Message-ID: <7998eli$9802011544@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: From: LadyCyrrh@aol.com Subject: The Annex Reviews, 1/31/98 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: X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded X-Story-Submission: X-Original-Message-ID: X-Is-Review: yes Random notes: Not much this week, except I put up a listing of story code explanations on my website (http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh) as a tool for both readers and writers so they know what they're dealing with. This list is based on the same FAQ which has been hanging for ages, but I've added more material pertaining to the odder story genres and elements. I am also still looking for author and archiver websites, so if you have any, send them in. The stories: Double Blind, by Sandman (M/FFMM, scifi, hermaphroditism) Whisper Island, by Smoke Ring (M/F, voyr) The Priest and the Hustler, Alexis Rogers (M/M, romance) The Red Room, Parts 1 - 5, SFarn37600 (M/M, Star Trek slash) Please Watch the Closing Doors, Taria (F/m teen) School House Rock, John Morvillo (m/f teen) Double Blind [A] When posted: 1/21/98 Where posted: ASSM Author: The Sandman Address: sandman@bitsmart.com The Sandman is excellent new author of stories with a SF theme, more science fiction than porn, going by this example. Save for the sex, this story would have been perfectly at home in the pages of Analog magazine. Steve Whiley, PI, a near-future detective, helps a rich woman get the dirty on her husband so she can divorce him with a fatter settlement than she'd get with no- fault. It turns out hubby has a thing for *twin* hermaphrodites, described in a breathtaking scene of about 1400 words. If such creatures existed, and disguised themselves as Asian call girls, they'd look and behave just like this. There's more to the story, which eventually includes a clever murder mystery that should make any mystery or SF fan happy; but even if you don't like this type of fiction, read it for those hermaphrodites. You'll be glad you did. Whisper Island, Part One [D] When posted: 1/21/98 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: Smoke Ring Address: smokezone@juno.com A young woman on vacation takes a walk on the shores of Whisper Island. Lo and behold, she espies a well-hung "herculian" pissing in a bush. What, on earth, is a herculian? If the author meant the man in question looked like Hercules, he would have a Herculean physique, or actually be called "Hercules" in a metaphorical reference to the Greek hero. Or, on a longshot, the author may have meant the man was a Herculoid, one of the beasties from the late 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name; but as the guy in question didn't fly, change his shape, or shoot laser beams from his eyes, I kinda doubt the latter. This was not a good story, or a hot story, or an interesting story. We get lots of inept descriptions of scenery and atmospheric conditions; the author also has a fetish for telling us the exact heights of every geographical feature the heroine passes ("the waterfall came plumeting down looked about 175 ft." "surrounded by 120ft. tall pine trees" "She could see the bottom, only 15ft. away.") The sex was sketchy and underwhelming. In short, if you want an island vacation, go to Club Med. The Priest and the Hustler [A-/B+] When posted: 1/19/98 Where posted: ASSGM Author: Alexis Rogers Address: arogers@calweb.com Teachers of writing always insist it's better to start a tale in the middle of action. In this story, we find ourselves smack dab middle in an argument between three men, two of whom have been having an affair, and it's gradually revealed that one is a counselor, one a Catholic priest, and one the troubled young man the priest is having the affair with. I liked the story and it had promise, but it was confusing to make sense of at first. Especially since the priest wasn't called "Father O'Malley" or a like title that lets us know he's a priest. Some of the dialogue sounded awkward too, like "But even with Charlie and Lloyd as role models, with a relationship of love of trust, I still lean towards the hustler mentality, with the payoff being the rush, the challenge, the thrill, and some times, the money." This is more of the way someone would write (as if in an autobiography) than speak. But the story was interesting, with lots of drama and angst, and ends on a kinky note of restraint with the priest and kid forbidden by the counselor to touch each other until they iron out their feelings...the lure of the illicit affair simultaneously receiving approval and denial at the same time. The Red Room, Parts I, II, III, IV, V [A] When posted: 1/19/98 Where posted: ASCEM (alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated) Author: SFarn37600 Address: SFarn37600@aol.com Mr. Spock goes to an intergalactic brothel! Once you're over the shock of it, he goes upstairs to "The Red Room" where a young prostitute named Tiberius awaits him, and as is typical for this type of fiction, they play D/S games of master and slave. Of course, I guessed who Tiberius was long before, and if you're familiar with Star Trek, you will too. Well done, and a nice addition to the slash genre. Please Watch the Closing Doors [A] When posted: 1/22/98 Where posted: ASS, ASSM Author: Taria Address: tariat@aol.com In this story Taria-as-narrator takes a subway ride and is attracting to a good-looking young Asian man dressed Wu-Tang style. She commands him to get off the subway with her and they have sex, proving that women are just as likely to treat young boys as eye and finger candy as older men are with young girls. (I might question, though, that the heroine fantasizes about the kid running his hands over her body. I'd be more likely to fantasize my hands running over his.) This story didn't have the sly commentary or ultra-realism of "Walls Have Ears," which remains my seminal favorite; instead, it ventured more into the Joe Parsons territory of Boston Market porn (because it's filling, home-style, and basic.) I recommend it as a good candidate for the Asian Sex Stories Archive, as it was a well-done depiction of a pairing you don't see too much of. School House Rock [D] When posted: 1/24/98 Where posted: Author: John Morvillo Address: Cupids_arrow@webtv.net I had high hopes, I mean *really* high hopes, that this story would turn out to be a spoof of those mid-70s educational jingles shown on Saturday morning TV between cartoons, the ones that taught Generation X their times tables or American history. (They're available on CD now, can you believe it?) But no luck. Instead it's teen angst time again: "Ever since the beggining of school I had admired Jessicas long legs and firm body. I saw her everyday and she never seemed to notice me. I would masturbate thinking of her." I can usually tell what grade a story is within the first few paragraphs, and in this case it's within the first three sentences. This author should go watch some of those Schoolhouse Rock snippets on English and grammar. If a teenager wrote this, I fear for the future of our country. If an adult wrote this, I'm moving someplace with a higher educational standard, like, say, Canada. 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 |