**spoiler alert** I'll kick off with 'I just didn't get it' - I've never been able to get a grip on the original Alcestis myth in the first place - Th**spoiler alert** I'll kick off with 'I just didn't get it' - I've never been able to get a grip on the original Alcestis myth in the first place - The Euripides play is... problematic. It's supposed to be a Satyr play (so you'd get 3 tragedies and one bawdy comedy - the Satyr play performed back to back, often all by the same writer) but I've never found the play satisfying as either a comedy or a tragedy - Ted Hughes did a pretty good modern retelling of the story - but even with Hughes at the helm its still tough to get a handle on.
King Admetus gets a get out of jail free card from Apollo - if he can find someone to take his place, he doesn't have to die. He goes to his best friend and his aging parents, but they refuse, laughing at him. His wife Alcestis however, loves him so much she agrees to take his place and goes to the Underworld. Hercules visits his friend Admetus and breaks the rules of hospitality by being loud, drunk and bawdily retelling all his exploits while the household is grieving - He goes to the underworld to atone; rescues Alcestis and returns her to Admetus where they live happily ever after.
I was super excited to hear of Katharine Beutner's queer, feminist retelling - but by the end, found it just as frustrating as the original. Admetus is in love with Apollo and can't love Alcestis the way she wants. She has to live with the shame of her husband having an affair with a male god. Her beloved sister died of illness when she was a child, so she's perfectly happy to take her husband's place 1) to see her sister again, 2) to prevent shaming her husband and 3) because she's trapped in an 'unhappy' marriage
This unhappy marriage is stretching it - because while her husband doesn't love her as much as Apollo, its not an awful marriage - he's not unkind to her and they do have a physical relationship.
Anyhow she goes to the underworld and gets seduced by Persephone who seems to have a somewhat 'open' relationship with Hades. The power dynamic of Hades/Persephone is rather odd - Persephone is definitely in charge - Alcestis spies on Persephone riding Hades at one point - And Persephone claims her husband is hers to use - the pair do seem to love each other yet Persephone definitely prefers women - So again its frustrating because it would be so much easier if Persophone was simply a lesbian and hated Hades for abducting her - And Admetus fully gay - All the relationships are sort of half way. Alcestis constantly tries to escape Persophone's advances and she's clearly uncomfortable and yet at the same time she can't stop thinking about her.
Very straight forward Hercules comes to get Alcestis back (he's very much a blunt instrument) bewildered both that he doesn't have to fight for Alcestis and that he witnesses her in a steamy farewell embrace with the queen - but what happens in the underworld stays in the underworld....
She returns to her husband who is grieving - neither of them see their same sex immortal lovers again and live.... 'happily' ever after? Well they have children at any rate and live a content mortal existance.
ARGH! I just don't get it. What is the point????? I guess Alcestis becomes equal to her husband maybe? She's had a same sex immortal adventure, broadened her horizons. But that's about it - I guess she can now understand Admetus' love of Apollo? I don't know. I have the same frustration with the movie 'Kissing Jessica Stein' - where a straight laced woman confined by her Jewish background has a lesbian affair before settling down with the guy she was with originally. It's incredibly frustrating and I just don't get it - maybe I read to many romance novels - but I don't feel Admetus and Alcestis is a passionate romance and them ending up with each other just feels wrong - but neither did I feel the great romance of Alcestis/Persephone because Alcestis wasn't comfortable with it and Persephone seemed to be content with her marriage to Hades. So yeah....
While this did what it said - a queer retelling of the Alcestis myth, I found it just as muddy and unsatisfying as the original story - I'm none the wiser as to the moral or perpose of the story and overall am left feeling frustrated and bewildrered....more
This is the first of a YA fantasy duology centering on the Orpheus/Eurydice myth - Orpheus is the tyrannical villain here, sending a team of young SouThis is the first of a YA fantasy duology centering on the Orpheus/Eurydice myth - Orpheus is the tyrannical villain here, sending a team of young Soul Servers (priests of Hades) to get his wife Eurydice back from the Underworld, but when our intrepid team finally find her they learn that she has very good reasons for not wanting to return....
I absolutely loved this. It takes a familiar myth and turns it on its head - Asking the question, what if Eurydice didn't want to return. Being a classics scholar I have a firm image of the characters from Greek myth in my head and it always delights me when I find a book that challenges my ideas and gives me a solid reason for doing so.
Gender switching Hades is fantastic - I love the idea that since Gods aren't bound by human rules they don't have to be ruled by human gender.
I loved the depiction of Orpheus - more like a tyrannical Roman Emperor or Alexander the Great at his most megolomaniac. It was nice that Theron takes the more traditional role Orpheus usually has - skilled bard, and that he's the one that actually goes down to the underworld.
World building with the Theodesmioi is also well realised and interesting. There's shades of the Maze Runner hereas well which I rather liked - the Blood Hunters pursing them and the tasks that they have to perform.
If I'm being picky I wasn't too keen on the romantic/emotional entanglements angle - Our heroine Deina is in a sort of love triangle almost, with Theron, the bard she's grown up with who betrayed her (so now its a sort of love-hate relationship) Thanatos (the mecurial god of Death who seems strangely obsessed with her) and her best friend Chryse - the reason why she accepts Orpheus' quest - to gain them their freedom so thety can live on a remote island somewhere happily ever after. It's too much - I guess I either wanted Deina to be out as a lesbian (in love with Chryse) straight (in love with Theorn) or Other (drawn to Nat) having all three in the mix is a bit.... frustrating.
Otherwise I really enjoyed this one - It reminded me a bit of Richard Pertill but made more relevant to YA/modern audiences. It's sequel Queen of the Gods when straight on pre-order, very much looking forward to it.
I also out to mention the stunning cover on this one - Which instantly caught my eye in Waterstones. Beautiful....more
**spoiler alert** The Book of the Damned is the first of 4 volumes in the secret books of Paradys - It contains 3 novellas set in the same city, but i**spoiler alert** The Book of the Damned is the first of 4 volumes in the secret books of Paradys - It contains 3 novellas set in the same city, but in different eras. Other than the city connection they are thematically linked by issues of gender switching and idenity
1: Stained with Crimson Gender switching Vampires – male poet falls for female vampire, plot twist hero is a girl dressing as a guy who then becomes obsessed with the vampires brother or is it her male alter-ego. As the vampire is always portrayed as 'other' they are the perfect vehicle to explore queer idenity, and this story really runs with that idea, the vampire actually switching gender it would seem (It's not as overt as Andrew Neiderman's The Need, here its far more subtle and gothic) - The family here is Scarabin and shares a marked resemlance to the Scarabae family in Lee's darkness trilogy and the Basultes of Killing Violets - which if you are a fan, you are going to love this one. It's very gothic and I got a real Byron/Shelly era vibe from the relationships.
2. Malice in Saffron This feels Renaissance period, our heroine, a young country girl gets raped by her stepfather, runs away to find her brother who rejects her. She becomes a nun and takes bloody vengeance, having her brother raped and murdering & looting. A plague sweeps the city and she sees the error of her ways and sustains her brother by cutting off her own arm to feed him. He learns nothing and is still the obnoxious git he always was. Here we see Lee's unbalanced heroine come into play and this draws in religious themes of angels, monastic life, revelation and sin and redemption. Our lesbian heroine dresses as a man for her bloody retribution and gender issues are fairly central - with lesbian nuns, cross dressing and a bi-sexual brother.
3. Empires of Azure Gender fluidity is the central premise of this last novella. We have a gay drag artist/female impersonator - phyically sexually dormant (though all his lovers have been male) emotionally sexually responsive to females though has no interest in them physically - he finds that he could create all he wants in himself and becomes a female impersonator. He encounters a ghost of a murdered socialite Timione and takes over her pseudo Egyptian look for his latest drag act. However she was posessed by an Ancient Egyptian sorceress who eventually takes over out hero turning him into a hermaphrodite.
Fans of LGBT fantasy this is practically a bible - It explores the gammut of queer idenity all with Lee's sumptuous gothic prose at times like that of Poe. You never know what to expect from the stories or how they will end up. This was listed on the Bloomsbury's 100 must read fantasy novels list - Personally it's not the Tanith Lee I would have chosen, but I can see why they did. Its a fascinating exploration of gender as well as showcasing a lot of themes and ambiguities that show up time and again in her work.
Like Sherlock Holmes - His last Bow I hate the stories where our hero is an old man, set in a different time frame. Black Butterfly does a similar thiLike Sherlock Holmes - His last Bow I hate the stories where our hero is an old man, set in a different time frame. Black Butterfly does a similar thing for Lucifer Box, gone is the glorious Victoriana. We're in the mid? 50's and Lucifer is now an old man, very much out to pasture - his job being taken over by Allan Playfair. This is his last hurrah, as he investigates a series of murders where old men, after a sudden uncharacteristic bout of euphoria have all committed suicide - The plot leads Box to an experimental drug Black Butterfly and some old enemies.
I wasn't too big a fan of this one. I really miss the Victorian setting, the gothic/supernatural/occult elements and Lucifer Box's youth and sexual escapades. Here his attempts seem somewhat pathetic. Box having an unexpected son 'Christmas Box' just felt weird. A very disappointing finale. ...more
Sea Lovers is a very mixed bag of short stories centred around human (mainly romantic) relationships. The stories are split into three categories: AniSea Lovers is a very mixed bag of short stories centred around human (mainly romantic) relationships. The stories are split into three categories: Animals, Artists and Metamorphoses.
Animals takes 4 stories in which an animal is symbolic of a relationship breakdown. Spats - sees a women left with a dog she doesn't want belonging to the man who has left her for another woman. The freeze has a middle aged woman make a rejected pass at one of her students, paralleled with a cat dying in the snow. Well written rather sad snippets of real life.
Artists deals with tempestuous relationships with writers, artists and dancers. The open door is a lesbian tale in which a disgraced dance teacher and a poet have to try and come to terms moving to Italy.
It is the last section, Metamorphosis that really captured my imagination. I'm a big fan of magic realism and I thought these las4 4 tales were brilliant, although they do feel out of place the previous two sections being grounded in the real world.
The change has a male trying to deal with his wife going through the menopause - given a magical twist of her turning into an owl. Sea Lovers is a piece of mermaid horror. The Incident at Villedeau is a a selkie murder mystery. However the highlight of the entire volume has to be the brilliant Et in Acadiana Ego - A centaur romance. Centaur Nikos rides into the life of beautiful heroine Mathilde because he admires (and tries to mate with!) her horse. However as he gets to know Mathilde he begins to fall in love with her. They have a conversation in which she asks him which he prefers, her or her horse and he replies, "I'm divided' - This reminded me of the likes of Tanith Lee and Angela Carter.
Over all I found Sea Lovers a very strange mix of styles and topics. I guess it shows the versatility of the author, but I would have preferred a more themed and unified anthology. Still it shows great insight into human relationships and the writing flows beautifully. Well worth reading for the last story alone....more
Inspector Chen is absent for half of this one - he's on holiday with his demon wife. Instead we follow his partner demon Zhu Irzh. Zhu is frustrated -Inspector Chen is absent for half of this one - he's on holiday with his demon wife. Instead we follow his partner demon Zhu Irzh. Zhu is frustrated - he was a demon working for Hell's Vice division (promoting it not stopping it) and now he's on Earth as a police detective. The police don't trust him and won't let him on the interesting cases and Chen is away. Still a brutally murdered lesbian socialite prompts Zhu to investigate leading him straight to Jhai Tserai - Jhai is a Devas (Indian tiger courtesan) although she takes drugs to supress her demonic side. Zhu is instantly smitten, but the problem is that the beautiful biochemist is up to her neck and experimenting with some very dangerous supernatural entitles.
There's so much to enjoy here. The world building is fantastic and such a breath of fresh air for the urban fantasy genre - Set in a slightly futuristic Singapore three, it mixes cyberpunk elements with Asian mythology and low tech.
The characters are also excellent - I love Zhu, and the supporting cast are great as well.
The writing is good and despite how much strange and unfamiliar things this throws at you, it remains pacy and easy to follow.
The chapters are short and the pace sometimes a little too breakneck. In places this feels like a screenplay rather than a novel and that's why i only gave this 3* even though the imagination and originality probably deserves higher. Robin just suddenly blurts out at one point she's in love with Mhara and although she definitely showed sympathy when she freed him, I just felt eh? that's a bit abrupt. Scenes cut out and we jump back in further on... it just feels a little disjointed in places.
Still on the whole I loved this one and it really is something a bit different for the urban fantasy genre. Hurry up and make a TV series! ...more
**spoiler alert** The premise of Jason is to retell Jason and the Argonauts, as a historical memoir from Jason as an old, embittered man, debunking al**spoiler alert** The premise of Jason is to retell Jason and the Argonauts, as a historical memoir from Jason as an old, embittered man, debunking all the "myths" and turning it in to a work of historical fiction. In this it succeeds and is quite possibly the best example in its field.
when we think of Jason we instantly think of the word "hero" - well this completely turns that on it's head. There is *nothing* whatsoever heroic about Jason-Diomedes, he is entirely reactionary, has no outstanding qualities and indeed many failings. I didn't even like him for most of the book. And that's a feat in itself - to sustain a reader's interest with unsympathetic and unlikable characters. Yet I could not put this down. I didn't like Jason, but I understood him, and his fears and motivations.
It's an excellent evocation of Bronze Age Greece. I particularly liked the way this depicts the terrifying religion of the women of Samothrace, spreading its orgiastic killing into the more civilized world - such as the women of Lemnos. The almost Wicker-Man like ceremony Jason encounters as a youth totally explains his terror of women, and fits with Ancient sources/archaeology about the castration rites of Cybele and Isis. The death of Hylas by water nymphs - immortalized by the Pre-Raphaelite painting by John Waterhouse, is given a terrifying and plausible reality here as he is a sacrifice in one of these Bacchic frenzies. The clashing rocks become icebergs, the Stymphalean birds Scythian archers, and the Golden fleece one of the many fleeces the Colcheans used to pan rivers for gold. Every aspect is plausibly explained and fits archaeological evidence. This is really well researched.
Jason, unlike the Argonautica follows our 'hero's' entire life - from conception (his mother's brief encounter with a run-away Minoan slave to death as a one-eyed beggar returning to his famous ship once more, to be felled by the prow as it is severed by lightening. an inglorious end to an inglorious beginning.
So this covers the gamut of the Jason myth-cycle including Medea and what follows. Medea is given a fascinating spin. Jason is complicit with her in the murder of Creon and Glauce - and it looks like they are to run off and live happily ever after until they are betrayed at the last by Hercules - who murders his children and runs off with Medea.
The portrayal of Hercules is one of the most interesting thing about this novel. In an odd way, this reminded me of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' if it were set in the Bronze age. Jason being the weak Sal under the hypnotic spell of his dark, impetuous 'twin' Hercules (Dean Moriarty). The depiction of Hercules here draws quite a bit from the Greek comedies - his 'madness' makes him gay, and certainly on the Argo he and Hylas are openly lovers, much to the disgust of the crew. However when Hercules is not 'mad' he scorns homosexuality, being disparaging about the Theban Band. He and Jason have a lengthy foursome with Pelias' two daughters and also share Medea. Although Jason is not happy with this and there's a plot where Medea & Herc seem to have plotted to kill him. How much Medea is complicit with Hercules is up to the reader to speculate. But I do find it odd that she would tend to Jason after he is blinded, make a plot to escape with him, kill the royal court and then go on to murder her children and shack up with Hercules. Was she merely overcome by a superior force?
Hypsipyle comes across as probably the most sympathetic woman in the whole novel - certainly Jason constantly refers to her as the love of his life until the end where he claims "Always it is Medea" - Yet even Hypsipyle is far from 'good' having led the massacre of the men of Lemnos at the behest of the Witches from Samothrace.
So Jason is quite misogynistic, but I think that fits with the whole unheroic nature of the novel - removing the 'glamour' with the mythical elements to make a very human tale of sex, drugs, adventure and massacre in Bronze Age Greece. As such it does a smashing job of updating the story (yet keeping the ancient world setting) and making it relevant today....more
The first third of this picks up from where volume 1 left off, nicely concluding Tsuda and Nakano's romance. The rest of this follows Tsuda's colleaguThe first third of this picks up from where volume 1 left off, nicely concluding Tsuda and Nakano's romance. The rest of this follows Tsuda's colleague Saeki who finds his life strangely empty as his friends hook up. Tsuda now has Nakano, thanks to his intervention, and his best friend Fukanaga announces his engagement to his long term girlfriend. At 35, Saeki is left on the sidelines with no hobbies and suddenly no friends to hang about with. He looks back on his life and the emptiness of the two women he's currently dating and begins to feel really sorry for himself. Then along comes Kouhei, the 18 year old son of another co-worker, who brazenly confesses his love and asks him out. Saeki is thrown for six, he's never dated a man and he can't understand why Kouhei is into him. And yet despite rejecting him he can't seem to get the kid out of his head.
I'm not usually a huge fan of May-to-December pairings, however I really like Saeki and he totally deserves some happiness. Didn't think this side story was too bad....more
Tsuda seduced his best friend Nakano in high-school, but then dumps him soon after for a girl. They have not spoken in 10 years until Tsuda is contracTsuda seduced his best friend Nakano in high-school, but then dumps him soon after for a girl. They have not spoken in 10 years until Tsuda is contracted by the toy company Nakano works for, throwing them back into each other's orbit.
I loved the characters and story set up of this one. It's a bit like Desire (one of my all time favourite yaois) only with a longer time frame. What I struggled with was Tsuda's explanation of why he got a girlfriend... To reassure Nakano that he'd never hurt him. Eh? On what planet does that make a lick of sense? The artwork is only so-so, if this had had prettier art I may have given it 4* even with Tsuda's monumental stupidity - the story, characters, supporting cast and pace really are pretty good. The weakest thing, other than the art (which isn't at all bad, it's just not as good as some of the other stuff out there) is the title. There aren't really any 'false memories' involved - merely Nakano trying to forget.
2nd novel in the F.R.E.A.K.S Squad [Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and kindred supernaturals - the paranormal branch of the F.B.I] series. Will the2nd novel in the F.R.E.A.K.S Squad [Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and kindred supernaturals - the paranormal branch of the F.B.I] series. Will the werewolf is off on vacation communing with his inner beast. This leaves vampire Oliver to make his movies on Bea - They go off on a solo mission to investigate a nest (coven) of vampires who have been killing indiscriminately. This leads Oliver to confront a couple of vampire exes who both hold grudges over the past....
I much preferred this one to Mind over Monsters, largely due to the vampire story which ticks all my boxes and the fact that there is lots of Oliver. I really can't understand Bea's dilemma or why she seems to favour Will. I mean Oliver's better looking, more thoughtful, devoted, immortal and badass and Will's just grumpy and bossy. But hey.
Other than the tedious love triangle aspect this one's great and will delight fans of things like Anita Blake and True Blood. Fast paced, kick ass heroine urban fantasy with lots of vampire action....more
Druuna X 2 falls neatly in between Druuna X and The Sweet Smell of Woman. It's yet another Serpieri sketch book of hardcore scenes featuring his iconiDruuna X 2 falls neatly in between Druuna X and The Sweet Smell of Woman. It's yet another Serpieri sketch book of hardcore scenes featuring his iconic heroine Druuna. We get a mix in this of both Druuna's lesbian and heterosexual encounters, all rendered with stunning detail. Normally all his women look the same, so its actually refreshing to have some variation in facial features and positions here, although his obsession with the female bottom is still very much in evidence. The art is accompanied by snippets of erotic poetry throughout the ages.
If you like erotic art this makes a wonderful addition. However it's very much Druuna out of context - so there's no sci-fi or weird body horror - It's not nearly fantastical enough for my taste. Also unlike Druuna X there's no insight into the mind of the artist or art techniques. Again being a female reader I'm probably slightly biased against this which does little more than objectify women. Although Druuna is clearly loving every minute and revels in her sexual power. For me personally though, I need more than Druuna's obvious assets and wanted more sketches of the rest of the druunaverse....more
**spoiler alert** The mutation virus has manifest on the rescue ship, infecting one of the Prolats. Doc and Captain Will know from Druuna that there w**spoiler alert** The mutation virus has manifest on the rescue ship, infecting one of the Prolats. Doc and Captain Will know from Druuna that there was a serum which retarded the mutation. They question her and although she doesn't know, she realises Lewis (God) probably did. The energy hybrid of Lewis/Shastar is currently infecting the ship's computer. While they can't communicate, Druuna has proved that she is susceptible to it's telepathy. Doc hooks her up to the computer where she enters Lewis' mind and is sent on a quest to find the secret of the serum. She has to explore and seduce her way through a parade of sadists and mutants in usual Druuna style.
This dream/mental landscape allows us to revisit Druuna's home environment of 'The City' though being a dreamscape and in a computer, it gives rise to a nice fusion of organic and cyber tech and of course a mix of what's gone before with new and weird elements.
The art is stunning as ever, however Druuna isn't at her best here. For some bizarre reason she gets stockings and a teeny white crop-top which didn't do much for me. The stockings in particular just seem out of place. Otherwise though this one's not bad, I like the story which fuses sex and death beautifully. The irony that the serum which will cure them is derived from the mandragore (mandrake root) fed on semen (the suppliers of which are killed) ...more
20 Years on from the events of the Vesuvius Club, Lucifer Box is feeling his age. Nobody wants his portraits, preferring the new fad - photography. An20 Years on from the events of the Vesuvius Club, Lucifer Box is feeling his age. Nobody wants his portraits, preferring the new fad - photography. And as for his career is espionage, he's washed up, or so his younger rival Percy Flarge keeps telling him. Even so he gets embroiled in a devilish plot worthy of Denis Wheatley in which FAUST (Fascist Anglo-United States Tribune) is a front for an occult society trying to raise the Devil. Madman Olympus Mons is at the helm and his second in command is none other than Lucifer's estranged sister Pandora!
Again this one's lightening paced and rather fun. And our dashing sexual omnivore gets to strut his stuff -buggering the bellboy, trying to evade the roving hands of a sexually voracious old crone before seducing the virgin sacrifice - The Lamb of God, Mons needs for his ritual.
I miss the Victorian/Edwardian setting of the Vesuvius Club, but otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this supernatural romp. Box is a complete scoundrel and yet you can't help but root for him. ...more
The first of two novels, this charts the teenage years of Alexander the Great and his relationship with Hephaestion.
It's really well researched and doThe first of two novels, this charts the teenage years of Alexander the Great and his relationship with Hephaestion.
It's really well researched and does a great job of evoking Ancient Macedonia -The supporting cast (Cassander, Ptolemy, Harpalus etc) are much how I picture them myself which is really pleasing and I love that this gives the A/H romance the attention it deserves. It's also refreshing to spend so much time in Mizea with Aristotle - Not much happens during this period and so most Alexander fiction is set later. once the battles kick in; it's rather nice to step back and look at his adolescence.
The problem is plot - lack thereof. Historically not much happens and not much happens in this novel either. While being a massive Alexander fan-girl I was content to wallow in the evocation of 3rd Century BC Macedonia, it does make this quite slow and i won't say dull (because this period fascinates me as much as the characters) but just not that exciting. Pacing's a bit all over the place and I'm not sure what the purpose was of the Dionysian mystery rite at the end - it seems a very weird way to end this.
My biggest annoyance however is the bold choice to use the original Greek forms for character and place names - Alexandros for Alexander, Aigyptos for Egypt, Myrtale for Olympias etc - Because the western spellings/pronunciation are so ingrained using the stranger sounding Greek slows the pace even further and seems to over complicate things merely for the sake of it. This is clearly aimed at a YA audience and so I find the choice doubly baffling - Because you want to encourage teens reading not put them off by making this harder than it needs to be.
Over all though I really enjoyed this. Story-wise It makes a nice companion piece to Mary Renault's Fire from Heaven and Judith Tarr's Bring down the Sun (the only other novel I can think of which refers to Olympias' original name as Myrtale). It's not got the heart-in-your-mouth sweeping romance of Fire from Heaven or something like Song of Achilles but it is a nice portrayal of m/m first love with the added impediment of royalty and the responsibilities that brings. ...more
A fascinating insight into the life of one of the 80's biggest icons.
This focuses far more on Fox as a musician than her glamour career and yet doesn'A fascinating insight into the life of one of the 80's biggest icons.
This focuses far more on Fox as a musician than her glamour career and yet doesn't go into that much depth on that either - we hear about touch me but the rest of her output isn't discussed in much detail. It's a fast paced read and a great overview covering Sam's family trauma and various relationships, with both frankness and humour but some of the chapters are very short - Maybe what I'm saying is this book could be ten times longer and still wouldn't have come close to uncovering everything about this very complex and brave woman.
I would have liked more on the LGBT side of things and the reactions of the nation's favourite glamour girl suddenly coming out as gay. It's obviously there, and we get chapters dedicated to Myra and Chrissie as well as her male lovers but I really would have liked to read more on her inner turmoil and gender identity.
On the whole though this is a biography you do not want to put down, it's entertaining and a great, if brief, overview. ...more
Lucifer Box feted artist and dashing dandy by day, philanderer, sodomite and assassin by night is a secret agent working for the government. When seveLucifer Box feted artist and dashing dandy by day, philanderer, sodomite and assassin by night is a secret agent working for the government. When several scientists specialising in volcanoes go missing and the agent on the case winds up dead, Lucifer is put on the case which takes him to Italy and the heart of Vesuvius itself.
I've always been a fan of Mark Gatiss and this first Lucifer Box novel is a wonderful romp through the seedier society of Edwardian London. If you like things like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the novels of Paul Magrs and Sherlock Holmes derivatives you'll love this gothic steampunk pulp. ...more
It's like the anti Black Butler. This one's set a bit later, pre-war and our Butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi is reDeeply angsty master/butler yaoi romance.
It's like the anti Black Butler. This one's set a bit later, pre-war and our Butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi is really complicated. He's alooof, cruel, manipulative and seduces men and women alike if he thinks it will further the family's power base. From this volume I have a hard time seeing how his Master Akihito Kuze can possibly fall in love with him. I get that Akihito is alone but honestly - Katsuragi is a slave driver, clearly has his own agenda, is secretive, promiscuous and manipulative. I just don't get the attraction. If it is lust based that doesn't really come across either, the sex scene isn't hot and indeed feels more like rape. It's definitely rough, both our leads sporting bruising afterwards. Family and political dynamics are as complicated as our leading man. Maybe this series will come into its own in subsequent volumes, but I must say this first volume didn't grab me. Artwork is solid but by no means the best in the field....more
Dreamspun Desires are basically the Mills & Boon/Loveswept of the m/m romance genre - short & sweet m/m romances for the mass market.
Alex, once the hiDreamspun Desires are basically the Mills & Boon/Loveswept of the m/m romance genre - short & sweet m/m romances for the mass market.
Alex, once the high school football star was best friends with the school bad boy Ricky-Lee - they were caught kissing in the library by the school bully and Ricky Lee was expelled for delinquent behaviour. Alex has always regretted not standing up for Ricky but gets a second chance when Ricky unexpectedly returns for their 10 year high school reunion.
This is a nice, light 2nd chance at love romance. The romance itself is a bit too fairytale simple as is Ricky-Lee's revelation of now being a millionaire - However I love the premise of this one and the 2nd chance at love trope is always a winner. There's also a decent level of external plot involving a drug smuggling ring and saving the local library (always something close to my own heart)
I also really liked the inclusion of of Ricky-Lee's non-binary companion Crae - nice to see a kick-ass supporting LGBTQ character who isn't specifically gay or bi.
While this one isn't as emotionally deep as some of the other Dreamspinner titles, Its still an engaging happily ever after m/m romance. ...more
This TPB contains Barbarella #1-4 plus a gallery of all the variant covers of the four issues.
#1-3 has our sexy space traveller land on a planet ruledThis TPB contains Barbarella #1-4 plus a gallery of all the variant covers of the four issues.
#1-3 has our sexy space traveller land on a planet ruled by the (largely male) priesthood where desire is outlawed. She is found guilty of smuggling bio-contraband (female sex organs) which are surgically removed before she's imprisoned. In prison she meets spy Quire who becomes her lesbian lover and the pair escape to continue Quire's mission. Things take a dark turn when it seems the mission is genocide and despite hating the priests and their rigid belief system is genocide really the answer?
Art on this arc is particularly strong - especially issue 1 - it feels like a lot of European comics which ties in nicely with her French origins.
#4 is a stand alone. Barbarella has a dalliance with a wealthy purple empath who provides bespoke planets for those that can afford them. However he needs to sabotage his latest project to save face after things go wrong - and that means killing off anyone who tries to stop him... including his new lover. While the art isn't as pretty I quite enjoyed this one shot story.
Overall this is better than you'd expect it to be - more Aeon Flux than Barbarella the movie. For those of you who like sexy space heroines who kick ass this is worth checking out....more
This contains the stand-alone Adolescence of Utena - which is one of my all time favourites. The rest of this is more of the same but it is frustratinThis contains the stand-alone Adolescence of Utena - which is one of my all time favourites. The rest of this is more of the same but it is frustratingly confusing and merits MULTIPLE re-readings - set in an alternative dream-like reality its really hard to work out what's going on - Individual scenes make perfect sense but characters appear and disappear and you're never sure who's alive/dead, real/unreal and characters also randomly change costume. Mostly I don't care because I love the Utena universe and this is such a gorgeous edition - 2 hardbacks in a slipcase with a poster and lots of glossy colour plates at the start - it really deserves pride of place in any manga collection. But coming to this with no knowledge of Utena and you'll be scratching your head - it's like a beautiful poem from which you have to tease meaning and bring your own interpretations. ...more
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