Tag Archives: Romance

Jennifer Estep’s Jinx

In the city of Bigtime, New York, superheroes and ubervillains are a common phenomenon, sightings of them almost routine. With costumed stalwarts such as the Fearless Five, Johnny Angel, Swifte, or even Granny Cane prowling the streets to keep them … Continue reading

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Rebecca Cantrell’s A Trace of Smoke

When A Trace of Smoke arrived in the Green Man mailroom, I grabbed it right away. I had a feeling I was going to love every page of it, and indeed I did! At first I thought it was a … Continue reading

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Alex Woolfson’s Artifice

I’m not sure how I ran across mention of Alex Woolfson’s Artifice, but I did. It originated as a Web comic, and what I saw of it interested me enough that I bought the hard copy. Deacon is a prototype … Continue reading

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Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study; Michelle Sagara’s Cast In Shadow; Deborah Hale’s Destined Queen

Mary Sue (n.) : (1) A type of story where characterization, plot and theme is supplanted by the author’s quest for his or her own wish fulfillment. (2) any character that is a thinly disguised idealized version of the author … Continue reading

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Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name

It’s hard to avoid comparisons between Call Me By Your Name and Brokeback Mountain, even though the stories couldn’t be farther apart. Let me just say that, for this viewer, at least, the impact was equivalent. I remember after seeing … Continue reading

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Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness

“Night is not something to endure until dawn. It is an element, like wind or fire. Darkness is its own kingdom; it moves to its own laws, and many living things dwell in it.” — Patricia A. McKillip, from Harpist … Continue reading

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Jonah Markowitz’ Shelter

The problem with being a reviewer is that one automatically begins deconstructing the experience of any art, whether it be in a museum or in a hall of popular culture, which is not always the best way to deal with … Continue reading

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Mizuna Kuwabara and Susumu Kodo’s The World of Mirage of Blaze

Mirage of Blaze began as a series of boys’ love novels by Mizuna Kuwabara, later adapted to manga with art by Shoko Hamada, finally becoming an anime television series. Rebels of the River’s Edge, also included in this set, came … Continue reading

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Spray/Visual Arts, You Higuri and Yukina Hiro, Gakuen Heaven: Boy’s Love Hyper

Gakuen Heaven started off as a computer game called Gakuen Heaven Boy’s Love Scramble. The franchise also includes three PlayStation 2 games, drama CDs, a manga series, and this anime. It’s a delightful bit of BL fluff, and everyone I … Continue reading

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John Cameron Mitchell: Shortbus

Shortbus is one of those films that comes apart if you try to look at it element by element. There’s not much of a plot, which we should all be used to by now. The characterizations are not startling for … Continue reading

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