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The Street Boy
The Street Boy is a gay romantic mystery. Young writer Anthony Bradley is walking home through Alston Park (a notorious gay beat) when he runs into a boy who is obviously a homeless derelict. The guy whose name is Oliver has tousled blond hair that obviously hasn’t been near a hairdresser for many a long month and his grimy clothes look as if the have come from a Salvation Army op shop.
Excerpt:
“How are you Anthony?” said the gaunt boy. I bridled. How did this bum know my name?
“Do I know you?” I said rather stiffly.
“Oh no, I shouldn’t think so” said the boy laughing rather harshly. “Who would want to know me? But I’ve been watching you… and waiting for you. I’ve got an idea of your habits, your schedule, if I can put it like that.”
Now I don’t mind admitting that all this was making me feel pretty uneasy. Had this desperate-looking guy been following me, spying on me? Stalking me? But why for God’s sake?
However Anthony soon finds that he is falling under the influence of Oliver’s incredible charisma.
The young derelict takes him and introduces him to some of the other shadowy denizens of the park. There’s Alistair Simpkins, an ex-CSIRO scientist who has forgotten more about physics than most people will ever know. There’s Sergei Varsaray, a once-famous concert pianist who now plays on imaginary keyboards. Then there’s Raphael, a rather sinister magician and puppeteer who has been under investigation by the police for making his wife vanish under suspicious circumstances. And there’s Fariq the Chemist who mixes the derelicts’ potent brews of meth and cheap wine.
During their adventures in the park Anthony realizes that Oliver is suffering from amnesia and a condition known as disassociation fugue. People having this attempt to create completely new identities and roles for themselves.
After he finds himself being given death threats and hunted by dark forces, Anthony sets out on a quest to discover who his new friend – who he has been falling in love with – really is. The journey takes him into almost unimaginable worlds and dimensions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Armstrong has worked extensively in theatre and film in Asia and the Land Down Under. He also teaches performance writing skills in international schools and universities. A travelling tragic, he is all too often found raconteuring in bars between Sydney and Shanghai.
Although The Street Boy is the first book in the forthcoming GAY DYNASTY series it may be read as a complete stand-alone story.
Approximately 74,000 words.
Excerpt:
“How are you Anthony?” said the gaunt boy. I bridled. How did this bum know my name?
“Do I know you?” I said rather stiffly.
“Oh no, I shouldn’t think so” said the boy laughing rather harshly. “Who would want to know me? But I’ve been watching you… and waiting for you. I’ve got an idea of your habits, your schedule, if I can put it like that.”
Now I don’t mind admitting that all this was making me feel pretty uneasy. Had this desperate-looking guy been following me, spying on me? Stalking me? But why for God’s sake?
However Anthony soon finds that he is falling under the influence of Oliver’s incredible charisma.
The young derelict takes him and introduces him to some of the other shadowy denizens of the park. There’s Alistair Simpkins, an ex-CSIRO scientist who has forgotten more about physics than most people will ever know. There’s Sergei Varsaray, a once-famous concert pianist who now plays on imaginary keyboards. Then there’s Raphael, a rather sinister magician and puppeteer who has been under investigation by the police for making his wife vanish under suspicious circumstances. And there’s Fariq the Chemist who mixes the derelicts’ potent brews of meth and cheap wine.
During their adventures in the park Anthony realizes that Oliver is suffering from amnesia and a condition known as disassociation fugue. People having this attempt to create completely new identities and roles for themselves.
After he finds himself being given death threats and hunted by dark forces, Anthony sets out on a quest to discover who his new friend – who he has been falling in love with – really is. The journey takes him into almost unimaginable worlds and dimensions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Armstrong has worked extensively in theatre and film in Asia and the Land Down Under. He also teaches performance writing skills in international schools and universities. A travelling tragic, he is all too often found raconteuring in bars between Sydney and Shanghai.
Although The Street Boy is the first book in the forthcoming GAY DYNASTY series it may be read as a complete stand-alone story.
Approximately 74,000 words.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 28, 2021
Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, but combine a gay dominate theme with science fiction, and it makes for a very strange read. This book centers itself around characters in Australia. Sydney to be exact, and begins with a friendly walk in the park teeming with young gay men looking for sex. When the main character meets up with one homeless young man, the story takes a strange twist as Oliver isn't whom he appears to be, and he knows it. But he takes Oliver into his home after this unexpected murder is witnessed in the park. Everything about this story becomes more strange as it goes. I read this book out of curiosity and couldn't put it down because I wanted to see where it went. With stories weaved from Nazi Germany, the Upperworld, the Underworld, and a war going on to restore the good Hitler to power, thoughts of doppelgängers, death rays, immediately healing of the body of clones, and other fantasy concepts, the story ends with the promise of a followup journey. I believe this is the first of a series of novels written on this theme by Armstrong. I think I've had my fill. The book is filled with sex scenes and strong graphic language.
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November 19, 2020DNF, couldn't get into the odd style. Very poor punctuation.
May 14, 2023
2 flaccid stars.
This book was nothing like I expected. And not in a good way, either.
What began as a sexual encounter between Anthony and Oliver quickly switched to a murder, Anthony being drugged numerous times and being taken to an alternate world (the Upperworld) where Oliver was viewed as the "Fuerer" attempting to oppress the rise of the fouth Reich. So many plotlines came into being that by mid-book, I was absolutely lost as to the author's intentions for the book.
The dialogue was horribly annoying, using a mish-mash of British, German and current speech. And considering the title, I was disappointed in the heat level.
The conclusion was a major letdown, ending so abruptly I was left thinking the author just gave up on the story.
Running alongside the annoying dialogue was a very strange, or purposely written, editing style. To me, it interuppted the flow of the story trying to predict if punctuation was simply ingored or it was the author's intent to have the characters' speak in this annoying manner.
All taken together, I felt infinitely let down by this book to the point I almost DNFed it. Needless to state I do not recommend this book to anyone seeking a smooth plot, high heat or understandable dialogue.
This book was nothing like I expected. And not in a good way, either.
What began as a sexual encounter between Anthony and Oliver quickly switched to a murder, Anthony being drugged numerous times and being taken to an alternate world (the Upperworld) where Oliver was viewed as the "Fuerer" attempting to oppress the rise of the fouth Reich. So many plotlines came into being that by mid-book, I was absolutely lost as to the author's intentions for the book.
The dialogue was horribly annoying, using a mish-mash of British, German and current speech. And considering the title, I was disappointed in the heat level.
The conclusion was a major letdown, ending so abruptly I was left thinking the author just gave up on the story.
Running alongside the annoying dialogue was a very strange, or purposely written, editing style. To me, it interuppted the flow of the story trying to predict if punctuation was simply ingored or it was the author's intent to have the characters' speak in this annoying manner.
All taken together, I felt infinitely let down by this book to the point I almost DNFed it. Needless to state I do not recommend this book to anyone seeking a smooth plot, high heat or understandable dialogue.
May 26, 2020
Adventures are everywhere.
A simple walk in the park can turn into a chance to meet a homeless bunch of people, but the young boy he met first has issues that surround him as Anthony finds himself mystified by Oliver. They hit it off together, but strange events including witnessing a murder forces them into hiding. But a misunderstanding leads to a series of tests and challenges for Anthony and a discovery that makes his history lessons be questioned.
A blend of Scify and fantasy with love and war. But lots of love and surprises.
A simple walk in the park can turn into a chance to meet a homeless bunch of people, but the young boy he met first has issues that surround him as Anthony finds himself mystified by Oliver. They hit it off together, but strange events including witnessing a murder forces them into hiding. But a misunderstanding leads to a series of tests and challenges for Anthony and a discovery that makes his history lessons be questioned.
A blend of Scify and fantasy with love and war. But lots of love and surprises.
September 29, 2021
An Unexpected Journey
As I started reading this story, I wasn't sure where it was leading. At first, I thought that it would take a supernatural turn. But then, it became a complex sci-fi, fantasy, alternative history tale, that I could never have anticipated. I found it engrossing, but some may be disturb ed by some of the subject matter. It is certainly a daring foray by the author. I will be reading the next book in the series.
As I started reading this story, I wasn't sure where it was leading. At first, I thought that it would take a supernatural turn. But then, it became a complex sci-fi, fantasy, alternative history tale, that I could never have anticipated. I found it engrossing, but some may be disturb ed by some of the subject matter. It is certainly a daring foray by the author. I will be reading the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews