James EM Rasmussen

Blood Fruit edited by James E.M. Rasmussen is a collection of eleven queer, horror, short stories. A lot of them have a paranormal aspect to them as well as the erotica.

The stories all share an element of dangerous hook ups where the promise of sex comes with a price. The encounters are usually between a human and something that appears human but either isn't or is undead.

It's a relatively quick read. One could read a story a night before bed or plow through the entire collection over a lazy afternoon.

The stories are:

"The Lure of Dangerous Woman" by Shanna Germain
"A Different Kind of Monster" by T.A. Moore
"Just Past Winter" by Nathan Sims
"Hemophobia" by Trent Roman
"The Diarist" by Mark Silcox
"After All" by Laramie Dean
"Happy Anniversary" by Stephen Osborne
"Tombstone" by Raymond Yeo
"Captive Magic" by Garry McLaughlin
"Hollow" by Jamie Freeman
"For Her Eyes" by Quinn Smythwood… (plus d'informations)

The Lure of Dangerous Women by Shanna Germain (F/F): Michelle and Beth are not exactly an happy couple, both of them probably wanting for something the other doesn’t. In New Orleans to follow Michelle’s job as reporter, Beth meets a dangerous woman, someone who can well be the destruction of her relationship with Michelle, but not for the most obvious reason. I questioned if Beth really loves Michelle, or if what happens is not something that, unconsciensly, Beth was asking; Beth is regretting to have to depend on Michelle, she wants something to inspire her to paint again, maybe even at the expense of her relationship.

A Different Kind of Monster by TA Moore (M/M): Sol and Peter are lovers, but none of them is with the other for a love reason; Peter craves Sol’s immortality as a vampire, Sol craves Peter’s beauty, but where Peter’s desire is totally selfish, I think Sol chose Peter also since the man is a beautiful exterior with little to save inside. In a way Sol is doing a favor to humanity, he is cleaning the world from trash, even if it’s a beautiful trash.

Just Past Winter by Nathan Sims (M/M): Marcus is Joshua’s prisoner, but he is not really an unwilling prisoner; if Joshua, as Alpha of his pack, tried to impose himself on Marcus, Marcus probably would accept him, since Marcus has the concept of hierarchy well imprinted in his mind, and a wolf has to always submit to his Alpha. On the other hand the Alpha has to protect his pack, and he has always to take the best decision for his pack, not for himself. That is the reason why Marcus will refuse Joshua when the Alpha will try seduction with him, and instead will surrender to a forceful approach. Not sure if I can really understand Marcus’s attitude, but it’s probably the law of nature.

Hemophobia by Trent Roman (M/M): actually this is not an M/M, since there is not relationship between Connor, a vampire with hemophobia, and any other character in this funny little story; and in a way, this is not really an horror story, since I found it more light than horror. For my personal taste, I think this was my favorite of the whole anthology, I really liked Connor, and I think he would be a wonderful character for a longer novel.

The Diarist by Mark Silcox (M/M): Leo and Mitchell are apparently a perfect couple, working together in a antique bookshop and living upstair. But then one day Mitchell buys the library of an old man and among the books they find the man’s diary, a diary that has a strange fascination on Leo, like if he was reading his same life.

After All by Laramie Dean (M/M): Danny is happy now with Gregory, more than he was with Joe, but even if he was the one to break up with him, he was regretting not having the chance to “close”: Joe is dead in a car accident, he didn’t give time to Danny to really forget him, he is gone so suddenly that everythink was bad in their relationship now seems not so important, and instead the regret is eating him alive. But is it really Joe’s ghost that Danny is seeing, or is it more his coscience wanting to find a way to pacify himself?

Happy Anniversary by Stephen Osborne (M/M): Perry and Max are a recently couple and Perry doesn’t know everything of his boyfriend’s past; for sure he doesn’t know that Max had a previous boyfriend that comminted suicide when Max left him. A year from the event, strange things start to happen, and while Perry is scared, Max seems to underestimate Neil’s wrath.

Tombstone by Raymond Yeo: Nicholas and Simon are centuries old and they have a partnership that seems unvincible, but even centuries old partners can have problem; Simon is tired, maybe he would like a more ordinary life, he would like for Nicholas to be less of an hero and more of a lover. Only that, even if Nicholas is not searching for challenges, challenges seem to reach him. Now Simon has to choose, since he will realize that they are strong since they are together. This is probably my second favorite story of the anthology, probably since, in its twisted way, it’s also an happily ever after of some sort.

Captive Magic by Garry McLaughlin (M/M): again this is crepy little tale but with an happily ever after. Brian and Scott are an happy couple if not for Mr Bannister, the old neighbor; Brian doesn’t like him but Scott thinks he is an harmless old man. More, when Brian refuses to help him, and the morning after they find out Bannister is dead, Scott is even a bit disappointed with Brian. But they haven’t realized how dangerous Bannister is, now that he is dead more than before when he was alive. Third favorite in the anthology.

Hollow by Jamie Freeman (M/M): Theo is apparently a quiet man, but he has hidden desires, desires that he cannot satisfy with a normal relationship, something that his colleague Elliott would be more than happy to offer him.

For Her Eyes by Quinn Smythwood (F/F): Angeline is poor and desperate, more or less at the same time she meets Dee, a simple waiter, and Elisabetta, a beautiful woman; the fascination for an easy life will lead Angeline to make the wrong choice, even if she could have had good, if not wealthy life with Dee.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1920441042/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (plus d'informations)

This was a bit of a strange anthology for me ~ after the last couple of anthologies from this press, my expectations were high, and then I just couldn't settle into reading this collection, and it took me a little while to figure out why. It's the genre. Horror tends to linger, to leave the reader with an unsettled, unsettling sense of the story soaking into the back of the mind. My usual anthology reading style, which is to devour the delicious short stories, one after the other, meant that the chill of the one story was affecting my enjoyment of the next. This collection definitely responded better to being read more intermittently, rather than cover to cover.

Horror is also an intensely subjective genre ~ if a particular element doesn't phase you, doesn't get you onto the first step of the escalator, then all the tricks and techniques that are intended to ratchet up the tension just take the story further and further away from you, and unfortunately, a number of stories in this collection suffered from that.

However, the stories that did hit that nerve, and successfully took them with me ~ some of those will be lingering in the back of my mind for a long long time. Deep, to-the-bone, icy-shiver creepers, and a couple of kick-to-the-gut visceral thrillers.

Jamie Freeman's "Hollow," for example, delivered that fine blend of irresistible revulsion, provoking an actual physical reaction with it's clear-as-ice descriptions, while forcing me to keep turning the pages to see exactly how badly things would work out. Chilling ghost story, "After All" by Laramie Dean, absolutely left me uncomfortable being home alone, whilst Osborn's "Happy Anniversary" is a classic teens-and-ouija-boards tale that reminded me all too vividly of walking home alone after a night watching Stephen King movies.

At the opposite end of the fear scale, Trent Roman's "Hemophobia" is a lovely paranormal tale with a twist. Thanks to his blood phobia, vampire Connor has to subsist on the bland, bottled supplies of the legally mandated feeding stations designed to protect humans from blood-starved destitute vamps. Roman does a great job of sketching in the club-filled night-life of this alternate city, which is a fitting setting for the events which force Connor to face his fears or lose everything that makes his afterlife worthwhile. This sort of urban fantasy, paranormal tale, where the the monster is the protagonist is one of my favourite types of horror, and "Hemophobia" a fantastic example.

The anthology purposefully covers a wide range of horror subgenres, so even when some elements of setting overlap, it doesn't feel like lingering over long in the same spot. The plots of both "The Diarist" by Mark Silcox and "Captive Magic" by Garry McLaughlin feature sinister older men, and diaries and notebooks that have a strong effect on the reader, but the two stories are very different in style. Silcox is almost Poe like, whereas McLaughlin takes a more naturalistic, and slower-building approach.

The two lesbian stories bookending the anthology are two of its gems. The opener, "The Lure of Dangerous Woman" by Shanna Germain, brings together a slippery magic realism and a strong sense of location, in a disorienting, immersion New Orleans tale. Quinn Smythwood closes the collection with the five-star fairytale, "For Her Eyes." A little E.T.A. Hoffmann, a little Angela Carter, entirely a modern fairytale most unsuitable for children, with a beautifully paced inevitability and shiver-inducing conclusion.

As a whole, the collection is a little patchy, but offers a fantastic array of styles and tones. Blood Fruit has something to appeal to every horror fan, and a really pleasing range of roles for the queer characters ~ the real joy of these very different stories brought together is the range of gay heroes and heroines, gay protagonists, love interests, friends, and family, and above all queer narratives on display.
(Originally reviewed for Rainbow Reviews: http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=7241)
Personal notes:

I wouldn't normally go for a horror anthology, but the past anthologies from this press have been so impressive, I gave it a shot. Maybe it's because this isn't a regular genre for me, but this seemed like a pretty mixed bag, but the stories I enjoyed were more than worth the price of admission, so I'm glad I took the chance.

1 The Lure of Dangerous Woman by Shanna Germain: "The things that call to us-music, cigarettes, art, women-are as strong and murky as the bayou. In New Orleans, they are the bayou." (A little bit over-written, but neat - 4*)

2 A Different Kind of Monster by TA Moore: "It wasn't Peter-s beauty that attracted Sol, rather his cruelty... He was a cold flame to Sol-s moth." (2* - did nothing for me, style or substance, although it's not a bad idea)

3 Just Past Winter by Nathan Sims: "Prisoner of an enemy pack, Marcus has one chance at freedom. But what will the werewolf have to sacrifice to make it back home?" (2* - meh. didn't grab me.)

4 Hemophobia by Trent Roman: "Connor is an (un)living contradiction: a vampire who is afraid of blood. But he-ll have to push through the fear-or his only friend will be dead before the night is out." (4.5/5 - lovely paranormal world, engaging characters, and a happy ending :D *)

5 The Diarist by Mark Silcox: "It was Mitchell who found the old man-s diary, but Leo who couldn't stop reading it. Sometimes the memories of the dead can bleed into the world of the living.." (3.5 - solid, but never quite caught fire*)

6 After All by Laramie Dean: "Danny is making enormous changes in his life after his last disastrous relationship...but all it takes is a chalk-white face at the window to spin everything out of control." (Creepy, creepy, super creepy! Not the ending I was expecting either. Fear and facing fear. 4.5*)

7 Happy Anniversary by Stephen Osborne: "An evening playing with a spirit board brings terror to Max and Perry when a vengeful spirit from Max-s past is conjured." (Classic ghost / horror story, in the Steven King mould 4*)

8 Tombstone by Raymond Yeo: "Nick-s sister is back in town and she-s brought her own demon... " (demons and critters in New Orleans - I never really connected to any of the characters, or believed they were as ancient as they were supposed to be. 3*)

9 Captive Magic by Garry McLaughlin: "Bannister is just a harmless old man, isn-t he? At least that is what Scott thinks until a chain of events cause him to suspect that Bannister is anything but harmless." (Creepy, creepy, slow built inevitable badness creepy! 4*)

10 Hollow by Jamie Freeman: "Theo has a secret life he's killing for" (Brutal horror - Dexter meets Brett Easton Ellis. 4*)

11 For Her Eyes by Quinn Smythwood: Angeline's life just turned into a fairytale, but there-s something wicked scratching its way through the walls... (Beautiful, creepy, delicate, spiky, modern fairytale. 5*)… (plus d'informations)