index


Message-ID: <39056asstr$1036149003@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Crimson Dragon <dcrimsonp@nym.alias.net>
Subject: {ASSM} {REVIEW} {Reviews} Crimson Reviews - #13 - 31-Oct-2002
Date: Fri,  1 Nov 2002 06:10:03 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories,alt.sex.stories.d
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

It's Halloween, and the ghosts and daemons move about unfettered
in the night. Appropriately, this is my thirteenth review. I know
it isn't way up there in terms of quantity, but I do hope that
these reviews are useful, both to readers and to the authors,
all of whom give to us selflessly.

It's only a week and a half before the song festival commences.
I'm planning on reposting a few of my older works to support
the festival. If you want more information, I'm sure that
Dryad would be glad to answer any questions. She doesn't bite.
Unless, of course, you want her to.

I digress. What I really wanted to do was to wish all a
Happy Halloween, be you witches or warlocks or dragons.

- 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
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story Summary:

Paying the lawnmower -- Idyllic thoughts
    (mF cons exhib mast 1st-oral)
    [8,10,10,10]

Rave On -- posted by sylvia@kicksfan.com 
    (MF, NC, mild BD)
    [10,10,10,10]

Seeds of Extinctions -- Jack C Lipton 
    (scifi, implied mffff)
    [9,6,9,9]

Hjemve -- Parthenogenesis (aka threefriedeggs) 
    (MF, rom)
    [10,10,10,10]

The Right Wrong Spell -- Souvie 
    (MF, magic, humour, Halloween)
    [10,10,10,10]

Reviews:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paying the lawnmower -- Idyllic thoughts 
  (mF cons exhib mast 1st-oral)

http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/38957

Our narrator is the tender age of thirteen, and one day he is
caught by his next door neighbour, Linda, as he is discovering 
his sexuality in the backyard. Horrified, he races back into the
house, and worries. A year later, after the shock wears off,
our narrator is employed to cut Linda's lawn. While she's never
mentioned his outdoor adventure, she does remind him of it while
paying him, and our narrator finds himself in an awkward and
strangely pleasant situation.

This is not a typical paedophilic story. Yes, the narrator is under-age,
and yes it involves sexual contact, but this isn't written as
a glorification of that situation. Idyllic concentrates on the
awkward situation, and how the narrator feels about the situation.
Fears. Power. Impropriety. I found it interesting the implied contrast
that Idyllic presents here. What would the story have been like
had the narrator been female and Linda been male? Pretty close
to the same story, but perhaps with a different outcome? Interesting
digression.

Anyway, I want to talk about character for a moment. This story
is written in first person -- the narrator providing all the
details of his first sexual experience. I've commented about
character before, and you may wonder why I'm not harping on
the lack of character in his neighbour, Linda. We never do know why
she seduces the boy, what drives her, what motivates this strange
behaviour. Isn't that a lack of character? I suppose it is.
The difference here is twofold. Linda is supposed to be enigmatic.
The narrator is confused by her, and by extension we, the readers,
should be as well. And second -- the story wasn't about Linda.
Her character was a deep as it needed to be to tell the story
effectively. That is the difference in character representation,
and Idyllic did an admirable job of determining what was important
and focusing on what was for this particular story.

There were a few minor technical glitches, mostly run together
words, and some awkward sentence presentations, but overall,
very readable.

I don't know if this was a true account, but it certainly seemed
plausible. Perhaps that's the charm of this story.

Technical       :    8
Eros            :   10
Character/Plot  :   10
Crimson         :   10

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rave On -- posted by sylvia@kicksfan.com (MF, NC, mild BD)

http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/38954

I'm afraid that it is not really clear from the post who the
author of this piece is. "Sylvia" is gleaned from the return
e-mail address. My apologies if "Sylvia" is not the true
author, but I might suggest a clearer marking of ownership
for future submissions. 

This is the first time our heroine's been to a rave, and Will,
her boyfriend, has told her to dress sexy. She does, and they
attend the rave. Wide-eyed, the girl absorbs the frenetic
dancing, the too-loud bass, the couples making out around the
warehouse. She loses Will, and finds her way to the loft where
fans provide some mild relief. There it is crowded and she
wanders to the railing where she can overlook the crowd. Suddenly
hands, presumably Will's, find her and coax her into her first
sexual experience, exposed and alone while surrounded by humanity.

The story codes are valid. This isn't the most consensual situation,
but Sylvia writes very polished prose to make it seem like
we are there with the heroine, feeling what she does, and understanding
her. Make no mistake, this is a stroke story -- sex is really the
focus of it -- but there is more to it, our heroine's character
shining through. Normally, I don't like pure stroke stories,
but while there is certain stroke elements here, it is far from
the only elements. Very nicely done.

Technical       :   10
Eros            :   10
Character/Plot  :   10
Crimson         :   10

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seeds of Extinctions -- Jack C Lipton (scifi, implied mffff)

http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/39003

Humanity is exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy. What's
out there? Worlds -- thousands of them. But what evidence of
intelligent life? Evidence, yes, but many of these worlds have 
self-destructed in a folly of greed, and self-extinction.

Jack takes us on a journey of introspection, a glimpse into
humanity, and folly, with societal impacts. It is more an
exploration into what's wrong with our society and our ways
of life, touching on societal, sexual, and humanistic traits.
This is not so much about the aliens as it is about us.

I found the prose a little dry, and in parts, awkward. I suspect
that the judicious use of commas, and perhaps sentence restructuring
might make this a little more readable. But overall, it was
clean technically -- I cannot fault it merely by my preferences.

Jack never claims that this is a 'sex' story. There is far more
to it than that. I wish I didn't have to rate it in this context
because it is a very interesting story -- it merely isn't a 
sex story, nor was it meant to be. Overall, I think it's worth
reading, but for those of you that are expecting hot and heavy
sex, this might not be a wonderful choice. If you are looking for
more depth and insight, "Seeds of Extinction" might be worth
a look.

Technical       :    9
Eros            :    6
Character/Plot  :    9
Crimson         :    9

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hjemve -- Parthenogenesis (aka threefriedeggs) (MF, rom)

http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/38883

Hjemve is the Danish word for 'homesick'. Alan, recovering from a
divorce and the loss of a job, meets Helena, a beautiful exchange 
student from Denmark. They talk and share during the days until
Helena, one day, says, "I want you to make love to me." And so,
the two of them find each other, and Alan learns something about
himself and life and what we all need.

I really, really liked this story. The character, the plot, the
subtle guidance that the story provides is what "stories" are
all about. Parthenogenesis takes us on an emotional journey
where Alan and Helena shine through, lessons learned, and
simple joy in being who we are expressed. Details make the
words come alive in a rare combination of realism and impact.
This is a remarkable story in every way.

But don't take my word for it. Go read it.

Technical       :   10
Eros            :   10
Character/Plot  :   10
Crimson         :   10

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Right Wrong Spell -- Souvie (MF, magic, humour, Halloween)

http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Souvie/www
http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/39021

I actually read this story on Halloween, so my review might be
biased. Doesn't matter to me, if it doesn't matter to you.

Caitlyn, Allyson, and Madolyn are the last cousins in a long line
of Merryweather witches. When Great Grandfather M kicks the bucket,
and Madolyn finds an old tome written in French with spells
within, she simply must get them translated. Now, I ask you: what
good are spells if you aren't going to cast them? On
Halloween night, the three girls gather in Caitlyn's townhouse
to summon a daemon. What they get is something that none of them 
expect.

Souvie has a wonderful talent. She draws in the reader, and
plays with us. This story is fun, and unexpected, and filled with
character, humour and care. It's Halloween, don't you know,
and Souvie has given us something further, beyond tricks and
treats, to enjoy.

Technical       :   10
Eros            :   10
Character/Plot  :   10
Crimson         :   10

-- 
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: <ckought69@hotmail.com> |
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html>  Moderator: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d, look for subject {ASSD}|
|Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org>   Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org>      |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+