A Review of Isabella's Surviving Reagan

Just the title, Surviving Reagan, provoked emotion in this reader.  Perhaps, my age set the stage for a host of thoughts about those extremely homophobic years, the ultra conservatism, and the growing apocalyptic view within a militaristic framework, not even touching upon the economic issues fraught within that administration.  Certainly, this romance doesn’t precisely touch upon such things, per se, although the unsettled Middle East, a present day context of extreme misogyny and a war machine does work well as a setting to maintain my initial reactions.    Additionally, the events that occur to the protagonists, Chad and Reagan, bespeak of a world still battling with these issues.   However, Surviving Reagan is a romance tale, one that reaches readers on a variety of levels.  If one seeks a well-written romance story filled with the emotional turmoil extant between lovers whose love has destiny wrapped around it, intrigue and adventure, then Isabella’s writing fills that bill.   Alternatively, if one seeks a novel that raises provocative issues, social issues that beset every lesbian, while cast within a love story, issues that are at once humorous and devastating, then this novel can serve that purpose as well.   Isabella delivers a deeply intense novel that is well written, filled with dynamic dialogue, compelling on a multitude of levels, and highly evocative.    

Erzabet Bishop, author of Sigil Fire, has much to share with our readers!

Erzabet Bishop has written numerous books, including two previously reviewed by this blogger:

Most recently, Sigil Fires

and Beltane Fires.

 Beltane Fires: The Erotic Pagan Series

Erzabet describes her writing style as "erotica with an edge", which seems to be quite apt, given her extensive blogging activities, short stories and other writing activities.  It would be hard to categorize her as anything other than provocative.

Elemental Passions, is a novella written with Rhavensfyre (equally wonderful writers who have had their works reviewed here.)  This work, like Beltane Fires, has a pagan/fantasy twist to intense romance, that makes the reader truly desire to explore the pages, searching for the Goddess. 


I enjoy the complexity of Erzabet as both a writer and as a promoter of Lesfic erotica, edgy fantasy and generally the lesbian community in general.  Erzabet reaches out to her fans in a variety of ways, all provocative and compelling:

Lesfic and Lipstick: a book review and Lesfic Romance Discussion blog

Fetish Fair: an erotic tale written on Silkwords.  As it is currently in Part 2, I must say that I eagerly await the next installments.   Currently on Silkwords, Erzabet is working on Temptation Resorts. 

Join Erzabet and others, in watching Angels of Anarchy on the Club Rook YouTube channel.   I admit, that until I received information Angel's of Anarchy, that I had never viewed an episode, but now that I have, I have become a bit of a fan.

Join Erzabet in this summer's Sci Spanks 2014, erotic sci-fi story contest coming the end of June.

Destination Alara: SY Thompson's Great New Novel

Book Review:

Destination Alara, SY Thompson

SY Thompson’s newest novel, Destination Alara, transports readers to a science fiction plot replete with nearly everything for which an aficionado of such books could: the creation of a unique galactic world with its own historical backstory unique to this story, strong female protagonists, a romance which enhances the plot rather than overwhelming it, sophisticated political intrigue, and a vivid, descriptive settings which are richly sensory in nature.  It isn’t supervising that Thompson delivers a novel in the tradition of Ursula Le Guin, with a bit of Elizabeth Lynn, and Mercedes Lackey, tossed in for good measure.  Thompson creates a unique world, with incredibly nuanced characters, and a view of a matriarchal social structure that is not overly simplified or stereotypical, but possible.  Needless to say, I loved this book.  Thompson brought a bit of glee to my sci-fi soul.

Thompson creates a rather post-apocalyptic setting with its own historical backstory (not just a few years prior, but layers/generations of societies prior, not completely unlike that of Star Trek or Star Wars, but unique unto itself).  That history is useful in that it helps stage the current a political struggle, cast, (aptly), with gender, class, imperialist issues.  If Thompson had simply inserted a matriarchal society in place of the patriarchal one in which we live, the tale would be simplistic.  Instead, the use of matriarchy allows for a tension between the antagonists in such a way that demonstrates the oppressive nature of male centered culture toward women; particularly with respect to women in power, the means that rape culture would attempt to strip the power from any woman, as well as the disdain patriarchal societies hold for lesbians.  These themes play out well in the dynamic character of Admiral Meryan as a daughter of the ruling family and the circumstances in which she is placed within the plot, as well as how Van, the other protagonist, military hero, and love interest works within that dynamic. 

Certainly, I could go on for pages about the themes at work in Destination Alara, it seems more appropriate for this review to clue the reader into the incredibly, no, sensuously vivid descriptions that Thompson provides the reader.   Each scene can be felt, heard, visualized completely, as if the reader is along side the character.   If one has ever watched an episode of Star Trek, then take that visualization and double it – that’s how visually intense the descriptors are written.  With respect to dialogue, each character has a unique phrasing, accent, emotional range that comes out each time, even with respect to minor characters.  Thompson renders such a rich complexity to each moment of the plot, that it seems genuine – an excellent rendering of a possible world. 

All in all, SY Thompson delivers outstanding science fiction with a lesbian fiction focus.   The lesbian focal aspect should not dissuade non-lesbians from picking up this book, because it is outstanding and transcends gender identity.  It is simply put, wonderfully written science fiction.  I highly recommend this book.

Queerly Reading: A Voracious, Omnivorous Lesbian Reader: J.L. Gaynor, Drive

Queerly Reading: A Voracious, Omnivorous Lesbian Reader: J.L. Gaynor, Drive: J.L. Gaynor takes the reader on a wonderful ride in her novel, Drive . Gaynor's title so aptly captures the rhythm, internal nuance...

Erzabeth Bishop's Sigil Fire

Paranormal fantasy, as a genre, often falls into a rather cheesy place, where vampires and weres exist in a real-world setting, beset with magic, yet those things merely mask a basic romance novel.   Given my wary disposition toward the genre, I was pleasantly surprised by the story crafted by Erzabeth Bishop in Sigil Fire.  In fact, Bishop's characters, an intricate weaving of action, and overall descriptive style caught me off-guard and left me wanting to read more.  While I am familiar with her novel, Beltane Fires,which I enjoyed, I found Sigil Fire to be much more compelling a tale.
Within paranormal setting of layered worlds of magic, cast with dark shadows and intrigue, Erzabet Bishop creates a thrilling detective tale, complete with strong female characters, a largess of succubus sexiness.  If, as Bishop writes, "sigil and blood magic will be the path that sets you free, " then Sigil Fire will mark you with the power to lose yourself in fantasy for a time, becoming swept away within the rich panorama of the dark, paranormal world -- a world robust with vampires, succubbi, witches, weres, and oh my, sexy fantasy.  Bishop's novel is a well crafted novel, intensely emblematic of the paranormal genre.  SigilFire is well worth a good reading, in moonlight, awaiting your own succubus.

Challenge: create an All-Star Literary Dream Team

Extra Bonus Points:  only women writers

Double Bonus Points:  at least 1 lesbian per category

Triple Bonus Points:  majority are lesbian

Ultimate Goddess Points:  all lesbian team

Review: "Syncopated Rhythm," by Erik Schubach

A Pefect Title for a Clever Novella

     Without hesitation this work receives a 5 star rating 

  

As a geeky, nerdy, often too much into my head woman,  I found myself intensely connected to the main character of Syncopated Rhythm.   Perhaps the clue that this book was going to work for me was that I was wearing the same t-shirt that the main character had on during the first pages!   Serenpididous, to say the least.

Within the span of a two word title Syncopated Rhythm, Erik Schubach managed to convey both the essence and the complexity of the novella' s plot.   In music, syncopation contains an interruption to the regular flow of rhythm often by an insertion of an unexpected tempo that renders the entire tune "off-beat."  In Schubach's story, the over arching theme centers on quirkiness; a quirkiness bedeviled by navigating change, both in setting and in the characters themselves.   

Everything and everyone conveys the off-beat, all the while being funny, engaging, and relatable.

Kylee, the main character, comes alive on the page as the uber achiever in school that takes a while to find her way once college ends.   She is that clever woman, absolutely a "super gamer geek girl" who responds within conversation by using obscure allusions to cartoons, song lyrics, and Shakespeare.   Even her clothing and car name identified her as a sci-fi loving brainiac.  This disposition as a brainiac belies her social awkwardness, which draws in nicely the other characters of the plot.  Such awkward quirkiness necessitates others who get that unique personality and can take her, as she is, into the larger social strata and, ultimately blossom.   Schubach describes this aptly, believably, and creates an even clearer view of the each characters' mindset, not just Kylee's, by means of fantastic use of both internal and external dialogue.   At one point, Kylee mulls over attention given to her by Amber, the like/lust/love interest.  Schubach creates the perfect scene of confusion.  How many of us, as awkward geeky girls, have not worried whether the hot girl is laughing with us or at us?  

The setting and the plot seem ripe with complexity, but not over wrought in the least.  Each layer of complexity works well: developed by employment of other characters, their interaction, multiple perspectives on situations within the plot line.  Actually, it adds more depth to the story, or in keeping with the allusion set forth by the title, adds a richness to the tune.

I enjoyed every aspect of this book.   I loved the small facets that help to build believable characters, their families, past, insecurities.  More than that, I found the richness of the weaving of the characters into a tune that indeed had a rhythm to it that changed, moved in different directions, all the while making sense in its over all off-beat tempo of quirky, yet memorable.

My wardrobe while reading: