book rage by mark hernandez
Gladiatrix
And now for something completely different... “In The Arenas of Ancient
Rome, the Ultimate Female Warrior Is Born,” says the book’s tag line by
author Russell Whitfield. Yeehaw! It all starts when Lysandra, a warrior
priestess of an ancient Spartan sect, is the sole survivor of a shipwreck
and is found and subsequently enslaved by Lucius Balbus who has been
assembling the finest collection of female gladiators. The Emperor has a
thing for something new and different and Lucius Balbus is all too happy
to provide the Emperor with women gladiators to fight in the arena for
his entertainment. Lysandra must not only fight to survive, but she also
finds herself faced with formidable opponents from rival sects of her own.
What’s that? Is there any lesbian action you ask? Why… yes there is! Can you
handle all the muscles and sweat and leather and swords and fighting and
sexual tension, love-hate relationships, sadism and enslavement? Would
you ladies be willing to go outside the box and read a book like this? The
book climaxes with the Emperor putting on the ultimate combat spectacle
to impress a visiting emissary and Lysandra faces her greatest and most
deadly challenge, to become the supreme Gladiatrix!
Writer Spotlight Between Men 2
The typical gay anthology usually follows a theme like best lesbian
E. Lynn Harris erotica or best gay love stories, for instance. But Between Men 2 takes a dif-
Think “The American Dream” and you’ll instinctively ferent approach by gathering up short stories from the best gay authors,
come up with names like “Rockefeller,” “Vanderbilt” or simi- and what you get is an entertaining mix of creative, well-told stories re-
lar entrepreneurs who made fortunes breaking the backs freshingly different than the usual fare. This second anthology in the series
of countless others. But unlike these industrial leviathans, consists of 19 new original stories by some of the heavyweights including
E. Lynn Harris is a true self-made man with insight to offer Alan Hollinghurst, Ethan Mordden, Aaron Hamburger, Patrick Gale, Mark
and nothing to hide. Having been out of the closet since Merlis, Andrew Holleran and Jim Grimsley, to drop a few famous names.
well before self-publishing his 1991 novel, Invisible Life, And Lambda Literary Award-winner Richard Canning, who assembled
and selling copies from the trunk of his car, Harris has this anthology, includes an afterword that talks about each of the authors
certainly earned his way to the top and is now among the and their contributions which is pretty interesting, as well. The short story
most respected gay authors in the steamy romance genre. format is wonderful because so many great stories are best told quickly
And much like the dashing protagonists in his 13 books, he and kept in sharp focus, unblurred by all the filler that often has to be put
has learned to face and valiantly defend himself from the in to make a novel at least three-quarters of an inch thick. And it’s great to
hostility that gay black men face—an animosity that seems come across a really unique story, something surprising and sometimes
at times to come from all sides. even a little weird, but still satisfying, as these stories all are.
E. Lynn Harris’ new novel is here and for admirers of his
writing, he doesn’t disappoint. In Basketball Jones he tells
a new story and mixes it up a little, though it’s a traditional
Losing My Religion
tale of the two high-powered successful black men who
All of us “family members” have our own ongoing story to tell about
must hide their sexuality in a culture that doesn’t accept
how we’ve dealt with the conflict between our sexuality and organized
them, on the surface anyway. But as his fans know, it’s
religion. There are a number of excellent books available which can help us
always an extra-entertaining and sexy read. In this book,
reconcile our sexuality with what the Bible really means to say overall. But
Dray Jones, a famous NBA star, and his man AJ Richardson
you might want to consider reading this book and coming at the subject
live the good life in New Orleans. But in order to keep the
from a completely different angle. In Losing My Religion - How I Lost My
right image and maintain success in the NBA, Dray marries
Faith Reporting on Religion in America and Found Unexpected Peace, author
beautiful and ambitious Judi who may or may not know
William Lobdell takes us on his journey with religion which had little to do
about Dray’s other life. Oh what a tangled web gets woven.
with sexuality, but ends up in a better place. This place may well be where
E. Lynn Harris is a master at telling stories that on the surface
you might want to end up too, with a better understanding of organized
seem predictable, but he gives them twists and turns and
religion’s place and function in the world at large. He talks about how he
drama, humor and sexiness that keeps y’all coming back
found a way to lose religion, yet still be spiritual and feel anchored and not
for more. Even the book’s cover is red-hot and gets your
feel like we’re lost or disconnected. It’s a fantastic book, easy to read and it
imagination fired up and ready, and you’ll be entertained
will definitely help to become part of the answer you might be looking for.
from the first page to the last.
22 RAGE monthly | MAY 2009
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