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Like all anthologies, Erotic Fantastic: The Best of Circlet Press 1992 – 2002 has its share of excellent stories. Unfortunately, like many anthologies, it has more than its share of mediocre to downright awful tales, although to be fair, I should say that the mediocre far outweigh the horrible. On the one hand, you have the shining moments of brilliance in pieces like Shayna Maidel, Anthem, Burning Bridges, Temporary Insanity, and The Jail of His Mind and the Songs Within, countered with the laughable Wilderland, the practically unintelligible State, and the utterly frustrating Like a Reflection in a Mirror with No Glass.
The stories are varied, from straight-out porn to interesting social commentary, resulting in an uneven tone that hardly feels erotic, and the one very sour note that I can voice about this collection is the inclusion of Robert Kippenberg’s For the Mortals Among Us, which uses under age sex unnecessarily and presents a lesbian character in possibly the least positive light I have seen since fiction of the 40s and 50. It feels exploitative from beginning to end.
At 344 pages, this anthology is a hefty read, and given that the tone and success of the stories varies so widely, it drags terribly. More often than not, I found my self counting pages, trying to determine how many more there were before I reached the end of a particular story (and, ultimately, the end of the anthology). Overall, the collection’s high points are wonderful, but what impressed me most about Erotic Fantastic is that more than half the stories could have (and should have) been edited out. In short, like some of the more mediocre and weaker stories within its pages, Erotic Fantastic, the collection, could have done with some judicious editing. Then it might truly have been fantastic rather than simply unending.
In doing some google research on this novel, I came across many different meanings attributable to the title of the book, but the one that intrigued me the most was one I came across first in the Urban Dictionary (though you can find it elsewhere):
"Back in the day when people still made sculptures, some artists made mistakes. To correct these mistakes when making a sculpture of stone, they would use a colored wax to fill in the mistake. A truly great sculpture was described as being "without wax." This term went on to be used for anything that was authentic or flawless. It is also the root of the word sincerely. Sin - without and Cera - wax."
I found this description incredibly applicable to this work, not because it is a perfect novel (what novel is?), but because author William Walsh has created an immensely likable, utterly sincere titular character, Wax Williams, a male porn star and the "8th wonder of the world" due to his huge endowment. Now, I'm sure John Holmes will spring immediately to mind (well, for those of us old enough to know who John Holmes was), but while Wax' back-story is not the most happy to be found, it is certainly not tragic, and therein lies the charm of this novel.
In writing a novel about porn, it would be easy to fall into the trap of turning the story into an indictment against the industry it portrays. An author could load it down with heartbreaking, abusive histories for the characters who have become stars in the biz, or worse yet, create cardboard characters, stereotypes that never amount to anything but a bad C-grade movie. Yet, like a documentarian and true to the non-traditional structure of the book, Walsh steps back, views it all through the lens of the "camera," and never imposes his own moral or ethical judgment on the characters he has created. The result impressive, with characters that actually do seem like human beings, particularly when they are at their worst.
The plot (such as it is) revolves around Wax who is shooting (pardon the pun) his swan song in the industry, what was intended to be a solo video featuring just Wax and an impressive sex doll. Wax has saved his money, invested wisely and is ready to retire, lead something of a normal life. This isn't to say that Wax is bitter about his life. Quite the opposite. Wax is an even-keeled sort of guy, a star not only because of his impressive size, but because his is genuinely down to earth, a quality which makes all of his fans feel like they know him, as if they have a special connection with their idol. In short, Wax has "it" and the "it" is far more than what is hanging between his legs. Women want to be wooed by him, and men want to be him. But, when it turns out that the man who created Wax' porn persona--manager Lyle Mammon--is the financing behind the final video, the plot of the porn is changed, and Wax find himself--if even from a distance--entangled with the man he wanted to get away from. And, just when you think even that will iron itself out, Wax discovers that his potential retirement might be derailed when a young man who damaged himself using a Wax Williams sex toy files suit against Wax and his former manager. Will Wax ride off into the sunset? You have to read it to find out.
Walsh expertly crafts the novel in the non-traditional format, writing it as if it were indeed a documentary. He uses "clips" of interviews with those in the industry who knew Wax as well as interviews with fans, video scripts, and testimonials. Court depositions are introduced, and even traditional prose is woven into the story. Surprisingly, very little of the story is told from Wax' perspective, which adds a nice little bit of tension to the piece as we're never quite sure if our hero will be alive or dead when we get to the last page (especially considering the title). While one would think this back and forth between different styles of storytelling would make for a schizophrenic novel, Walsh handles it very well. He stays committed to whichever style he happens to be writing in at the time, and each section flows easily into the next because the subject never veers far from the story of Wax.
What Walsh also does wisely in employing this literary conceit is allow we the readers to get multiple perspectives on each character introduced. For each person who adores Wax the celebrity with unwavering faithfulness, we also get the personal reminisces which give Wax the depth he needs, show him to be a man who may not necessarily be a sad person, but someone who wants to move on. So, instead of a perfect man, a man without wax, we get a man who has his fair share of wax. Likewise, for every person in the novel who finds Wax' manager, Mammon, a manipulative misogynist, a user who met a boy with a peculiar talent and exploited him, we have characters who give us examples of the other side of the man, his humor, the man who knows exactly who he is and has no illusions about it. While Mammon could have easily have been made into a cartoonish villain, instead we get a character with a surprising amount of depth. He is likable despite his foibles.
Now this isn't to say that there isn't a fair amount of manipulation of Wax. Everyone uses Wax one way or another. Everyone wants something from him. But Wax is a man who knows what he is to others and accepts it. The manipulation runs throughout the book and this particularly hits home when the female doctor who is going to help Wax with one aspect of his retirement enters the picture. But it isn't done with a sledgehammer. Walsh does it all subtly, and we as readers are never manipulated into feeling sorry for Wax. Best of all, never once does Walsh resort to demonizing one character for the benefit of the other. It really is quite masterful.
Now, if I have to point out one problem I did have with the novel it would be in the relationship Wax has with his very first screen star, the beautiful Renee Salmon. We are told throughout the story that Renee and Wax were likely the loves of each others' life, but we never are really shown this, and, in fact, of all the characters Renee is the least developed. As a result, the impact of them not being together never really worked and the event that Renee goes through near the end of the novel--a turn that should definitely garner either an emotional or physical reaction from the reader--falls flat and seems superfluous. But in the big picture of this novel, this is a minor, minor quibble.
For those who have problems with non-stop talk or honest depictions of sex and the sex industry, this book might prove too much for you. The talk is frank, but it never feels exploitative, and is not presented, necessarily, for titillation. It is used well, a shop-talk aspect of the book that is integral, matter-of-fact and revealing of the characters. It's realistic and natural, and, one might say, about as erotic as listening to two accountants talk debits and credits.
Perhaps the most interesting and artful part about Without Wax is that it truly does function exactly like a documentary. When you are done, you've been given enough of their life stories to feel that you've made a connection with these people. You've come to know them or love them or despise them for their words. But what one also walks away with--no matter how likable Wax might be, no matter how dynamic you might find Mammon--is the nagging feeling that you don't really know them. And in a novel that is as much about celebrity and objectification as it is about the porn industry, that's a remarkable feeling to be left with.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of Ann Somerville's work. Never does she fail to take me on an interesting journey replete with full rich characters and interesting worlds. Still when I first heard of Remastering Jerna I was a bit hesitant. That it would be good I had no doubts (Somerville is always dependable on that front), but this particular novel dealt in part with a topic which tends to make me a bit uneasy: a Dominant/submissive relationship with BDSM elements. In the past when I have tried to read works with this content I’ve seldom been able to get past my own qualms (and, let’s be honest, my own prejudices) with the subject matter. Issues of control--and lack thereof--in m/m fiction tend to bother me, tap into my own issues. So, I tentatively stuck my toe in the water. That’s all it took and I was reeled in.
We’re introduced to Jerna and his life as a devoted teacher and father. Jerna is an honorable man, someone who, though he has desire he has kept hidden, sets about doing the best in life that he can. He’s a good man. And so, when a former lover (and master) Kimis reenters his life, Jerna is welcoming to the man, confident and content with the fact that although he once loved Kimis, their past relationship was safely sealed away. Kimis asks Jerna to become a tutor to his new “apprentice,” a bright young man on the cusp of adulthood named Davim, and Jerna gladly agrees to do so. But when Jerna discovers that Kimis is having a sexual relationship with the not-yet-of legal age apprentice, Jerna counsels Kimis to stop the relationship until the young man comes of age. Unfortunately, Davim doesn’t like his new separation and when he and Jerna are caught in what appears to be a compromising position, Jerna is quickly accused, tried and convicted of child abuse.
This turn of events launches Jerna into a pit few people would be strong enough to survive. He is thrown into the corrupt and brutal penal system where all that he was is stripped away, brutally, seemingly irreparably. Subjected to rape and degradation beyond imagining, Jerna tries to draw faith from his belief in the Goddess and in the inherent goodness of man, but soon he finds himself at an abyss of despair from which he shall never recover. It is then that he finds what seems to be a way out, an outsourced “job” at a high-end brothel that sometimes “hires” prisoners who are trying to pay off the almost insurmountable tariffs inflicted on prisoners. Knowing he does not wish his wife and family to be saddled with such debt if he should die in prison, Jerna takes the job and begins not only a journey of self-awareness, but also a journey of healing. But will he survive those journeys or will he end up back in prison for the rest of his life?
Now some of the things I always know that I’ll get from a Somerville novel are really well developed characters, plot and world building, and Jerna has all of those and much, much more. Each of the characters is fully realized, nuanced at every level. Her men are wonderfully masculine and blessedly balanced with unique personalities and realistic faults and foibles. Her world building is exquisite. When we’re in the prison, we not only see the place vividly, but we smell the smells and experience the rigid oppression that dominates such institutions. And as a counterpoint, we’re introduced to the brothel and while we knew it was high-end, we might expect a sense of exploitation of the workers as has been drilled into our heads by media. And this is where Somerville gives us the first of many surprises.
The “brothel” is a wonderful place, and not only for the customers. The staff is well taken care of, and even Jerna, a criminal in society’s eyes, is treated with an amount of respect unparalleled in even the outside world. Yet, Somerville doesn’t whitewash it either. It is a business and like every business, the customer is always right, even when they are wrong. This gives the setting a unique dual nature: a place where Jerna alternately feels wonderfully safe and free, but one where he knows he is still at the mercy of the customers’ needs and, sometimes, their capriciousness. One upset customer and Jerna will be sent back to the tortuous prison. It’s really quite brilliantly done and serves to create an air of tension, suspense and an almost palpable fear, one that Jerna lives with every day.
The people in the brothel--from employees to customers and even the management--are wonderfully rich characters as well. No stereotypes here. The dialog is sharp and nuanced and each of the characters has a story and character arc that is wonderfully satisfying. That is another trademark of Somerville’s work: each of her characters grow. They aren’t the same at the end of the novel as they are at the beginning.
Likewise I have to take a moment and commend Somerville on her female characters in the book. Most times in m/m romance and gay fiction, the female characters suffer from a two dimensionality that the male characters do not. Not so in Somerville’s work in general and wonderfully not true here. Each of the female characters here are dynamic and vibrant. Jerna’s wife Tyrme is not some long-suffering wife or a shrew. Neither is she cast into the “hag” role, the generic best friend to the gay protagonist. Though a minor character, we fully understand why Jerna fell in love with her. She is full and rich and so well drawn that we feel Jerna’s longing to return to her and we understand it. The same can be said of the other female characters: from Jerna’s boss at the brothel to the doctor who cares for him. The women are not just there to serve the male characters or the plot. They have lives of their own and we as readers get to share those lives.
But the main thing I want to comment on about this book is the thing that concerned me the most: the D/s-BDSM relationship. I freely admit that these types of relationships I have never fully understood and I am sure I have carried my share of judgments around with me. But with the introduction of the main relationship/romance in the novel (and here I don’t want to say too much lest I give away some of the beauty of this book and its plot), Somerville takes me some place I never expected to go. By having Jerna become a teacher of sorts at the brothel, Somerville brilliantly and subtly teaches about the true dynamics and the beautiful depth inherent in such relationships. The result is that I found myself deeply drawn into the romance, learning what such relationships truly mean to each of the participants. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some textbook or preachy aspect. It is all beautifully woven in and does something amazing for me…helps shatter the stereotypes I held about D/s and BDSM relationships. By using the first part of the book to show true brutality via the prison setting, Somerville exquisitely leads us to a romance and expertly explores the true breadth and depth of trust and love and respect at the heart of D/s and BDSM relationships. I can honestly say that the expert construction and wonderfully accessible understanding of the relationship dynamic opened my eyes. It taught me something, helped to shatter my prejudices. That, for me, is what literature should do, entertain and edify, and Somerville does both brilliantly with Remastering Jerna.
It is clear from reading this book that author R.W. Day can write. Her prose is neat and concise and, despite the pace dragging a bit in the first 75 pages, the characters she creates are well rounded and full and the setting is well told. The story is told from the first person perspective of David, one of our heroes, and David is a likable fellow who, at the age of 16 (albeit, he tends for me to read more 13 or 14), is beginning to realize that he is a bit different from other men, that a life with a woman is somehow not in the cards. When he meet the immensely appealing Healer Landers, things become a little clearer for David, and through a series of events, the two become entangled, both emotionally and romantically. Day captures these two men well and as the novel progresses, we see a nice, clear character arc for each of them, both having changed and grown by the time the reach the end of the novel.
But there's something about this novel that did not sit right with me from about the halfway point. There's something very Victor/Victoria about it in that it is one thing masquerading as another, and I found myself with torn feelings about this novel. You know how when you see a preview for a movie and you're excited because it seems to be one thing, but when you actually get into the movie theatre, it is another thing entirely and you're disappointed verging on angry That is exactly how I feel with this novel and in that respect, I think it deserves two reviews: one for the novel it is and one for the novel it is masquerading as.
So let's tackle first, the novel that it isn't. A Strong and Sudden Thaw is billed as a speculative fiction work and as such, for me, it fails completely on just about every level. There is a great trend in spec fiction these days to regress. That is, the world is post-apocalyptic, but is post-apocalyptic to the point that the setting has reverted to, essentially, a period setting. Many talented authors have gone this route and produced amazing pieces of speculative fiction. However, with this novel, it doesn't work. It is very clearly a period piece, despite the New Ice Age element. While this speculative Ice Age does allow the author to wax nostalgic about things from The Before (like Disneyland and Almond Joy candy bars, hot cocoa), that hardly makes it speculative. You also get a few author-peeking-behind-the curtain moments--such as with the reference to Bennett Cerf--that are meant to place us very far into the future, but instead play out as a clever writer showing herself instead of the world. Throw in some dragons and some government conspiracy (neither of which are fully explored or committed to), and you get a hint of spec fiction without the intense world building spec fic requires. Don't get me wrong…there is good world building here. But the word being built is late 1800s North America through and through, not post-apocalyptic America.
Likewise, all good spec fiction has an element of subtle social commentary woven into it and A Strong and Sudden Thaw certainly has social commentary. However, it is delivered with a sledgehammer and not a velvet glove. Allegory and metaphor are thrown away here. We really, really get that homophobia and discrimination are bad, bad, bad, because Day hammers us over the head with it. Weave in elements such as Healer Landers gifting an old copy of "Crime and Punishment" to David, and any chance of subtlety is gone. Instead of a clever, infiltrating commentary that is one of the hallmarks of excellent spec fic, we get a civics lesson, sans the blackboard and required reading.
Now let's look at the novel as it really is. If you ignore the cross-genre labeling of speculative fiction and the very weak peppering of "speculative" elements, what you have is a really respectable gay romance--part coming-of-age, part historical novel-- that stands out as one of the better examples of the m/m romance genre. And it is this perspective from which one must really approach the novel in order to appreciate its nuances. As an historical gay romance, the preachiness the author practices fits. It becomes less the author's personal point of view and more the central core of the story, the primary antagonist, if you will, that stands between these two men and their developing relationship. From this perspective, the burgeoning relationship between David and Healer Landers becomes more effective emotionally, and the story plays out exceptionally well.
The characters are given distinctive and appealing personalities, right down to the "bit players." The narrative voice of David is appealing and, despite his age, we see a young man who is not frightened by things that are foreign to him, but engaged by them. Curiosity and intelligence go hand in hand with David and it makes him a dynamic hero. Healer Landers is likewise a well-crafted character, his personality distinctly different than David's and multi-dimensional. In a genre where often the two male protagonists tend to sound nearly identical in character voice, it is refreshing to read two characters who may have things in common, but who have their own unique personalities. The relationship between the two of them is also very dynamic, the author sidestepping many of the clichés of the m/m romance genre.
As a reader, I felt a bit cheated by this novel because of the mask it was wearing. If you sell something to me as a speculative fiction, I expect the speculative elements to take center stage in some way and to be well developed and intriguing. And, in speculative works, I expect social commentary to be a subtle bonus, something almost unnoticed. And without a doubt, as I read this, expecting a speculative fantasy, I found myself becoming less interested and more angry at the wool trying to be pulled over my eyes. But once I stopped and realized what this actually was, I began enjoying the novel and seeing it for what it is: a very, very good example of gay romance.
So, if you are looking for a great gay speculative piece of fiction, I think A Strong and Sudden Thaw is more than likely to disappoint. If you are looking for a well-written and engaging piece of gay romance with an historical bent, I think you will hit the mark with this one because that is the book that shines.
This is an important work, not only because it helps convey what life was like at Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka'i for the "patients" interred there, but mostly because it records the feelings, stories, perseverance and strength of character of the residents of the one-time "leprosy settlement."
For those who do not know, starting in the 1860s, thousands of people afflicted with Hansen's disease were forcibly removed from their homes, ripped from their families and sent to live their lives in the isolated community of Kalawao on the nearly inaccessible northern peninsula on the island of Moloka'i where they were sent, essentially, to die. The Kalawao settlement was ultimately relocated to Kalaupapa. Forced isolation remained in effect until 1969 when the treatment for Hansen's was discovered.
The Separating Sickness (Mai Ho'oka'awale)was first published in 1979 and is the result of interviews with the 60 or so residents living at the time at Kalaupapa. These are their stories, in their own words. There is anger and love and bitterness and politics in all their stories, but most of all, there is an overwhelming sense of ohana (family) that was formed of necessity, and maintained by faith, hope and love.
These stories are not easy to read. Many of those who participated in the interviews were taken from their families when they were young children (as young as 6) and lived the majority of their lives at Kalaupapa before mandatory isolation was revoked in 1969. Many of their families abandoned them, thus the name "The Separating Sickness." Their stories are heartrending and touching, brutal at times. But what shines through is the hope and the strength of spirit of these people. No, they aren't saints, just very real people who lived through hard times and persevered and found that Kalaupapa had become their home.
According to various sources, there are only about two dozen former patients still in residence at Kalaupapa, which has been designated a National Park. Most of them have spent their entire lives there and those residents have been guaranteed that they shall be permitted to live there as long as they like. Many of those interviewed over 30 years ago have since passed away. In fact, the last entry in the book is an interview with Bernard Punikai'a, who passed away on February 25, 2009,and spent 68 of his 78 years at Kalaupapa.
That is what makes this work even more important. It preserves stories like Bernard's and all the others, records for history the wrongs done to them and the indomitable spirit that remains in their souls. The stories of too many of those incarcerated at Kalaupapa are lost to history, and this work makes sure that at least some are not forgotten.
For more, please look up Ka 'Ohana O' Kalaupapa on the internet and learn of the memorial the residents are trying to have erected. Alan Brennert's "Moloka'i" is also an excellent fiction work set at Kalaupapa.
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Erotic Fantastic: The Best of Circlet Press 1992-2002 by Cecilia Tan
WhoIsKelland, January 1, 2010
Like all anthologies, Erotic Fantastic: The Best of Circlet Press 1992 – 2002 has its share of excellent stories. Unfortunately, like many anthologies, it has more than its share of mediocre to downright awful tales, although to be fair, I should say that the mediocre far outweigh the horrible. On the one hand, you have the shining moments of brilliance in pieces like Shayna Maidel, Anthem, Burning Bridges, Temporary Insanity, and The Jail of His Mind and the Songs Within, countered with the laughable Wilderland, the practically unintelligible State, and the utterly frustrating Like a Reflection in a Mirror with No Glass.The stories are varied, from straight-out porn to interesting social commentary, resulting in an uneven tone that hardly feels erotic, and the one very sour note that I can voice about this collection is the inclusion of Robert Kippenberg’s For the Mortals Among Us, which uses under age sex unnecessarily and presents a lesbian character in possibly the least positive light I have seen since fiction of the 40s and 50. It feels exploitative from beginning to end.
At 344 pages, this anthology is a hefty read, and given that the tone and success of the stories varies so widely, it drags terribly. More often than not, I found my self counting pages, trying to determine how many more there were before I reached the end of a particular story (and, ultimately, the end of the anthology). Overall, the collection’s high points are wonderful, but what impressed me most about Erotic Fantastic is that more than half the stories could have (and should have) been edited out. In short, like some of the more mediocre and weaker stories within its pages, Erotic Fantastic, the collection, could have done with some judicious editing. Then it might truly have been fantastic rather than simply unending.
Without Wax: A Documentary Novel by William Walsh
WhoIsKelland, January 1, 2010
In doing some google research on this novel, I came across many different meanings attributable to the title of the book, but the one that intrigued me the most was one I came across first in the Urban Dictionary (though you can find it elsewhere):"Back in the day when people still made sculptures, some artists made mistakes. To correct these mistakes when making a sculpture of stone, they would use a colored wax to fill in the mistake. A truly great sculpture was described as being "without wax." This term went on to be used for anything that was authentic or flawless. It is also the root of the word sincerely. Sin - without and Cera - wax."
I found this description incredibly applicable to this work, not because it is a perfect novel (what novel is?), but because author William Walsh has created an immensely likable, utterly sincere titular character, Wax Williams, a male porn star and the "8th wonder of the world" due to his huge endowment. Now, I'm sure John Holmes will spring immediately to mind (well, for those of us old enough to know who John Holmes was), but while Wax' back-story is not the most happy to be found, it is certainly not tragic, and therein lies the charm of this novel.
In writing a novel about porn, it would be easy to fall into the trap of turning the story into an indictment against the industry it portrays. An author could load it down with heartbreaking, abusive histories for the characters who have become stars in the biz, or worse yet, create cardboard characters, stereotypes that never amount to anything but a bad C-grade movie. Yet, like a documentarian and true to the non-traditional structure of the book, Walsh steps back, views it all through the lens of the "camera," and never imposes his own moral or ethical judgment on the characters he has created. The result impressive, with characters that actually do seem like human beings, particularly when they are at their worst.
The plot (such as it is) revolves around Wax who is shooting (pardon the pun) his swan song in the industry, what was intended to be a solo video featuring just Wax and an impressive sex doll. Wax has saved his money, invested wisely and is ready to retire, lead something of a normal life. This isn't to say that Wax is bitter about his life. Quite the opposite. Wax is an even-keeled sort of guy, a star not only because of his impressive size, but because his is genuinely down to earth, a quality which makes all of his fans feel like they know him, as if they have a special connection with their idol. In short, Wax has "it" and the "it" is far more than what is hanging between his legs. Women want to be wooed by him, and men want to be him. But, when it turns out that the man who created Wax' porn persona--manager Lyle Mammon--is the financing behind the final video, the plot of the porn is changed, and Wax find himself--if even from a distance--entangled with the man he wanted to get away from. And, just when you think even that will iron itself out, Wax discovers that his potential retirement might be derailed when a young man who damaged himself using a Wax Williams sex toy files suit against Wax and his former manager. Will Wax ride off into the sunset? You have to read it to find out.
Walsh expertly crafts the novel in the non-traditional format, writing it as if it were indeed a documentary. He uses "clips" of interviews with those in the industry who knew Wax as well as interviews with fans, video scripts, and testimonials. Court depositions are introduced, and even traditional prose is woven into the story. Surprisingly, very little of the story is told from Wax' perspective, which adds a nice little bit of tension to the piece as we're never quite sure if our hero will be alive or dead when we get to the last page (especially considering the title). While one would think this back and forth between different styles of storytelling would make for a schizophrenic novel, Walsh handles it very well. He stays committed to whichever style he happens to be writing in at the time, and each section flows easily into the next because the subject never veers far from the story of Wax.
What Walsh also does wisely in employing this literary conceit is allow we the readers to get multiple perspectives on each character introduced. For each person who adores Wax the celebrity with unwavering faithfulness, we also get the personal reminisces which give Wax the depth he needs, show him to be a man who may not necessarily be a sad person, but someone who wants to move on. So, instead of a perfect man, a man without wax, we get a man who has his fair share of wax. Likewise, for every person in the novel who finds Wax' manager, Mammon, a manipulative misogynist, a user who met a boy with a peculiar talent and exploited him, we have characters who give us examples of the other side of the man, his humor, the man who knows exactly who he is and has no illusions about it. While Mammon could have easily have been made into a cartoonish villain, instead we get a character with a surprising amount of depth. He is likable despite his foibles.
Now this isn't to say that there isn't a fair amount of manipulation of Wax. Everyone uses Wax one way or another. Everyone wants something from him. But Wax is a man who knows what he is to others and accepts it. The manipulation runs throughout the book and this particularly hits home when the female doctor who is going to help Wax with one aspect of his retirement enters the picture. But it isn't done with a sledgehammer. Walsh does it all subtly, and we as readers are never manipulated into feeling sorry for Wax. Best of all, never once does Walsh resort to demonizing one character for the benefit of the other. It really is quite masterful.
Now, if I have to point out one problem I did have with the novel it would be in the relationship Wax has with his very first screen star, the beautiful Renee Salmon. We are told throughout the story that Renee and Wax were likely the loves of each others' life, but we never are really shown this, and, in fact, of all the characters Renee is the least developed. As a result, the impact of them not being together never really worked and the event that Renee goes through near the end of the novel--a turn that should definitely garner either an emotional or physical reaction from the reader--falls flat and seems superfluous. But in the big picture of this novel, this is a minor, minor quibble.
For those who have problems with non-stop talk or honest depictions of sex and the sex industry, this book might prove too much for you. The talk is frank, but it never feels exploitative, and is not presented, necessarily, for titillation. It is used well, a shop-talk aspect of the book that is integral, matter-of-fact and revealing of the characters. It's realistic and natural, and, one might say, about as erotic as listening to two accountants talk debits and credits.
Perhaps the most interesting and artful part about Without Wax is that it truly does function exactly like a documentary. When you are done, you've been given enough of their life stories to feel that you've made a connection with these people. You've come to know them or love them or despise them for their words. But what one also walks away with--no matter how likable Wax might be, no matter how dynamic you might find Mammon--is the nagging feeling that you don't really know them. And in a novel that is as much about celebrity and objectification as it is about the porn industry, that's a remarkable feeling to be left with.
Remastering Jerna by Ann Somerville
WhoIsKelland, January 1, 2010
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of Ann Somerville's work. Never does she fail to take me on an interesting journey replete with full rich characters and interesting worlds. Still when I first heard of Remastering Jerna I was a bit hesitant. That it would be good I had no doubts (Somerville is always dependable on that front), but this particular novel dealt in part with a topic which tends to make me a bit uneasy: a Dominant/submissive relationship with BDSM elements. In the past when I have tried to read works with this content I’ve seldom been able to get past my own qualms (and, let’s be honest, my own prejudices) with the subject matter. Issues of control--and lack thereof--in m/m fiction tend to bother me, tap into my own issues. So, I tentatively stuck my toe in the water. That’s all it took and I was reeled in.We’re introduced to Jerna and his life as a devoted teacher and father. Jerna is an honorable man, someone who, though he has desire he has kept hidden, sets about doing the best in life that he can. He’s a good man. And so, when a former lover (and master) Kimis reenters his life, Jerna is welcoming to the man, confident and content with the fact that although he once loved Kimis, their past relationship was safely sealed away. Kimis asks Jerna to become a tutor to his new “apprentice,” a bright young man on the cusp of adulthood named Davim, and Jerna gladly agrees to do so. But when Jerna discovers that Kimis is having a sexual relationship with the not-yet-of legal age apprentice, Jerna counsels Kimis to stop the relationship until the young man comes of age. Unfortunately, Davim doesn’t like his new separation and when he and Jerna are caught in what appears to be a compromising position, Jerna is quickly accused, tried and convicted of child abuse.
This turn of events launches Jerna into a pit few people would be strong enough to survive. He is thrown into the corrupt and brutal penal system where all that he was is stripped away, brutally, seemingly irreparably. Subjected to rape and degradation beyond imagining, Jerna tries to draw faith from his belief in the Goddess and in the inherent goodness of man, but soon he finds himself at an abyss of despair from which he shall never recover. It is then that he finds what seems to be a way out, an outsourced “job” at a high-end brothel that sometimes “hires” prisoners who are trying to pay off the almost insurmountable tariffs inflicted on prisoners. Knowing he does not wish his wife and family to be saddled with such debt if he should die in prison, Jerna takes the job and begins not only a journey of self-awareness, but also a journey of healing. But will he survive those journeys or will he end up back in prison for the rest of his life?
Now some of the things I always know that I’ll get from a Somerville novel are really well developed characters, plot and world building, and Jerna has all of those and much, much more. Each of the characters is fully realized, nuanced at every level. Her men are wonderfully masculine and blessedly balanced with unique personalities and realistic faults and foibles. Her world building is exquisite. When we’re in the prison, we not only see the place vividly, but we smell the smells and experience the rigid oppression that dominates such institutions. And as a counterpoint, we’re introduced to the brothel and while we knew it was high-end, we might expect a sense of exploitation of the workers as has been drilled into our heads by media. And this is where Somerville gives us the first of many surprises.
The “brothel” is a wonderful place, and not only for the customers. The staff is well taken care of, and even Jerna, a criminal in society’s eyes, is treated with an amount of respect unparalleled in even the outside world. Yet, Somerville doesn’t whitewash it either. It is a business and like every business, the customer is always right, even when they are wrong. This gives the setting a unique dual nature: a place where Jerna alternately feels wonderfully safe and free, but one where he knows he is still at the mercy of the customers’ needs and, sometimes, their capriciousness. One upset customer and Jerna will be sent back to the tortuous prison. It’s really quite brilliantly done and serves to create an air of tension, suspense and an almost palpable fear, one that Jerna lives with every day.
The people in the brothel--from employees to customers and even the management--are wonderfully rich characters as well. No stereotypes here. The dialog is sharp and nuanced and each of the characters has a story and character arc that is wonderfully satisfying. That is another trademark of Somerville’s work: each of her characters grow. They aren’t the same at the end of the novel as they are at the beginning.
Likewise I have to take a moment and commend Somerville on her female characters in the book. Most times in m/m romance and gay fiction, the female characters suffer from a two dimensionality that the male characters do not. Not so in Somerville’s work in general and wonderfully not true here. Each of the female characters here are dynamic and vibrant. Jerna’s wife Tyrme is not some long-suffering wife or a shrew. Neither is she cast into the “hag” role, the generic best friend to the gay protagonist. Though a minor character, we fully understand why Jerna fell in love with her. She is full and rich and so well drawn that we feel Jerna’s longing to return to her and we understand it. The same can be said of the other female characters: from Jerna’s boss at the brothel to the doctor who cares for him. The women are not just there to serve the male characters or the plot. They have lives of their own and we as readers get to share those lives.
But the main thing I want to comment on about this book is the thing that concerned me the most: the D/s-BDSM relationship. I freely admit that these types of relationships I have never fully understood and I am sure I have carried my share of judgments around with me. But with the introduction of the main relationship/romance in the novel (and here I don’t want to say too much lest I give away some of the beauty of this book and its plot), Somerville takes me some place I never expected to go. By having Jerna become a teacher of sorts at the brothel, Somerville brilliantly and subtly teaches about the true dynamics and the beautiful depth inherent in such relationships. The result is that I found myself deeply drawn into the romance, learning what such relationships truly mean to each of the participants. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some textbook or preachy aspect. It is all beautifully woven in and does something amazing for me…helps shatter the stereotypes I held about D/s and BDSM relationships. By using the first part of the book to show true brutality via the prison setting, Somerville exquisitely leads us to a romance and expertly explores the true breadth and depth of trust and love and respect at the heart of D/s and BDSM relationships. I can honestly say that the expert construction and wonderfully accessible understanding of the relationship dynamic opened my eyes. It taught me something, helped to shatter my prejudices. That, for me, is what literature should do, entertain and edify, and Somerville does both brilliantly with Remastering Jerna.
Most highly recommended.
A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R. W. Day
WhoIsKelland, January 1, 2010
It is clear from reading this book that author R.W. Day can write. Her prose is neat and concise and, despite the pace dragging a bit in the first 75 pages, the characters she creates are well rounded and full and the setting is well told. The story is told from the first person perspective of David, one of our heroes, and David is a likable fellow who, at the age of 16 (albeit, he tends for me to read more 13 or 14), is beginning to realize that he is a bit different from other men, that a life with a woman is somehow not in the cards. When he meet the immensely appealing Healer Landers, things become a little clearer for David, and through a series of events, the two become entangled, both emotionally and romantically. Day captures these two men well and as the novel progresses, we see a nice, clear character arc for each of them, both having changed and grown by the time the reach the end of the novel.But there's something about this novel that did not sit right with me from about the halfway point. There's something very Victor/Victoria about it in that it is one thing masquerading as another, and I found myself with torn feelings about this novel. You know how when you see a preview for a movie and you're excited because it seems to be one thing, but when you actually get into the movie theatre, it is another thing entirely and you're disappointed verging on angry That is exactly how I feel with this novel and in that respect, I think it deserves two reviews: one for the novel it is and one for the novel it is masquerading as.
So let's tackle first, the novel that it isn't. A Strong and Sudden Thaw is billed as a speculative fiction work and as such, for me, it fails completely on just about every level. There is a great trend in spec fiction these days to regress. That is, the world is post-apocalyptic, but is post-apocalyptic to the point that the setting has reverted to, essentially, a period setting. Many talented authors have gone this route and produced amazing pieces of speculative fiction. However, with this novel, it doesn't work. It is very clearly a period piece, despite the New Ice Age element. While this speculative Ice Age does allow the author to wax nostalgic about things from The Before (like Disneyland and Almond Joy candy bars, hot cocoa), that hardly makes it speculative. You also get a few author-peeking-behind-the curtain moments--such as with the reference to Bennett Cerf--that are meant to place us very far into the future, but instead play out as a clever writer showing herself instead of the world. Throw in some dragons and some government conspiracy (neither of which are fully explored or committed to), and you get a hint of spec fiction without the intense world building spec fic requires. Don't get me wrong…there is good world building here. But the word being built is late 1800s North America through and through, not post-apocalyptic America.
Likewise, all good spec fiction has an element of subtle social commentary woven into it and A Strong and Sudden Thaw certainly has social commentary. However, it is delivered with a sledgehammer and not a velvet glove. Allegory and metaphor are thrown away here. We really, really get that homophobia and discrimination are bad, bad, bad, because Day hammers us over the head with it. Weave in elements such as Healer Landers gifting an old copy of "Crime and Punishment" to David, and any chance of subtlety is gone. Instead of a clever, infiltrating commentary that is one of the hallmarks of excellent spec fic, we get a civics lesson, sans the blackboard and required reading.
Now let's look at the novel as it really is. If you ignore the cross-genre labeling of speculative fiction and the very weak peppering of "speculative" elements, what you have is a really respectable gay romance--part coming-of-age, part historical novel-- that stands out as one of the better examples of the m/m romance genre. And it is this perspective from which one must really approach the novel in order to appreciate its nuances. As an historical gay romance, the preachiness the author practices fits. It becomes less the author's personal point of view and more the central core of the story, the primary antagonist, if you will, that stands between these two men and their developing relationship. From this perspective, the burgeoning relationship between David and Healer Landers becomes more effective emotionally, and the story plays out exceptionally well.
The characters are given distinctive and appealing personalities, right down to the "bit players." The narrative voice of David is appealing and, despite his age, we see a young man who is not frightened by things that are foreign to him, but engaged by them. Curiosity and intelligence go hand in hand with David and it makes him a dynamic hero. Healer Landers is likewise a well-crafted character, his personality distinctly different than David's and multi-dimensional. In a genre where often the two male protagonists tend to sound nearly identical in character voice, it is refreshing to read two characters who may have things in common, but who have their own unique personalities. The relationship between the two of them is also very dynamic, the author sidestepping many of the clichés of the m/m romance genre.
As a reader, I felt a bit cheated by this novel because of the mask it was wearing. If you sell something to me as a speculative fiction, I expect the speculative elements to take center stage in some way and to be well developed and intriguing. And, in speculative works, I expect social commentary to be a subtle bonus, something almost unnoticed. And without a doubt, as I read this, expecting a speculative fantasy, I found myself becoming less interested and more angry at the wool trying to be pulled over my eyes. But once I stopped and realized what this actually was, I began enjoying the novel and seeing it for what it is: a very, very good example of gay romance.
So, if you are looking for a great gay speculative piece of fiction, I think A Strong and Sudden Thaw is more than likely to disappoint. If you are looking for a well-written and engaging piece of gay romance with an historical bent, I think you will hit the mark with this one because that is the book that shines.
Ma'i Ho'oka'awale--The Separating Sickness: Interviews with Leprosy Patients Exiled at Kalaupapa, Hawaii
WhoIsKelland, January 1, 2010
This is an important work, not only because it helps convey what life was like at Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka'i for the "patients" interred there, but mostly because it records the feelings, stories, perseverance and strength of character of the residents of the one-time "leprosy settlement."For those who do not know, starting in the 1860s, thousands of people afflicted with Hansen's disease were forcibly removed from their homes, ripped from their families and sent to live their lives in the isolated community of Kalawao on the nearly inaccessible northern peninsula on the island of Moloka'i where they were sent, essentially, to die. The Kalawao settlement was ultimately relocated to Kalaupapa. Forced isolation remained in effect until 1969 when the treatment for Hansen's was discovered.
The Separating Sickness (Mai Ho'oka'awale)was first published in 1979 and is the result of interviews with the 60 or so residents living at the time at Kalaupapa. These are their stories, in their own words. There is anger and love and bitterness and politics in all their stories, but most of all, there is an overwhelming sense of ohana (family) that was formed of necessity, and maintained by faith, hope and love.
These stories are not easy to read. Many of those who participated in the interviews were taken from their families when they were young children (as young as 6) and lived the majority of their lives at Kalaupapa before mandatory isolation was revoked in 1969. Many of their families abandoned them, thus the name "The Separating Sickness." Their stories are heartrending and touching, brutal at times. But what shines through is the hope and the strength of spirit of these people. No, they aren't saints, just very real people who lived through hard times and persevered and found that Kalaupapa had become their home.
According to various sources, there are only about two dozen former patients still in residence at Kalaupapa, which has been designated a National Park. Most of them have spent their entire lives there and those residents have been guaranteed that they shall be permitted to live there as long as they like. Many of those interviewed over 30 years ago have since passed away. In fact, the last entry in the book is an interview with Bernard Punikai'a, who passed away on February 25, 2009,and spent 68 of his 78 years at Kalaupapa.
That is what makes this work even more important. It preserves stories like Bernard's and all the others, records for history the wrongs done to them and the indomitable spirit that remains in their souls. The stories of too many of those incarcerated at Kalaupapa are lost to history, and this work makes sure that at least some are not forgotten.
For more, please look up Ka 'Ohana O' Kalaupapa on the internet and learn of the memorial the residents are trying to have erected. Alan Brennert's "Moloka'i" is also an excellent fiction work set at Kalaupapa.