Message-ID: <12592eli$9806291303@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: <URL:http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12592.txt> From: Lee Vine <santiago@switchboardmail.com> Subject: Rogue Reviews Digest No. 5 - June 29, 1998 Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.d,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: <35978AB5.E1A4E72F@switchboardmail.com> X-Is-Review: yes RRD No. 5 =========================== DISCLAIMER: (1) IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 THEN STOP READING NOW!!!!! (2) IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURAL ACTS WHICH SOME PEOPLE CALL PLEASUREABLE BUT YOU REGARD AS NECESSARY FOR THE PERPETUATION OF THE HUMAN RACE THEN STOP READING NOW!!!!!!! (3) IF YOU AREN'T SURE IF EITHER (1) OR (2) APPLY TO YOU THEN STOP READING NOW!!!! =========================== Rogue Reviews Digest No. 5 - June 29, 1998 by Lee Vine Contents Essays Rogue Reviews Standards and Guidelines Reviews Rogue Review No. 69 [Blood Ties by Inkubus] Rogue Review No. 70 [Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half by Erin Halfelven] Rogue Review No. 71 [Need A Lift? by Munawaruddin Ali] Rogue Review No. 72 [Strawberries by LeAnna] Rogue Review No. 73 [Hazy Shade of Winter by Hawkeye] Rogue Review No. 74 [Porch by Crimson Dragon] Rogue Review No. 75 [Palindrome by losgud] Rogue Review No. 76 [I Wonder by Poison Ivan] Rogue Review No. 77 [Hush by Brother Cadfael] Rogue Review No. 78 [Blindside by BitBard] Rogue Review No. 79 [Under the Moons of Eden by Christopher Leeson] Note: I send my reviews individually, when I finish them, to the Sex Stories Discussion List. If you are interested in joining there is a form for doing so on my home page. Home Page - http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/3112/ E-Mail - santiago@switchboardmail.com ====== Rogue Reviews Standards and Guidelines - June 27, 1998 Basic Story Ratings Outstanding - You must read this story Excellent - You should read this story Good - Read this story if you have the time Not Good - Do not bother reading this story Things I consider when reviewing a story Plot - Does it have one? If yes, at what pace does it develop? Does it develop logically? Characters - Are they stereotypes or do they seem real? Are they dynamic? Are they complex? Dilemma - Is there one? How is it depicted? Is it believable? Arousal - Is the story arousing? Does the sex begin with the first sentence or does the author lead up to it? Things I like to see in a story sarcasm, wit, humor, build up before the sex begins, characters capable of both happiness and sadness, personal dilemmas, characters who have to make tough choices, creativity Things I do NOT like to see in a story sex without a plot or a dilemma, characters without a function in life other than sex, non-consensual sex or other non-consensual activities that are supposedly fun, pedophilia (under the age of 15-16)*, ...And They Lived Happily Ever After endings * Yes, I realize this is statutory rape in some places Random Thoughts + My reviews reflect how a story strikes me. + To each their own. + Feel free to disagree with me, you will not be the first or the last. + There are exceptions to every rule. + Authors should not write to please reviewers. I reserve the right to modify this enumeration of standards. ====== Rogue Review No. 69 - June 23, 1998 Blood Ties by Inkubus F/M, Magic Length: 5,500 words Note This is the second story about Byronee. The first is "Last Night Together" (Rogue Review No. 51). Summary Byronee, a female demon, is captured by a sorcerer. The sorcerer's apprentice lets his hormones get the better of him and suffers the consequences. Commentary I like the way the plot was crafted. It is simple, and not completely original, but it works. The characters are believable. My only complaint is with the descriptions of sex. The paragraphs were much longer, in that part of the story, than they were anywhere else. If the paragraphs had been chopped up a bit more it would have made the story more readable. Judgment This is a good story, but the lengthy paragraphs should be chopped up into smaller ones. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11678.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 70 - June 23, 1998 [Amended - June 26, 1998] Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half by Erin Halfelven F/M Length: 3,200 words Note [added June 26, 1998] This review has been altered since I first published it. I replaced the word *story* with the word *plot* in the second sentence of the Commentary section. Summary Ginger-with-a-D and the Hunk-and-a-Half go out on a date. Commentary I loved the descriptions in this story. There is not much to the *plot*, but what there was I liked. It is simple and to the point. The sex is going to happen, no questions about it. What really makes this story are the descriptions. Ginger's sarcasm and sexy way of looking at things really made my day. Judgment This is an outstanding story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11834.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 71 - June 23, 1998 Need A Lift? by Munawaruddin Ali M/F/F Length: 5,000 words Summary Mohammad's car breaks down, but two beautiful, eighteen-year-olds give him a lift. Commentary This was a very well paced stroke story. Boy meets girls. Boy fucks girls. What makes it work is that the author does not rush the plot. The sex is left for the end. The author fills the intervening time with diversions that seems appropriate for this sort of story. The plot is pretty simple and the characters are not too complex, but this story works because the author leads the reader on a little chase before getting to the one part that we all know will be there. Judgment This is a good story, but definite stroke material. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11870.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 72 - June 25, 1998 Strawberries by LeAnna F/M Length: 8,100 words Summary Linda sits at a table, examines strawberries, and thinks about her life. Commentary There is a lot to this story. It could probably be broken up into four or five smaller stories. LeAnna does a good job of bringing the various parts together. It has a plot. It has both complex and dynamic characters. The descriptions convey feelings as well as images. I cannot do justice to this story with a review. Read it. Judgment This was an excellent story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11971.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 73 - June 26, 1998 Hazy Shade of Winter by Hawkeye M/F Length: 5,000 words Summary A friend to hang out with and a shoulder to cry on turn into a convenient cock. Commentary I cannot think of anything negative to say about this story. It is well paced. It has a plot. The characters seem real. Okay, so what's up with the title? Why not Walk Like An Egyptian? or Scarborough Fair? It is not clear what the title is referring to. I've read this sort of story many times before. An infinite number of people can tell the same story and it will come out different each time provided they each put their heart into their telling of the story. Judgment This was an excellent story, but what's up with the title? Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12152.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 74 - June 27, 1998 Porch by Crimson Dragon F/F Length: 5,100 words Summary Michelle worries about a kiss. Lara comes round and shows Michelle that everything is all right. Commentary A good deal of this story is told through dreams and flashbacks. The author used these techniques quite effectively. This story has plot. Its characters are not cut-outs, but quite real. The main character is faced with a dilemma. The author does a good job of showing how Michelle copes with her dilemma. Judgment This is an excellent story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12213.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 75 - June 27, 1998 Palindrome by losgud M/F Length: 6,500 words Summary Darren gives it to Ray, his business partner, up the ass, and then does the same to Panama, Ray's girlfriend. Commentary This is not your standard ASSM story. The first third is best read slowly. A familiarity with the Cold War and the history of the United States involvement in the politics of Central America and the Caribbean Islands also helps. It is witty and dripping with sarcasm, but requires your undivided attention. After the preamble, i.e. the first third, the sex begins. It goes from masturbation and voyeurism to first vaginal and then anal sex. There is even a little spanky-spanky. The sex is arousing, but the story would not be half as enjoyable if it were not for the sarcastic dialogue and narration. If you are looking for something different, then look no further. Judgment This is an excellent story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12263.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 76 - June 27, 1998 I Wonder by Poison Ivan M/F Length: 1,100 words Summary Read the title. Commentary This is a lot of fun. There are lots of questions and no definite answers. It kind of reminds me of life. [Narf, Brain] Judgment This is an excellent story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12265.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 77 - June 27, 1998 Hush by Brother Cadfael M/F Length: 1,400 words Note The Summary was written by BC, not me. Summary A man meets a deaf woman at the film development store and finds his knowledge of sign language to finally be of use. Commentary This story was good, but it felt a little rough. It felt like the author was not too sure what he wanted to do with the story. Maybe he had conflicting emotions about how the story would be read by others. Whether he did or did not, he did a good job with the characters, plot and descriptions. The woman in this story, Liea, is deaf. Her hearing impairment is not used as a gimmick. Judgment This is a good story, but it could have been more polished. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12324.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 78 - June 28, 1998 Blindside by BitBard M/F, Cons, NC, Teen Length: 8,700 words Note 1 This is the fourth of four stories about Steve Whiley. Note 2 The Summary was not written by me, but by BB. Summary Has Steve finally met his match when a cat burglar targets the gem Steve's been hired to protect? Commentary This is a very well paced story. It has a plot. The characters are both complex and dynamic. Both of the main characters are faced with dilemmas, and the author does a good job of showing how they deal with their individual crises. There is both consensual and non-consensual sex in this story. The non-consensual sex is appropriate. It is not dealt with lightly. I enjoy reading police and detective novels, so I may be biased. I think this is a story anyone can enjoy. Judgment This is an outstanding story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12355.txt ====== Rogue Review No. 79 - June 29, 1998 Under the Moons of Eden by Christopher Leeson F/M, TG, Transform Length: 54,600 words Summary Some time in the distant future a military space vessel, manned by 500 men, is shot down and marooned on a planet light years from home. Some of the men are transformed into women, including the commander, Major Breen. Commentary This is a long story. I did not read it in one sitting. It would probably be more correct to call it a short novel. The plot is very well paced. The characters are dynamic. The transformations lead to some serious psychological problems. The author does an excellent job in his handling of the psychological ramifications of the transformations. There is sex in this story, but the transformations do not occur just so that unproductive male-female sex can take place. Transformations, of the sort described in this story, are a creation of science-fiction. They do, however, raise some interesting questions. If a heterosexual man is transformed into a woman is it then natural for him to be attracted to men? What determines sexual identity and sexual orientation? If something like this actually happened the only papers that would cover it would be the National Inquirer and the Weekly World News; no one would believe it, but I still think these are interesting philosophical, psychological, and sociological questions. I think the author handles the transformations and sexual orientation/identity questions quite well. In the hands of other authors it may just have been a gimmick, instead of an element in the story. One final observation, there does seem to be more stories out there about men being transformed into women than women into men. There are stories in which a man and a woman are both transformed, but why is it rare to find one in which only a woman is transformed into a man? Judgment This is an outstanding story. Link(s) http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11497.txt [1/4] http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11498.txt [2/4] http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11499.txt [3/4] http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/11500.txt [4/4] ====== 6/29/98 -- Lee Vine On the internet names are all relative. What are the odds Celeste's real name is Celeste? Kim is generic enough to be anyone in the world. Lee Vine might really be Bubba Shanks of Pittsburgh. We'll never know. Does it matter? -- BitBard (The artist formerly known as Sandman) ________________________________________________________ | | E-Mail - santiago@switchboardmail.com | | Home Page - http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/3112/ |________________________________________________________ -- +----------------' 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>