apostrophen's review
5.0
"Roustabout," by Dale Chase
I know I've mentioned Dale Chase just a few days ago, but I should point out that when I got my contributor copy of Tented (once again an anthology edited by the unique Jerry L. Wheeler) Dale's anchor story was my first introduction to her work, and I went seeking her tales out thereafter.
"Roustabout" is a tale told in California in the late 1800's, and full of what I've since learned is Dale Chase's brilliant mix of bittersweet longing that is so often a central piece of her erotic westerns. The arrival of a circus - the wagons appearing, tents being set up - brings a man who had planned to come there with his lover, who is now dead. What he finds instead might be a chance to heal.
Tented is an anthology that - to me - was full of genuine surprises. The theme seems so narrow at first - circuses, after all, are exactly that: just circuses - but the collection as a whole is so incredibly varied. I'm dead proud to be in this one.
"Winter Quarters" by Tom Cardamone
This is one of my favourite short stories in Tented. Put far too simply, it's the story of Jimmy, who is with the circus and just hasn't found his niche yet. The others all seem to know which way they were growing - to be future trapeze artists, or clowns, or roustabouts - but not Jimmy. Jimmy works the concession stand, and seems to have a knack for spinning cotton candy, but that's not likely to lead him anywhere else under the Big Top. An encounter with one of the acrobats, however, and some deft handling of the cotton candy machine, might just reveal more about where Jimmy could be headed than he had ever considered before.
I love this story, and the joy of the cotton candy between the two young men is a blast. It's clever, and fresh, and while Jimmy at first feels a little bit lost and more than a little bit pathetic, the journey in this quite short story takes him somewhere completely different. I already knew I liked Tom Cardamone's stories from my brushes with other tales he'd written, but this is one I return to for a quick smile.
"Charlie Does the Big Top," by Hank Edwards
Bringing a character from his "Fluffers Inc." novel to the circus, Hank Edwards adds a wonderful chuckle to the mix of Tented. Charlie is a hapless character, whose oral talents never fail to - uh - get a rise from those he's helping get ready for a shoot, and the porn company he works with is doing a circus themed video.
That the director hates him, and Charlie has been known to perhaps botch things somewhat is a fun mix that - of course - leads to some sexy and silly mishaps. Charlie is a fun character, and "Charlie Does the Big Top" is a fun story. And if you enjoy him, there are three Fluffers Inc. novels to dive into.
"Horse's Ass," by Ralph Seligman
One of my favourite memories of meeting Ralph Seligman in New Orleans at the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival was having dinner with him and his fellow, and a large table of many of the contributors of Tented, and watching him pull out a clown nose and pop it on his face. I needed that laugh then.
In fact, one of the things Jerry L. Wheeler said in the original call for submissions was to avoid clowns. Clown erotica, the tone suggested, would likely be a very - very - hard sell. And not hard in the good way. Ralph managed to sidestep that gracefully, in a way, using the greasy white clown face paint to make the shortest story in the collection a lovely laugh-out-loud inducing pleasure.
Certainly, re-reading it today after reminded me that there are more people out there to support than I need to worry about not supporting. So thanks for that, Ralph. Again.
"The Midnight Barker," by William Holden
I mention this every time I swing around to talking about Tented, but the variety of the tales included in the anthology is a huge draw to the collection. Case in point: "The Midnight Barker." William Holden brings his usual dark twist to the erotic, and creates a character that is unforgettable.
Not quite vampiric, but definitely a kind of erotic and parasitic creature, the voice of the tale runs a circus that has a dark hunger at its heart - a hunger fed by young and strong men who are themselves just tainted enough with a dark desire to offer the right sustenance. As the young man, Derek, is spun into potentially offering himself up, the story tightens and ratchets up the tension. Holden has a way with characters like this, and you'll definitely shiver along the ride.
I know I've mentioned Dale Chase just a few days ago, but I should point out that when I got my contributor copy of Tented (once again an anthology edited by the unique Jerry L. Wheeler) Dale's anchor story was my first introduction to her work, and I went seeking her tales out thereafter.
"Roustabout" is a tale told in California in the late 1800's, and full of what I've since learned is Dale Chase's brilliant mix of bittersweet longing that is so often a central piece of her erotic westerns. The arrival of a circus - the wagons appearing, tents being set up - brings a man who had planned to come there with his lover, who is now dead. What he finds instead might be a chance to heal.
Tented is an anthology that - to me - was full of genuine surprises. The theme seems so narrow at first - circuses, after all, are exactly that: just circuses - but the collection as a whole is so incredibly varied. I'm dead proud to be in this one.
"Winter Quarters" by Tom Cardamone
This is one of my favourite short stories in Tented. Put far too simply, it's the story of Jimmy, who is with the circus and just hasn't found his niche yet. The others all seem to know which way they were growing - to be future trapeze artists, or clowns, or roustabouts - but not Jimmy. Jimmy works the concession stand, and seems to have a knack for spinning cotton candy, but that's not likely to lead him anywhere else under the Big Top. An encounter with one of the acrobats, however, and some deft handling of the cotton candy machine, might just reveal more about where Jimmy could be headed than he had ever considered before.
I love this story, and the joy of the cotton candy between the two young men is a blast. It's clever, and fresh, and while Jimmy at first feels a little bit lost and more than a little bit pathetic, the journey in this quite short story takes him somewhere completely different. I already knew I liked Tom Cardamone's stories from my brushes with other tales he'd written, but this is one I return to for a quick smile.
"Charlie Does the Big Top," by Hank Edwards
Bringing a character from his "Fluffers Inc." novel to the circus, Hank Edwards adds a wonderful chuckle to the mix of Tented. Charlie is a hapless character, whose oral talents never fail to - uh - get a rise from those he's helping get ready for a shoot, and the porn company he works with is doing a circus themed video.
That the director hates him, and Charlie has been known to perhaps botch things somewhat is a fun mix that - of course - leads to some sexy and silly mishaps. Charlie is a fun character, and "Charlie Does the Big Top" is a fun story. And if you enjoy him, there are three Fluffers Inc. novels to dive into.
"Horse's Ass," by Ralph Seligman
One of my favourite memories of meeting Ralph Seligman in New Orleans at the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival was having dinner with him and his fellow, and a large table of many of the contributors of Tented, and watching him pull out a clown nose and pop it on his face. I needed that laugh then.
In fact, one of the things Jerry L. Wheeler said in the original call for submissions was to avoid clowns. Clown erotica, the tone suggested, would likely be a very - very - hard sell. And not hard in the good way. Ralph managed to sidestep that gracefully, in a way, using the greasy white clown face paint to make the shortest story in the collection a lovely laugh-out-loud inducing pleasure.
Certainly, re-reading it today after reminded me that there are more people out there to support than I need to worry about not supporting. So thanks for that, Ralph. Again.
"The Midnight Barker," by William Holden
I mention this every time I swing around to talking about Tented, but the variety of the tales included in the anthology is a huge draw to the collection. Case in point: "The Midnight Barker." William Holden brings his usual dark twist to the erotic, and creates a character that is unforgettable.
Not quite vampiric, but definitely a kind of erotic and parasitic creature, the voice of the tale runs a circus that has a dark hunger at its heart - a hunger fed by young and strong men who are themselves just tainted enough with a dark desire to offer the right sustenance. As the young man, Derek, is spun into potentially offering himself up, the story tightens and ratchets up the tension. Holden has a way with characters like this, and you'll definitely shiver along the ride.
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