Celestial Reviews 306 - Sept 16, 1998 Note: Someone asked me what kind of stories I look for and what kind I try to avoid reviewing. Let's start with the negative side. I almost never review stories like these: (1) Stories by people who have asked me not to review their work. At the present time, there are only two of these people. It seems that most other authors feel either that (a) I am fair, (b) any attention is better than no attention, or (c) it's a free world and I can do what the heck I want to do anyway. (2) Stories with really illiterate title lines. I realize people make typographical errors, but first impressions are important. There are just too many good stories out there for me to waste my time on apparent crap. (3) Stories written by authors with a poor track record. If I have read two or three stories by an author and not enjoyed these, I have better things to do than to read more stories by that author. If you used to write bad stories but have improved, maybe you'd like to email me a copy of your current work. (4) Stories that are obviously unfinished. If you post a story as (1/?), I'll almost certainly not read it. However, I am likely to keep an eye on it and wait until it is finished. When I eventually see (8/8), I will be more inclined to download it. I appreciate it when authors who post in series send me the whole story in a single file when they post the final segment. In fact, I am right now hoping that an author whose name begins with S and who often writes excellent stories will send me her most recent work, so that I can avoid downloading multiple parts one at a time. (5) Lengthy series by authors I don't recognize, even when they are finished. I just don't have time to chase false leads that take up too much of my time. I hasten to add that I have missed a lot of good stories by employing this criterion. I appreciate it when someone calls good but long stories to my attention. (6) Stories written in the second person that is, "you" narratives. These stories are most often written by one person for a specific other person. These two people may find special meaning in the story, but outsiders can usually find little interest in them. I have been burned so often by these stories that I automatically move them to my Mac's trash can as soon as I realize I am reading one of them. If you write a story that your cyberlover really likes, simply have the courtesy to revise it and to reorient it toward an audience that extends beyond the one person for whom you originally wrote it. Otherwise, keep it as your lovely little secret. (7) Stories on topics that I find to be distasteful, unless the author sends the story to me with a request for a review. For example, people who write pedophile rape stories are probably decent people whose fantasies happen to differ from my own. I have known real people who have been hurt by such activities, and I have a hard time thinking that this kind of thing can ever be "fun." I suspect that the people who like these stories are imagining different scenarios than I picture; therefore, I don't dislike or preach against these people: I just don't read their stories unless they ask me to do so. Examples of topics that I find to be distasteful include pedophile rape, child/adult incest, watersports, cruel bdsm, and snuff. I find many "furry" and bestiality stories to be boring rather than distasteful. Transgender stories are often absolutely ingenious, but I can take only so many of them a month; and some TG stories give concrete meaning to the word banal. Fan fiction is often a turn-off to me, when I am not a fan of the fiction. (8) Stories about male homosexuality. Nothing personal here the few that I have reviewed have received high ratings. I'm just swamped with hetero and ff stories, and mm stories just aren't often a sexual turn-on to me; and so I tend to skip right past them. Having stated what I said in the preceding paragraph, I hasten to point out that I have given extremely high ratings to stories in each of the categories that I said I usually reject. I am constantly trying to learn and to expand my horizons, and I appreciate it when an author enables me to experience something that I would otherwise not try. It just has to be good writing. (9) Stories that appear to be illiterate for example, if they contain numerous grammar errors. Actually, what I do with these is go ahead and read them and just write a negative review, and then try to avoid that author in the future. Nevertheless, I agree that some authors who superficially appear to be poor writers are actually creative writers with rough edges. I try to coordinate a free proofreading service for people with this problem. I know that almost everything on the Internet that is labeled free is actually a rip- off, but this proofreading service is a genuine exception. If there is someone who feels he/she has been mistreated through this proofreading service, I don't know about it. Likewise, if you'd like to be a proofreader, please contact me. On a more positive note, here are the kinds of stories I DO try to review: (1) Stories that authors email to me with a request for a review. (2) Stories labeled with an <*> in the a.s.s. or a.s.s.m. postings. (3) Stories by anyone who serves as a guest reviewer for Celestial Reviews. I try to review these myself, but there are often so many that this becomes impossible. (4) Stories that "catch my eye" with a creative title. I normally download these stories, read the first few paragraphs, and then trash them if they fail by one of my "negative" criteria. (5) Stories by authors with a good track record. In reality it is impossible for me to read all the stories that "good" authors publish. At the risk of offending people whom I may accidentally omit, I am going to repost below the list of my "favorite authors" from my FAQ: A. Van Peebles Alan Mathews Ann Douglas Anne Arbor Anon 747 (Anne 747) Backrub Bazarov BEAR The Bear (also referred to as the New Bear and Baird Allen) Bernadette BillyG (William Hayden) Bitbard (formerly Sandman) Bluelady Bronwen Celeste (C'est moi!) Cobalt Jade Crimson Dragon D.A. Ignatius (DarkNites) Dafney Dewitt Damya deirdre (Sherwood Anderson) Delta DG Dirty Dawg (Dawson Rambo) DJ (the artist formerly known as DJ810) Dorvis Slaughter Dr. Watson Dulcinea Ed Stauff El Sol Elf Sternberg Eli the Bearded Emerson Laken-Palmer Erostos Estragon fcp Friar Dave G Smith Gina Marie Green Onions H.D. Meister Hawkeye Jackie Janey (Jane Urquhart) Javahead Jim Fix Joe Parsons John Thomas Jonathan Dzoba Jordan Shelbourne Kim kollontai LeAnna Linda B. Lori Grenci Losgud Lord Malinov Lysander Mark Aster (Allen Sisters Stories) Mark Bastable Mary Ann Mohanraj Mary Jorsay Gandmar Mat Twassel Mercury Michael Dagley Michael K. Smith MicahelD Michelle Lurker Mike Hunt Morgan Preece Ng Sisters (Deidre & Tammy) Nick Observer OddManOut Anywhere Oscar Paco Paddy Toute Parker Patrick Donovan Peter V. Principle Phil Phantom Plainman PleaseCain Poison Ivan Pulp Fan R.C. Rajah Dodger Ramapo Renae Nicks Rhett Dreams Rocket88 Rondu S. Leigh Farmer SandMan (currently Bitbard) Santo J. Romeo (Author of Martha Jane) Sarlim Saucy Wench Seurat Shelby Bush Simon bar Sinister smoot2 Spook Stephanie SueNH (also WithSue) Summer's Rose Sven the Elder Taria TEX Thomas M. Carvett (TMC) Tom Bombadil Tom in Sacramento Tom Trinity Tooshoes Uncle Mike Uther Pendragon Vickie Morgan Vickie Tern Walter Slaven Watcher Wollstonecraft Almost any story by one of the above authors is likely to be a winner. In addition, here is a second list. The main difference is that I have read fewer stories by these authors and therefore cannot guarantee their quality as well as those on my first list: Alan C. McD Anglokitty Artie Bill Green Bobbi Sue Brother Cadfael Caesar Calloway Daniel Shechori Darkside Darryman Dave Schulte David L David Shaw Deb Atwood Dimitri EazinAlong EzRiter empath Eric Shon Frank McCoy Gordie D Gregarious Grimbo Hangten Hawk Richards Horangi Horny Toad I Robert J Boswell J.M. James Dawson Jan Williams Jefferson James Jon Hallmark Jonboy Kid Dynamite Kona LM1 Lostgirl mandible MD James Morpheus' Twin MrSpraycan Niles Naismith Nom de Plume Of 2 minds Ovid Pan Paris Waterman P.D. Michael PJ Rainman Richard Baudouin Rock Hancock Roger P. Tipe Rojack Sarah Fox Jahn Sandmann SexySailor Sfmaster Sista Shakespeare Solo Polyphony Spoonbender Steve3925 Steve Black TropicCool TruthHurts Walter Fortner Warthog Wolfgang Amadeus Zhong Second note: Here's something from the Amazing Insights Department. If you have Microsoft Word, follow these steps: Step 1 : Go to Microsoft Word & type this sentence "Unable to find a girlfriend" (without the quote) Step 2 : Highlight this sentence, then press Shift+F7 or go to Tools & select Thesaurus. Step 3 : Look at the highlighted item in the alphabetical list of suggestions to find the explanation for the problem you have just stated. 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: ===================== "The Sexual =?iso-8859-1?Q?Clich=E9?= Zone" ( MF FF span humor ) by pUSSEL. (satire) 8, 8, 8 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390646228&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15278.txt "Funeral Games" by Nick (sex at Dad's funeral) 9, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390000693&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15222.txt "Voodoo at the Fair" by JR Parz (voodoo sex) 5, 4, 4 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390000704&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15225.txt "Summer, 1976" by Jim Keigel (strange day of sex) 7, 4, 4 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=387786933&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14999.txt "Cassandra" by Crimson Dragon (sensuous therapy session) 10, 10, 10 http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/9633.txt "The Miller's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer (ribald humour) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389337703&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15119.txt "Erotica 101" by Janey Urquhart (marital instruction) 10, 9, 9 { UNPUBLISHED } ===================== Guest Reviews: ===================== "The Football Match" by marky92 (sex at the game). Nick: 9, 8, 8, http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=383104866&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14577.txt "The Fete" by Spoonbender (sex on foreign soil). Myers: 5 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=385740944&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14770.txt "The Bungling Burglar," by JennTill (paying the piper). DG: 5, 7, 7 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=383104876&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14579.txt "Scorcher" by Nita360 (first time ff). MissB: 4, 4, 4 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389994408&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15182.txt "Sheila the Great" by Schulzie (stroke story). Owl: 5, 8, 7 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390646225&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15277.txt "20th Hole" by MotionMan (neighborly sex). Sundance: 9, 7, 8 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389691133&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15130.txt "I am her Lover's Assistant" by DonW38. (humiliated husband) BitBard: 10, 10, 4 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390533302&fmt=raw ===================== Reposted Reviews: ===================== http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389691133&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15130.txt "I am her Lover's Assistant" by DonW38. (Humiliated Husband) BitBard: 10, 10, 4 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390533302&fmt=raw ===================== Reposted Reviews: ===================== * "Re: Proof reading sex stories" by M.M. Twassel (sexy story about not having sex) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=207931105&fmt=raw * "The Pause that Refreshes" by Jvstin (sex during a blackout) 10, 8, 9 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=391325085&fmt=raw * "Arthur J. Puddock -- Love Guru" by Endemoniada (penile- enlargement farce) 8, 8, 9 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=296964617&fmt=raw ================== On this day in Celestial History Celestial Reviews 118 - Sept 18, 1996 ================== * "Charlie" by Mary Anne Mohanraj (infidelity & quickie) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=183902678&fmt=raw * "Bean City" by Mark (bdsm) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=272963341&fmt=raw * "Home Again" by Ann Douglas (romance) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=340706148&fmt=raw http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=340702619&fmt=raw * "Stars in Our Eyes" by Mark Aster (romantic outdoor voyeurism) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=180631763&fmt=raw * "Rene and Georgette" by Margaret Grace (romance) 10, 10, 10 http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=184660768&fmt=raw ================== "The Sexual =?iso-8859-1?Q?Clich=E9?= Zone" ( MF FF span humo ) by pUSSEL. http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390646228&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15278.txt The first thing you have to realize about this title is that the author is kidding. This is a satire that pokes fun at many of the cliches we often see on a.s.s., many of which were cited in my List of Credulous Assumptions in CR 305. This story is not the greatest satire in the world, but it's high-quality sophomoric fun if that's not a double oxymoron. Ratings for "The Sexual… Zone" Athena (technical quality): 8 Venus (plot & character): 8 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 8 "Funeral Games" by Nick (nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390000693&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15222.txt As far as I know, Dr. Kevorkian does not write stories for this newsgroup. At least not under his real name. Nor did my mother's friend's daughter's father- in-law, who died suddenly during a recent softball game at a retirement community. The old guy had hit a solid line drive into the outfield, driving in the winning run for his team; and he dropped dead as he rounded first base. My mother's friend thought this was a horrible event, but my mother failed to see her point. The guy was going to die someday, said Mom; and why not go out on a high note? I told this story to my husband; and he said if my mother was right, then he'd like to die in the midst of sexual intercourse with me. This sounded inconvenient, to say the least. But then he recalled for me the old anti- Catholic accusation that several popes have died while in the act with whores or mistresses. This was getting off the track, and so I switched the conversation to a story about voyeuristic threesome that I had recently reviewed. Later I got to thinking: why couldn't a working girl carry Dr. K to his logical conclusion? Instead of simply assisting suicide, Kevorkian girls could literally fuck a person to death. It's so crazy, it just might work! Major religions might object; but most of them consider suicide to be at least as sinful as fornication. The only "shortcoming" I can see is that maybe the process might take a while or maybe it might not be fatal. Indeed, perhaps the client might decide not to terminate this baleful existence after all. Anyway, in the present story, Brian has gone to his father's funeral, where he meets his father's most recent model. I guess I forgot to mention that the old guy had been an artist. {That stuff about the old geezer at the softball game and the Kevorkian girls had nothing to do with this story.} In fact, his father's hobby makes a good case for inserting better punctuation in the following sentence: "He liked painting nudes and looking at Laura I expected that she had been 'as God made her' when he died." The sentence should read, "He liked painting nudes; and looking at Laura, I expected that she had been 'as God made her' when he died." The original sentence suggests a compound verb rather than a compound-complex sentence. <shame!> As the story evolves, we learn that Dad had been hard at work at the moment of his demise. In ancient Greece, there used to be magnificent feasts and athletic contests to celebrate the death of fallen heroes. Even today, at Irish wakes people often engage in festive drinking and merrymaking to celebrate the passing of a friend. Relevant to the present story what better way to celebrate a the passing of a lecherous parent than to imitate his style? And in Dad's studio, no less. Ratings for "Funeral Games" Athena (technical quality): 9 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 "Voodoo at the Fair" by JR Parz. http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390000704&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15225.txt The first paragraph of this story goes like this: Dean left the office frustrated and confused. Never in his life before, has a girl been able to totally wrap herself around his emotions like Lisa has...First, Lisa says she can't become involved with him because of David, but in the very same breath she tells him this, she's crying when he tries to severe the ties. He vividly remembered her tears and her voice, when she said; 'I don't want to hurt David.' Dean wanted to say; 'What about me?', but he couldn't bare to see her cry, so, he hugged her and told her that he'd wait. "Yep, just call me the fool." he muttered to himself while leaving the office. The verb tenses are screwed up. For example, the "has" in the second line should be "had." Thereafter, we really don't know what is past and what is present. "Severe" should be "sever," and "bare" should be "bear." These errors may seem like little things, but they accumulate as the story continues. Even if you are not an English teacher, by the time you get finished with that first paragraph, you are likely to be aware that deciphering this story may be more trouble than it's worth. I continued with the story. Something about a guy boinking a girl who has subsequently said "No" to him whenever he wanted to do it again. Then I came to this sentence: "Lisa's dark brown hair framed her model-like face, which softly draped along her shoulders." Ya see my problem is that the sentence clearly says that the damsel's face (not her hair) is draped around her shoulders. That's hard er, difficult to imagine. Anyway, Dean works part-time at a fair, and he consults the fair's fortune teller, who gives him a voodoo spell to win Lisa over. You can take it from there…. There are lots of other details some of them quite interesting; but they are simply not integrated into a coherent plot. Speaking of fortune tellers I've been asked by a member of a grand jury who leaked this to the press to tell you the following story. Hillary Clinton went to a fortune teller at a fair. The old woman looked upset, but Hillary told her she wanted to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as is required by English common law. The fortune teller solemnly replied, "Your husband will die a horrible death by the end of the year." Hillary paused, looked concerned, and then said, "Tell me. I have to know…. Will I be acquitted?" Ratings for "Voodoo at the Fair" Athena (technical quality): 5 Venus (plot & character): 4 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 4 "Summer, 1976" by Jim Keigel (jimkeigel@hotmail.com). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=387786933&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14999.txt Q. What should you do if you're alone at some sort of remote work site and a naked, disoriented woman comes into the office and asks to use the water cooler? A. Give her some water and call the police, who will refer her to the services of an appropriate social service agency. Note: That's not what the guy in this story does. Wouldn't have been much of a story if her did. What really happens is L.C. has sex with her and then turns her loose, and she causes all kinds of trouble on the job site and L.C. gets a venereal disease and everybody laughs their assess off. It's kind of a strange story. Ratings for "Summer, 1976" Athena (technical quality): 7 Venus (plot & character): 4 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 4 "Cassandra" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com). http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/9633.txt Cassandra is one of those people with double personalities you know, one person living inside the body of another person. I've dealt with a lot of unusual people, but I've never met a person with a genuine dual personality except, of course, most of the people on this newsgroup. Anyway, this story is about Sarah/Cassandra's visit to her shrink. Sarah had been abused as a child, and now Cassandra is doing all kinds of naughty things to try to get a rise out of the doctor. This is a plausible story. Cassandra expresses her erotic emotions in a way that seems compatible with a history of abuse, and the doctor reacts in a plausible fashion. If you like stories about psychologically disturbed people, this might be your cup of tea. Ratings for "Cassandra" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 "The Miller's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer (John Dark Repost). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389337703&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15119.txt The version of this story posted to a.s.s.m. is the Middle English version, which is difficult for many readers to decipher. A Modern English version can be found at gopher://gopher.vt.edu:10010/02/63/24. If you want a slightly more attractive modern version with the prologue attached, try http://library.advanced.org/11840/Chaucer/milpro.html. If you want detailed commentary with a link to the Middle English version, try http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/miller.htm. If you want a wicked erudite discussion of the story, see what the gang at Harvard Yard has to say at http://icg.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/milt/. Here's an excerpt from the Study Guide for this story for EH 220 Great Books Syllabus at Auburn University: 1. How are the husband and wife incompatible? 2. Where does Nicholas live? What's his major at school? 3. How does Absolom try to impress Alison? 4. What does Nicholas tell John will happen on Monday night? 5. What advice does Nicholas give John to save himself and his wife? 6. What kind of a kiss does Absolom get from Alison? 7. What happens with John at the end? 8. Describe how Alison's relationship with her husband, with Nicholas, and with Absolom is perverted. Can you imagine what kinds of question this professor would ask about the typical a.s.s.* story? "Of what did the naughty nekkid cheerleaders have buckets?" Incidentally, I think nekkid is a viable Middle English word. As the above study questions suggest, this is not a deep story. Here's the skinny on the Miller's Tale: The old carpenter with a young wife named Alison has taken in as a lodger a poor scholar named Nicholas, who gets the hots for milady. She's game; and so she says that if Nicholas can find a way to keep her husband in the dark, she'll do the wild thing with him. The scholar concocts a complex plan involving feigned sickness and an allegedly upcoming post-biblical deluge, the upshot of which is that the husband finds himself sleeping in a bathtub on the roof while Nicholas and the wife are doing the Posterpedic polka in the carpenter's own bed. Meanwhile, another suitor named Absolom has been smitten by milady and is wooing her with song outside the bedroom window, while she and Nick are sharing a ride in a fur-lined canoe. When Abe begs for a kiss, Allie sticks her ass out the window; and the swain reveals himself to be uninterested in anal amour. Thus miffed, the secondary suitor goes off to get a hot poker and then summons his beloved again. This time it is Nick's ass that emerges from the window. When Nick farts in Abe's face, the latter sticks the poker up the former's ass. When Nick shouts for water, the old guy on the roof thinks the deluge has begun. Then No, I may have told you too much already. Believe it or not, there's a moral to this story. In all honesty, I've posted in CR jokes that are funnier than this story. But you have to remember that this is a classic tale that regaled people back in the 14th century. This is part of the Culture of the English-speaking world. Shakespeare read and laughed at this story in the barley fields of Stratford on Avon. Winston Churchill read it at his mother's knee. Even Teddy Kennedy probably had someone read it to him. This is the sort of story that bridges the gap between Albert Einstein and Beavis and Butthead. It's a very good story! Ratings for "The Miller's Tale" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 "Erotica 101" by Janey Urquhart. {Janey should post this story!} The woman who narrates this story is being wooed by her husband, who is getting his ideas from Janey's a.s.s. stories. You can tell he's reading her actual stories, not just reading my reviews, because he works over her ankle and they drink copious red wine, neither of which have even been mentioned in my reviews. The woman starts out pretty naďve, but through Janey's mediation she loosens up considerably. This story is unlike Janey's usual work, but so are all of Janey's stories. This one is well worth reading. Ratings for "Erotica 101" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 9 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 9 "The Football Match" by "marky92" (marky92@hotmail.com). Review by Nick (e- mail Nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk) http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=383104866&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14577.txt I think this is the first time that Celeste has sent me a story by a fellow Brit; and I feel a bit like saying, "Dr Livingstone, I presume?" Not all of us are the same, however. To start with, he is a keen football supporter and I'm not (football=soccer by the way). This in turn limits the story's appeal even amongst Brits, because even amongst "footy" fans I'm sure there are many who would be saying "Leeds United!?" (our hero's favourite team) "They're crap - I'm not reading any more of this!" (My own son's reaction was "How dare he refer to Arsenal as the enemy!") Anyway, I quite liked the story, which is the fourth in a series entitled "Two Birds and a Bloke" (="Two Broads and a Cool Guy" - I suppose). In this one, only one of the girls figures (Lisa is a Man U supporter, and they're not playing in this match), so we only get to hear of the exploits of Nicole and Phil as they watch Leeds play Chelsea. It appears that the big screen display in the stadium focuses a lot on Nicole's breasts. This, plus the resulting attention, makes her horny, and they sneak out and "do it" in the bogs just before half time. We never find out the score of the match. The story itself I found quite entertaining, but it does need a little polish. I also found the inter-dialogue paragraphing a little distracting (I find a 2 line gap easier than 1) My own ratings for this story are Technique 7 (perhaps a little too parochial), Plot and character 6 (no depth whatsoever) and appeal to me 8 (yes I enjoyed it overall). Adjusting for Celeste: Athena (technique) 9 Venus (Plot & character) 8 General appeal 8 "The Fete" by Spoonbender (Theodore@spoonbender.demon.co.uk). Guest review by Dave Myers. http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=385740944&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14770.txt We've got a character that says "Arrh" all the time, other characters that can't remember what happened last night, and tales of sacrificial virgins. Is this about pirates, love drugs, and volcano worship ? On all three counts: almost, but not quite. And that pretty much explains the arc of this story. Synopsis: Jim's in the US military, but stationed in the UK. He and his wife, Judy, get more than they bargained for from the locals. There is not much to spoil, but for the sake of those who go on to read it, I will not give away the punchline. Yes, there is a character who mostly says only "Arrh." He is not a pirate, and is depicted in a manner way too far- fetched for me to do anything but laugh. From the rest of the text, though, I'm not sure humor was the aim. Yes, there is couple who have trouble remembering what happened the night before, but the event is handled a bit too glibly to be entertaining. And yes, there is something to do with sacrificial virgins in a local legend involving harvests, syzygy of Mars and Venus, eye of newt, and a lock of Gillian Anderson's hair. [Well, maybe I got a little carried away.] Unfortunately, the impact of this plot detail is brushed across with Scooby-Doo-like flair. This one is all over the map, and needs to be dressed up a bit more before prime time. The author does manage to use the word "miasma" correctly in a sentence, though, which counts for something. Rating: 5 "The Bungling Burglar" by JennTill (JennTill1@Hotmail.com). Guest review by DG. http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=383104876&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/14579.txt This story has a good premise; and the first half, although a little rough, is amusing and sexy. Unfortunately the second half of the story is a long, clicheed sex scene that reads like a very rough draft. I liked the basic idea: when Carrie is 13, she gets into the habit of sneaking around in the bedrooms of her friends' parents, looking for their sex-toys, dirty magazines, etc. Not only does she learn about the birds and the bees, but she gets a sexual thrill just from the danger. Then, when she is 15, she finally gets caught. The father of a little girl she baby-sits comes home unexpectedly and catches Carrie in the bedroom masturbating to his homemade porno tapes. He threatens to call the cops; but they manage to strike a deal, the nature of which will surprise none of you. This was a cute and promising setup, but I was disappointed in the payoff. The writing quality, not great to start with, declined rapidly, as if the story was finished in one rushed writing session and then posted. More than half the sentences in the last third of the story end in exclamation points. I also think the story would have been better if the characters had reacted more realistically to the situation. The man should have been aroused but with undertones of nervousness and guilt, while the girl should have been scared but curious. Instead, they both act like veteran porno stars. My advice to the author is to avoid excessive exclamation points! and ALL CAPS, and not to put "complicated" words in quotes like a Beavis and Butthead script. And also to make the reactions of the characters at least somewhat realistic. Ratings for "The Bungling Burglar" Athena (technical quality): 5 Venus (plot & character): 7 DG (appeal to reviewer): 7 "Scorcher" by Nita360 (Nita360@hotmail.com) Guest Review by Miss Behavin (missbehavin@sprint.ca). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=389994408&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15182.txt It's hot out -- 96 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact; and Karla, who is looking as hot as the weather, stops by her favorite watering hole to cool off. During her conversation with the bartender, Karla tells him that her husband is off fishing, and you get the picture that she's definitely feeling his absence. As luck would have it, Karla's friend Carrie is also at the bar, and they decide to play a friendly game of darts. As the two sexy women play they are observed by a small group of spectators who are enjoying both the game and the players. One admiring fan, a young "logger" with bad dental hygiene, decides that he'd like to shoot a game of pool with them and doesn't take their rejection well. Karla, feeling her pent-up sexual frustration, decides to take matters into her own hands and helps the kid with his chair before the bartender comes over and tosses him out. The friends leave the bar to have a slumber party at Karla's place, which is devoid of a husband and children. Over a pitcher of Margaritas and a couple of joints they become much closer as they, for the first time, explore each other's feminine side. The setup is predictable, but the intimate moments between the two ladies show a little promise with a few good descriptions; and the understanding shown between them at the end was well done. In the end, this story did very little for me. Several times I found myself reading the same sentence over and over again, trying to understand what the writer meant. (It's really amazing what a few well-placed commas and the magical powers of a spell/grammar check program can do.) The characters are fairly rough, and it's hard to get a feel for either of them. The dialogue is hard to follow, but I blame this more on the writer's layout than the actual writing. I have to downgrade Scorcher to 'remotely warm with a 100% chance of a cool breeze on the horizon.' Ratings for "Scorcher" Athena (technical quality): 4 Venus (plot & character): 4 Miss Behavin' (Appeal to reviewer): 4 "Sheila the Great" by Schulzie (schulzie@my-dejanews.com). Guest review by Watchful Owl. http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390646225&fmt=raw --- http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/15277.txt This story was a bit wooden. Rather than achieving a really great story (rare) or a good one (increasingly more so), this one mostly achieves mediocrity. The entire story revolves around the game "Trust Me", in which your partner's hand goes up your leg until he/she is told you don't trust them. When our protagonist plays it, he winds up being stroked to orgasm, first by a daring girl, then in front of three more. The characters did not exist beyond the sexual realm. In stories of this length, it is sometimes permissible to do away with much of character development, but the author has done away with it completely. There were several grammar/punctuation errors. I don't know about the rest of you, but they drive my compulsive mind nuts. Bottom line: If you've found you've stumbled into this story, you might as well finish it. If not, don't go seeking it out. Venus (Plot and Character) 5 Athena (Technical Quality) 8 Watchful Owl (Appeal to Reviewer) 7 "20th Hole" by MotionMan (Motionman@hotmail.com). Guest review by Sundance. This was an entertaining story of Steve Matthews; best friend, golfer, and all around handyman being called upon to assist the extremely attractive orphaned daughter of his former best friends during an unexpected plumbing crisis. The author scored immediate points with me by addressing in this tale my favorite things -- golf, beautiful women, spicy story situations, cold beer, and a touch of romance. Being that this is my first guest review, I was starting to wonder if I was being setup. I especially enjoyed the rich descriptions the author used to evolve the story. The time he took in reference to characters and the supporting background to the situation helped to develop an overall plot and provided more than just the ‘fix the sink, do the daughter' genre. I did find the descriptions of the sex to be a bit exhaustive and the pace a bit rushed. I would have preferred a little more dialogue between the characters up front that emphasized their underlying friendship / relationship, as much as the physical attraction. This would have allowed the reader to deduct the growing sexual tension and romantic interests that existed between the main characters without having to spell it out. All in all, I found this a pleasurable read and a fine first effort. I look forward to more stories from MotionMan. Now he just needs to explain what happened at the 19th hole. Rating for "20th Hole" Technical Quality: 9 Plot & Character: 7 Appeal to Reviewer: 8 "I am her Lover's Assistant" by DonW38 (DonW38@aol.com). Guest review by BitBard (bitbard@newsguy.com). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=390533302&fmt=raw (*) I'll acknowledge a personal bias against humiliation stories before I begin the review. This will affect the appeal scores at the end of this review. In this "slut wife" story, a husband gets off on knowing his wife is getting royally serviced by her boss. She goes out on her "dates" with her boss, then comes home and tells her husband all the graphic details while he masturbates and eventually sucks her lover's seed from her pussy. As you can see, this story is geared to a very select audience. This story is well written: the dialog is smooth and clean, the descriptions are arousing and enticing, and there's no real fault with the story line or characters. A "slut wife" story often portrays a remarkably open and healthy relationship between a husband and a wife. The sex is usually positive, healthy, and rewarding for everyone involved. This story however focuses on how much better the wife's lover is than her husband. The whole story is geared towards humiliating her husband. There are no positive messages only a continual stream of groveling and cruelty. In short I couldn't get past the thought that this was a very dysfunctional relationship and that the husband's lack of self-esteem bordered on the miraculous. The sexual descriptions we very well done, the ambiance that gives those descriptions meaning simply weren't there for me. People who are into humiliation (mental rather than physical) may ignore my mark on appeal. Ratings for "I am her Lover's Assistant" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 BitBard (appeal to reviewer): 4 (*) * "Re: Proof reading sex stories" by M.M. Twassel (Mmtwassel@aol.com). I recently received an e-mail message that stated: "Having been a fan of Deirdre for quite some time, I was pleased to recently discover some Celestial Reviews of her stories. Anyone who has read these reviews should know that Celeste has a theory about Deirdre, namely that she is the reincarnation of Sherwood Anderson. Not having ever read anything by Anderson, I wasn't sure what the reference was about (alas, I only majored in British literature!), but working in a library has it's advantages. I looked up Anderson in a series on American writers, and found this very interesting commentary in 'American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies' that fits Deirdre's stories perfectly. Celeste, you're a genius!" Here's the Anderson excerpt: "The uncertain, groping narrator of an Anderson story employs an art of suggestion to articulate his search for pattern and meaning in human existence. His experiences are fragmentary, incoherent, inexplicable. The chronological sequence of time may be interrupted and reversed by memories, inadvertent thoughts, gusts of emotion, and frustrated attempts at comprehension. Objects and people are haphazardly perceived.... Absurdly helpless, the narrator may succumb to impotence, give vent to explosive stirrings in his subconscious, flee the envelope of his body in mystical anguish or ecstasy, obsessedly focus upon trivialities such as a bent finger... Since the story is an articulation of the narrator's experience, its movement is repetitive and circular: it is not rounded off with a meaningful conclusion, for that would violate the narrator's integrity, his stance of wonder and search." My correspondent subsequently posted his message to a.s.s., where it evoked the following response from a critic named Dabasir: "What a crock of shit! Deirdre's stories are simply something to get off with. In closing I would just like to say that your classic interpretation of Sherwood Anderson can be summed up simply. He rambles on stupidly much like Adolf Hitler does in "Mein Kampf". Thanks for listening and have a GREAT day! =) Before I relate this correspondence to the present story, let me first retract anything that may have been construed as pejorative or derogatory toward librarians in the preceding review (of D.B.'s "Fantasy"). I certainly disagree with the classification of librarians as the only people lower on the sex- chain than English teachers - even though my correspondent referred to me as a mere "genius" rather than by my more rightful title of "sex goddess." Mr. Dabasir may be right that Sherwood rambles on stupidly much like Adolf Hitler does in "Mein Kampf." {I wouldn't touch with a twelve-inch cock what that venerable social critic Marge Schott recently said about Mr. Hitler in the esteemed literary journal Sports Illustrated.} My suspicion is that Dabasir (a) was subjected to a really bad teacher who mandated Sherwood Anderson as a routine class assignment and (b) prefers cryptic stories about sex slavery, mind control, and anal sex to those about eggs, unlighted lamps, and death in the woods. I can't say that I blame him. Prior to my exposure to this newsgroup, I myself had never had an orgasm while reading Anderson; and even in the past year and a half the sexual pleasantries I have experienced while reading Winesburg have resulted more from the classical conditioning of my husband than from the content of the stories. {I also think it is distinctly possible that Dabasir - whom I thank for writing and to whom I wish a great day! =) has confused Sherwood Anderson with Henry James, who was indeed a horse's ass.} What I object to is Dabasir's statement that "Deirdre's stories are simply something to get off with." No, it's not the preposition at the end of the sentence, which is something I can put up with. There are numerous postings on alt.sex.stories that are "simply something to get off with"; and indeed it may be possible - and even probable, desirable, and enjoyable - to get off with Deirdre's stories. But the fact is that Deirdre writes extremely well. I would summarize her work by saying that she artistically expresses ideas and feelings which shyness and conventionality keep most people from acknowledging publicly or perhaps even to themselves. I took the last 19 words of the preceding sentence from a critique of Anderson by a professor from Columbia University; so the similarity is probably real. I don't want to shock anyone, but I don't really believe that Deirdre is Sherwood Anderson reincarnated. I think she's a damned good writer whose style reminds me of Anderson's. The difference between Deirdre and the typical wannafucks and mindless "true" stories on a.s.s. is that she writes well. Her style makes her stories erotic in a mysterious sort of manner. Her style also makes it more likely that a simple shepherd yearning for his true love or a college kid prepping for a hot date will be able to experience the emotions and feelings intended by the author. Bad authors take a hot idea and fuck it up so badly that people who "weren't there" think they have wasted their time by reading the story. Deirdre, on the other hand, takes some really improbable ideas that she herself has never even experienced and expresses them in such a way that readers buy into her stories and vicariously experience the feelings and emotions themselves. That's what good writers are supposed to do. In my opinion some other writers do this even better than Deirdre, and they use techniques that don't remotely resemble Deirdre's or Anderson's. But the way they write certainly makes a huge difference. Or as Nathaniel Hawthorne once put it, "Easy reading is damned hard writing." The present author also writes extremely well. This is one of the best stories I have read this year - but then, this year is only four days old. In fact, this is one of the best stories I have read in a very long time. It's written in the format of a letter to me (Celeste), seeking advice regarding sex stories. The purported correspondent is a naive college student whose sexual experience has consisted of inept masturbation and reading stories posted on this newsgroup. He has met and befriended a beautiful classmate in his philosophy class; and in a misguided attempt to impress her, he has told her that he writes sex stories for the Internet. The ostensible purpose of the letter to Celeste is to seek advice regarding his dilemma (he really cannot write sex stories), but the actual result is a highly erotic and sometimes hilariously sexy story. The "letter" addresses several questions to Celeste, most of which I won't attempt to answer here. At this point I'll simply state that "pre-cum" usually does contain a hyphen. In addition, I might add that "proofreading" is usually one word. As for how the narrator should have escaped from his dilemma - I'll leave that up to the imagination of the reader - or perhaps to a second Letter to Celeste. By putting this review in the context of a discussion of Deirdre, I have managed to give the story the emphasis and dignity bestowed by a lengthy critique. I hope you read and enjoy this delightful story, which resembles neither Sherwood Anderson nor Adolf Hitler. On the other hand, J.D. Sallinger might have altered his style just a little.... Ratings for Re: Proof reading sex stories" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 * "The Pause that Refreshes" by Jvstin (Jvstin@admin.con2.com). As you may recall, in the summer of 1997 a terrorist strike knocked out, albeit temporarily, the entire power grid of the West Coast. That stroke of fate left our hero stranded in an ATM booth with a voluptuous woman named Athena. One needed electricity to open the door to that ATM booth, but one didn't need artificial current to do what needed to be done with the fair Athena. Ratings for "The Pause that Refreshes" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 8 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 9 * "Arthur J. Puddock -- Love Guru" by Endemoniada (endemoniada@cryogen.com). Guest review by Fiddler. When Arthur Puddock's platic amorata collapses from a leak, he decides to equip himself with a phallus large enough to satisfy a living woman. Dr. Goebbels, plastic surgeon, accommodates his needs. After recovering from surgery in record time, Arthur visits a disco where he picks up the newest sex symbol by telling her his new penile size. Arthur has the goods that he advertises; what could go wrong? Read the story to find out. This is a fun story, which doesn't try to be more than it is. Ratings for "Arthur J. Puddock -- Love Guru" Athena (technical quality): 8 Venus (plot & character): 8 Fiddler (appeal to this reviewer): 9 * "Charlie" by Mary Anne Mohanraj (moh2@midway.uchicago.edu). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=183902678&fmt=raw This story is about the same length as the last one; but there's more of a story to it. A woman gets her husband out of the house just barely in time to have a frantic quickie with her lover in the kitchen. Wham, bam, the microwave timer goes off, thank you ma'am and he's out the door and she's off to work. The style of the story nicely parallels the frantic pace and emotions of the lovemaking session. Ratings for "Charlie" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 * "Bean City" by Mark (MarkB@aboy.demon.co.uk). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=272963341&fmt=raw The narrator of this story is a gent who is thirty-five friggin' years old and who spots a classy lady with a mane of hair as black as scandal and skin so clear and white you could show a movie on it in a bar in Boston. They hit it off, and she takes him to her plush hotel room. It turns out she's into humiliation or dominance or some such thing. He'd rather they just have a bit of fun while fucking their mutual brains out. You can read the story to discover how they work things out. Ratings for "Bean City" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 * "Home Again" by Ann Douglas (annd55@nyc.pipeline.com). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=340706148&fmt=raw http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=340702619&fmt=raw A.C. has come home to visit his childhood haunts, and he meets Mary Austin, the 45-year-old mother with a still great body who is the mother of Josh, one of A.C. closest childhood friends. We eventually discover that she was also the target of some of A.C.'s adolescent masturbation fantasies. This author takes her time developing a plot. The first 2 parts (of 7) are not exactly devoid of sex; we do learn that A.C. used to date Jenny Wilson with whom he traded cherries on prom night and whose sister was nicknamed Kleenex Karen because of her proclivity to fill the partial vacuum in her bra with that product, and also that Josh's sister Dawn Marie had fucked the whole football team before moving out of the family domicile right after her 18th birthday. The author also lays a basis for future sexual possibilities by letting us know that Mr. Austin is deceased and that during his adolescence A.C. had once seen Mrs. Austin naked and by arranging for A.C. to stay overnight while he waits for Josh to come home in the morning. But in general A.C. and Mary just have dinner and engage in interesting conversation. So the author spends nearly 4 out of 7 parts with nothing more than innuendo and build-up; but when the sex comes it's both tender and hot. I love this kind of story. Read it yourself for the details. I secretly wish that Ann Douglas would get somebody to proofread her stories. She develops wonderful plots that give full personalities to people having hot sex, and then she makes annoying mistakes that keep me from giving her perfect ratings; and then I often have to decide whether to let a imperfect story onto my Top 15 list for the month. I mean, surely Ann knows the difference between a dinner and a diner and between celibate and celebrate. The problem is that Ann knows what the words are supposed to be, and so she probably skips right past them; and this is just the sort of mistake that a spellcheck doesn't pick up. The solution is to have one intelligent person go through the story before it gets posted. Let this be a lesson to you. Finally, a word of advice. It's nice to shower together before anal intercourse, but the shower removes the natural lubricants from both bodies; and so the penis is likely to be even drier than usual. The problem of dry skin is compounded by the fact that a person's anal canal does not produce natural lubrications for sexual intercourse, as the vagina would. Using Vaseline to solve this problem is not a great idea, because that product tends to seal off the body's natural lubricants, when they do begin to flow. My own experience is that saliva is a better idea than Vaseline at both the front and back door. By far the best solution is a lubricant specifically designed for this purpose, such as K-Y jelly. I guess this gives away part of the plot, doesn't it? Ratings for "Home Again" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 * "Stars in Our Eyes" by Mark Aster (MyFrThAl@aol.com). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=180631763&fmt=raw As you may recall, last week Mark Aster's "Coffee?" was the 1000th story I reviewed. His prize was 31 days of sexual bliss with the partner(s) of his choice. This week he notified me that he will be "on hiatus," unable to post stories for several weeks. Coincidence? I think not! In this week's episode Our Hero and the lovely and delectable Julie are reclining together at a mountain campsite, looking at the stars and listening in the dark while Ariana and Rachel make love nearby. Ariana is describing her first sexual experience with a woman. Rachel is working her over even while she narrates this story, and as Ariana's story and Rachel's ministrations continue, the present events begin to impinge upon the narrative of the past. Meanwhile, Our Hero and Julie are exchanging quiet intimacies nearby. It's a restful, passionate sequence of events. Several weeks ago I suggested that a different author "go check out Mark Aster's stories" to learn how to make better word choices. That author's problem, I thought, was that he/she used too many stereotypical adjectives. My suggestion was that Mark Aster consistently refrained from using stereotypical adjectives and often employed well-chosen metaphors in his stories. Last week I reviewed a very good story by yet another author (M. M. Twassel); and when I checked his Author Profile on Deja News, I discovered that he had written a commentary on my advice regarding Mark Aster. This other author (who also admired Mark Aster's stories) had done a thorough analysis of Aster's stories, and had discovered that Mark did not use many adjectives at all. Nor did he find an abundance of metaphors. Being busy, I set this information aside until I read this week's story. As I read this story, I looked for adjectives and metaphors. I was distracted by the fact that the story was extremely erotic and that I myself have had some great experiences at campsites under the stars; but I think I verified my opinion of this author's style - even though I must also admit that my critic was correct. The word "cock" does not appear in this story, and so we don't get to find out whether it was hard, throbbing, or erstwhile. (I just wanted to see if that last word was in my spellcheck.) The story was also free of "pussy", "cunt", and "clit". At this point I was beginning to wonder if this was actually a sex story. Here are some things the author does say: "I touched Julie's neck, and my hand imagined the warm compact sweetness of her vulva." "Julie took my hand in hers and rubbed it over the downy skin of her stomach as we lay listening." "The warm womanness of her filled my palm, and she pressed against my hand." "Julie opened her mouth and wriggled her hips as I slid one finger into the moist heat of her vagina." One of the main points of my original comment was to discourage unnecessary, stereotypical use of adjectives like "hot," "throbbing" and "wet." The few sentences I have cited here demonstrate that. If he doesn't need an adjective, this author doesn't use one. In addition, he selects words (adjectives or otherwise) that precisely say what he wants them to say. As for metaphors, here's a simple one: "Rachel's head was between Ariana's legs, and her tongue made soft sounds as it moved in and out, and Rachel's fingers danced a dance of love." All I mean is that fingers don't really dance, but the image of dancing fingers conjures up an almost poetic image that gets the author's point across very nicely. To be honest, when I recommended this author's prose to the other author, what went through my mind was something like this: "Mark Aster's such a damned good writer. Surely he must use adjectives and metaphors correctly. I think I'll recommend him for this purpose." As I have examined this present story more carefully, I think I was on the right track. To state it more precisely, I think this author's main strength is his intelligent choice of words and straightforward description of situations and activities that beautifully convey the mood that he wants to share with us. Having tried to wiggle off that hook (note my metaphor), let me suggest another author for aspiring writers to imitate: Mary Anne Mohanraj. I find her to be very similar to Aster with regard to choice of words and almost poetic expression of ideas; but she's a lot more diverse in the types of stories she's likely to write. Ratings for "Stars in Our Eyes" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 * "Rene and Georgette" by Margaret Grace (mgrace@88net.net). http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=184660768&fmt=raw The man and woman have returned from dinner and theater to their plush hotel room. Ages are not given; but they have been together long enough to have become bored with their regular sex routine. Not much of a clue about age, is it? She's expecting another night of mundane, emotionless sex; but she instead finds an incredible tenderness on his part and a deliberate attention to her needs. The lovemaking becomes extremely romantic. This story's sexual activities in themselves are by no means uninteresting; but they are considerably enhanced by the sensitive context in which this author inserts them. Ratings for "Rene and Georgette" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 <end>