$16.00
ISBN 1892723123
available through
Amazon
Reviewed by Kell Brannon
(05/29/02)
In this book, by my count, there are:
- 38 orgasms (with aftershocks and extras implied; we women are so
lucky that way)
- 4 fistings
- at least 28 strap-ons (think "rugby team")
- 3 clamps
- 2 butt plugs
- a steel pipe and a gun barrel, used for penetration
- handcuffs
- a tattooing of a submissive
- 2 scalpels
- various paddling implements
Before you dismiss these tallies with a glib partridge-in-a-pear-tree reference, consider this: they appear in a wide spectrum of stories, emotions, and turn-ons, and they mingle to depict a fascinating cross-section of "Tough Girl" fantasy culture.
Being a contrary sort of person, I tend to expect polarity and notice it quickly. As such, I must note that a few stories focus on loneliness, vulnerability, and the tender side of these tough women. One of the stories set in prison, Zonna's "What You're In For," spins a melancholy tale of lost hope, where an inmate's desire is manipulated rather meanly by the fellow prisoner she lusts after most. "Bedrock" (by Jen Collins) describes a butch's heartache as a fellow butch (whom she desires!) loses in yet another relationship with yet another young femme. In one of the most luminous selections in terms of setting and timeframe, "Madi" (by Vaneska Keller) pulls us directly into the helpless, yet painfully self-conscious realm of a woman newly discovering her attraction to a tormented female-to-male crossdresser in early 20th-century Berlin.
But in contrast, we also get to view some dark psychology and its effects. Marilyn Jaye Lewis's "Daddy's Girl," for example, describes two sisters who fall in love with their attractive babysitter, Denise. Later in their lives, it turns out that the younger is living with Denise; the elder, who comes by for a visit, ends up on the receiving end (willingly!) of her strap-on, breasts pressed against a window for all the world to see, while the younger sister recovers from a session of excruciating bondage.
The beauty of the story lies not only in the characteristic smoothness of Lewis's prose, but also in the buildup of Denise's character, the abuse she suffered as a girl:
"I'm a mean motherfucker when I want to be. ... I learned from a pro. He was the meanest motherfucker on the block."
"I know," I said, looking up into her face and catching a glimpse of a different kind of darkness, hiding at the edges of her eyes. Part of Mr. Dominic was in there somewhere. The full impact of it made my heart race; she was actually dangerous....
We're privy to the alluring contrast between Denise and the semi-innocent "girls next door," as well as the tension between the sisters. Arousal and fear battle for mindspace in a delicious, disturbing way; the compounded tension is, in a word, mesmerizing.
Further, in several of the stories -- and this is what makes this collection such a delight -- there's a great sense of the freedom and risk one would expect from "Tough Girls." We meet a very memorable punk, flying high on endorphins and raw mosh-pit aggression ("In the Pit," Vivian Black), who surprises us with a flicker of tenderness while she devours a lovely Goth girl in the club's restroom, leaving holes in her netted shirt and delicious, angry bite marks all over her pale neck. We explore the immersive nature of submission as a willing bottom is "put to work" pleasuring her mistress while "PROPERTY OF MOE. RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED" is tattooed on her flesh (M. Christian, "The Only One"). One suitor handcuffs herself to the Golden Gate Bridge, hoping an attractive grocery-mart cashier will heed the tongue-in-cheek suicide note slipped into her fingers earlier and come to the rescue ("And Counting," Peggy Munson). And in a whirlwind of the senses, our very own Rachel Kramer Bussel drags us backstage at a strip bar, where we're taught a thing or two by a feisty dancer ("Bachelor Party").
The collection showcases some creative, even quirky settings. Two immerse the reader in futuristic worlds. "Camera" (by Elspeth Potter) delights, with its descriptions of sex between a soldier and a clever prisoner still in her _mecha_, a futuristic battle-suit that provides a startling texture and a bit of a shock to the touch. In turn, "Aya's Blade" (Fetish Diva Midori) hurls us into futuristic, back-alley Japan, where a member of a powerful gang is ordered to hunt down an infiltrator, but she's torn between her loyalty to the Family and her love and desire for her prey.
One of the most creative settings was in "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" (Kate Dominic), in which two members of a live nativity scene engage in a bit of bondage before the show. For all its innovation, the scene and the costuming never distract from the sex, which is quite hot, intense enough to linger in the mind for days after. (When's the last time you associated a good, old-fashioned fisting with Good King Wenceslas?)
Breathless yet? Just think, there are twenty stories in all; some readers may need a rest between readings.
To be honest, as in any anthology, a few pieces don't seem to meet the standard of eroticism or literary quality exemplified in the other selections. (Granted, this is purely subjective; every reader is different.) But even so, each still presents a sparkle -- or, more aptly in some cases, a lingering jolt -- of character, style, or even darkness, which allows them to transcend any distractions they present.
As a whole, the book is a finely chosen buffet, a diverse sampling of tastes. Each reader will undoubtedly find one or two selections that don't push her buttons well, but she'll also more than likely discover a new "flavor" that surprises and entices her, even if she didn't think it would. So dive in and enjoy, and as always, do seek out other writing by the authors you like best!
