A review by apostrophen
The Bears of Winter by Max Vos, Charles Hopwood, Lewis DeSimone, Jeffrey Ricker, Daniel M. Jaffe, Xavier Axelson, Roscoe Hudson, 'Nathan Burgoine, Nathan Sims, Jeff Mann, Jerry L. Wheeler, Dale Chase, R.W. Clinger, Jay Neal, Phillip Williams, Frank Muse, Hank Edwards
5.0
I spent a lovely month walking the various winters of this book, story by story, often at bedtime (the perfect time to read books about settling down for winter, it seems to me). It's always such a pleasure to be in great company, and once again that's how I feel being included in [a:Jerry L. Wheeler|2934317|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-e89fc14c32a41c0eb4298dfafe929b65.png]'s anthology. He really does put together some of the best themes (see also: [b:Riding the Rails|22413863|Riding the Rails|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402576014s/22413863.jpg|16316515], [b:The Dirty Diner: Gay Erotica on the Menu|22413844|The Dirty Diner Gay Erotica on the Menu|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402742271s/22413844.jpg|18433834], [b:Tricks of the Trade: Magical Gay Erotica|22413823|Tricks of the Trade Magical Gay Erotica|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402682027s/22413823.jpg|19174463], [b:On The Run: Tales of Gay Pursuit and Passion|22381734|On The Run Tales of Gay Pursuit and Passion|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401541067s/22381734.jpg|41333234], and [b:Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from under the Big Top|9238721|Tented Gay Erotic Tales from under the Big Top|Jerry L. Wheeler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327799878s/9238721.jpg|13477342]).
Here the stories are all about bears (those big burly hairy gay men, not the actual animals, though sometimes that line blurs in a tale or two), and all about winter. Winter can be implied or a metaphor, or it can be the middle of winter on plain old Earth. Each author, however, went somewhere different with it, and each story was a fresh - if wintry cold - gust of air.
[a:R.W. Clinger|2469403|R.W. Clinger|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1333792665p2/2469403.jpg]'s "Don't Feed the Bear," does something wonderful with second person/first person perspective, and I'll be honest and say it's rarely done as well as it's done here. This piece is erotic and engrossing all the more for the skillful way it's written.
"Snow on Scrabble Creek," by [a:Jeff Mann|335695|Jeff Mann|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403220637p2/335695.jpg] brings us back Derek Maclaine (hooray!), the vampire from [b:Desire and Devour: Stories of Blood and Sweat|19416942|Desire and Devour Stories of Blood and Sweat|Jeff Mann|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386921325s/19416942.jpg|21601270] and many other collections, and tells us a tale of Appalachian winter, blood, sex, and vengeance. Mann's tales are always so richly written, and this tale is no exception. If you've never read any of the Derek stories, click that link up there and go do yourself a favor.
(I'm up next, with "The Psychometry of Snow," but it's bad taste to chat about my own tale, no?)
"Little Suzie," by [a:Frank Muse|7267661|Frank Muse|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] is a grin-worthy tale of a man who decides that the best winter bear of them all - Santa - is worthy of a cunning trap, some rope, and a little luck. This was sexy and fun.
[a:Jeffrey Ricker|4022611|Jeffrey Ricker|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1389658188p2/4022611.jpg] takes us away from Earth and a wintry world in "Snowblind," where spec fic, burly gay bears, and a relationship gone sour sets the stage for a disaster (or maybe a new beginning). This is my favourite kind of science fiction - where the characters are so recognizably still everyday people, but the world around them is fresh and bright and new.
"Mountain Bear," by [a:Max Vos|6861340|Max Vos|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364921547p2/6861340.jpg] has a grittier feel, and a harsher reality than most of the tales in the collection, but that isn't a criticism - this tale has bite alongside the sweat. A rural retreat for a writer becomes potentially deadly in the face of hate, but there's something else up the road.
I really enjoyed [a:Jay Neal|3442378|Jay Neal|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s "Miles, of the Antarctic," which put a man on the trail of some of the original explorers of the Antarctic, and drew a lovely parallel of the "what if?" of history with the events unfolding in the story itself. This was charming and romantic.
"Sleeping Bear," by [a:Xavier Axelson|4509816|Xavier Axelson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1401742878p2/4509816.jpg], was a brilliantly done tale of vengeance and justice, set in a small town with a prison that bears a dark secret, and a bear not sleeping through winter, but exacting a bloody restitution. So well done, this tale would be at home in a thriller or horror collection.
"Feast of January," is a sly story that calls out some of the lines drawn between the bears and the not-bears before [a:Roscoe Hudson|7267662|Roscoe Hudson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] turns the story to the romantic - with a short hitch in realizing that hanging on to loss can sometimes block the gains of the future.
The next story, "Romancing the Pole," bore a surprising dedication - the author, [a:Daniel M. Jaffe|311815|Daniel M. Jaffe|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], dedicated the tale to me! I'm truly chuffed - even more so since this story revisits Jaffe's wonderful sex angel character, who so wonderfully crashes through some stereotypes and ageism and brings home a sexy story to boot. This time, the inclusion of other mythological figures makes this a Christmas even our Jewish sex angel is bound to enjoy. (Thank you, Daniel!)
"Truckee," by [a:Dale Chase|3013715|Dale Chase|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1372177248p2/3013715.jpg] is another gritty story done in perfect Chase style. Hard working men, historical in flavor, and - to my very welcome surprise - a bit more tenderness and romance than I was expecting. Cleverly woven into ice harvesting, "Truckee" has cold that will bite you down to your bones, but then warms you up all over again.
[a:Lewis DeSimone|754573|Lewis DeSimone|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330377721p2/754573.jpg]'s "The Bear in Winter" is a tale of restoration, hope, and happenstance that occurs with the backdrop of a snowy mountain, a ski injury, and the release that can come from finding someone who is kind enough to help you see a new future (even if that future isn't with them). I really enjoyed this story, especially in how it turned the tables on a couple of tropes.
[a:Hank Edwards|159956|Hank Edwards|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] surprised me with the spec fic "Thaw," which was a great story about two men meeting in the midst of an accident in a slightly future world that is our own, but after a disaster. The ice has bite, and Edwards's skilful world-building offers just enough to give you a taste of this setting while letting the characters do the heavy lifting, all while enticing you to hope for these two men who are in a world that is now cruel and unforgiving. I really enjoyed this, and would love to see this world revisited in a longer piece.
"World of Men," by [a:Philip Williams|738795|Philip Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], has a wonderful young man who is desperate to get away from a world where he does not fit, and who steals a hot air balloon to do so - only to crash in the midst of a winter storm and face a cold death. Instead, there's warmth, and the chance of learning that he's not alone, nor a complete misfit with the world after all.
Charles Hopwood's "Cold Comfort" is a bittersweet story, about a man losing his partner to a slow and awful death, and the friends who come to help him. It's compassionate, caring, tackles a hard truth, and I appreciated its inclusion in the collection - so rarely do we talk about our endings or how we should be able to meet them with dignity. Beautifully done.
Last, [a:Nathan Sims|4143760|Nathan Sims|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1318990197p2/4143760.jpg] - who I adore - brings it home with "The Balaclava" and weaves a story of a man who has coasted too long, and might have forgotten the courage he needs to restore some of the magic in his life. I loved this story, which lulls the reader into thinking it's going in a different direction than were it ends, and leaves you so pleasantly surprised. A perfect ending for a great collection.
Here the stories are all about bears (those big burly hairy gay men, not the actual animals, though sometimes that line blurs in a tale or two), and all about winter. Winter can be implied or a metaphor, or it can be the middle of winter on plain old Earth. Each author, however, went somewhere different with it, and each story was a fresh - if wintry cold - gust of air.
[a:R.W. Clinger|2469403|R.W. Clinger|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1333792665p2/2469403.jpg]'s "Don't Feed the Bear," does something wonderful with second person/first person perspective, and I'll be honest and say it's rarely done as well as it's done here. This piece is erotic and engrossing all the more for the skillful way it's written.
"Snow on Scrabble Creek," by [a:Jeff Mann|335695|Jeff Mann|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403220637p2/335695.jpg] brings us back Derek Maclaine (hooray!), the vampire from [b:Desire and Devour: Stories of Blood and Sweat|19416942|Desire and Devour Stories of Blood and Sweat|Jeff Mann|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386921325s/19416942.jpg|21601270] and many other collections, and tells us a tale of Appalachian winter, blood, sex, and vengeance. Mann's tales are always so richly written, and this tale is no exception. If you've never read any of the Derek stories, click that link up there and go do yourself a favor.
(I'm up next, with "The Psychometry of Snow," but it's bad taste to chat about my own tale, no?)
"Little Suzie," by [a:Frank Muse|7267661|Frank Muse|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] is a grin-worthy tale of a man who decides that the best winter bear of them all - Santa - is worthy of a cunning trap, some rope, and a little luck. This was sexy and fun.
[a:Jeffrey Ricker|4022611|Jeffrey Ricker|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1389658188p2/4022611.jpg] takes us away from Earth and a wintry world in "Snowblind," where spec fic, burly gay bears, and a relationship gone sour sets the stage for a disaster (or maybe a new beginning). This is my favourite kind of science fiction - where the characters are so recognizably still everyday people, but the world around them is fresh and bright and new.
"Mountain Bear," by [a:Max Vos|6861340|Max Vos|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364921547p2/6861340.jpg] has a grittier feel, and a harsher reality than most of the tales in the collection, but that isn't a criticism - this tale has bite alongside the sweat. A rural retreat for a writer becomes potentially deadly in the face of hate, but there's something else up the road.
I really enjoyed [a:Jay Neal|3442378|Jay Neal|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s "Miles, of the Antarctic," which put a man on the trail of some of the original explorers of the Antarctic, and drew a lovely parallel of the "what if?" of history with the events unfolding in the story itself. This was charming and romantic.
"Sleeping Bear," by [a:Xavier Axelson|4509816|Xavier Axelson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1401742878p2/4509816.jpg], was a brilliantly done tale of vengeance and justice, set in a small town with a prison that bears a dark secret, and a bear not sleeping through winter, but exacting a bloody restitution. So well done, this tale would be at home in a thriller or horror collection.
"Feast of January," is a sly story that calls out some of the lines drawn between the bears and the not-bears before [a:Roscoe Hudson|7267662|Roscoe Hudson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] turns the story to the romantic - with a short hitch in realizing that hanging on to loss can sometimes block the gains of the future.
The next story, "Romancing the Pole," bore a surprising dedication - the author, [a:Daniel M. Jaffe|311815|Daniel M. Jaffe|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], dedicated the tale to me! I'm truly chuffed - even more so since this story revisits Jaffe's wonderful sex angel character, who so wonderfully crashes through some stereotypes and ageism and brings home a sexy story to boot. This time, the inclusion of other mythological figures makes this a Christmas even our Jewish sex angel is bound to enjoy. (Thank you, Daniel!)
"Truckee," by [a:Dale Chase|3013715|Dale Chase|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1372177248p2/3013715.jpg] is another gritty story done in perfect Chase style. Hard working men, historical in flavor, and - to my very welcome surprise - a bit more tenderness and romance than I was expecting. Cleverly woven into ice harvesting, "Truckee" has cold that will bite you down to your bones, but then warms you up all over again.
[a:Lewis DeSimone|754573|Lewis DeSimone|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330377721p2/754573.jpg]'s "The Bear in Winter" is a tale of restoration, hope, and happenstance that occurs with the backdrop of a snowy mountain, a ski injury, and the release that can come from finding someone who is kind enough to help you see a new future (even if that future isn't with them). I really enjoyed this story, especially in how it turned the tables on a couple of tropes.
[a:Hank Edwards|159956|Hank Edwards|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] surprised me with the spec fic "Thaw," which was a great story about two men meeting in the midst of an accident in a slightly future world that is our own, but after a disaster. The ice has bite, and Edwards's skilful world-building offers just enough to give you a taste of this setting while letting the characters do the heavy lifting, all while enticing you to hope for these two men who are in a world that is now cruel and unforgiving. I really enjoyed this, and would love to see this world revisited in a longer piece.
"World of Men," by [a:Philip Williams|738795|Philip Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], has a wonderful young man who is desperate to get away from a world where he does not fit, and who steals a hot air balloon to do so - only to crash in the midst of a winter storm and face a cold death. Instead, there's warmth, and the chance of learning that he's not alone, nor a complete misfit with the world after all.
Charles Hopwood's "Cold Comfort" is a bittersweet story, about a man losing his partner to a slow and awful death, and the friends who come to help him. It's compassionate, caring, tackles a hard truth, and I appreciated its inclusion in the collection - so rarely do we talk about our endings or how we should be able to meet them with dignity. Beautifully done.
Last, [a:Nathan Sims|4143760|Nathan Sims|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1318990197p2/4143760.jpg] - who I adore - brings it home with "The Balaclava" and weaves a story of a man who has coasted too long, and might have forgotten the courage he needs to restore some of the magic in his life. I loved this story, which lulls the reader into thinking it's going in a different direction than were it ends, and leaves you so pleasantly surprised. A perfect ending for a great collection.