Celestial Reviews 299 - August 4, 1998
Note: I am going to take a vacation. The next issue of Celestial
Reviews will appear on or around August 22. If the people who write
guest reviews would simply choose a story of their choice and write an
extra review and send it to me, that would help me get a good issue
together really quickly at that time.
Second Note: Occasionally good writers stop writing stories for this
newsgroup. If you rarely or never respond to authors, then THIS IS
YOUR FAULT!
What in the world do you think keeps an author going? You can call it
ego or whatever you want to call it. I call it the Blow Job
Principle. Simply stated, if a person expects to get a second blow
job, the recipient should make the giver glad to have performed the
first. Applied to these stories, if you like a story, take the
trouble to say so.
Some writers on this newsgroup are incoherent and don't intend to
improve. If they give up and go away, that's fine with me. But there
are good writers who have already abandoned this newsgroup and others
who will do so, because there's nothing in it for them.
I'm not suggesting that you kiss up to the authors. But if you enjoy
a story that you obtained for free, why not take two minutes to give
the author some feedback? I don't think most authors want idle
flattery; but they write stories with the hope that they are getting a
reaction - for example, they may want to make people happy. They'll
never know they have succeeded unless somebody tells them so.
Third note: Entries have been slow for the Fourth Celestial Story
Contest. Here are the rules:
About 50 years ago Ray Bradbury wrote a story called "The Veldt." In
that story a family has a nursery for their children that includes
what we would now call a virtual reality playroom. When the children
go into the playroom, they get the authentic feeling of being in an
actual veldt - a jungle area populated by mysterious and dangerous
animals. Complications arise when the playroom takes on a life of its
own - when the virtual reality becomes more real than virtual. You
can imagine what happens when Mom and Dad decide to close down the
playroom - or you can read the story (which is in Bradbury's book
entitled "The Illustrated Man") to see how Bradbury handles the
ending.
Your job is to write a story based on the general premise of a virtual
reality playroom. Feel free to change almost everything. You can
have adults rather than children, and you don't need non-human animals
at all. In fact, it might be best not to even look at Bradbury's
story at all - let your own imagination have full play. Bradbury's
story is actually a Frankenstein story with a moral - what happens
when we fail to understand technology and its limitations? Your story
doesn't have to be like that at all. You don't even need to know that
Bradbury himself once said that "man's machines are indeed symbols of
his most secret cravings and desires, extra hands put out to touch and
interpret the world."
Post your stories as you feel they are ready. Send me a copy.
Deadline is August 24.
Final note: Remember: even though someone else may be posting my
reviews for me, my e-mail address is still Celeste801@aol.com.
- Celeste
=====================
Celestial Reviews:
=====================
"Douglas and Penelope" by Gordie D (romance) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13560.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997880
"Birthday Boy" by EazinAlong (incest) 10, 10, 9
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13479.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376240409
"The Darkness in Exactly Nowhere, Iowa" by Oscar Paco
(nostalgic threesome) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13541.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730928
"Schoolboy Sissy Slut" by Mr Pornwriter (mindless sex) 10, 5, 1
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424723 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424728 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424733 03
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424740 04
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430804 05
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430807 06
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430813 07a
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430816 07b
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430822 08
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430827 09
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376566252 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376566258 11
"Internet Tools" by Ben Doone (gay quickie) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13542.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730932
"He Loved Her" by BlueLady16 (passionate poem) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13548.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997826
"The Pedicure" by Lostgirl (sexy threesome) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13440.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375345089
"Suzette's Passion" by BitBard (pirate romance) 10, 10, 10
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12673.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368291231
=====================
Guest Reviews:
=====================
"Attacked by Silk Gloves" by Redheaded Composer (magical tg).
Tern: 10, 7, 9
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322415 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322422 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322428 03
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322435 04
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322441 05
"A Dreamer's Tale of Blackmail" by Tigger and L. Corvidae
(romantic femdom). DG: 10, 10, 9
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12370.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12371.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12373.txt 03
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532865 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532872 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532886 03
"As I Bent over the Pool Table" by Adult Video (anal sex).
Ivan: 8, 3, 4
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=374598056
"Inanna In The Underworld" by (sex and rasslin'). BillyG: 10, 10, 4
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13523.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13524.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13525.txt 03
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http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430840 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430846 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430853 03
"Dolls" by Vickie Tern (femdom): Twassel: (no rating)
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13304.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13305.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13306.txt 03
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13310.txt 04
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13311.txt 05
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13307.txt 06
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13309.txt 07
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13308.txt 08
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13312.txt 09
"Fall In Love With Life Again" by H.D. Meister
(depressing self-indulgence). BillyG: 9, 7, 5
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375740625
=====================
Reposted Reviews:
=====================
* "Masks - A Horror Story" by Tom Bombadil (Halloween)
10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=285959989
* "My Wedding" by EazinAlong (wedding orgy) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376240399
* "Shower Buddies" by Stone Wolf
(humorous sexual escapades) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730921
* "Dance of the Lecherous Leprechauns" by R. Stephen Redick
(drunken orgy) 9.5, 8, 7
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=197224839
* "She Invited Me to Fuck Her Over the Net" by Lysander
(really unusual cybersex) 10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997888
* "Awakenings" by Annette (virgin to slut transition)
10, 10, 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375344995
* "Fingerprints" by Anne Arbor (sexual assignation). Stonebender:
8,7, 8
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376243590
==================
<<The Reviews>>
==================
"Douglas and Penelope" by Gordie D (GordonD103@aol.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13560.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997880
Doug and Penny have a chaste courtship, fall in love, get married, and
have a very nice wedding night. That's about it, except that a few
details add a lot of spice. As Doug said afterwards: "That was really
unbelievable. I hope she's not expecting it to be like this every
night, though . . ."
Doug and Penny take turns telling the story, and so we get independent
verification of what each one knows and feels about the various
events. This was a very good approach to a very good story.
Ratings for "Douglas and Penelope"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"Birthday Boy" by EazinAlong (EazinAlong@aol.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13479.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376240409
There's this young fellow named Oedipus. He's growing up to be a
strong and virile young man. His mother id - I mean is {how's that
for a Freudian slip?} - His mother is strongly attracted to him and
wants to be his first sexual lover. Her husband (his father) agrees.
On Oed's fifteenth birthday, Mom invites Oedipus into their bedroom
and lets him watch while she and Dad make passionate love to each
other. Then she encourages Oedipus to have his way with her.
Anybody who has taken a psych course in college knows about the
Oedipus complex, which is based on a mythological story that goes
along the general lines described in the previous paragraph. However,
in the Greek myth Oedipus, who has just recently slain his father
without knowing that it was his father, doesn't know that his lover is
his mother until after he has copulated with her; and when he realizes
his mistake he rips his eyes out and engages in several other
behaviors that seriously disrupt the lives of almost everyone in the
kingdom.
I dunno - of the two stories, the one with Mommy, Daddy, and Sonny
happily whooping it up in the sack isn't the one that would sound most
seriously dysfunctional to an objective visitor from Mars.
As I have said, everybody knows about the Oedipus complex. Mr. Rogers
- the one with the Neighborhood on television - even has a song about
it entitled "Someday I'm Going to Marry Mom." However, the Rogerian
song has a surprise ending: Mom says that she's already married and
that she hopes that someday her son will find someone that he can be
as happy with as she and Dad are with each other. Whenever I hear Mr.
Rogers sing this song, I have always had the impression that he
envisioned Mom as fully dressed and refraining from even remote forms
of foreplay.
I guess what it boils down to is that essentially all modern
psychologists and psychiatrists think that parents who deliberately
set their children up for sexual activity are somewhere on the
dysfunctional continuum between emotionally disturbed and sociopathic.
These psychologists and psychiatrists could be wrong, of course; and I
suspect that Gerry Springer could find one or two people who say they
are shrinks and who for a fee would regard this behavior as "within
the normal range," but that still leaves the problem that American
courts view this sort of behavior as illegal.
What these experts would probably suggest is to go ahead and encourage
the kid to feel comfortable about touching his own sex organs, but to
suggest that it's best to play with oneself in private and eventually
to develop mature sexual relationships from a perspective of mutual
love and respect. They would probably frown on Mom using her own body
to demonstrate to a boy how to stimulate a clitoris or for Dad and
Sonny to wash each other's testicles to the point of erection while
they shower together.
But keep in mind that these experts would NOT consider what Mom and
Dad do in this story to be any more dysfunctional than what lots of
American parents have done: tell the kid that sex is a filthy sin and
that he will go blind if he masturbates and to lead him to believe
that Mom and Dad sure as hell don't do anything like that.
I think there's a happy medium somewhere - probably a fortune teller
whose assistant is giving her a mouth job under the tablecloth.
Ratings for "Birthday Boy"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 9
==================
"The Darkness in Exactly Nowhere, Iowa" by Oscar Paco
(OscarPaco@aol.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13541.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730928
I came to an abrupt stop in the middle of this story. "Damn!" I said
to myself. "I know the person who wrote this story!" I meant I knew
him in real life. But as I read on, I realized I had been mistaken -
unless he had really altered the ending of the real-lifestory.
Back in my young adulthood, when I was madly in love with a wonderful
man with whom I was planning a permanent and monogamous future, I had
friends whose outlooks on life differed from mine. As a matter of
fact, I suppose it would be accurate to say that almost all of my
friends' outlooks differed from mine. Since that time, some of these
friends have done the monogamous thing, with varying degrees of
success. One of them has done the monogamous thing five times
already, with little evidence of success and five children who
currently have no resident father.
But I also had friends who believed in what we used to call free love
- or at least our parents did. They believed their sex organs were
given to them so they could achieve and share pleasure, and they saw
no reason to limit their relationships to one person. They thought
that achieving happiness and making somebody else happy was about the
greatest thing a human being could achieve. They would pound the table
- actually, the bar, usually - and shout in a whisper, "What's wrong
with that?" "Nothing," I'd say. "I just don't believe it would work
that way for me." "Well, will it work for me?" some of them would say.
"I doubt it," I would answer. "But what do I know?" I guess I haven't
change all that much.
In my reviews I refer to people like this as hedonists. Twenty years
later I have discovered that their current relationships - at least
the ones I know about - are just about as stable and harmonious as
most of those of my monogamous friends. Actually, most of their
relationships are more monagamous than those of my originally
monogamous friends.
But I'm still certain that I am right about my own monogamous life.
It's just so damned hard - but worthwhile - to maintain this one
relationship, that I'll be damned if I'm going to risk it in the hope
of getting something better.
Oh - back to the current story - I'm pretty sure I don't really know
these people. The part you men won't like is that in the threesome
the guys kiss and make love to each other as well as to the woman. As
we all know, the Unwritten Code is that this sort of thing is OK only
for women.
This is a really good story. I'm going to give it straight tens, even
though I think the time perspective is a little bit confusing. I know
some of this confusion is intentional, but I think the author could
clear it up a little without losing anything.
Ratings for "The Darkness in Exactly Nowhere, Iowa"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"Schoolboy Sissy Slut" by Mr Pornwriter (mrpornwriter@hotmail.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424723 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424728 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424733 03
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376424740 04
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430804 05
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430807 06
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430813 07a
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430816 07b
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430822 08
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430827 09
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376566252 10
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376566258 11
I had politely skipped over this story in the postings every time I
saw it in recent weeks. Then I received this message in my email:
"Attached is a zipped copy of my first story "Schoolboy Sissy Slut",
which I submit for review.... Hope you like it."
To quote my husband's favorite movie star: "Not hardly, pilgrim."
This is a story about a kid who goes to a new school, where he is
mistreated and exploited by just about everyone. At the end, we find
this comment: "By the time the whole of the first year had their turn
David was openly sobbing. After the second year students finished with
him, the cross-dressed teenager was wailing with tears. Then came his
own year, the third year. They seemed to relish the opportunity to
spank a naughty schoolgirl, especially the girls. They made sure
their blows really counted and soon David was screaming for them to
stop."
The question that springs to mind is, "Who gives a shit?" Actually,
this story answers that question: (humil, nc, ttt/t, spank, forced
tv/tg, f/t, fem-dom, ws, scat, M/t, bi-male, F/t, inc, etc...)
This story sucks. In fact, it sucks donkeys. No, it sucks dinosaurs.
No, it sucks blue whales. That's it - blue whales - the biggest
creatures ever to live on the face of the earth - This story sucks
blue whales.
Ratings for "Schoolboy Sissy Slut"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 5
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 1
==================
"Internet Tools" by Ben Doone (bendoone@bigfoot.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13542.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730932
As you probably know, I don't review many mm stories. This is not
because I have any moral objection to them, but because I am simply
too booked up with heterosexual and ff stories (which turn me on) to
have time for mm stories (which generally do not turn me on).
However, when I stumbled across this one, I decided to give it a shot.
It's a very well-written story; but as I had anticipated, I didn't
really get a charge out of it. Had they been two f's at the computer
or an m and an f, I would have been aroused; but as is - nada. Still,
I would recommend this story to my gay friends.
Ratings for "Internet Tools"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"He Loved Her" by BlueLady16 (BlueLady16@aol.com)
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13548.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997826
Bluelady is at it again. This poem will grab your attention and make
you feel what's happening - even though you won't know what's really
happening until she decides to tell you at the very end of the poem.
Before you read the poem, use your global replace to change "except"
to "accept," and you won't even be distracted.
Ratings for "He Loved Her"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"The Pedicure" by Lostgirl (lostgirl33@hotmail.com).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13440.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375345089
Guys will tend to skip this one. BIG MISTAKE! To guys a pedicure
simply doesn't sound sensual. This story will disabuse you of that
notion.
A guy accompanies his girlfriend when she goes to get a pedicure. I
don't mean to suggest that most pedicures are this sexy. They're more
sensuous than sexy; and most women would prefer to go alone,
especially since what happens in this story is illegal in most
jurisdictions that don't have red-light districts.
You'll have to find out the details for yourself. This story - a
wonderful combination of voyeurism and actual contact - is extremely
sexy.
Ratings for "The Pedicure"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"Suzette's Passion" by BitBard (bitbard@newsguy.com)
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12673.txt
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368291231
Lady Suzette is engaged to be married to an old, ugly Italian man. As
she travels from France by ship to meet her fate, she is clad in a
chastity belt.
But the ship gets attacked by English pirates; the pirates capture
Suzette and hold her for ransom; Spanish pirates attack the English
pirates; the English fight off the Spanish, but the pirate captain,
with whom Suzette is falling in love, is seriously wounded; but he
turns out to be a former street urchin with lock-picking skills, and
so a happy outcome is at last possible after she nurses him back to
health.
The author spins an excellent tale - full of swashbuckling heroics,
romance, and the sort of sex we women all dream about but never see in
the pirate movies. This is another excellent story!
Ratings for "Suzette's Passion"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
"Attacked by Silk Gloves" by Redheaded Composer (absurd magical tg).
Guest review by Vickie Tern (VickieTern@AOL.COM).
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12807.txt [1/5]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12809.txt [2/5]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12810.txt [3/5]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12811.txt [4/5]
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12812.txt [5/5]
Some are born women, some achieve it, and some have it thrust upon
them, but however they get there all are then free to enjoy the sexual
advantages and perhaps novel feelings. In this TG fable the
femininity is indeed forced, for once, not coerced nor coaxed nor
sneakily desired despite all. For the hero, being transformed into a
heroine is bewildering and annoying, not at all the deliciously
humiliating experience of usual TG fantasy. For the reader it's
mildly amusing.
Young Paul is an amateur magician who like Houdini goes looking for
real magic or at least the perfect illusion, one that won't seem
obvious or boring once the trickery is understood. While pursuing his
researches he falls into the clutches of a cranky, unkempt, nasty old
crone who uses real magic on him for her own purposes -- to
reconstitute him as her long-dead daughter. She seems to have
unlimited telekinetic and transformational powers, so it's hard to see
why she hasn't tried to use them before, or even tried to use them to
clear away the generations of dirty dishes heaped up in her kitchen
sink. The answer seems to be, she's truculent, stubborn and not too
bright, a cretin who sees no reason why Paul should not become her
daughter Janice, and why Janice should not be grateful to be restored
to her mother's bosom and her aging boyfriend's pecker.
The humor in this story comes from the interplay between the stubborn
determination of this gargoyle of a witch, Paul's naive innocence as
he experiences one outrageous invasion of his masculinity after
another, the meticulously poised prose that presents the process, and
the unsentimental but satisfying way it ends. Silk gloves attacking
and taking control of his arms are only the beginning. This is a world
where the beds make not only themselves but their occupants, and as
your body changes the bedclothes conspire of more than usual slumber
to plunder you. It's surreal, Disneyesque, a little like Mickey Mouse
as the Sorcerer's apprentice, a little erotic and yet as often absurd
(come to think of it, what's erotic that isn't? Don't answer that!).
Its main problem is, it isn't quite enough of either to make for
either heavy breathing or hilarity. But it's good fun, often clever
and sometimes witty, and this is a new writer (only one earlier story)
with a solid grip on narrative language and some amusing predicaments.
I expect that more will be even better.
Ratings for "Attacked by Silk Gloves"
Athena (writing quality): 10
Venus (erotic quality): 7
Tern (overall appeal to reviewer): 9
==================
"A Dreamer's Tale of Blackmail" by Tigger and L. Corvidae
(tigger@alices.com). Guest review by DG.
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12370.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12371.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12373.txt 03
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532865 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532872 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=364532886 03
This is an extremely well-written story about the relationship between
a female Domme and her male slave. Instead of detailing the
theatrical rituals associated with femdom-type relationships, this
story focuses on the real people behind each of the stereotypical
roles. The Domme is a female executive at a corporation, and the sub
is a younger man who works for her. Their SM relationship begins when
the man, who is a rising star at the company, develops a drinking
problem which threatens both their careers. The woman steps in and
becomes his master in order to straighten him out, and their
relationship moves in unexpected directions from there.
The authors spend considerable time and effort describing the two
character's mindsets, attempting to explain why they would enter into
and enjoy a femdom relationship. This is something usually not
addressed in these stories, and I suspect that one goal the authors
had in mind was to educate the average person on what the
psychological underpinnings and potential benefits of these
relationships are. I didn't buy all of it, but I have to give the
authors credit for looking much deeper into the psychology behind such
role laying than anything else I have read. (I should note that I am
not really a fan of this genre).
What the story does lack is explicit sex. Much of the story consists
of dialogue and internal musings, and what exposition there is takes
place between the juicy scenes. Much reference is made to the violent
and cruel sessions between Domme and slave, and I found myself wishing
that one of these sessions had been described in detail, not so much
for the turn on it would provide, but because it would help the reader
better understand the dynamic between the characters.
I can strongly recommend this story to anyone who is a fan of the SM
genre, or who is curious about the appeal of this genre and is looking
for a well-written introduction.
Ratings for "A Dreamer's Tale"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
DG (appeal to reviewer): 9
==================
"As I Bent over the Pool Table" by Adult Video (webmaster@sex.net)
Guest reviewed by Poison Ivan (poisoniv1@hotmail.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=374598056
Some lady gets butt-fucked by some guy with ten-inch cock. The sex
starts midway through the first sentence and doesn't end until the
final period. There is no discernible plot. But we do learn one thing
about the female character: she loves getting it in the ass.
The sex was exciting for a while, but then it got boring. Have you
ever masturbated to a good story, but when you reached the end you
hadn't quite reached an orgasm? "As I Bent over the Pool Table" might
be a good story to push a teetering reader over the edge. But if you
aren't already teetering, I'd suggest you skip this one.
Ratings for "As I Bent over the Pool Table"
Athena (technical quality): 8
Venus (plot & character): 3
Ivan (appeal to reviewer): 4
==================
"Inanna In The Underworld" From: gwalb25@my-dejanews.com. Guest Review
by BillyG (hayden@mindless.com)
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13523.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13524.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13525.txt 03
---
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430840 01
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430846 02
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376430853 03
Inanna, Queen of Heaven, a Sumerian Goddess, challenges her sister,
Queen Ereshkigel, goddess of the underworld, for supremacy.
At first blush, I thought this story might be cast as a heroic
struggle between good and evil and for a brief while, it caught my
attention. Too quickly it took on the glamour and excitement of a
professional wrestling match. Two sisters - one beautiful and healthy
stands in stark contrast to her slovenly and very unattractive
counterpart whom she one defeated long before and banished her to the
underworld.
The battle between them is not epic. It's a cat fight - a smelly one
at that. The description of the fight is given in seemingly endless
detail. No brief encounter and quick defeat this. To the contrary,
it goes on and on. It was more cat fight than I cared to read. Hell,
had it been a description of sex, it might have been too much!
It would appear that the raison d'etre for this story is the
description of a professional wrestling cat fight and in this case,
beauty and good fall to the greater power of evil and ugly.
To the extent one finds sexual power or attraction in this genre, it
may work. For me, it didn't.
Ratings for "Inanna in the Underworld"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10 (good development of bad character)
BillyG (appeal to reviewer): 4 (don't much care for professional
wrestling or cat fights)
==================
"Dolls" by Vickie Tern. Reviewed by Mat Twassel.
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13304.txt 01
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13305.txt 02
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13306.txt 03
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13310.txt 04
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13311.txt 05
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13307.txt 06
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13309.txt 07
http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13308.txt 08
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A slight, shy man, in a strange town between jobs, gets picked up in a
bar by a young woman. He falls for her. Later she sucks his cock and
shares the semen in an after-blow-job kiss. He finds he likes it. He
comes to crave it. He'll do anything for her. She starts making him
into a woman, no--less a woman than a pet, a doll; and, as if
etherized, he goes along.
There's some suspense in this long (60 pages) story by Vickie Tern.
For one thing we want to know why the young woman is going to all this
trouble. And maybe we're a little curious whether the guy will ever
resist. (In a brilliantly funny and profoundly sad scene, perhaps the
best in the story, the man Bob, does decide to resist.)
The effective point of view in the story's first half is the man--but
for the most part all we learn is that he's malleable. Part two of
"Dolls" shows us the history of Diana, the woman. It's a picaresque
sexual journey which quickly turns dark. We understand some of what
makes Diana tick. The adventure is mostly entertaining, fluently
written, sometimes sexy, and often strange. Diana has some quixotic
(but not after all unconventional) ideas about marriage and fidelity,
for example.
In the end, surprisingly, the characters let us down--plot and idea
have the upper hand, and characterization, while apt, isn't engaging.
There's almost too much material, and the story, although relentless
and of seemingly good pace, chokes.
Nevertheless there is much to admire, many many nice images and
promises:
She was standing at his bureau making up her face in his
mirror, and he looked over her shoulder and pressed his
cheek to hers, to see their two faces reflected together.
They were about the same height, both thin, with the same
high cheek bones. His blonde hair was shorter than hers,
but getting longer -- she liked long hair she'd told him,
and she'd asked him not to cut it. What little beard he had
was thin and blonde, and anyhow still smooth-shaven, hardly
visible even the morning after. His cheek snuggled against
hers, she placed her palm on his other cheek, and they
smiled at each other's images. They looked so much alike,
like brother and sister. It was a marvelous moment.
For the sake of the plot and the plan, it's nice if not vitally
important that the two do look alike, but neither this congruency nor
anything else really grips the characters' hearts or souls--there's an
interstitial emptiness, undoubtedly intentional, but also too bad.
The story earns points but provides no catharsis. Black comedy, I
think it's called. In a stunning scene near the end this is
epitomized: two men, neither of them gay, suck each others' cocks
perpetually while a pair of women chat:
Diana walked through the hallway into the living room.
The two men were naked, lying side by side together on the
couch, their legs sprawled apart and their hips turned up,
each one's head tucked down into the other's crotch, eyes
closed peacefully, each one's mouth working gently on the
other's penis.
"They nurse on each other for four hours each day,"
Nicole commented, looking down with some admiration and
affection. "It's really very dear. I kept them tied
together doing it once for as long as thirty-six hours, when
they needed the discipline. Round the clock was common.
They got resigned to it, and then used to it, and then they
found ways to like it. Now I don't let them go past four
hours -- too much of a good thing can lose its flavor."
Pick any paragraph in this story and you'll likely find a jewel. Here
are a couple more I can't resist sharing.
"Until you can decide for yourself what kind of a girl you
are and then be you, with your own style and ways of feeling
feminine, for the time being just pretend you're me. OK?"
And:
"Clean, as beautifully clean in your body's openings as I am
in mine. This is very special, what we're doing tonight. I
want your body to feel different on the inside as well as
the outside. A woman should always feel fresh everywhere
when she starts out on a date. Remember that. Whatever
scents and fluids then fill her body should be those aroused
by her lover."
The pleasure of these paragraphs goes beyond--they are part of story,
well- placed and with later reverberation. And yet the whole doesn't
really satisfy. Maybe somebody wiser can explain why--or convince me
I'm wrong.
==================
"Fall In Love With Life Again" by H.D. Meister (dez187lm@hotmail.com).
Guest Review by BillyG (hayden@mindless.com)
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375740625
The title of H.D. Meister's offering suggests an upbeat, positive
story. It couldn't be further from the truth. I was disappointed to
read a self- indulgent, self-pitying dirge about a man who's life is
emotionally at an end because a woman had left him. In response to his
whining questions - "What had I done wrong? Did I not shower her with
love? - his Angela replied with a cryptic and unfeeling response, "If
you have to ask, it's already too late." What the hell does *that*
mean, for cryin' out loud?
Mentally taking some comfort in the .44 Magnum that awaits him - the
permanent solution to such a temporary problem - he reflects on the
bars, booze, drugs and prostitutes he's used in an attempt to find
another Angela. Sounds like a variant of looking for love in all the
wrong places.
He meets a young woman in great emotional pain who similarly has been
dumped for another woman. Kelly, however, exudes a confidence and a
hope for the future not comprehended by the protagonist. Stuck,
without hope in the misery he chooses, Kelly's hope pushes him to
again, look down the barrel of his Magnum.
Meister's story gives substance to the expression, "Pain is
inevitable, suffering is optional."
Ratings for "Fall In Love With Life Again"
Athena (technical quality): 9 (a few sloppy errors)
Venus (plot & character): 7 (characters disappear when they stand
sideways)
BillyG (appeal to reviewer): 5
==================
Reposted Reviews
==================
* "Masks - A Horror Story" by Tom Bombadil (stbush@iglou.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=285959989
This story arrived the day after I posted my Halloween Special Issue
of Celestial Reviews; but better late than never! The story begins
with a John contemplating his imminent demise - that is, he is waiting
to be killed as part of some kind of ritual that evening, after being
held in chains for a year since last Halloween. We don't initially
know the complete rationale, but it sure sounds spooky - and morbid.
In stark contrast, this first plot alternates with another in which
Wally and Jennifer are participating in a festive soiree being
conducted by some student athletes on the eve of All Saints Day -
that is, some football players are having a Halloween beer bash. A
vampire countess and a beautiful witch crash the Halloween party.
Needless to say, these two are the real McCoy. The connection between
the two plots is that the party crashers are recruiting for their next
cycle of human sacrifices. This story is certainly vivid and well
written; but it's not for the weak of heart - or stomach. Don't say I
didn't warn you!
Ratings for "Masks"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
* "My Wedding" by EazinAlong (The artist formerly known as WouldBeBad)
(EazinAlong @aol.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376240399
The official wedding took place in the bride's parents' church, with a
wedding march, candles, flowers, and lots of guests. In her vows she
promised to obey Michael. To most of the people present, this was just
a phrase in the traditional wedding vows. A select few who were
invited to a separate ceremony later that day knew more specifically
what that vow meant. The bride was a successful stoke broker, and she
wanted no more stressful responsibility in her private life. She had
told Michael that she would give herself to him in the privacy of
their home if he would assume all the responsibility. He could have
her as a sex slave, if that meant she didn't have to make decisions.
This sounded like a bargain to Michael; and so now she stood naked
except for a garter belt and a few sensual accouterments in front of a
minister and an audience of 20 people - eager but apprehensive about
what would happen next.
This is not your ordinary wedding ceremony. I won't go into detail
here. Use your imagination or read the story. It's very well
written.
Ratings for "My Wedding"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
* "Shower Buddies" by Stone Wolf (an582016@anon.penet.fi).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376730921
I normally don't like to review multi-chapter stories until all the
parts have been posted. Sometimes the authors don't even bother to
finish the stories, and then my readers will feel cheated. In
addition, a story that begins well may end badly, or vice versa. I
decided to make an exception with this story. Even though only two
chapters have been posted and even though the author says that no
actual sexual contact will occur until "at least chapter 3," I think
you'll want to know about this one.
The basic premise of this story is that there has been a fire in the
women's dorm and the displaced coeds have with little forewarning been
relocated into one of the men's dorm. Our protagonist first notices
this when he is in a naked, semi-comatose, early-morning stupor in the
shower, asking to borrow shampoo from the person in the adjacent
stall. His body language sort of embarrasses him as he tries to be
polite and recover from his faux pas when he discovers that the guy he
is talking to is an attractive girl.
This story reminds me of an X-rated script for a high quality sitcom.
For example, I can imagine this being a plot for "Friends" or "The
Single Guy." The story is extremely well written; the characters are
refreshingly wholesome; and the story is redolent of realistic details
of college life - like showers that make funny noises and guys that
don't use fabric softener for their towels. I am eagerly looking
forward to more of this story.
Ratings for "Shower Buddies"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
* "Dance of the Lecherous Leprechauns" by R. Stephen Redick
(burrito@mc.net).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=197224839
A lecherous leprechaun is a strong brandy Alexander mixed with green
food coloring. Such drinks are considered useful for religious
debaucheries on St. Patrick's Day. This story is about two stalwart
guys, their bisexual female friend, and two neighbor ladies who
celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Chicago by slurping lecherous
leprechauns and fucking their brains out. This is not my idea of a
really great time. I simply have this urge to want to remember the
good times that I have had. But people who like to read about drunken
orgies will find this to be a well-written and sexually explicit
account of a boisterous bacchanalia.
Ratings for "Dance of the Lecherous Leprechauns"
Athena (technical quality): 9.5
Venus (plot & character): 8
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 7
==================
* "She Invited Me to Fuck Her Over the Net" by Lysander
(lysander@bitsmart.com).
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376997888
Every once in a while I get the silly idea that I have seen all the
possible basic plots on this newsgroup. I think I'm going to stop
having that silly idea.
The narrator of this story is essentially a lunatic with special
powers - like being able to find his lost keys without even praying to
St. Anthony. It turns out that one of his special powers is being
able to insert pointed parts of his anatomy into the computer when he
dials up those Internet sex lines that occupy so much of the spam
space on a.s.s. Well, as you can imagine, he gets a Golden Membership
and lives happily ever after.
It's even more interesting when you read it the way the author wrote
it.
Ratings for "She Invited Me to Fuck Her Over the Net"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
* "Awakenings" by Annette.
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=375344995
The young lady is a naive virgin who has just graduated from a Swiss
finishing school. Her big turn-on is the thought that when a man
penetrates her for the first time it will be to shoot live ammunition
at an unprotected target. She gets all churned up at the idea of
totally unprotected sex with an even chance of being put in the family
way. When a rich guy she really likes comes on strong to her, she
tells him her feelings and says she's just not quite ready yet.
Naive? Well, sort of; but she certainly knows how to keep Alan at
bay!
She resolves to be a virgin when she marries Alan; but shortly before
the wedding he gets called away for work for two months overseas, and
she goes on a cruise. The cruise ship is a veritable stud farm; and
she mates with the ships mate. Not to worry; he'll use a condom.
Ooops! To hell with the condom; he'll withdraw. Ooops! To hell with
withdrawal; he has a supply of the RU 462 morning after pill. Ah!
Ecstasy (or Ecstacy, as the Brits say); ten straight days and nights
of ecstasy. Ooops! If you've never seen an RU-462 pill, I guess it's
easy to confuse them with Relaxatabs.
The story has minor proofreading errors; but if I managed to ignore
them, you can probably do so as well.
Here is a lesson from the English teacher that lies hidden inside me.
Comedians and newscasters frequently talk about oxymorons. They give
as examples "military intelligence," "governmental efficiency," and
"honest lawyer." It may be funny to refer to these as oxymorons,
because by doing so the speaker is suggesting that the military is
inherently unintelligent, the government inefficient, and lawyers
dishonest. The problem with those examples is that they are better
examples of humor than of oxymorons.
This author uses a true oxymoron when the protagonist sees her first
engorged penis and refers to as "how beautifully ugly!" That's a
perfect oxymoron. I once heard the person behind me at a wedding
ceremony refer to the bride's "utterly ugly beauty" - making the point
that the extreme artificiality of her makeup was not beautiful at all.
There's a famous Latin expression: "festina lente" - make haste
slowly, or as Yogi Berra put it, "Take your time; but hurry up!" A
genuine oxymoron makes a point. In the story, the idea is that the
male sex organ fully engorged with blood is really pretty grotesque if
you look at it objectively; but if you look at it from the potential
pleasure it can give, it's beautiful. This is such a great example; I
want so much to use it as an illustration for my students, but I guess
I had better not. American middle class manners; now there's an
oxymoron for you!
Even aside from the oxymoron, the sexual scenes were delightfully
graphic. I strongly recommend this story.
Ratings for "Awakenings"
Athena (technical quality): 10
Venus (plot & character): 10
Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10
==================
* "Fingerprints" by Anne Arbor (AnneArbor@hotmail.com). Guest review
by Jake Stonebender.
http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=376243590
Hmmm...
Short story; short review.
This was an interesting story. I still haven't decided whether "Anne
Arbor" is actually female or not, although I'm inclined that way.
In any case, this was a well written story, though it didn't throw me
to the ground and rip my pants off. It would probably have gotten
Anne747 wet though, I think.
A nicely done story of an assignation, with a small twist. If you've
been here, it will give you pause; if you haven't, it will probably
make you think.
Damn; been too long: 8 for characters and plot, 7 for horny value, 8
for me.
Ratings for "Fingerprints"
Minerva: (technical skill): 8
Aphrodite: (general appeal): 7
Apollo: (appeal to reviewer): 8
<end>