Message-ID: <18094eli$9812180453@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: <URL:http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/18094.txt> From: LadyCyrrh@aol.com Subject: The Annex Reviews, 12/17/98 Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Path: qz!not-for-mail Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: <usenet-approval@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded <story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Story-Submission: <story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Original-Message-ID: <86828b9e.3679e8c2@aol.com> X-Is-Review: yes Time is running out for the 1998 Cyrrheal Awards, and in this posting I'm happy to say I've found two strong contenders that have made the final cut. As usual, the awards are bestowed on stories that make a particular impression on me, whether for ill or for good, from the 200 or so I've read this year. Though they should not be taken as a "Best of..." list, many worthy stories will be included. Keep your eyes peeled! The stories: His Part, Parts 1, 2, 3, by Darlene Milner (M/F, BDSM) Behooved, by Adrian Hunter (M/F, BDSM, Christmas) Death and the Veteran, Parts 1 and 2, by Ruthless (M/M, rom, Christmas) Ronan My Dark Angel, by Daniel Master (M/M, vampires) The Stone of the Phalanx, by Enterprise 1701 (M/F, teen, mc, SF, TV) His Pet, Parts 1, 2, 3 [B+/B] Where posted: ASS, ASSM When posted: 12/10/98, 12/11/98, 12/13/98 Author: Darlene Milner Address: Mindgames48@Hotmail.com This story began as the type of simply written, mildly fantastic BDSM tale that new writers of neterotica often dabble in. The female in the story is a pet, and is treated as such: " 'Sit up, now, sweet pet, sit up.' She raises up from her knees, kneeling upright, hands in front of her breasts. 'Such a good puppy!' she hears as she glories to another stroke on her head. She is happy to have pleased Him." This story showed some creativity, but failed to hang together as it was the clear the writer kept changing the premise of the story with each new chapter. For example in part 3 it transpires that the pet has been hypnotized into accepting this situation and keeps herself fit by using some specialized exercise equipment: There was also the cycle, the seat of which was a vibrator made to fit exactly against her clit, with a bulge that went into her vagina and then spread nicely to be comfortable against her ass. The vibrating seat would tantalize if she reached a certain speed....He also had a treadmill for her. There was huge dildo near the front of it that was filled with a concocktion that kept her hydrated, and motivated...he inserted the Ben-Wah balls and the remote controlled dildo and attach vibrators to each nipple...she exercised to the suggestions on the tape and He controlled the vibrators, balls and dildo stimulation. There ain't no such thing as a fat sub in BDSM land! Unfortunately the rest of the story said nothing new, and contained the annoying (and I mean really annoying) habit of referring to the pet's master as "He" or "His." As I remember from freshman English "He" and "His" are capitalized only in relation to a divine entity. Other BDSM writers have used this trick, apparently to emphasize the dom's superiority, but it comes across as cutesy and tiresome here. Behooved [A] Where posted: SSBB When posted: 12/14/980 Author: Adrian Hunter Address: adrianhunter@geocities.com In this short piece, which was inspired by a Christmas display window in Bergdorf Goodman's, eight woman playing the part of female reindeer become ponygirls, or reindeergirls, and are harnessed to Santa's sleigh. The situation is only hinted however, in the voice of the perpetually grumpy yet perpetually aroused narrator Hunter commonly employs: Damn it, Comet, hold still, willya? Christ, hasn't she figured out that every time one of the team twitches, it jerks the nipple clamps on the deer behind her? Very short, but worth your time to read. Come on, it won't even take a minute. Death and the Veteran, Parts 1 and 2 [A+] Where posted: ASSGM When posted: 12/10/98 Author: Ruthless Address: ruthless@mailserv.nbnet.nb.ca If I was making a Top Hundred List, this story, coming in as a dark horse late in the year, would easily be Number One. The fact it was recommended to me by more than one reader says a lot for its merit, as recommendations from the ASS and ASSG bunch don't come in very often. The last story I reviewed by Ruthless was "Jemilsil" (the 1/17/98 Reviews) which was a well-written transgender tale in an Oriental fantasy world with a strong historical feel. This piece was very different...grittier, with a convincing foreign feel as if the story had been translated into English from a different language. In fact, I wouldn't even have known them as being from the same author ifs the address wasn't the same. As I haven't seen any other stories, this author may be one of those that posts only once a year. Anyway, the plot is this. A gay man in an unnamed, war-torn country (which may be Bosnia, though it isn't said) looks forward to spending a miserable Christmas in hunger and poverty. He mourns for a young lover lost at the front and tries to survive in the shattered city. Then a ray of hope appears: a cease-fire, a shipment of oranges, a Christmas tree. As part of his job he goes down to the airfield to process the paperwork of some released POWs, and receives the best surprise of all... The story is gay, but don't let that stop you...it wouldn't stop the editor of The New Yorker. I'm not kidding. It's that good. Ronan my Dark Angel [C-] Where posted: ASSGM When posted: 12/8/980 Author: Daniel Master Address: master_daniel_65@hotmail.com Like last week's "Dark Angel" this story is about a male vampire and his lover, but it's nowhere near as readable, instead serving us a salad--a blood pudding, rather--of disconnected cliches that seem to have come from a goth role-playing game. The story was little more than the author telling us his ideas for a story, and the grammar and syntax weren't so great either: "When his finger is in he rubbes my prostate and I scream again my breath comes in short pants I'm sweating like I'm in a fucking sauna." Pass on this one and read some Poppy Z. Brite instead. The Stone of the Phalanx [D-] Where posted: ASSM When posted: 12/15/980 Author: Enterprise 1701 Address: master_daniel_65@hotmail.com This story, apparently written by a hormonally challenged fifteen-year-old TV addict, is one of the worst I've read this year and has absolutely no redeeming qualities, except maybe to another hormonally challenged fifteen-year-old TV addict. Mindless celebrity sex, Star Trek, and the KITT car from Knight Rider (who, as any child of the 80s can tell you, had a gay crush on David Hasselhoff) are combined in a plot involving a teenager who finds a set of magical 'phalanx' stones (I believe the author meant 'phallus') when his plane crashes on a desert island. In thrilling prose the author describes the soul-wrenching terror of the descent: All this ran through his mind as the plain kept falling. "Everybody, when I say 'duck' everybody bend over, and put your arms around your knees, OK?" The calm voice of the captain reassured most people on the plain. My, what a laid-back pilot! I wonder if he was on Prozac. It's a miracle drug you know. Whatever, after finding the stones the kid gains superhero-like powers, including mind control, and a few days later has "...succeeded in fucking, screwing and abusing almost everybody who could interest him." Even scarier is an appearance by Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft as one of the fuck objects. What the hell is the world coming to when people start having sexual fantasies about Ray Dream-modeled characters in a video game? Don't touch this one unless you're fond of severe and brutal punishment. Comments to: ladycyrrh@aol.com Website---> http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh -- +----------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `--------------+ | <story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us> | <story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us> | | Archive site +----------------------+--------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ | <http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/>----<http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/faq.html>