Johnny Charles reviews two short works of
erotica
Samantha Winston's
Paradise Earth: Adam and Evan
and
William Maltese's A Conspiracy of Ravens
| Adam and Evan,
an eBook by Samantha Winston, published by Changeling Press Adam and Evan is the first installment in Samantha Winston’s "Paradise Earth" series. It’s an eBook, SciFi novella that takes place in Earth’s future. Earth has been ravaged some time in the past, first by war and then by an asteroid hit, resulting in a barren and inhospitable world. The collision with the asteroid has changed the Earth’s orbit around the sun, resulting in a seven-year cycle of rainy seasons alternating with drought. The surviving inhabitants of Earth wish to join the Federation, but must first rebuild their world. This means replacing the flora and fauna that were destroyed, sometimes with things that weren’t originally indigenous to Earth. We meet Evan, an inhabitant of Mars who has agreed to work on Earth to help with the rebuilding efforts, and Adam, an Earth-born human. Evan is not happy or comfortable working on Earth, and is made even more unhappy by his social isolation. Adam works at the same facility as Evan. When Adam finds himself in Evan’s office one day, the unexpected (to them) occurs and they make love in Evan’s office. The sex is explicit and graphic, and yet is not a description of your every-day sexual encounter between two men. Evan is not a human man. He has some additional “parts” that humans don’t, so these descriptive passages have some conventional aspects and some not so conventional. This is first and foremost a SciFi novella, in this reader’s opinion, and will be most interesting and entertaining to SciFi fans who also enjoy gay erotica. The story’s premise is interesting, as Adam and Evan work to help save the Earth, and become even more involved when there is another asteroid hit. Evan’s anatomy is also interesting, and so are the ways in which he uses his “additional parts” to enhance his love-making, but will not be revealed here (you have to read the story.) As Earth suffers the second asteroid hit, and it’s survival becomes even more threatened, we discover Evan’s true identity and species. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that their collaborative efforts to try to save the Earth involve procreation and a personal involvement from both Adam and Evan. Adam and Evan is a fast read, partly because it’s a novella that’s only 42 pages in length, but also because it flows well; it can be finished in one sitting. Fans of Science Fiction who also enjoy gay erotica should read this book. —Johnny Charles, Manhattan
|
 Samantha Winston is the pen name
for Jennifer Macaire, who has published short stories in such magazines
as Polo
Magazine, PKA’s Advocate, The Bear Deluxe, Nuketown, The Eclipse, Anotherealm,
Linnaean Street, Inkspin, Literary
Potpourri, Mind Caviar, 3 am Magazine, and the Vestal
Review. One of her
short stories was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In June 2002 she
won the 3am/Harper Collins flash fiction contest for her story "There
are Geckos." Her story "Islands" appears in the anthology A Dictionary of
Failed Relationships
published by Three River’s Press, an imprint of Penguin Putnam.As Jennifer Macaire she has written a series of seven fiction novels based on the life of Alexander the Great – the award winning Time for Alexander, Heroes in the Dust, and Children in the Morning. (Hailed as underground bestsellers by her publisher in Australia, these stories are campy and hilarious, about a time traveler trapped in the past with Alexander the Great and his lover, Plexis. Available at www.jacobytebooks.com) The Promise, a science fiction book for young adults, is published by Double Dragon Books. As Samantha Winston she has published 9 erotic romance books at Ellora’s Cave, and Adam and Evan, book 1 for Paradise Earth for Changeling Press. Websites: www.jennifermacaire.com www.samanthawinston.com
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