AMATEUR XXX STORIES

-

ALPHABETICAL SEX STORY LISTINGS:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Top 20 July

Celeste's Top 20 stories - July, 1998

Note: Even though guest reviewers write the posted reviews of some of

these stories, I read any story that I think may be likely to win a

monthly or annual award. I personally take responsibility {and blame}

for these lists. If someone else wants to publish an alternate list of

awards, that's fine with me.

Second Note: Since many readers would like to read the top stories
for each month, I have suggested that authors might like to repost as

many of these stories as possible. In addition, I am posting story
LINKS with each story in the Top 20 List. By pasting these into the

appropriate line of your web browser, you should be able to go

straight to that story. Please give me your feedback regarding the

effectiveness of this procedure.

Third Note: I have also had great success finding these stories on

the World Wide Web by using the DejaNews Server (www.dejanews.com).

In addition, most of these stories have been posted and archived

through alt.sex.stories.moderated. You can even find past issues of

my reviews through these services.

Final Note: Ordinarily, to be eligible for my Top 20 List for any

month, I have to have read the story for the first time that month and

reviewed it in CR. Therefore, reposted stories whose old reviews I

repost are not eligible (unless they are substantially revised), but

an "old" story that comes to my attention and is reviewed for the

first time would be eligible. If anyone else wants to post a "rival"

Top 20 list, feel free to do so. You can even include my reviews, if

you don't want to write your own.

- Celeste

=====================

This month's Number One Story: "A Matter of Need" by watcher
(llxzt@hotmail.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13034.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13035.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13036.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386277

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386285

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386299

This one is a romantic tear-jerker. From an analytic viewpoint what

makes a story like this work so well is the contrast between the

sadness of the first wife's death and the joy of the new relationship.

For reasons that I think I won't discuss right now, this story hit

home close to me. Sven has already reviewed the story, and so I won't

repeat that process. Let me just say it's realistic: things really do

happen this way sometimes.

============================

Here's this month's Top 20 List:

============================

1. "A Matter of Need" by watcher (deep emotions)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13034.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13035.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13036.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386277

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386285

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386299

2. "Janey in Bloom" by Bitbard (hot romantic tryst)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12703.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368726214

3. "Rampant" by Uther Pendragon (historical romance)

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369771028

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370092228

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370456042

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370656430

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370903265

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371236054

4. "Janey's June" by Janey (quickie in a non-sex bookshop)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13273.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=373877144

5. "Chosen" by Crimson Dragon (mysterious sex)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12619.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=367470276

6. "Lake Jeptha" by Mat Twassel (Comfortable Sex)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12871.txt

7. "Keeping Warm in the Arctic Circle" by Gordie D (tundra love).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12739.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368726373

8. "A Most Unusual Afternoon" by Crimson Dragon (unusual bdsm)

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=372063151

9. "That Mardi Gras Spirit" by DG (Jazzy Sex)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12778.txt

10. "Inside-out" by Taria (self-exploration)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12870.txt

11. "Office Affair" by Mat Twassel (sexual rejuvenation)

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371380694

12. "Mandala" by Oscar Paco (ASS sex)

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=361379946

13. "A View of Alcatraz" by Anne Arbor (threesome)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12821.txt

14. "Cheenagurl" by Sista Shakespeare (self-reflection).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=373866758

15. "Porch" by Crimson Dragon (ff romance)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12213.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363256015

16. "And the Lady Danced 'till Dawn" by Sven The Elder

(strip slub sex)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12742.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368726378

17. "Private Dancer" by Steven A. Black (sex with a stripper).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13179.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=373022527

18. "Wraith" by BitBard (ghostly romance)

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322510

19. "The Wild Hare" by Will Blake (voyeurism & exhibitionism)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13273.txt

20. "Toys" by Sista Shakespeare (sex toys)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12881.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370017290

=============================================

Here are the original reviews in alphabetical order:

=============================================

"And the Lady Danced 'till Dawn" by Sven The Elder (10,9,10). Guest

Review by tooshoes.

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12742.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368726378

I have visited several strip clubs, and unlike Celeste, I have grown

quite fond of a few of them. Some have a very nice bar atmosphere,

where guys hang out, and the dancers intermingle during breaks.

Another such club has pool tables, and the guys mingle with the girls
while playing pool. In other places, the dancers will mingle in a more

private space. The important thing is to mingle, to make personal

contact. guys will pay a dollar to see bare flesh, but they'll pay

much more for female companionship.

Sven's story does a good job capturing the feel of such a club and the

way dancers interact with customers, until the line between reality

and erotica blurs. In other words, this story is about sex, not

voyourism or frustration. Like most patrons, Mike goes into a strip

club looking for some friendly conversation and a good eye show. Maybe

a lap dance or two. Unlike most patrons, Mike is gonna get very lucky.

I've seen a number of stories along the same idea (a guy gets lucky at

a strip club), but "The Lady Danced" is more thoughtful than most with

believable characters. Overall, a satisfying read, though the ending

was a little unclear.

=====================

"Chosen" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12619.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=367470276

Usually it's bad when the reader can't figure out what is really

happening in a story. But sometimes it's good, because the author is

being deliberately mysterious or ambiguous; and the ambiguity is still

enjoyable, even when the reader reaches the end of the story and still

isn't really sure what happened.

This is one of the good ones. You'll read back over it not muttering,

"What the hell is he talking about?" but rather, "Hey! That's neat!"

The story begins with a primitive sexual ritual - coming of age among

the Sioux Indians or Medieval Belgians or some other group. Then

suddenly we find ourselves in modern times with some young people on a

camping trip, and the young woman is confused about her relationship

with the man she hopes to bed that for the first time that night; and

we begin to wonder what the first story has to do with the second.

And then it all comes together in the end - but not quite the way we

expected.

This wasn't my favorite story, but that's because I think most

reincarnation stories are simplistic and a bit silly. The fact that I

liked this story at all means that the author has done a pretty good

job of making his case. For a different viewpoint, see Mat Twassel's

review of this same story later in this issue of CR.

==================

"Chosen" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com). Guest review by Mat

Twassel

This is a nice story. It's long, about 16 pages, and it has a few

problems, but it has rewards, too.

The story opens with the chieftain's only daughter, twenty year old
Fawn of the Moonlight Rising, about to make a rare appearance at a

tribal dance. The young woman knows that this night she will pick her

soul mate. Actually, a sacred stone she has will make the selection

for her.

Following the opening paragraph, the story shifts to a more modern

day: Bree is about to go camping with her boyfriend of about three

weeks, Dave. She's thinking about sleeping with him for the first

time on this one-night camping trip, but she's concerned because she's

knows she's a noisy lover, and another couple will being sharing the

campsite: her friend and protector, Chet, whom she's known since early

grade school, and Chet's new girl friend, Natasha, whom Bree has never

met. Maybe she and Dave won't make love after all.

Riding up to the camp with Dave, Bree comes down with more than a

touch of car sickness. Chet, who had arrived earlier, decides to carry

Bree off to her tent for some rest, but on the way he stops, Bree in

his arms, to introduce her to his new girl friend, Natasha:

Bree looked up. Instead of taking her to the

tent, Chet had borne her to the small campfire.

Bree took a deep breath, wishing she wasn't in

Chet's arms for this, and extended her hand.

Natasha looked a little nonplused about the

introduction and Bree couldn't blame her. She'd

be pissed off if Dave had introduced Natasha to

her cradled in his arms. Natasha extended her

hand and lightly gripped Bree's offered hand.

Natasha's hand was cool and soft to the touch,

imparting a certain strength. She didn't seem to

be as upset as Bree would have been, had the

positions been reversed. A strange tingle crossed

into Bree's senses, almost like a spark from

static electricity, as she released Natasha's

fingers.

This passage perhaps illustrates some of Crimson Dragon's writing

strengths and weaknesses: plenty of information, a casual style, yet

slightly less than perfect flow. While serviceable, the prose could

be smoother, more polished, with better rhythms or phrasing or

(occasionally) word choices, and that makes a difference in a long

story. As I got deeper into the story I found myself trying to hurry

my reading, trying to get the information without having to deal with

the prose. Maybe this won't bother you as much as it bothered me.

A few brief (probably unnecessary) shifts in point of view disturbed

me, too, but all-in-all this isn't a bad read. If you're looking for

scads of scalding sex, however, try something else--though for what

it's worth, I think this story would have been more erotic had more of

the penultimate scene been left to my imagination. Despite some

shortcomings, this story left me with a hint of tears in my eyes.

That's pretty high praise.

==================

"Inside-out" by Taria (tariat@hotmail.com). Guest review by Stephen

Peters

(sxjames@aol.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12870.txt

One of the most enjoyable things about alt.sex.stories is that the

writers here are free to experiment. Do you want to write a letter to

a friend and put it in the form of an overheard telephone

conversation? Go ahead. In fact, one does not even have to write a

sex story to be posted on a.s.s.. And this tale is not a sex story.

At least, not in the sense of describing sexual activity. It doesn't

even attempt to be erotic. Instead, the author has taken this

opportunity to write a essay/meditation on identity, the public and

private self, internal growth, and the strain of taking something as

deeply personal as one's sexuality and putting it on display for all

to see. This tale is about turning oneself 'inside-out'.

This is really a remarkable read, both is presentation and substance.

Technically, the author does a superb job of structuring the

narrative; ideas flow from one to another such that the reader

automatically fills in the other side of the conversation. The

narrator's voice itself is smooth but animated, full of strong

inflections. As has been noted by others Taria's writing has a rhythm

to it, and this time it's the rhythm (poetry?) of everyday language.

Remarkable too is the way the narrator draws the reader into the

conversation -- starting with the ordinary and casual (but in Taria's

hands interesting) details of everyday life, then moving to the more

personal. However, it's the substance of the essay that held this

readers attention. The author's struggle between her 'computer

persona' and the real 'her' is something that every one who has

written a story (sex or otherwise) has had to deal with, at least to

some extent. There are some hard questions asked her, with few

definitive answers. Sort of like life...which is what the author so

vividly portrays. The difference between love and sex, the public and

private selves - these are questions that each individual, at some

point in there life, has to answer. Starting by reading this

wonderfully beautiful 'transcript' is not a bad idea.

=====================

"Janey in Bloom" by Bitbard (The Artist Formerly Known as Sandman)

(bitbard@newsguy.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12703.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=368726214

This is a story about Sandman and Janey meeting for a day of passion

beginning at Dallas Love Airport. That's it's real name.

Ya learn something new everyday. I didn't know that the Dallas

airport had little rooms (called Conference Booths) that people could

reserve with a credit card and which were big enough for airport

quickies.

Let me explain how I know that. Through simple deductions derived

from their stories and postings to these newsgroups, I had concluded

that both Bitbard (formerly Sandman) and Janey would be in Dallas on

exactly the same day that my husband and I would be in that city for

our annual visit to the Dollhouse Museum of the Southwest and to check

out some books at the Dallas Textbook Depository. We decided to go

out to Love Field and see if we could spot the happy couple and

possibly eavesdrop on their rendezvous.

After several hours of staking out incoming flights from New England,

my husband nudged me and pointed to a middle-aged man with an obvious

bulge in his pants doing a tongue duel with a woman about four inches

taller than me. "This is a wicked huge airport," I heard the woman

say, as she paused for breath.

At just that moment, a child standing between us and the couple said,

"Look mommy! They're all mushy!" The mother glanced contemptuously

at the lovers, and then turned away in a huff. Since the mother and

child were going to run us over, and since my husband's boner was by

now even bigger than Sandman's, we turned away to avoid further

scandalizing the mother and child. By the time they passed and we

turned back around, the couple had disappeared.

"Shall we look for them?" I asked.

"No, I have a better idea," my husband said. Then he led me to a pair

of small chambers with signs that said "conference booth."

Fortunately, one of them was unoccupied, and he dragged me inside.

* * * *

By the time we were finished, we knew it would be impossible to find

the happy couple again, and so we rejoined our hosts - my husband's

former college roommate and his wife. He was Randy; and so was she,

as we described the events in the airport while we drove toward their

house. Randy was a police officer, and my husband and I were seated in

the back seat of the cruiser while the braless wonder snuggled up next

to Officer Friendly in the front seat.

As we drove down the highway, a Porsche zoomed past us. The woman in

the shotgun position had her eyes closed and was moaning with delight.

It was the couple from the airport, and she was obviously having an

orgasm right there on Route 35E!

"That's dangerous!" said Randy, as he flipped on his flashing lights

and "initiated pursuit." His wife responded by whipping off her tee

shirt, leaning over toward her husband, and saying, "I think it's sexy

as hell!" My husband's cock responded by rising faster than a tachyon

on steroids.

Randy was holding his binoculars, gazing after the car, which had

begun to accelerate, even while it continued to swerve on the highway.

"She's plucking his chicken!" Randy exclaimed.

"Like this?" asked his wife.

"Oh, fuck 'em!" Randy muttered, as he slowed down, turned off his

flashing lights, and pulled off the highway.

And they did.

"Can I borrow your handcuffs?" were the last words my husband

addressed to his old friend until after Beth and I both came in

discrete but roaring and simultaneous orgasms.

* * * *

Having definitively lost track of the target couple, I decided to make

the best of my trip by checking up on Deirdre over in Sulphur Springs.

However, when we got there, we discovered that the Hopkins County

Dairy Festival Parade was in progress. Moreover, two teenage girls in

Daisy Dukes who were hanging on the arms of Beavis and Butthead told

us that the parade would be followed by Southwest Homemade Ice Cream

Contest. {This is all absolutely true. You can find it in on page

116 of the 1997 edition of the Triple A TourBook.} We figured that it

would be easy to find Deirdre at the contest, and we smiled as we

wondered what extremes she would go to in order to win.

To kill time, we wandered off into a field behind the Dairy Queen out

on the four-lane leading to the Interstate. The field was full of

bluebonnets. I fell asleep with my head on my husband's lap, as he

reclined against a large oak tree. I was awakened by the sound of a

melodious male voice singing on the other side of the grove

"I see trees of green

Red roses too

I see them bloom

For me and you..."

It was just about the best mood music I could imagine. As the song

ended, we saw a guitar being cast aside on the other side of the

grove, and pieces of clothing soon began to pile up on top of the

discarded instrument.

"What a wonderful world," I heard a female voice say, repeating a

line from her lover's song. "Are you seducing me?"

"I give up--I'm yours," I said to my husband. Two couples could play

this game as well as one.

My radio quietly blared away at my side with a sexy southern twang.

"They're too crazy about each other to even care about the show."

"Would you look at that woman's ass!" murmur my husband, as he gazed

over my shoulder while he fondled my ass. As I turned my husband

around and began to pay lip service to his cock, I heard the woman

say, "Don't stop! Don't ever stop!"

"Listen to the lady," said my husband.

"Which lady?" I asked.

"Both of them."

* * * *

Well, we never did catch up with Janey and Sandman. It probably

wouldn't have been all that exciting, since they just make up all that

crap in their stories anyway. And it looks like I'm not going to have

time to review this story either.

=====================

"Janey's June" by Janey (Janey98@hotmail.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13273.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=373877144

And now for something completely different - different for Janey, that

is.

As you may have noticed, Janey experiments not only with her plots but

also with her style. After her first two or so stories, she has tried

to write in a different style in each subsequent story. I still like

her original - spontaneously sexy - style the best; but this one was

amazing in its own way.

Janey's June installment comes to us through the eyes of a bookseller.

We never do find out how old he is or many other details about him.

What we do know is that he is a decent guy who has admired Janey from

afar. And so when she expresses a need to be consoled, he consoles

her; and when she expresses a need to make love to him, he acquiesces.

Had I not known that this was Janey's story, I would never have

guessed the authorship. This is another excellent story.

=====================

"Lake Jeptha" by Mat Twassel (Mmtwassel@aol.com). Guest Review by

BillyG

(hayden@mindless.com).

Mat Twassel's story, "Lake Jeptha" wrung my heart with the sweet

poignancy of a long-ago memory - soft nights and loving and aching

desire. It touched that hidden place of vulnerable remembrance when

once, almost a fleeting flash, we were hopelessly in love.

And then, inevitably there comes yet again the tender hurt of a memory

so indelibly etched, unspoken, unacknowledged for years, but still

there, so terribly real and terribly fresh. We see once more that

time is not a dimension recognized by the subconscious. Mat Twassel's

siren call pulled me back to that bittersweet recollection as if it

were just yesterday.

Read this. It's a rare, rare treat.

=====================

"Mandala" by Oscar Paco (oscarpaco@aol.com). Guest reviewed by Poison

Ivan.

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=361379946

If I understand it correctly, a mandala is a visual object used as a

meditation aid. The meditation aid in this particular story is

Mandala Winter's asshole. The narrator of this story arrives at

Mandala's house, where Miss Winter does several shocking things.

Before he knows it, he has his tongue buried between her ass cheeks.

This is a very short story, but Oscar Paco packs a lot into just a few

words. I got a clear view of the surroundings and of Mandala herself.

And there is a very nice sense of the narrator being over-run by an

overwhelming woman.

I highly recommend this story. If you're not squicked by oral-anal

contact, check it out.

=====================

"A Matter of Need" by watcher (llxzt@hotmail.com). Review by Sven the

Elder,

who may be contacted at Sven@brass-neck.demon.co.uk

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13034.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13035.txt

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13036.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386277

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386285

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371386299

This story is a simple one - it deals with the trauma of a devoted

married couple, one of whom dies, and the subsequent trials and

tribulations the surviving partner goes through as his friends attempt

his rehabilitation.

Now consider that the above synopsis is like saying that either St

Paul's Cathedral in London and the Capitol in Washington are just

buildings. This story is a tear jerker - I don't mind admitting that

at the end I cried - sentimental old fool that I am! Using colours

to describe the changing mood and turmoil in the mind of the main

character is a masterpiece of writing. It portrays what is almost an

exorcism superbly. There are others who can probably vouch for the

accuracy of the mood swings and feelings, better than I. Without

actually having undergone the sort of agony portrayed, I can only

imagine the situation - Watcher, for me has captured those feelings

with total clarity of description.

I have been deliberately a little cagey in the depictions and

synopsis; saying too much would detract from the story itself, that I

most certainly do not wish to do.

Finally I feel that I just read *my* story of '98. It will be a

remarkable one that comes along to displace this from *my* number one.

It *should* be in the top ten for the year at the very least. If you

read no other stories from this set of reviews, this has to be the

one.

As to the ratings - this is the first story I have read that I

genuinely feel is outside the rating structure, it is that good.

However to comply:-

=====================

"A Most Unusual Afternoon" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=372063151

When I labeled this story "unusual bdsm," I didn't mean "really kinky

bdsm." What I meant was that this was a bondage story that is just not

your usual sort of bondage story.

Darlene and Darren are twin siblings who are seniors in high school.

Darlene has asked her brother to do a favor for her, a favor that he

only reluctantly grants. Through the first half of the story the

author tantalizes us while we try to figure out what the favor is.

Then we find Darlene bound naked in her bed, and we still don't ever

really know what's going to happen.

I got all the way to the end of the story, and almost none of the

things that I expected to happen had occurred in this story. And I'm

glad they didn't. Some of those things would have made a good story,

but this one was just fine too.

==================

"Office Affair" by Mat Twassel (Mmtwassel@aol.com).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371380694

The narrator's love life with his wife has been mediocre up till now.

He'd like more sex, but she's passive at best. But suddenly she

becomes a veritable sexual dynamo. She suggests that maybe the

secretary on the tenth floor would like to boink him, and then she

demonstrates just how that young lady would perform the act. The next

morning she sends him off to the office with the best quickie he's had

in years.

Why would a woman change that way?

Hmmm... Just thinking about the answer to that question gives me a

pleasant feeling in a nice place.

==================

"Porch" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12213.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=363256015

This author has written several very good stories recently. You can

add this one to that list.

Michelle and Lara are professional women. Michelle is on the verge of

becoming a partner in her law firm, but she sees life as devoid of the

beauty and enthusiasm it should have. Lara has just broken up with

her boyfriend. While comforting her friend, Michelle spontaneously

expresses her love for her and scares her off. The main focus of the

story is on the fear and other emotions that go through Michelle's

mind as she tries to make sense out of this dangerous but beautiful

new relationship. The scene in which they first consummate their love

is extremely sexy and touching.

==================

"Private Dancer" by Steven A. Black (sblack@mail.coin.missouri.edu).

Guest review by BitBard (bitbard@newsguy.com).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=373022527

In "Private Dancer" a salesman loses his job and live-in girlfriend on

the same day. He moves back to his hometown and mopes around a bit

until he visits a strip joint. There he meets Sasha, a dancer at the

club who is not only very beautiful but also very interested in our

hero. It's obvious that these two need to get together, and they do.

He gives her his address, she comes over and you can guess what

happens then. Fade out. Five years pass. Fade in. They get hitched.

I feel safe in telling you all that because it's really not giving

anything away. There are no surprise twists and turns here. The

reader can see what's cumming a mile away. Well maybe not the five

years later part but there's a reason I'm including that in the

summary.

Within this rather predictable plot, the reader will discover a most

excellently written story. The author does a great job creating and

setting moods as well as settings and character. When the author

applies these skills to the sex scenes the story explodes in vivid

erotic imagery. The author takes a predictable plot and through sheer

talent makes the story interesting and compelling.

Yet it is that very same talent that proves to be the bane of this

story. In creating the mood and background for the narrator's

character the author touches upon subjects like the dangers of "open"

relationships, the need for honesty in a relationship, and even the

ups and downs of life itself. These touches create a fantastic

opening mood.

The problem is that these are very powerful subjects and this story
really doesn't explore the issues it brings up. Granted this is a sex

story and granted too this is a short story and whole books could be

written about any one of those subjects; but I think the author missed

the chance to really bind these issues together and say something

beyond sex with a beautiful stripper is orgasmically good.

In a way the story sets itself up to compare and contrast two

relationships but then doesn't do either. We know why the first

relationship failed; but beyond the fact that Sasha is a gorgeous babe

and a really hot fuck, why did the second one work? The reader never

has a chance to find out, because any answers the story may have are

lost in the five year transition between their first fuck and their

vows.

Despite my disappointment with the plot, this remains an

extraordinarily well written story with compelling writing and even

more compelling sex. I *ENJOYED* this story. But I'm still left

wondering how much better it could have been if only we had been

allowed to peek into that five year gap.

=====================

"Rampant" by Uther Pendragon (anon584c@nyx.net).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369771028

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370092228

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370456042

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370656430

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370903265

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=371236054

Those of us who are imbued with the spirit of romantic love often

forget that the notion of a woman falling in love and marrying the man
of her dreams is a modern innovation. We are reminded of that fact in

this historical short story, in which Elizabeth is assigned in

marriage at the age of sixteen to the son of a neighboring nobleman.

The story explores Elizabeth's thoughts and feelings as she goes

through her sexual awakening in the thirteenth century.

The author seems to know his history, and so I am going to assume that

the events are historically plausible. {Heck, I'm even going to

assume that I learned some history while reading this story!}

Elizabeth is a naive virgin on the night of her wedding, and her

husband is a kind and gentle lover. The six chapters of this story
describe the beginnings of their life together, with a heavy emphasis

on their growth in sexual intimacy.

Authors rarely explain their titles. That would ruin their mystique.

The title word appears only twice in the story, both time in the

phrase, "Argent, second quarter griffin rampant, gules." These are

terms from heraldry. They summarize as concisely as possible the

symbols emblazoned on a knight's shield. By reading this label, an

observer could classify a knight as friend or foe and even narrow him

down to a specific family. The term "rampant" refers to an animal
pictured on the shield as standing erect on one hind leg. I'll let you

figure out the significance of the title, if you wish to do so.

If you have followed the work of this author, you know that his

previous masterwork is a series about Bob and Jeanette Brennan. If

you are familiar with that story, you'll see some similarities to this

one. All the stories in the Brennan saga can be identified by the

letters f-o-r at the beginning of their titles. Let me go on record

right now as predicting that the Elizabeth and Karl series will

include three more stories, entitled "Passant," "Couchant," and

"Dormant." Don't ask me how I know - it's part of my mystique.

==================

"That Mardi Gras Spirit" by DG (dionysian1@hotmail.com). Guest review

by the

reclusive Mike Ink.

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12778.txt

Obligation is a compelling thing. I've enjoyed ASSD for awhile,

reclusively. Then I send an email to Celeste, grammar goddess of

erotic writing, bemoaning great writers who can't spell, and she pairs

me up with the Sandman. He transmogrifies into the BitBard, Celeste's

hard drive takes a long sleep, and suddenly I'm drafted to do a guest

review. I worry about whether I'll be too critical, obsessed with

missing commas and tense changes, missing the tense scenes. In other

words, this is my first guest review.

The Bard took pity on me, and assigned what he thought was the best

story in the batch to me. Having not seen the others, I yield to his

judgment. This one is very nice, in a quiet, very realistic fashion.

DG does not fall into a grainy exposition of pounding cocks and

spurting cum, dripping from the ceiling. Instead, this is an account

of a rainy day in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, as two couples grow

closer. I found myself saying, "been there" several times (and

wishing I'd been there other times). The plot is believable, the

words are all spelled right, and the action warms right up. There are

some great vignettes (I especially liked the bartering for ice cubes).

There are many wonderful one-liners; "Just keep an eye on the

lovebirds on the balcony, and go about half an inch lower."

DG gives credit to The Bear and Kim for proofreading; they obviously

did their jobs well.

While this story stands alone very nicely, DG mentions at the end,

"This is the third story featuring the adventures of DG and Cindy.

The other two are called "The Call of Desire" and "Banana Split" and

can be found, along with all my other stories, on my web page:

http://www.io.com/~thebear/dgidx.htm"

I intend to cruise on over and read the others too. To paraphrase the

Celestial Lady, "Good sex, good times, good grammar. What more could

you ask for?"

==================

"Toys" by Sista Shakespeare (sista_shakespeare@my-dejanews.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12881.txt

---

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=370017290

This story has several annoying grammatical glitches; but the style is

so overwhelming interesting that I found myself ignoring the mistakes

and simply enjoying the story. It takes a pretty good story to do

that to a veteran English teacher. As I got further into the story, I

realized that the apparent glitches were actually a fairly successful

attempt at dialect.

The narrator's lover has bought her a new sex toy, which he plans to

try out on her in a public place. We then lapse into a series of

flashbacks where we hear about this couple's previous kinky escapades.

The alphabet soup on the title line contained the word "odd," but it's

odd in a delightful way - uniquely sexy.

I won't tell you any more about it, but I suggest you take a look at

this unusual story.

==================

"A View of Alcatraz" by Anne Arbor (AnneArbor@hotmail.com). Reviewed

by Baird Allen (thebear@io.com)

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/12821.txt

When BitBard send me this story to review, I worried at first that my

sweet sister Kim might flame me to mere ashes if I gave it less than

perfect 10s. As soon as I started to read the story, those worries

faded rapidly.

This story is set "back in the 70's, in that decade of post-Pill and

pre-HIV," a time that many readers may remember with some fondness.

The narrator, Annie, is a student at Berkeley who lives with and then

marries Jed, a professor at that school. They augment their marital

sex life with frequent threesomes, always with women selected by Jed.

Annie enjoys having the women in their bed, but after a couple of

years decides that she'd like to invite another man to join them. The

final half of the story details Annie's first time being shared

between her husband and another man, and presents that event in a

narrative that is light-years beyond any description that I've ever

seen of similar activity in any story, drawing the reader deeply into

Annie's thoughts and feelings.

The writing is excellent, the characters real, the narrative detailed

and moving. This story fully earned its perfect 10s.

==================

"The Wild Hare" by Will Blake (willblake@yahoo.com).

http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/13273.txt

This story is a solicitation. The author is a mature, educated male

searching for intelligent female to trade stories and ideas for

stories. You can write to him at his address. If you are a naughty

naked cheerleader eager for buckets of cum, you can probably just go

ahead and send him your picture.

As I started to read this story, I figured this author was an

eleven-year-old boy trying to make it big with the ladies. Well, if

my hunch was right, this is one heckuva bright prepubescent kid. It

would be worthwhile to keep this kid around and wait for him to grow

up!

The story nicely combines outdoor sex with exhibitionism and

voyeurism. The author even throws in a blindfold, so that the husband

can't see the wild hare with the camera who is making eye contact with

his wife while he joins the husband in a simultaneous climax.

==================

"Wraith" by BitBard (bitbard@newsguy.com).

http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=369322510

Gail is a young blind woman who has lived a miserable existence under

her bitchy aunt's supervision while working at a telemarketing job

that she despised. Then she finds herself in touch with a mysterious

spirit, who gives her feelings that let her feel good about herself.

Exactly how this leads to sexual and emotional fulfillment I'll let

you discover for yourself.

It was a very good story. Even if you don't believe in ghosts.

<end>