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brownbetty's review
3.0
This is an incredibly mixed bag. Categories I would put the stories into:
- Spec-fic with sex as a central part of the plot.
- Porn in a spec-fic universe.
- Speculative fiction around sex/erotica.
- I needed to come up with a scenario to justify my kink and I accidentally three cultures and a universe.
- I accidentally gave my porn OCs way too much backstory.
- I couldn't sell this porn but these guys were buying spec-fic, so I put a spec-fic hat on it.
- My speculative fiction chars are adults with sex lives.
These may not be well delineated and overlap somewhat, but some stories are very obviously one thing and not the others..
Some standouts:
Ink, by Bernie Mojzes: Noir Detective Eldritch Horror tentacle sex. You should already know if this is what you want.
The Dancer's War, by N. K. Jemisin: a sexy dance-off is a very poor description of this, but I'm not sure how else to do it. If you are familiar with Jemisin, you know that the world-building is dense and the characters are vivid.
A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment, by Elizabeth Reeve: If you have ever wanted to see Mary Bennet pursue something she could be good at, and then have sex with let's call him Robin Goodfellow, this is for you. If you haven't, let me add as enticement that reference is made to Mary's 'venerable monosyllable.' I mean, I know Elizabeth Reeve, and I'm biased, but this is really a great story that takes joy in both Austen's style and Mary's liberation.
Ota Discovers Fire, by Vinnie Tesla: A sort of fantasy twist on 'repressed earth-man discovers sexually voracious alien girl.' It's a lot of fun, because the repressed 'civilized' man is a bit of an unreliable, or at least un-observant, narrator, and it's from his point of view.
In a slightly more "I'm not sure what I just read" category, Sunny Moraine, Francis Selkirk, Elizabeth Schechter, Sacchi Green, Nobilis Reed, and David Sklar wrote stories that were definitely spec-fic. Their porniness varied, but I'm sure tastes will differ.
Some entries, however, struck me as pretty unimaginative, with nothing fantastic except a few trappings, and did the collection a disservice by their inclusion. Enslaved is straight up "unwillingly(?) topped by my sexy mistress" in which someone is wearing a leather bodice. Everything proceeds as you would imagine. Fences seems to be a story about seducing one's straight neighbour by gardening in short-shorts, with the element of the fantastic being that a superflu has handily disposed of Short-shorts' and Neighbour's respective spouses. (Actually, it is possible there is a metaphor for living with HIV that I am missing? I don't think so, though.)
Despite a few disappointing offerings, at $1.99 it was entirely worth it.
- Spec-fic with sex as a central part of the plot.
- Porn in a spec-fic universe.
- Speculative fiction around sex/erotica.
- I needed to come up with a scenario to justify my kink and I accidentally three cultures and a universe.
- I accidentally gave my porn OCs way too much backstory.
- I couldn't sell this porn but these guys were buying spec-fic, so I put a spec-fic hat on it.
- My speculative fiction chars are adults with sex lives.
These may not be well delineated and overlap somewhat, but some stories are very obviously one thing and not the others..
Some standouts:
Ink, by Bernie Mojzes: Noir Detective Eldritch Horror tentacle sex. You should already know if this is what you want.
The Dancer's War, by N. K. Jemisin: a sexy dance-off is a very poor description of this, but I'm not sure how else to do it. If you are familiar with Jemisin, you know that the world-building is dense and the characters are vivid.
A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment, by Elizabeth Reeve: If you have ever wanted to see Mary Bennet pursue something she could be good at, and then have sex with let's call him Robin Goodfellow, this is for you. If you haven't, let me add as enticement that reference is made to Mary's 'venerable monosyllable.' I mean, I know Elizabeth Reeve, and I'm biased, but this is really a great story that takes joy in both Austen's style and Mary's liberation.
Ota Discovers Fire, by Vinnie Tesla: A sort of fantasy twist on 'repressed earth-man discovers sexually voracious alien girl.' It's a lot of fun, because the repressed 'civilized' man is a bit of an unreliable, or at least un-observant, narrator, and it's from his point of view.
In a slightly more "I'm not sure what I just read" category, Sunny Moraine, Francis Selkirk, Elizabeth Schechter, Sacchi Green, Nobilis Reed, and David Sklar wrote stories that were definitely spec-fic. Their porniness varied, but I'm sure tastes will differ.
Some entries, however, struck me as pretty unimaginative, with nothing fantastic except a few trappings, and did the collection a disservice by their inclusion. Enslaved is straight up "unwillingly(?) topped by my sexy mistress" in which someone is wearing a leather bodice. Everything proceeds as you would imagine. Fences seems to be a story about seducing one's straight neighbour by gardening in short-shorts, with the element of the fantastic being that a superflu has handily disposed of Short-shorts' and Neighbour's respective spouses. (Actually, it is possible there is a metaphor for living with HIV that I am missing? I don't think so, though.)
Despite a few disappointing offerings, at $1.99 it was entirely worth it.
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