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Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Volume 4
Much like a fine wine the 'Best Gay Erotica' series just keeps getting better with each passing year--and this year's volume is no exception! With M/M erotic stories about dominant men standing tall and powerful over their submissive, to dashing men with looks to kill for, to the rough-and-tumble type who is just asking for you to get down and dirty. So, pour yourself a glass and curl up with Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Volume 4. Clothing is optional.
- GenresGay EroticaAnthologies
216 pages, Paperback
Published December 11, 2018
39 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Rob Rosen
204 books165 followersMulti-award-winning and best-selling author/editor/anthologist Rob Rosen is the author of Sparkle: The Queerest Book You'll Ever Love, Divas Las Vegas, Hot Lava, Southern Fried, Queerwolf, Vamp, Queens of the Apocalypse, Creature Comfort, Fate, Midlife Crisis, Fierce, And God Belched, Mary, Queen of Scotch, Ted of the d'Urbervilles, Sort of Dead, Genie in a Vodka Bottle, Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe, and D.B. and Me. His short stories have appeared in more than 200 anthologies. You can read some of his best ones in Short Spurts, Short Spurts 2, and Short Spurts 3. He is also the editor of Lust in Time: Erotic Romance Through the Ages, Men of the Manor, Best Gay Erotica 2015 and Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 14, 2019
This short-story collection reminds me why I like anthologies so much. A good editor is like the conductor of a symphony, making sure all the different instruments work together to produce a cohesive work of art that is harmonious and disparate at the same time.
Each story here is completely different and riveting for its own reasons – which is no mean feat, given the overarching theme of ‘gay erotica’. I mean, at the end of the day, sex is sex. It is the characters, scenarios, and life situations that count more than ‘doing the deed’.
(And if it is just titillation you after, then this collection is likely to disappoint as well. Yes, there are some scorching scenes here, but at the end of the day, it is the characters we care for the most on whom we bestow our unbridled lust …)
Editor Rob Rosen – this marks his fifth edition of this long-running series – comments in the Introduction that he had to sift through 200 submissions. I suspect that a lot of them were rejected not because they were necessarily ‘bad’ stories, but in all probability because they were all rather similar.
Rosen was careful to select 16 stories in the end that represent as wide a spectrum, and as many permutations as possible, of the concept of ‘gay erotica’. Some readers might quibble with his inclusion of some horror, fantasy and SF stories (which are well-represented in the Wilde Stories series from Lethe Press … but without as much as sex, of course).
But I think this is a master stroke on the part of Rosen, if I can use such a loaded term, as it allows him to use vampires, gargoyles, Roman gladiators, human cloning, and even time travel to showcase some of the mysterious ways in which desire – and love – work. Yes, love and eroticism are flipsides of the same coin, in the end.
I loved the fact that a few of these stories were so wonderfully and shimmeringly optimistic and romantic, while others were deeply cynical about both the human condition in general, and being gay in particular. There is a lot of fun to be had here as well, as there are some real comedic gems.
Also refreshing – and this could be due to the genre inclusiveness – is that there are no stories about ‘coming out’ or HIV/Aids. Yes, these are important, of course. But the true mark of the literary achievement of this collection is how it transcends the tropes often associated with gay fiction, and erotica in particular.
What we have here is a multifaceted look at gay identity and sexuality, refracted through the talents of some fantastic writers (I will definitely be on the lookout for novels by many of these writers). And that is another impact of such a collection: it shows that gay fiction, particularly in the short form, is indeed thriving, with both old and new hands plying their trade to the continued delight of gay readers.
There is a not a single dud story, and I was genuinely disappointed when I finished reading this – far too quickly, to my liking. Let us hope that Rosen is able to go back through those 200 submissions and present us with a second course of deviousness and deliciousness!
I received an advance copy from Cleis Press in exchange for an honest review.
Each story here is completely different and riveting for its own reasons – which is no mean feat, given the overarching theme of ‘gay erotica’. I mean, at the end of the day, sex is sex. It is the characters, scenarios, and life situations that count more than ‘doing the deed’.
(And if it is just titillation you after, then this collection is likely to disappoint as well. Yes, there are some scorching scenes here, but at the end of the day, it is the characters we care for the most on whom we bestow our unbridled lust …)
Editor Rob Rosen – this marks his fifth edition of this long-running series – comments in the Introduction that he had to sift through 200 submissions. I suspect that a lot of them were rejected not because they were necessarily ‘bad’ stories, but in all probability because they were all rather similar.
Rosen was careful to select 16 stories in the end that represent as wide a spectrum, and as many permutations as possible, of the concept of ‘gay erotica’. Some readers might quibble with his inclusion of some horror, fantasy and SF stories (which are well-represented in the Wilde Stories series from Lethe Press … but without as much as sex, of course).
But I think this is a master stroke on the part of Rosen, if I can use such a loaded term, as it allows him to use vampires, gargoyles, Roman gladiators, human cloning, and even time travel to showcase some of the mysterious ways in which desire – and love – work. Yes, love and eroticism are flipsides of the same coin, in the end.
I loved the fact that a few of these stories were so wonderfully and shimmeringly optimistic and romantic, while others were deeply cynical about both the human condition in general, and being gay in particular. There is a lot of fun to be had here as well, as there are some real comedic gems.
Also refreshing – and this could be due to the genre inclusiveness – is that there are no stories about ‘coming out’ or HIV/Aids. Yes, these are important, of course. But the true mark of the literary achievement of this collection is how it transcends the tropes often associated with gay fiction, and erotica in particular.
What we have here is a multifaceted look at gay identity and sexuality, refracted through the talents of some fantastic writers (I will definitely be on the lookout for novels by many of these writers). And that is another impact of such a collection: it shows that gay fiction, particularly in the short form, is indeed thriving, with both old and new hands plying their trade to the continued delight of gay readers.
There is a not a single dud story, and I was genuinely disappointed when I finished reading this – far too quickly, to my liking. Let us hope that Rosen is able to go back through those 200 submissions and present us with a second course of deviousness and deliciousness!
I received an advance copy from Cleis Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2019
I received a copy of the book from Cleis Press in exchange for an honest review.
It will perhaps seem paradoxical that the main attraction of an anthology specifically themed around erotic writing should not be the titillation it offers but rather the narrative qualities of many of the stories it brings together. This was certainly my experience in reading this funny little book.
Titillation is of course present in warm, gooey dollops and I'm sure readers looking for just that will find their fill here. However, stories focusing solely on this aspect, were the weakest for me. I was much more interested by stories such as Foursome, Blade of Grass, or Legend in which the sexiness (though present) took a bit of a back seat and let the story and the characters shine more prominently.
Unusually there are a couple of stories trying to incorporate humour into the mix (Reflections, Forward into the Past, and Renaissance Miracles come to mind) but were slightly too leftfield for me.
Out of Yoshiwara, I think deserves a special mention, for its originality, not only in its setting but also in the sexual activities described in its pages.
With a couple of exceptions perhaps, the writing is of decent standard and on the whole this is a strong collection that will delivery the few welcome hours of entertainment that any reader picking it up would expect to find between its covers.
It will perhaps seem paradoxical that the main attraction of an anthology specifically themed around erotic writing should not be the titillation it offers but rather the narrative qualities of many of the stories it brings together. This was certainly my experience in reading this funny little book.
Titillation is of course present in warm, gooey dollops and I'm sure readers looking for just that will find their fill here. However, stories focusing solely on this aspect, were the weakest for me. I was much more interested by stories such as Foursome, Blade of Grass, or Legend in which the sexiness (though present) took a bit of a back seat and let the story and the characters shine more prominently.
Unusually there are a couple of stories trying to incorporate humour into the mix (Reflections, Forward into the Past, and Renaissance Miracles come to mind) but were slightly too leftfield for me.
Out of Yoshiwara, I think deserves a special mention, for its originality, not only in its setting but also in the sexual activities described in its pages.
With a couple of exceptions perhaps, the writing is of decent standard and on the whole this is a strong collection that will delivery the few welcome hours of entertainment that any reader picking it up would expect to find between its covers.
February 6, 2019
This latest collection of gay erotica is nothing short of a wet dream come true! LOL Like with all volumes that I've read, some stories are more literary than others. Nevertheless, that doesn't detract from the sexiness of this collection! Once again, this is a must read for all gay erotica lovers! I STRONGLY recommend!
April 15, 2020
I have several favorite authors in the gay/mm genre. I thought this collection of stories would allow me to find new authors in the genre. After the first 3 stories I gave up reading more. The intro by Rob Rosen gave me hope for fantastic authors & stories. That didn't happen. This was the good stuff? Nope. Can't & won't finish.
July 17, 2020
I really only finished this because I'm having trouble focusing on anything that's very long right now, but honestly I wouldn't have in most cases. My favorites, by far, and the reason for the three stars are:
Appetite by Jordan Castillo Price and Due Diligence by Rhidian Brenig Jones.
I did also like The Temptation of the Gargoyle by Kyle E. Miller.
If you read this, make sure you get those three, especially the first two, but you can easily skip most of them. There's very, very little that qualified for erotic in these stories, many of them were depressing (even the gargoyle story was a bit sad at the end). So, overall, meh.
Appetite by Jordan Castillo Price and Due Diligence by Rhidian Brenig Jones.
I did also like The Temptation of the Gargoyle by Kyle E. Miller.
If you read this, make sure you get those three, especially the first two, but you can easily skip most of them. There's very, very little that qualified for erotic in these stories, many of them were depressing (even the gargoyle story was a bit sad at the end). So, overall, meh.
September 10, 2019
Bought especially to revisit Marc and Jonathan, fun! Rating is for Appetite by Jordan Castillo Price. I will read the rest some other time.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews