweet
kiss on the cheek. The next day he sends her flowers with a poem he wrote
himself.
Yeah, right! This is Wollstonecraft, not Pollyanna. Actually, Bobby's next
words are, "Mmmm, Terry, you're so tight! So warm, so tight!" You can well
imagine the course of events that ensue, right after Bobby pauses and says,
"Y-you've done this before, right?" She doesn't tell Bobby he is going to be a
father. After he spreads the word about how good Terry is at sex, she becomes
real popular. She goes out with a different guy every night and does what
comes naturally. The baby might not even be his.
In addition to the overall realism, what the author accomplishes extremely
well in this story is his portrayal of the Terry's ambivalence. She
constantly thinks one thing and does the opposite; and the contrast is,
effective, exciting, and depressing.
Ratings for "Peer Pressure"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
* "Bushido" by Sachi Mizuno (71022.251@compuserve.com). I truly enjoy
historical novels and televised miniseries with historical themes. Likewise,
I enjoy reading about sex in a historical context. The present story takes
place in Medieval Japan - during the Tokugawa shogunate, which would place it
in the early 1600's. I am familiar with this period of Japanese history from
other sources, and the customs and events in this story seem to be extremely
accurate. For example, the daimyo (lords) really were hereditary warriors who
were governed by a code of ethics - bushido (which means "the way of the
warrior") - that defined service and conduct appropriate to their status as
elite members of Japanese society. In addition, during the Tokugawa shogunate
sons of the daimyo were routinely sent to the capital at Edo to serve as
hostages in order to assure the good behavior of their fathers. A glaring
exception to the overall accuracy is that in the first chapter the daimyo
considers Tokugawa to be a weak and almost effeminate ruler. This is
grotesquely inaccurate, and surely the author knows this. I suspect that in a
later chapter the daimyo will realize his mistake.
The first chapter is full of political intrigue and sex. I do NOT know for
certain how accurately this story portrays the sex life of Japanese lords in
the 17th century, but the presentation was certainly believable. In addition,
the chapter that I sampled was just plain well written. If I were not already
overwhelmed with numerous good stories to review for this newsgroup, this is
certainly a book I would read. The publisher has a Web Page at
http://users.aol.com/specpress.
Ratings for "Bushido"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
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