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erastesSound and Fury by B A Tortuga
Short Version: Plot? What Plot? C+
Long Version Again, I encountered a problem I see again and again with these gay historicals, that don't tell you WHEN they are occurring. When you pick up a book at the library or in a bookshop you flip over to the back and read something like: Fresh from Waterloo -Captain Carter is ordered by Lord Wellesley to quell an uprising in the SoandSo province. Will Carter be able to infiltrate the warlord's defences? Blah blah…
So we know where – and when – we are!
But this (and many others I read recently) has no clues as to setting it firmly WHEN. And call me picky, but I like to know! The early and mid 19 th Century was a hugely transformative century, the modern civilisation was being born and even 20 years here and there made a large difference to the fashions, the language, the transport etc.
So I had to ASSUME it was pre-Victorian, even Regency perhaps but I had no idea, and as I said, it's about the sixth book I've read recently (more if you count the four short stories of J Talbots) that has this problem and I'm getting more and more sensitive to it. /rant
However, the books starts in a promising fashion, our hero Seth is acting as second to a friend's duel. The antagonist Declan Murtagh (who is surprised that Seth knows he's Irish!!…no jokes please) is a kind of D'Artagnan figure when we first meet him, and he admits that he's been in eight duels in a fortnight. Seth becomes attracted to the young man, invites him back to the house for breakfast and Declan stays for good, and they are shagging before you can say "what era is this?"
If you like long long LONG sex scenes you'll love this – the first sex scene goes on for 22 pages!!! – about 5000 words. I have trouble writing entire short stories of that length… The book is 35k words long approx and about 18k of those are sex. They are fairly hot, but really, who wants to wank for 5k??? Ouchie.
However – unless my version had something missing – I couldn't find any actual plot at all. There's a "conflict" shoe-horned in half way through which causes Declan to bolt but the resolution is weak and the reunion is unrealistic. After its promising start the book deteriorated into a series of rather strange arguments which seemed to have no point, a lot of scenes of the characters eating rather anachronistic things and the marathon love-making scenes as mentioned.
The writing isn't bad, at all, it's engaging and I warmed to both characters early on - surprisingly they are three dimensional but I'd like have have seen them given something to do other than.. well, you know. The trouble is that it got boring and I just thought OMG NOT AGAIN - flipped forward for pages - which meant I only read about half of this book at most because when I saw them (after a break of about five paragraphs) getting into another clinch I just kept turning pages until they'd both spent. Again. It actually feels very much like a converted RPG, now I come to think about it.
If you want huge tender sex scenes, you'll love it, but if you want some story with your sex you'll be disappointed, it's probably one of the longest PWP's I've ever read.
And in other WTFs - Confused now - The anthology "Time Well Bent" Guidelines seem to have altered, and my head has gone Splodey.
This was the original guideline.
"Time Well Bent will be an anthology of speculative fiction in the sub-genre of alternate history, written from GLBTQ perspectives. Imagine some historical event, of great or slight significance, veering off from what is currently recorded, thereby changing history in large or small ways. The alternate sexuality of the protagonists must play an integral part in the course of events."
"Elements of time travel with the intention of altering history will be a hard sell, but might work. Fantasy could fit when the historical period or cultural setting is appropriate, such as in the Medieval or Renaissance eras, or, as a culture-based example, in a story of Roma (Gypsies) resisting Nazi oppression."
"This book is not intended to be erotica. Plot, setting, and characterization are the essential elements. Any level of erotic content integral to the development of the story is fine, but nothing gratuitous."
Ok, fine - but I've just noticed that this has been added:
"NOTE: after reading some submissions, I need to make it clear that I'm not looking for historical 'slash,' as such, or stories that are primarily romance. It's a matter of tone and focus. Relationships (and sex) can be part of the story, but the historical and speculative aspects must be central."
OK - so the protag has to be GLBTQ... and he must be integral to the changing history e.g. Smuggling King Charles I off the scaffold at the last moment - but his being gay doesn't enter into it.
Sorry. I'm confused. I get that one's actions are mostly NOT driven by one's libido, but if the character is G-etc, then why bother mentioning it? Why should his sexual orientation be relevant at all, if what they want is a historical AU in some way? A character's sexuality isn't always mentioned, after all - he just gets on with his job, adventuring etc.
"David watched the scaffold being built as he remember the rough sex he'd had with the rough trade behind the tavern the night before. Daniel? Simon? He couldn't remember and it didn't matter now. He was here to do a job. To free the King."
Confused. Anyone got any thoughts?
Short Version: Plot? What Plot? C+
Long Version Again, I encountered a problem I see again and again with these gay historicals, that don't tell you WHEN they are occurring. When you pick up a book at the library or in a bookshop you flip over to the back and read something like: Fresh from Waterloo -Captain Carter is ordered by Lord Wellesley to quell an uprising in the SoandSo province. Will Carter be able to infiltrate the warlord's defences? Blah blah…
So we know where – and when – we are!
But this (and many others I read recently) has no clues as to setting it firmly WHEN. And call me picky, but I like to know! The early and mid 19 th Century was a hugely transformative century, the modern civilisation was being born and even 20 years here and there made a large difference to the fashions, the language, the transport etc.
So I had to ASSUME it was pre-Victorian, even Regency perhaps but I had no idea, and as I said, it's about the sixth book I've read recently (more if you count the four short stories of J Talbots) that has this problem and I'm getting more and more sensitive to it. /rant
However, the books starts in a promising fashion, our hero Seth is acting as second to a friend's duel. The antagonist Declan Murtagh (who is surprised that Seth knows he's Irish!!…no jokes please) is a kind of D'Artagnan figure when we first meet him, and he admits that he's been in eight duels in a fortnight. Seth becomes attracted to the young man, invites him back to the house for breakfast and Declan stays for good, and they are shagging before you can say "what era is this?"
If you like long long LONG sex scenes you'll love this – the first sex scene goes on for 22 pages!!! – about 5000 words. I have trouble writing entire short stories of that length… The book is 35k words long approx and about 18k of those are sex. They are fairly hot, but really, who wants to wank for 5k??? Ouchie.
However – unless my version had something missing – I couldn't find any actual plot at all. There's a "conflict" shoe-horned in half way through which causes Declan to bolt but the resolution is weak and the reunion is unrealistic. After its promising start the book deteriorated into a series of rather strange arguments which seemed to have no point, a lot of scenes of the characters eating rather anachronistic things and the marathon love-making scenes as mentioned.
The writing isn't bad, at all, it's engaging and I warmed to both characters early on - surprisingly they are three dimensional but I'd like have have seen them given something to do other than.. well, you know. The trouble is that it got boring and I just thought OMG NOT AGAIN - flipped forward for pages - which meant I only read about half of this book at most because when I saw them (after a break of about five paragraphs) getting into another clinch I just kept turning pages until they'd both spent. Again. It actually feels very much like a converted RPG, now I come to think about it.
If you want huge tender sex scenes, you'll love it, but if you want some story with your sex you'll be disappointed, it's probably one of the longest PWP's I've ever read.
And in other WTFs - Confused now - The anthology "Time Well Bent" Guidelines seem to have altered, and my head has gone Splodey.
This was the original guideline.
"Time Well Bent will be an anthology of speculative fiction in the sub-genre of alternate history, written from GLBTQ perspectives. Imagine some historical event, of great or slight significance, veering off from what is currently recorded, thereby changing history in large or small ways. The alternate sexuality of the protagonists must play an integral part in the course of events."
"Elements of time travel with the intention of altering history will be a hard sell, but might work. Fantasy could fit when the historical period or cultural setting is appropriate, such as in the Medieval or Renaissance eras, or, as a culture-based example, in a story of Roma (Gypsies) resisting Nazi oppression."
"This book is not intended to be erotica. Plot, setting, and characterization are the essential elements. Any level of erotic content integral to the development of the story is fine, but nothing gratuitous."
Ok, fine - but I've just noticed that this has been added:
"NOTE: after reading some submissions, I need to make it clear that I'm not looking for historical 'slash,' as such, or stories that are primarily romance. It's a matter of tone and focus. Relationships (and sex) can be part of the story, but the historical and speculative aspects must be central."
OK - so the protag has to be GLBTQ... and he must be integral to the changing history e.g. Smuggling King Charles I off the scaffold at the last moment - but his being gay doesn't enter into it.
Sorry. I'm confused. I get that one's actions are mostly NOT driven by one's libido, but if the character is G-etc, then why bother mentioning it? Why should his sexual orientation be relevant at all, if what they want is a historical AU in some way? A character's sexuality isn't always mentioned, after all - he just gets on with his job, adventuring etc.
"David watched the scaffold being built as he remember the rough sex he'd had with the rough trade behind the tavern the night before. Daniel? Simon? He couldn't remember and it didn't matter now. He was here to do a job. To free the King."
Confused. Anyone got any thoughts?
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-19 04:46 pm (UTC)You will write this.
You must.
Possibly with phallic nature of hanging corpses etc.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-19 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-19 04:53 pm (UTC)Come on - wouldn't it be fun to write a story where you only know the protagonist is gay through his perceptions, without once mentioning that he shags men?