Edited by Rose Mambert and Margarita Bezdomnya
Published by Pink Narcissus Press
This anthology was easy to enjoy because the whole collection is really solid. My favorites were "Mike Dies at the End" by W2, "Baker
Boy" by Thomas Fuchs and "Dark Entries" by Michael C. Thompson. Okay, so I'll just move onward to the
summaries:
Incubus-Ex by Ashley-Renee Cribbins
I could kind of see where this one was going from the
beginning, but I like the inclusion of an incubus. Okay, so the main plot
points would be sister has a relationship with an incubus, Sully, but wants to
go to college unburdened so she puts up a hex bag to bind him to the house. Her
brother, Austin, is the only one who can pull down the hex bag and set Sully
free. He decides not to...as to why he doesn't, that's up to you to find
out.
Mike Dies at the End (A Parody) by W2
First, I just have to say that I love the idea that mystical
powers are sexually transmitted. I love all the well-placed absurdity of this
story. The line the squirrel says near the beginning, and the fact the fries
sing...yeah, you see where I'm going with this-- uh, no you don't. I don't even
know where I'm going.
Anyway, the characters are fun and have lots of personality.
The situations are crazy, but well-written so that makes them believable in a
surrealist on acid kind of way. The descriptions of Real Dolls; horrifying. The
solution to the puzzle; quite entertaining.
In final review I love this story. It speaks to me.
Monsters So Fair by Lyle Blake Smythers
This is a fantasy story about fate and prophecy. The
narrator, Agib, has first been told that he is the person who can end the curse
over a stretch of ocean by destroying the bronze statue on top of Bent Mountain
that keeps destroying boats with magnetism. Droo, the son of a merchant, has
been told that if the statue on Bent Mountain falls he will be killed by a false
Prince named Agib by the time he turns eighteen. The two end up on the same
island, but there is no animosity between them, so how can the second prophesy
be fulfilled if there is love and not war? In a way I was kind of dreading
getting to the ending because the moment that Droo and Agib have together is
quite perfect.
The Song by Rob Rosen
Somewhat scary in the build up to the siren, and I enjoyed
the treasure hunter's determination to thwart the siren's song. The basic story
is that a treasure hunter goes on a quest for gold where he knows that others
have failed due to reports of sirens luring the adventurers to their death. Despite
his preparations the siren manages to get his attention anyway, but not as he
was prepared for.
Dark Entries by Michael C. Thompson
This story is rather twisted and made me want to listen to
Bauhaus while reading to get the full effect. The couple, Jonathan and Lawrence,
in this story already has a lot of issues with drug problems and paranoia just
being the icing on the cake. Lawrence's nightmares and reality start to blur
together, and things get even more disjointed around the time he meets a
strange, but beautiful man on the beach. The strange man appears to be mocking
him, and claims to be named Peter Murphy. Lawrence sees Peter as teasing him,
then he sees him as a disturbing fish creature in his nightmares, and then
Jon's paranoia sees them as entirely something else. The ending of this story
is rather shocking as it is revealed that both men end up with their wishes
fulfilled.
Welcome to Anteaterland by Nathaniel Fuller
I kind of felt like I was missing something as I went through
this story. It was like something bigger going on behind the scenes, which I
guess is kind of what happens in Anteaterland so maybe that all works out.
Blood Sugar Sex Magic by Geogina Li
This story is interesting because it reads like a prose poem
with influences of city life, and I also get this sensation of contrast between
night and day. I had to read this one a couple times to pay attention to
everything that's going on around the characters. The rhythm of the words is interesting.
I also like the idea of James reading the signs and believing that there are
meanings and then other meanings. This story feels like a series of images and has
a pace that reminds me of wandering around cities at night after the bars are
closed and everything is kind of disorienting.
Baker Boy by Thomas Fuchs
I love how this story looked at temptation, and it was
strange enough that I had to tell a friend who has a culinary arts degree about
it right after I read it. References to Baker Boy have been added to our
dialogues about food. So, good job.
In this story a man in the best shape of his life gives into
the temptation of a mysterious bakery, and to the allure of the baker boy who
tempts him with food among other things. Sure, the main character gains a lot of
weight that the sexual escapades can't work off, but the end results were not
quite as expected.
The Zombissager by Colleen Chen
Sir Zomablot is out to conquer Peaceville with his army of
undead cocks that he has packaged and sold as Zombissagers. Super boyfriends Coolman and Awesomeman can't
let that happen. If the names are any indication this is a silly story, but it
is pretty entertaining.
Shudder by Alice Fox
This is a cute little graphic novel-like piece that involves
an exiled noble and the headless apparition of a minstrel who has a demon
problem. The demons look like stretchy cats, which I suppose would be quite
horrifying to see in person. After the demon problem is remedied the exiled man
can stay in the castle and you can cue true love's first kiss, or something
like that.
Mondeval's Heart by Rose Mambert
Ash and Tamaril are companions by chance or fate, but they
are loyal to each other and prepared to die on their quest. Ash is human while
Tamaril is a ferlik who is also Cursed with a powerful magic that can only be
used at a high price. Tamaril trades his memories or blood for magic, use of
the power in the past has destroyed his memory to the point that he doesn't
remember even his original name. This story throws your from the heat of
passion into the heat of battle and makes you wonder what all will be lost and
gained once the fight is over.
Zombie Hunt by Danielle Renn
In a post zombie apocalypse world zombie infectee James Hunt
protects a settlement of survivors in exchange for shelter and feedings of
blood to sustain him. A young man named Evan who lives in the settlement latches
onto Hunt and follows him around. Evan is quite curious and in awe of Hunt and
wishes to forge any sort of connection that he can between the two because they
have a relatively simple past, and within the settlement connections between
people are not as simple as they seem. In this world the ugliness of the
created society in the settlement is hidden behind the façade of civilization. Evan's
actions indicate that he is looking for a sort of salvation and an escape from
the settlement, but how far away can he get? And at what price?
The Hollow Hills of New Hampshire by Frank Muse
This was an amusing horror story about a young man named
Derek who becomes the owner of a brownie--a short, hairy, naked house elf of
lore. (Side note: brownies creep me out already and I rarely encounter them in my
usual reading...so that got to me right away.) At first the brownie makes sure
the apartment is clean, food is prepared and the place is comfortable to the
point of creepiness, but then he starts to cause a bit of trouble when he panics
at the realization that his new owner really has no interest in women or reproduction...and
the Brownie kind of needs him to have an heir in order to survive.
This Won't Hurt a Bit by Thomas Kearnes
The narrator first hooks up with a guy named Harrison, and is
annoyed by Harrison's show of consideration over whether or not he was enjoying
their encounter. Soon after that the narrator admits that he's used to getting
in between couples and at the moment is trying to be involved with Blake, who
is already living with Sam. Blake and Sam are a train wreck of a relationship,
but Blake has obvious feelings of complacency and fatalism towards his
situation. When the narrator is given a slight chance with Blake it isn't quite
what he expected, but from that he garners a sort of revelation.
The Golem of Rabbi
Loew by Johnny Townsend
As I read this I noticed that the pacing of the story feels
similar to a biblical story. I enjoyed this retelling of The Golem of Prague,
and found it easier to read then the version of the original story that I was
supposed to read for a Survey of Jewish Culture class. Anyway, the golem in
this story not only defends the Jewish population of Prague, but also serves as
a companion for Rabbi Loew who feel that his desires for other men would lead
others to sin, but since Joseph lacks a soul there's no concern for him
sinning. The story is quite bittersweet.
Fools in Love by Chelsea Crowley
Gus, the court jester, insults the court wizard, Horatio
Metorimax, and as punishment the jester is forced to assist him in order to
better appreciate the wizard's work. Horatio is surprised to find that he can
relax around Gus and they both get along better than expected. Gus turns out to
be a more complex character than he initially seems and he confesses that he
has been hurt by magic before. This is a cute story and I enjoyed the explanation
of Gus's background, and I think Horatio learned a lot from Gus.
Super Love by Chris Helton
This story deals with the everyday frustration of dating a
super hero, which is a profession with a highly irregular schedule. Odd
schedules are a rather relatable feature of relationships in general, and I
enjoyed seeing how Maddex tried to bridge that divide in order to spend more
time with Greg.
Starpoint Rendezvous by E. Craig McKay
Simon and Jeremy work together as prospectors and play
together in the Melia Starpoint space hotel that can provide all varieties of
tantalizing sexual experiences. They spend most of the story indulging in what
each other, and the hotel, has to offer, but also discuss their newly joined business
endeavors and the trouble of transporting asteroids. I must admit that my mind
kept wondering off while reading this story because I kept imagining what all
could possibly be at such a hotel. So, I generally enjoyed the lazy, sexy and
indulgent nature of this tale, and the excitement of the trials of hauling
asteroids through space kind of took a backseat to the entertainment at the
hotel.
Color Zap! By Sam Sommer
The Genofacility allows two people of any gender to have
children, and produces those children in a regulation manner in which they are prepared
for a drab world, but Spencer was born with periwinkle blue hair. His parents
force him to cover his hair with a hat, and then begin shaving his head as he
gets older. He decides for himself that he wants to show off his hair, but on his
first time out in public he is given an unfair amount of abuse. He soon finds more
people with colorful hair including his boyfriend, Gavin, who has bright green
hair. The people with brightly-colored hair form a society to promote the
acceptance of them in the general population. I found the story interesting and
inspiring and think it was a good note to end the anthology on. The feeling I
got from this story was that even though some progress is made there is still
room for equality, and sometimes different groups get left behind during the
quest for acceptance.
