Embraces: Dark Erotica

by Paula Guran (Editor)

Embraces: Dark Erotica is a literate and provocative approach to the type of fiction that came to be called erotic horror in the last decade or so. Mainstream publishers tried to capitalize on it with best-selling anthologies like I Shudder At Your Touch, Dark Love, Love In Vein, and the Hot Blood series. Even established erotica publishers like Masquerade came out with hot versions of horror classics in their Darker Passions series. Embraces: Dark Erotica, however, is something different: twenty stories of modern, highly sexual dark fiction from writers who, in most cases, are not considered "erotica writers" — fresh blood, so to speak.

Contents
ix • Introduction (Embraces: Dark Erotica) • (2000) • essay by Paula Guran
1 • You Give Me Fever • (2000) • shortstory by Nancy Holder
11 • Saturnalia • (1999) • shortstory by David J. Schow
31 • On the Dangers of Simultaneity, Or, Ungh, Mmmm, Oh-Baby-Yeah, Aaah, Oooh... UH-OH! • (2000) • shortstory by Robert Devereaux
39 • Creeps • (2000) • shortstory by Steve Rasnic Tem
47 • Torpor • (2000) • shortstory by Charlee Jacob
63 • Seeing Things • (2000) • shortstory by J. R. Corcorrhan
79 • Before the White Asylum • (2000) • shortstory by Rob Hardin
89 • Blue Boy • (2000) • shortstory by M. Christian
105 • Her Master's Hand • (2000) • shortstory by Dominick Cancilla
109 • Madly, Deeply • (2000) • shortstory by Connie Wilkins
117 • First Love • (2000) • shortstory by Jay Russell
123 • Small Bubbles • (2000) • shortstory by Samuel Cross
129 • Payback's a Bitch • (2000) • shortstory by Thomas S. Roche
147 • Director of Dolls • (2000) • shortstory by Anne Tourney
157 • Mekong Medusa • (2000) • shortstory by Julia Solis
167 • Beholder • (2000) • shortstory by Stephen Dedman
173 • Homewrecker • (1998) • shortstory by Poppy Z. Brite
177 • Matchbox Screamers • (2000) • shortstory by Ian Grey
187 • The Virgin Spring • (2000) • shortstory by Lorelei Shannon
199 • Learn at Home! Your Career in Evil! • (2000) • shortstory by John Shirley
215 • About the Writers (Embraces: Dark Erotica) • (2000) • essay by Paula Guran

Genres: Erotica, Fiction, Horror, Erotic Horror

232 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2000

About the author

Paula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.

Reviews

[S.P. Aruna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot's of good stuff in here!