The Erotic Edge: 22 Erotic Stories for Couples
Barbach, editor of two previous compilations of erotica written by women, here assembles a collection of 22 stories authored by both sexes. While this volume certainly does not contain something for everyone (only one entry--pseudonymous Anna Nymus's "The Wager"--even touches on a gay relationship; domination/submission is dealt with once in the oddly moving "The Language of Desire," written by a couple identified only as Khafre and Patrice), it does offer up a veritable smorgasbord of spicy fantasies. Barbach has divided the tales according to theme--Very Male and Very Female; Common Themes; The Perfect Match --each prefaced by an introduction. She observes the differences between male and female erotic writing: "stories written by men concentrate on the details of the lovemaking scenes" while "women's stories emphasize seduction, desire and the mental foreplay that builds up to the sexual encounter." The more successful tales include Kim Chernin's "The Sacred Harlot," an account of ancient erotic forces called up at an academic conference; Marsha Power's graphic depiction of a female-initiated one-night stand in "11:30 P.M.--Saturday Night"; Clark Sevill Demorest's flip wish-fulfillment fantasy, "A Matter of Attitude"; and B. J. Simmons's "Unconditional Positive Regard," in which a couple make a first effort at "swinging." The level of prose is uneven in the collection as a whole, however; many of the stories are rather amateurishly written and feature cliched, wooden dialogue. Author tour.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.