Erotic Romance for Men - Guns, Zombies or ...

an eBook review of Kylie Scott’s, Skin.

That's it I admit it I am fast becoming a fan of romance. The kind of romance that Kylie Scott writes at any rate. I reviewed Scott's first title Flesh, late last year. It was the concept - erotic romance with zombies( no not WITH the zombies) that hooked me in.  I read a sample chapter, enjoyed the humour (honest it was the humour), and Scott kindly offered to arrange a copy for review.  

I honestly didn't know what to expect, I mean you expect a certain amount of sauciness and zombies but I have been burned before by titles pitched as genres they are not.  Scott's a self confessed B grade horror fan so I was perhaps thinking  it might be a little camp in its delivery.

I was pleasantly surprised. What I got a well balanced combination of romance, action and erotica. That surprise is I think revealing of an acculturated aversion to romance.  I read this rather brave post by Delilah S. Dawson and it reinforced again to me what silly ideas the genre community and particularly male segments of it have toward anything that suggests the romance genre.  Nobody beat me with a stick every time I looked at a romance cover so I don’t understand why I have (had)such a subconscious reaction against it. 

Kylie Scott writes well,I could not get through a paragraph of Fifty Shades of Grey, but Skin I couldn't put down.  Should I be surprised at this? It’s not any less hard to write an engaging zombie romance than it is to write an engaging epic fantasy and if you think it is maybe reflect on that thought.

With a debut as good as Flesh, Scott had a reputation, with me at least, to uphold.  Leaving behind the characters in Flesh she embarked on a new premise, a new story line set in the same post apocalyptic Queensland.  

Our main character is a school librarian, cooped up with the remnants of the staff and student body (that's horror if ever I have heard it) until they vote her out and sell her to a guy that's got a van load of supplies.  Moral of the story- don't trust the Maths faculty.

So here we have a scenario that's looking like its going to delve into non-consensual interactions.  My inner feminist began to awaken.  I questioned whether I liked where this story might lead, and what Scott might be exploring.  

Scott to her credit pulled it off.  She made the situation believable - our protagonist never presents as a victim to anything but her own desires and there's enough internal monologue that explores her decisions, to suspend my disbelief.

And action, how many romances have the heroin pinning the villain to the a wall with the bonnet of a truck? Ok pinned is being delicate, crushing both his legs is more like it.

The zombies are never more than a plot device to propel the characters, but let's face it that's true of 99% of zombie horror. One thing that Skin does as well as The Walking Dead is this suggestion that we have almost more to fear from those left alive, than by the shambling horde.

If there's one thing that did bug me it was the ending . It felt a little anticlimactic to me. Still, it was a wild ride.  I think Scott's writing was tighter this time around, the pacing smoother.  

If you enjoy, romance and well written erotica, if you're a bloke and you might be a little curious about checking out what all the fuss is about, I can't recommend a better gateway read.  It's got close combat, small arms fire, zombies and kink.  

So men - are you man enough to read erotic zombie romance?  And women, this erotic romance palaver,  how long have you kept this a secret?

This book was provided by the author at no cost.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women..

 

 

 

 

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Having my genre proudly ruined by women since 1984

There’s been a plethora of women writing about sexism in science fiction and fantasy this past week, Foz Meadows wrote a cracker of a piece here and Ann Aguirre (a-gear-ray) penned this yesterday. 

Well worth reading both.

It was this gutless email from some c**k-muppet privileged male whinger, directed in private to Ann that got me head-desking:

“Its bitches like you that are ruining SF. Why cant you leave it to men who know what their doing?”

I mean seriously, being somewhat over dramatic aren’t we?  I am pretty sure considering the male domination of the field that even excluding golden age male writers you could still find plenty of manly-man Sci-Fi. 

A warning though,watch out for Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 it’s hard sci-fi but the gender- bendery stuff might make your insecure male boy-sacks shrivel up.

And that’s the thing I feel that reading some of these emails I am reading the thoughts of under developed boys, teenagers.

But perhaps that’s just me.  Perhaps my reading was ruined at a young age, when at 9 I bought The First Travel Guide to the Moon from the scholastic book club.  Or later when I read Ursula Le Guin’s Wizard of Earthsea after finishing Lord of the Rings.

There was another comment referencing whining:

Dear Ann:

Quit your bitching. Obviously your work is drek or you couldn’t crank it out so fast. Who cares what anyone calls the crap you write? So fuck off and stop whining about equality. Shit is equal to shit.”

Whining:

Verb:

Give or make a long, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.

Complain in a feeble or petulant way.

Who’s whining hey?

If you don’t want to read what women write then f*ck off and read something else. If you were trying to tell me what I can and can’t write you’d be drinking all your meals.

Note: I considered a gentle post, arguing the finer points of why its necessary to have variety, why women can, have and do write core sci-fi. But this was more fun.

Note 2: Jim Hines has a good collection of all the posting on the SFWA issue in

Roundup of Some “Anonymous Protesters” (#SFWA Bulletin Links)

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Havenstar releases from Ticonderoga

I reviewed Glenda Larke’s novel Havenstar here, shortly after she republished it as an ebook.  The wise folk at Ticonderoga though sought out the rights to publish the book in paper form again.  So for those that prefer the feel of crisp paper between their fingers you can now preorder a copy through the links below.

• Limited hardcover $75
• Trade hardcover $50
• Trade paperback $30

Additionally if you wish to buy some more Ticonderoga titles say Prickle Moon by Juliet Marillier, or Kim Wilkins’ The Year of Ancient Ghosts if you make a purchase over $49 you will get free shipping with in Australia.

 

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