Extremes

Scientific Method Universe #8

by Kris Ripper

A mole, a biopsy, a weekend of waiting for test results. Hugh has been waiting for this moment for years and it's finally cancer. Or, more accurately, a mole that doesn't look the way it used to look. It could be cancer. It could be nothing. Will is desperate, needing Hugh to be okay—for himself, for Truman, and to prove to Hugh that happiness doesn't have to be followed by tragedy. Truman tries to keep it together for a few more days, suppressing his own panic, trying to be the rock he believes his men need. Hugh's eternal conviction that he's about to lose everything is at war with his rational brain and all three of them need each other more than ever. Things get a little extreme. The lads play hard in this story. There's a lot less “revisiting consent” than usual. It's an intense read, y'all.

Genres: Romance, BDSM, Queer, M M Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Polyamory

104 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2015

About the author

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and zir pronouns are ze/zir. Kris shares a converted garage with a kid, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Reviews

[Kathleen in Oslo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read May 2022

Every time I read Extremes I'm newly surprised at how intense and emotionally draining it is. Which is dumb. Because: a) I've read this book quite a few times, and you would think it would stick in my brain at some point; and b) it's literally right there in the title!!

Extremes is stripping things bare for all of our men. It calls back to so many of the themes and moments from earlier in the series -- little throwaway lines and references that both reward our close attention and remind us how far these three have come together. There is still so much unsaid and unacknowledged between this triad-that-isn't-officially-a-triad -- Will's ever-evolving role always foremost among them -- but also so much trust, love, and understanding that . . . it's not that the unsaid things aren't important. It's more that it feels okay to hold them unsaid a little longer. Although a reckoning, it is a'coming.

Buckle up, my lovelies. This is a wrencher.

CW: cancer scare exacerbated by Hugh's family history with cancer; reference to that family history; raw sex without discussion or explicit consent; extreme pain play

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And now for something nicer!

Absence and Presence

This doesn't seem to be in the GR system, strangely enough, but is a freebie 20,000-word story available on Kris Ripper's website that falls between Extremes and Untrue. So I'm appending it to my Extremes review instead.

All the stars and all the squee for this wonderful interlude with Will and Truman, spending a week together while Hugh is at a conference in Paris. Although as expected with our men -- while Hugh is, for most of the story, not physically in the room, he is very much present.

The Will-Truman dynamic is probably the one we spend the least time with in the SMU: obviously Will-Hugh is the driver from the start, and then Hugh-Truman is deservedly a major focus, and Will-Hugh-Truman is what we all live for. But Will-Truman is rare, and it is so delightful to get more insight into these two as a couple within the larger constellation. Especially because this interlude is as novel for them as it is for us; even after 8 books, we feel like we are breaking new ground with our men, as they figure out what it means to be a different twosome in the house. They inhabit the space differently; they mix up the routine; together, alone, they interact differently than they do together, as three. It's fun and sexy and altogether delicious. And once Hugh returns, there is a callback to book 3 in how Truman and Will (lovingly) gang up to force affection on their man, keeping him from going cold or shutting them out. These guys have come so far *sniff*.

Think of this as the well-deserved calm between the storms of Extremes and Untrue. Yummy yum!

(Overall series review here)

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savor every installment of this series. The character arcs are outstanding! The specter of cancer has shadowed Hugh since his mother and and grandparents died well over a decade ago. When his doctor doesn’t like the look of a mole, it’s no surprise where his thoughts go. This was far too relatable for me: cancer is riddled all over my family medical history. I’ve had to have a couple of moles removed and return for a diagnostic mammogram—all benign, thankfully. The wait before an appointment or lab results can be interminable.

It can make you shut down, like Hugh. No matter how often he tells himself it will probably be okay, there's what question of what if it's not. My heart went out to him as he tried to grapple with his fears and fruitlessly protect Truman and Will. I loved how Truman and Will ultimately forced Hugh to deal with it, in the way only they can. And that strengthens each’s understanding of what they contribute to their triad. It was so beautiful to see. (I also loved Eddie and Nick giving giving Will sub advice!)

I only have one book left before this series ends and I’m not ready for it. Yes, there are spinoff books and series, as well as some short stories I need to go back and read. But it won’t be the same as watching Will, Hugh, and Truman’s relationship evolve and grow. Truly masterful work.


Characters: Will is a 28 year old white submissive who works at a radio station and says he’s “not straight”. Hugh is a 36 year old gay white therapist, switch, and former escort who wears glasses. Truman is a 39 year old gay white therapist. Hugh and Truman are married and have been together six years. Will and Hugh have known each other 8 years. Hugh and Truman are polyamorous; Will is polyamorous and in a relationship with Molly. This is set in Oakland, CA.

Content notes: mole biopsy and concern of cancer it’s not cancerous, past death of Hugh’s mom and grandparents (cancer), history of depression, homophobic slur (in-group use), body insecurity, unsafe sex practices (Truman has unprotected sex with Will that is not pre-negotiated but they talk it through afterward and Will is okay. They all get tested regularly.), on page sex, D/s, sadism, Daddy play, CNC, somnophilia, degradation play, shaving, impact play, pain play, sensory play (nipple clamps, gag), menage, phone sex, sex toys, top drop, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, ableist language

[Becs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 8th book in the SMU verse and it packs an emotional punch in 91 pages. Intense exploration of each of their vulnerabilities, fears, and trust. Damn this series - just so good.

Best man Will. <3

[dobbs the dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeezus... Extremes is right.

These books are extremely kinky, but this one really goes to places the other books haven't gone to before. I really like that when Will asks for what he wants that Hugh tells him to talk to Nick and Eddie first and how that makes it possible for him to get to where he wants/needs to be. Also, the conversation with Nick and Eddie now really makes me want to read Surrender the Past, which is Nick and Bernie's book. I am so curious about their relationship and how TPE works, at least for them.

This book also sets up some stuff for the last book, which I did not see coming.

[Cat M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and incredibly intense.

These stories are never easy or lightly kinky, but this one in particular is heavy on the sadism and consent-play. And does both oh-so-well.

The heart though is, as usual, the characters and their feelings for and about each other. In this case that's a lot of love and trust, but also fear and jealousy. And that feels right and true too.

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this over a week ago now and it hasn't stuck with me, maybe because the next (and final) book overwhelmed my senses. I'll have a better review the next time around, because oh yeah I'm rereading the entire series. I love these guys so much.


Content notes: biopsy for possible cancer, discussion of past familial death from cancer, dubious consent, BDSM elements

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may have cried during this one.

Oh, I want this in print, I want to be able to pick it up and read and reread again and again until I have bits memorized. Just crack me open and tear at my heart, Kris.

Thank god for the New Year's stories, I don't think I could have taken this thinking it was the last I would see them.

[Anna]

The title pretty much says it all.

I very much enjoyed this one.

[Sheryl Beesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a perfect short story follow up to some of my favorite book characters...

Love me some Will, Hugh and Truman!!!

[JustJen "Miss Conduct" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really feel like I'll never get tired reading about these guys. Here, things in their lives take a little more serious turn, and with it, their level of "play." These guys are all so in tune to each other, it is just a joy to watch, not matter what level they are at.

I love that we finally see some twinges of jealousy, even if they are only in the moment and easily overcome. There is no question how much these three mean to each other and how integral a part each of them play in the relationship. This is definitely one of my favorite ménage stories, and BDSM as well, and I highly recommend it. They are all very well written, read as seamlessly as if they were one long book, and I've fallen in love with each character. My fingers are crossed this isn't the last we will see of them.

[Linz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this latest Will/Hugh/Truman episode. This writer always finds deeper layers to this fascinating relationship and the characters are just as fresh as eight books ago. More vulnerability, more hot sex, more everything. And the 'supporting cast' are nearly as interesting as the main players. A little Eddie and Nick are always welcome. Now waiting impatiently for the next glimpse into the extraordinary Will, Hugh and Truman.

[Lotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might actually have to go back and read this again very soon. You need to have read the other books in the Scientific Method Universe, but if you have, this book is so rewarding. Will and the boyfriends play hard, but mostly because the emotional load is so intense. It's shorter book, borderline novella.

This book takes place after The New Born Year, which I am reading now.

[piranha]

I am sorry; this is the only book by Kris Ripper I have ever hated. It's very much not my cup of tea, humiliation BDSM grosses me out, and I had to skip over much of it. I won't rate it for that reason because it's not that anything is wrong with the writing, and it's also not a case of BDSM done very wrong; it's just an total anti-kink for me.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved :) As was to be expected because this series is fucking awesome <3

___________________
Genre: contemporary romance
Tags: m/m/m, open/poly, BDSM

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series spans a looooooooong time. I simultaneously love that and hate it, because sometimes there’s years missing from the narrative and I feel those gaps! I don’t wanna miss out! I wanna be part of everything! We missed Will’s (and Molly’s and Ad’s and Becc’s) arrival back home in the East Bay. We missed Hugh’s and Truman’s first week of the honeymoon and their first months as newly weds. We missed so many big and small moments and here we are again, one and a half years later.

I loved so many things about Extremes that I don’t even know where to start. I could talk about it for hours.

In the SMU series Kris Ripper mostly gives us what we want in a very roundabout way. It’s not a comfort read (at least not for me). It’s not a quick fix. It’s not instant gratification. You have to work for the good times, brace for the bad times, muscle through the annoying shit and fly with the highs. This installment being the very example of it. It’s hard and good and capital H.O.T.
I didn’t know I wanted it until I did.

I am so stupidly invested in Will, Hugh and Truman at this point, I think about them multiple times a day. We’ve accompanied them through so much, watched them suffer and fuck and grow and love and not everything about the series is perfect.

But it’s a hell of a ride and I just kinda wanna shout out into the world to everyone who will listen to just pick up the damned books and read them. It’s been a while since I wanted to talk about a series this much.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously going in I expected the cancer scare to be the heavy part of this, but I was totally fine with that. Will goes through some stuff as well, and I was fine with that too. But I felt kind of sucker-punched by Truman's scene. It felt twisted in a bad way, and made me very uncomfortable. All the time Hugh helps Will work through his feelings in a scene, he's done the same for Truman, so it's not like scenes can't be emotionally charged. But I feel like the one directing the scene bears some responsibility to not be emotionally flying off the handle themself in that moment. Truman didn't bother to process any of his feelings, he was just angry and so he set out to harm the people he loves most. And because they love him they just let him, and then comforted *him* after, when the guilt set in. I feel like it was set up to be dramatic but then just shrugged off, when it feels way more messed up than that. The other parts were pretty decent, but that scene dulled my enjoyment of all the rest of the book.

[Cleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Believe the warning re consent. In fact, I'd go further and say there are a couple points that really felt like non-con/dub-con to me.

I've read most of this series - I don't exactly love it but I am addicted to it. (I discovered Kris Ripper through the Queers of LaVista series and compared to that, TSM is a lot more uneven w/r/t writing and character development, because this is an earlier series).

Don't read this as a stand alone. You really need the many previous books worth of trust built up (between the characters and with the author) to make the consent stuff work. And even with all of that, there were a couple times I was like, "wait! I'm not sure he really consented!"

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

May contain spoiler hint. This is a terrifyingly beautiful story of love and pain and fear on many levels. Having survived cancer three times myself, and having lost both my mother and my grandfather to it, much as Hugh had, I was on the edge of tears pretty much from page one. This is so close to the way it feels I wonder if the author has experienced it first hand “Part of me was relieved. Part of me—part of me is waiting, as if it’s inevitable.”
Excerpt From Extremes Kris Ripper
https://books.apple.com/us/book/extre...
This material may be protected by copyright.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I didn’t think they could go deeper

I’ve been astounded by the depth of this series. And every book surprises me, this one did not disappoint t. They’re dealing with very heavy subject matter in this book, and they’ve managed to tackle it head on. With communication, love & trust. Wonderful addition to the series.

[Tenshisonnet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly complex bdsm relationship between a triad. The third has a partner of his own, but spends a weekend a month exploring their tangled evocative connection. Each of them gazes intensely into each other's navels during each encounter. The author isn't afraid to invoke raw elements like trauma, jealousy, and all bodily processes.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's what it says on the tin, wherein we visit all three minds and some serious fear. I loved it.

[Joseph Tonlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable!

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally allowed myself to revisit the boyfriends. I was saving the last two books. This one was extremely spicy and I loved it!

[AGMaynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The triad waits with anger and fear for Hugh's biopsy results of a abnornal mole. Intense scene-ing all around and a satisfying ending point.

[J.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wedding (and honeymoon) doesn’t mean that the story is over. For these characters, life is just beginning. I’m glad that Ripper takes us on a journey into that future, even though it’s not easy. All relationships evolve, and all relationships take constant work to maintain. We get a glimpse of how important both are for the adorable trio of Hugh, Truman, and Will in this novella.

For a couple of therapists, Hugh and Truman are astoundingly dense sometimes. I didn’t quite want to smack anyone upside the head in this one, but I came pretty close.

The “subplot” of Will’s desire with Molly and how he decides to address it with the boyfriends left me with a slight sense of disconnect in how they related. Again, even the care and feeding of this relationship takes work, especially when things go a bit off the rails for everyone involved.

I missed Molly in this story. However, I do recognize that shuffling her off to Europe allows Ripper to mess with his characters’ heads in a way that leaves them no easy way out.

[The Neighbor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without giving away any spoilers, this book was amazing. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. I purchased it almost on the Stroke of Midnight June 4th right as it was released. I finished it at 3:15 AM. I could not put it down. The whole book revolves around Hugh, Truman, & Will with the rest of the extended "Reynold's Family" mixed in for moral support. Take Hugh's shrink kink and Will's intimacy kink add a giant dose of fear and the result is another incredible installment in this series. Just when I think I know these guys inside and out, Kris Ripper pulls out the stops and adds more layers to these characters that make them so human you would swear they were real. Now that's a love story that I can believe. One filled with faults and doubts and anger, but yet enough scary emotional openness that keeps the relationships real and show how wonderful love can be when you let it. I can't wait to read Kris's next book, be it in this series or any/all of her others! :)

[Kolbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Kris Ripper really knows how to pull out the depths of human emotion and make them hurt in the best way. This was a very intense chapter, but also a really meaningful progression in the story as a whole. I think also a real, raw demonstration of how much courage it takes to be a dom, and to be a sub, in the truest most human sense of the terms. I don't think this one will be for everyone — a lot of people will/would probably write it off as trash — but I felt so much here. more than other stories in the universe, this one made the characters real.

[Pernilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Reading this series sometimes feels like being in a relationship, and this was like feeling it sway and shift beneath your feet. This is where things go a bit deep and dark, and some things crack open. I kept it together until I turned the last page, and there was a note by the author that started, "How're you doing? You okay?" And that's where I lost it.

[Jane Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense.

[Laxmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5