Review: Merrow Magic!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2014
Jez meets the man of his dreams in a comic shop. The big problems is that Jez knows nothing about comics and obviously a guy in a comic shop will know quite a bit and then some. Rhys is tall and gorgeous and Jez is sloppy and pudgy. At least that’s how Jez sees it. So Jez begs his broken friend Tel, as Tel is the geek that started it all, to teach him how to speak Geek. Jez makes his return to the comic shop and strikes up a conversation with the gorgeous Rhys. Jez is not at all a smooth operator in either language, Geek or English, and as it turns out Rhys ends up asking him out for a date. Jez is a little shocked but happily agrees and they meet at a pub. As it turns out both guys like the same rugby team and have a fantastic night talking rugby. They even make plans to attend a match together. Jez is thinking Rhys is the perfect man. Tel is thinking it’s time Jez tells Rhys the truth. Jez is thinking there is no way a sexy comic geek is going to want anything to do with him if they don’t have comics in common. As it turns out, their rugby date ends up being fantastic. Something maybe a little better than fantastic, actually. Then Rhys’ sister Angharad forces a confession from Rhys that changes everything.This was an absolutely fantastic short story. Despite being short it was a fascinating look at what poor self esteem will make us do to get what we want. Jez was so messed up by his previous boyfriend. He had no sense of self worth. Interestingly, we had brief glimpses that Rhys didn’t think a whole lot better of himself. It was also a curious reinforcement of everything we learn in high school. Stick to your own social circle and common interests trump all. In that respect I’m not sure if the book is poking fun at fandoms or confirming their worth. That’s actually pretty typical of my immediate reaction to a book by JL Merrow. I love the story and first glance then slowly begin to notice more and more layers. More than anything it’s a reminder to simply be yourself. There is so much less angst involved when you’re simply yourself. And beware of the Blerch. It’s everywhere.Previously posted at "Live Your Life, Buy The Book"