Message-ID: <41073asstr$1046304602@assm.asstr-mirror.org> Return-Path: X-Original-Message-ID: <20030226204746.5704.qmail@nym.alias.net> From: Crimson Dragon X-ASSTR-Original-Date: 26 Feb 2003 20:47:46 -0000 Subject: {ASSM} {REVIEW} {Reviews} Crimson Reviews - #020 - 26-Feb-2003 Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 19:10:02 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail X-Is-Review: yes Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories,alt.sex.stories.d Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: newsman, dennyw, gill-bates -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- "On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?" If you are wondering why I didn't review any of the Birthday Chocolate stories, take heart. I'm hoping to dedicate the next issue of Crimson Reviews to reviewing all the Chocolate stories. They look fun. However, given my plan to hibernate next week, the reviews probably won't appear until mid-March. That goes for the top stories list for February, too, though I might get the story list out for Friday. Occasionally, I get asked how I choose stories to review. The long explanation is here: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Crimson_Reviews/www/choose.html If you'd like get my attention for a review, do as Meme did this week and use the <*> marker clearly in the subject line. I can't promise anything, but at least I'll know that a review of the story is desired. Have a good week everyone, - Crimson +----------------------------------------------------------------------- The missives below are merely opinions, publicly stated, but only opinions. Dragons may be immortal, but they are not infallible. Read the stories for yourself, and form your own opinions. Then, let the author know what you thought. Celeste's blowjob principle isn't smoke in the wind. - Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com) http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Crimson_Dragon/www http://members.tripod.com/files/Authors/Dr/wwwagon_Of_Crimson Review Archives: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Crimson_Reviews/www +----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you like the stories contained in these reviews, Rui helps run the Clitorides, which is a "People's Choice"-type award system for exceptional erotica. You might want to nominate any story that tickles you. Silver: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Clitorides/www/Silver_Clitorides.htm Golden: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Rui_Favorites/www/Clitorides/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Summary: +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Wicked Lies -- Selena Jardine (MF) [10,10,10,10] I Know What You Did -- Katie McN (FF MF NC Blackmail) [8,10,8,9] Another -- Uther Pendragon (MF wl rom) [10,10,10,9] Cold Spring Indian -- Punchinello (F,FM) [9,10,9,9] Possession -- Bluepen (MF, Romantic, Cheat, Reluctant) [8,10,9,10] Hausefrau 1946 -- Henrik Larsen (mf rom) [8,10,9,10] SOME HELPING HANDS FOR AMY -- David Shaw (M/M/F: non cons;flash)a [9,8,6,6] Flash -- Meme Misspelt (F-solo M-solo voy) [10,10,10,10] Voluptumancer -- Purple Herald (MF, F/Nature) [10,10,10,10] Chaisey Long: Rings, 1963 -- Will "Crash" Reuther (mf f-1st rom hs) [10,10,10,10] Official Greeting... -- Souvie (greeting) [10,10,10,10] Reviews: +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Wicked Lies -- Selena Jardine (MF) Story: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Selena_Jardine/www/WickedLies.htm http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40848 Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Selena_Jardine/www/ In a pawn shop, a girl with golden eyes arrives. In her hand, tightly grasped, lie a wedding ring and an engagement ring. The pawnbroker is steadily experienced, and he appraises the rings -- not quite enough for the girl. And so, she must offer something else. Selena's characters and the pacing of the plot fit together perfectly. The intensity of the story is beyond what we normally see about these parts. I'm left feeling a little melancholic, and a little happy. A strange mix, which really only goes to prove that I cared about these two people that Selena introduced me to. Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- I Know What You Did -- Katie McN (FF MF NC Blackmail) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40906 Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Katie_McN/www/ When Laura receives her own pictures, along with a note: "I know what you did ..." it begins a journey into sex and depravity. You see, Laura made the mistake of having an affair with Will, and while she didn't exactly take picture of the sex, she didn't exactly tell her husband that she was spending the weekend in the country with Will, either. Now, if you aren't nervous of obsessed photo developing clerks, yet, you might be after we meet Susan. Susan likes Laura, and well, when she sees Laura's pictures of Will and herself, Susan puts two and two together and comes up with a likely scenario. "I know what you did ..." This is a typical blackmail story, where Laura ends up under Susan's control for a while, making new photographs, and regretting her dalliance. I understand that this is a spin-off from one of Dryad's stories. I didn't read Dryad's story, but this story stands on its own. There were a few typos, but overall, the story was well written. Susan tells Laura that she might find it hard to believe, but Susan is in love with her. Personally, I found it a little hard to believe, too. Obsessed, maybe, but I think that there might have been some inconsistency here. Of course, Susan isn't exactly acting rationally anyway, so perhaps her words aren't all that meaningful. Maybe I was looking for a little more character here and a little less sex. But that's the Dragon in me, I suspect. If you like blackmail stories that aren't all that over the top, this would be a good choice. Technical : 8 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 8 Crimson : 9 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Another -- Uther Pendragon (MF wl rom) Story: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Uther_Pendragon/www/story/another.htm Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Uther_Pendragon/www/ When Bill asks her to marry him, she is honest. When she got herself knocked up by Alan, she had no idea that he was going to abandon her. When Bill arrives home, after the revelations, he realises that she never did give him an answer to the proposal. Now, after Kathy has arrived, and Bill loves the child with all his heart, it might be time to expand the family. This is their story. For some reason, I couldn't help focusing on their spoken reasons for doing as they are. Ours. It seemed somehow to reduce the impact of the noble gesture that revolves around Kathy. While I understand the underlying emotions, it simply seemed at odds with the earlier emotional impacts of the marriage. I couldn't relate, I suppose, but that isn't entirely Uther's fault. Besides, I still liked the story - -- it was well written and did what it was supposed to do. The story is romantic, and loving, and sexy. Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 9 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Spring Indian -- Punchinello (F,FM) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40877 Other works: http://www.pulperotica.com/ When Megan falls down a gully and is left by her friends, she must fend for herself in a strange, lonely land. Then, when she arrives back from gathering fruit, she finds a tall, dark, handsome Native near her makeshift camp. At first, she is frightened, but as his kindness helps her, they discover that love and comfort can transcend language and prejudice. What I liked about this story, even while it was unabashedly pulp fiction, was the imagery, and the character. It seemed realistic, the settings, the emotions, the situation. I liked the portrayal of their relationship despite their differences, and Megan's initial distrust. It all comes together, if not entirely happily, and forms an entertaining story set in the old west. Technical : 9 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 9 Crimson : 9 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Possession -- Bluepen (MF, Romantic, Cheat, Reluctant) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40783 Other Works: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/cgi-bin/field_search.cgi?search=bluepen43%40yahoo.com&index=email&submit=Search "I have to know." And thus, our heroine is tempted. And so they meet, in a dingy hotel room, where they will never be caught, except by Bluepen, who tells us about their encounter through the magic of words. Who are these people, and what are they doing to themselves? I won't promise that Bluepen ever tells us, but in this story, the journey, and the emotions are what counts, and what makes this piece utterly enjoyable. Technical : 8 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 9 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hausefrau 1946 -- Henrik Larsen (mf rom) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40917 Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/henlar/www/ After the German soldiers surrender, Christian leaves Denmark to tour Germany, a journey of curiosity and education. There, he discovers pain, destruction and ruins. Except for Sabine, a bright light amongst a devastated countryside. [ "My husband is dead. He died two years ago{.}" she replied, more matter of factly than sad. ] Comma, instead, would have been better. I'm not sure why, but Henrik likes the word 'was'. There isn't anything inherently wrong with the use of it, but it was overused to the point that I noticed it. It's an indication that Henrik is using too many passive phrases, and some sentence re-work to introduce variety would help the readability of this piece, especially in the first half. [ As I had feared, it was there but apparently I wasn't the only one who wanted to protect him. ] This could be re-written as: As I had feared, his name graced the list, someone else protecting him even before I had the chance. The second version simply has more immediate impact. Overall, though, the story is wonderful -- outdoor love in a strange country, contrasting to the times. Henrik gives us tantalising subplots that are only hinted at. Oh, how I wanted to know the freedom girl at the beginning, and even more background on Christian's activities during the war. But I realise that this story was written for a themed festival of sorts, and that some focus is required. Henrik does create a wonderful atmosphere and story here, and the sex ain't bad either. Technical : 8 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 9 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- SOME HELPING HANDS FOR AMY -- David Shaw (M/M/F: non cons;flash) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40813 Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/David_Shaw/www/ Amy Palmer is the local bitch at work. When Dirk decides to get even, he super glues her butt (isn't this a Homer Simpsonism?) to her bicycle seat. Of course, our pretty priss isn't all that interested in cycling to a hospital to be unstuck, so our intrepid revengeurs offer assistance. Now, this is a flash piece, so I don't expect much in the way of understanding or character development. The problem is, that it is a non-consensual piece, and the girl is stuck suffering a humiliating punishment for which I haven't seen her crime. All that is offered is a rather flimsy excuse that she's the office bitch, and a nice looking one at that. And so, I find it difficult to relate to her situation and what exactly she did to deserve the treatment to which she is ultimately subjected. Worse, I don't really know why her tormenters are doing as they are -- are they simply cruel, or were they wronged enough to at least have a plausible reason for "helping" Amy? On the other hand, I can see it being mighty difficult to justify the end result here. Perhaps it is better not to make the attempt. However, I do recognise that to provide more depth, to give her character, or her tormenters character, might stretch this beyond the flash scene that is presented. Personally, I've seen flash portrayals that still managed to present tons of character, though admittedly not in a non-consensual environment. Oh well. What I will say is that it makes a potent sexually charged scene if this kind of situation pushes your buttons. David writes very well technically, and I'm pretty sure that this scene did almost exactly what he meant it to do. Technical : 9 Eros : 8 Character/Plot : 6 Crimson : 6 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash -- Meme Misspelt (F-solo M-solo voy) Story: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/meme_misspelt/www/stories/flash.html http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/41030 Author's site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/meme_misspelt/www/ In a bar, Lee watches as the female bartender bends to retrieve a bottle of tomato juice. Meanwhile, a male customer surreptitiously clicks his digital camera, capturing the bartenders perfect behind forever in flash memory. Later, in anonymous hotel rooms, in the imagination of Lee, the male customer, the female bartender and Lee herself all find satisfaction in the stolen images. Now, I liked this story. It was written in present tense. That was slightly distracting, but I didn't notice anywhere that it slipped into an incorrect tense. I suppose because most of the characters were unnamed, I had some real trouble keeping straight who I was seeing. It also made interconnecting the stories, and determining what was real and what wasn't, difficult. But I have this nagging feeling that this was the intent of Meme when she wrote it. It's sort of dreamy, in a way. I loved the imagery of the piece -- the sex wasn't overboard, even while it was the focus of the story. The small details, the discussion of stolen images and sexual gratification combined nicely. The use of simile and metaphor enhanced the story. Overall, I think it worked nicely for what it was. Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Voluptumancer -- Purple Herald (MF, F/Nature) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40999 Author's Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/PurpleHerald/www/ Catalina (oh, how I love that name ...) is a Voluptumancer. We meet her on a flight where she happily teases the stewards, the other male passengers, and even the pretty blonde seated beside her. Quietly, she gathers in energy knowing that she'll need it for the task ahead of her. What exactly is a Voluptumancer, you ask? Think witch, crossed with temptress. She's on her way to save a small town from disaster. Understandably, some of the town council is sceptical, and some have seen the work of her predecessor and are more ... accommodating. So what does Catalina do to tame "Mother" Nature? Well, you'll just have to read this excellent story to find out, but I promise you, it is unusual, different, and very, very erotic. [ She was a pretty blonde who didn't seem to notice that Catalina's {hand on} her thigh. The blonde was bi-curious, ... ] "hand rested on her thigh ..." maybe? Or perhaps remove "that". There were a couple of minor issues such as this, but honestly, in this case, who cares? They were really minor, and didn't affect my reading of the tale. Purple Herald writes wonderful prose. I loved the characters, the story, the plot, the premise, and the different eroticism. Definitely worth reading. So why are you still reading this review? Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaisey Long: Rings, 1963 -- Will "Crash" Reuther (mf f-1st rom hs) Story: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40916 Other Works: http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/cgi-bin/field_search.cgi?search=ashley42creek%40yahoo.com&index=email&submit=Search High school is a tumultuous time at the best of times. Chaisey is a virgin, and on the night of the prom, she exchanges rings with Mike. A wonderful ritual of decision entails, which ultimately propels the girl from adolescence into womanhood. This is the story of this journey. This tale is set in 1963, presumably, and it shows. I really enjoyed the glimpses into a time past where life was simpler, but in some ways, at least as complex. Adolescence never really changes. In some ways, it celebrates the times, and in others it is a bittersweet tale of immaturity. I don't know if Chaisey and Mike stay together, or even if it's right for them, but does it really matter? This is a peek into their time. I liked it. Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- Official Greeting... -- Souvie (posted to ASSD) (greeting) Official Greeting: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl1452356170d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=3e59a4df.14796625%40news.onramp.net A girl stands at the door, holding it open and greeting the young and old, welcoming them to our little corner of the 'net. The girl has raspberry hair, and when she innocently (?!?!?!) adjusts her stocking, half the crowd faints or has heart attacks. Pretty cool trick. I know it isn't a story, nor was it posted to ASSM, but I nearly fainted with the rest of 'em, so it deserves note. Oh, and by the way, I echo the sentiment, even if in a less official capacity. Welcome everyone. Technical : 10 Eros : 10 Character/Plot : 10 Crimson : 10 +----------------------------------------------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3ia Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBPl0mEUxM3srBk85hAQEftAf+LSV639aSQrE6ZNLKcir/jS4wW8KL8lM3 stRXexMC5xg3j3CyfSLf8iPVnltQ0YlAim+pkR0ZsqiG3+JnZBfyDjs0/H0ESD9g QAbDWJom9Zp6FlZqs6WPDsQXGc9hYQZur/rT4PLoactCE5HeB5B+ZHi7uJ3neEkx uITjkTXJn+slnZKMyHIIq1wmGftQzu/qdh7JEcPl7ZalKEA0fRbMAoPmuYmHLq0V GwOX3Z0LzfR7r52B5keajcf7LsIJecMynU7fsLOp/b+7h6UVDzvCUn8G1X7yrVW0 qTA61pGK4TxWCYmimkA1d0EGUvaZMy+4Eonx6uHPSc3vLmhFwG2zUA== =GT96 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: | | FAQ: Moderator: | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d, look for subject {ASSD}| |Archive at Hosted by | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+