erastes

When the Puritan village of Perseverance was troubled by a lascivious warlock, they sent for the Witch-hunter known as the Sword of the Lord. What should have been a classic conflict of good and evil did not turn out as anyone expected.

I'm reviewing it here as I'm not doing fantasy/AU on Speak Its Name at the mo.

It's a short story - but I'm not quite sure of the time period it's supposed to be in - I'm assuming too that the story is set in Pioneer America as there is mention of an Earl who has left to "return to England" and there are Puritans, but not being anchored in a time frame was a little off putting - all the more so when the Witch Hunter we are introduced to in the first paragraph is wearing wolf skins.

It's basically a PWP, with an historical set-up

To me, this story suffered from a problem I saw a lot of in fanfic - that is the overuse of the EPIPHET. I think writers fall into this trap because they think it must be boring for people to read a character's name over and over again, but it ain't so, and often it seems like there are six people in a scene where there are only two. In this one I was introduced in the first few pages to: The Witch-hunter, Sword of the Lord, Gabriel and Cormac. All the same person. The author switched mostly between the Sword of the Lord (blasphemous teenage giggle) and the Witch-finder instead of using his name and it was very confusing to read.

When Gabriel confronts Alistair - the depraved warlock that he has been sent to sort out - Alistair says that he's not broken any laws. Well, I think that sodomising young men might be one, Alistair. Sex ensues. Or rather rape ensues, but as Gabriel finds he likes it, and falls in love during the fuck - that seems to be acceptable. Not to me, though. As long as Gabriel gets hard, he must be enjoying it - right? Alistair has I should add, been raping young kids and some of the adults too.

The sex, too, I'm afraid is annoying, and not well researched. First off, Alistair removes "snug fitting knickers of black silk" - WTF? These are obviously Ye Olde Calvine Kleines! He must shop at the same shoppe as BBC's Sherryf of Nottynham.

Then he inserts his own fingers into "his lower opening" - as opposed to what? He's not a girl! Where's the higher opening? (This was the second clue that this might actually be converted het fanfic.) then he impales himself upon the seated Gabriel (this is a tricky stunt without actually wrapping your legs around the other person and that other person needs to lean back). And Gabriel watches his cock go in. Impossible without mirrors. Try it, that's all I'm saying - just try it. I'm all for women writing this stuff, but gay men will Make with the Mock if we get it wrong.

Then we revert to epiphet-land and I admit to snorting tea through my nose when Gabriel is again referred to as The Sword of the Lord when he's buried to the balls in Alistair.

The ending is confusing and I don't understand it, which again leads me to believe this is either a snippet of something bigger, or fanfic that still has references in it to something else.

So sadly, I can't recommend it at all. Underwhelmed. Buy at the Website