A respected businessman must figure out whether the new man in his life is a dream lover or date from hell with strange ties to a bizarre and twisted underworld. A Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Queer book reviewers have praised the works of Randy Boyd. With each new release, accolades pour in from sources like IN Los Angeles, Blade Newsmagazine, and even Lambda Book Report. Still, a careful search will turn up dissension of the “hey, the emperor is naked” variety. A critic for The Advocate thought Boyd’s track record might encourage other “under-talented” writers, and the online comments at Amazon include one from a reader who feels “betrayed” by all the positive notices and wonders if the critics have nefarious hidden agendas.
It’s a fair question.
Boyd’s effort, The Devil Inside, transcends simple mediocrity. It’s profoundly inept. The witless plot, padded out to book length with tediously rambling dialogue, concerns mad scientists bent on destroying gays … or something like that. The slack pace and dull stereotypes make it difficult to remain attentive (as does a lot of disquieting business about child molestation). No action is ever convincingly motivated, no character or situation remotely plausible or involving.
So do all these raves suggest a sinister plot? Maybe not. Boyd’s heroes are all commendably open about their HIV status, and the gay press is probably just responding with natural supportiveness.