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Queer Fish #2
Queer Fish: Volume 2
Love takes a darker turn in our second volume of gay fiction. These 20 fantastical tales will take you from revolutionary France to the Souk of Dreams in Dubai, from a fairy tale tower to distant planets. Consumed (sometimes literally!) by desires for love, lust or revenge, these men - or their lovers - will employ any means to get what they want.
306 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 22, 2017
This is the best anthology book Pink Narc has ever put together.
July 27, 2013
I was attending a horror convention when I came across a copy of QUEER FISH 2 on one of the dealers' tables. I have to confess that it was the cover art that caught my eye. I was quite taken by the mixture of whimsy and cartoon eroticism. When I asked the dealer about the book, she seemed noncommittal. "Some of the stories are okay", she told me.
After reading QUEER FISH 2, I can tell you that the dealer was wrong. All of the stories are okay and, in fact, most of them are somewhat better than just merely okay. There are some talented authors exhibited in this anthology who are not afraid to take a creative leap into some new areas. Some of the pieces are better than others but I cannot truthfully say that a single one of them was bad.
Stories run the gamut from science fiction to horror to fantasy, all of them with at least a subtle queer theme, some more overt than others. There's some delightful originality here, and some charming quirkiness. If I've any complaint as to the tone of the anthology it's that the contents seem to have been restricted to lighter fare; there's nothing here that packs a true emotional impact or inspires reflection.
What there is, is originality -- and that's sadly lacking in a lot of modern gay and lesbian anthologies, many of which are not much more than thinly disguised platforms for short eroticism. Moreover, I don't think there's a single piece in this volume that is not well written. All of the authors have a facility with language, most of them do a nice job creating character, and a few of the pieces do a lovely job of creating atmosphere and believable "alternate" worlds when necessary.
Nevertheless, one gets the distinct impression that most of the contributors to this anthology are relatively new authors. There's a freshness to the work, to be sure, but there also quite a few small indications that most of these folks are new players. Most of these are continuity errors--characters who have just met say things that indicate more long-standing familiarity, for example--which one usually sees in the work of first-time authors.
I think the editors have to take the blame here. And truthfully, there's not a whole hell of a lot of blame to take as my quibbles are minor. Nevertheless, one wishes more from this collection. The foundations are all there--and they're solid--but the buildings erected above them while nice to look at, probably won't win any awards. That's a shame because, as I hinted above, there are more-than-glimmerings of some truly spectacular stuff here. But the execution, while nice, competent and even enjoyable, isn't ever truly inspired.
Nevertheless, I recommend this collection. It's a nice little grouping of work with some very interesting stuff written rather well. Further, I suspect that at least one or two of these folks will go on to produce some truly spectacular stuff in the future so it would be well worth a reader's time to start following some of these new talents now.
After reading QUEER FISH 2, I can tell you that the dealer was wrong. All of the stories are okay and, in fact, most of them are somewhat better than just merely okay. There are some talented authors exhibited in this anthology who are not afraid to take a creative leap into some new areas. Some of the pieces are better than others but I cannot truthfully say that a single one of them was bad.
Stories run the gamut from science fiction to horror to fantasy, all of them with at least a subtle queer theme, some more overt than others. There's some delightful originality here, and some charming quirkiness. If I've any complaint as to the tone of the anthology it's that the contents seem to have been restricted to lighter fare; there's nothing here that packs a true emotional impact or inspires reflection.
What there is, is originality -- and that's sadly lacking in a lot of modern gay and lesbian anthologies, many of which are not much more than thinly disguised platforms for short eroticism. Moreover, I don't think there's a single piece in this volume that is not well written. All of the authors have a facility with language, most of them do a nice job creating character, and a few of the pieces do a lovely job of creating atmosphere and believable "alternate" worlds when necessary.
Nevertheless, one gets the distinct impression that most of the contributors to this anthology are relatively new authors. There's a freshness to the work, to be sure, but there also quite a few small indications that most of these folks are new players. Most of these are continuity errors--characters who have just met say things that indicate more long-standing familiarity, for example--which one usually sees in the work of first-time authors.
I think the editors have to take the blame here. And truthfully, there's not a whole hell of a lot of blame to take as my quibbles are minor. Nevertheless, one wishes more from this collection. The foundations are all there--and they're solid--but the buildings erected above them while nice to look at, probably won't win any awards. That's a shame because, as I hinted above, there are more-than-glimmerings of some truly spectacular stuff here. But the execution, while nice, competent and even enjoyable, isn't ever truly inspired.
Nevertheless, I recommend this collection. It's a nice little grouping of work with some very interesting stuff written rather well. Further, I suspect that at least one or two of these folks will go on to produce some truly spectacular stuff in the future so it would be well worth a reader's time to start following some of these new talents now.
January 6, 2013
I think over all this book was enjoyable. There are twenty short stories and with any collection of short stories there are ones that you are quiet saddened that there isn't more, and then there are ones that don't make any sence or a just plain boring. Over all I liked this book, but I also enjoy supernatual stories. I don't think people who don't like supernatual or homosexual themes would want to read or should read this book.
December 24, 2012
RECEIVED FREE FROM GODREADS FIRST READS. Love takes a darker turn in our second volume of gay fiction. These 20 fantastical tales will take you from revolutionary France to the Souk of Dreams in Dubai, from a fairy tale tower to distant planets. Consumed (sometimes literally!) by desires for love, lust or revenge, these men - or their lovers - will employ any means to get what they want.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews