Lust for Life edited by Claude Lalumière and Elise Moser
Reviewed by Adam Strong
Lust for Life: Tales of Sex & Love, Publisher: Véhicule Press, Paperback $18, ISBN: 978-1550652031, Page count: 180 pp., Released Dec. 2005
Lust for Life is a collection of 21 short stories that claims to be “an orgy of sensual fiction that explores with wit and insight our profound longings for each other.”
Yeah.
Needless to say, quality fiction with an erotic theme is as rare as a winning lottery ticket. Sadly, Lust for Life is yet another losing ticket. Claiming to be the best of 500 pieces submitted from around the world, I can’t help but wonder just how bad the others are. In this collection, some stories involve the erotic couplings of rats with orchids, and gloves porking with feet that were blown off an astronaut’s body during a shuttle explosion.
…Yeah.
Some of the stories try to come off as quirky or romantic by introducing foibles and embarrassing situations. But these texts are so filled with amateur prose and senseless hate that I wonder if the editors chose them because they’re angry that they had to sift through all this literary trash, or if they think they’re being risqué and artistic by publishing stories in which the protagonists hate their former rape victims, take advantage of holocaust survivors, and clone their dead lover’s genitalia (note: these are from three separate stories).
Yeah.
This lottery ticket wins you three prizes, however: J.R. Carpenter’s “The Prettiest Teeth” is a wonderful serving of flash fiction that’s refreshingly romantic. “The Adventures of Ultima” is the most graphic and hilarious piece of smut in the collection, centering on a superheroine whose powers are activated by getting randy. Finally, we have Lust for Life’s only quality erotic fiction piece: Nairne Holtz’s “No Parking.” It’s got slice of life, the sluttish chase factor, and the harsh reality of dating a self-absorbed, self-proclaimed “bisexual,” all without even remotely coming off as “another bull-dyke story.” But are three stories enough?
Nah.
