This twenty four chapter story makes an interesting contrast to the last I reviewed.  Many of the themes it explores are similar, but the writing is older, dare I say more mature, and there is certainly rather more sex in it!

The theme of love is explored, but more so, the theme of friendship and what it means to be friends even above being a lover.  The characters are full of life and have a genuine feel to them that makes it easy to empathise with them, and particularly  with Paul, the narrator. 

The school I attended had the rather odd motto of "Bold and Loyal", at least it seemed odd in my youth.  I have since grown to regard both characteristics as essential parts of a good friendship, and it is this same process of discovery that Paul goes through in the pages of this story.

My only disappointment was that the end was very sudden.  I could have read another couple of chapters!

Read it  at crvboy

Emo and angst. Angst and emo.  Yes, there is a lot of both in this tale of the strange balance of the relationships between Jake, Seth, October and Declan as they find their way to... well I suppose what they are finding their way to is all part of what this story is about.

Now I should be honest here and say that I did start reading this story once before and gave up because it was just to full of, you guesed it, emo and angst.  This time though I was in the mood, feeling a bit more forgiving and understanding (awwww...) and so I pushed on past chapter 10. Onwards to the last  chapter 32.

It was worth it.  I was never certain who would be with who and when until the end and there was a lot more going on as the story progressed.  More than that, it occasionally got rather thoughtful and had quite a lot of interesting angles on love and friendship to explore.  A good example of a writer getting better and possibly a little less self indulgent as they progress.

You might not like it, but you may!

Read it at fictionpress

I seldom mention short "one shots" on the pages of the Nifty archive.  This is not intended as any kind of snobbery, many of the tales fulfil their one and only purpose quite adequately, and Nifty is after all an erotic archive, not just a story site.  That said, there are not so many that merit review or recommendation because they seldom seem to stand out for anything other than their ability to make the read stand out so to speak.

Anyway, here is an exception, at least I enjoyed it very much.  A short, beautifully observed and sweet tale full of love, kindness and sex.  If you missed it, give it a read!

Read it at nifty

This short eleven chapter tale of the love that grows between the seventeen year old Brad, the principled scholarship boy in his British boarding school who has risen to head of house and the new boy, thirteen year old Richard whose life has may be been more priveliged, but has certainly be less happy.

I always enjoy stories that, to my own mind at least, capture some of the essence of boarding school life, and this idealised but loving portrait with its small but carefully written cast of characters is a fine example of the genre.

It is a sad feature of the age we live in that the perception of relationships between two boys boys whose age difference  is such as described in this tale is much changed.  What was once disapproved of because it was homosexual but often dealt approached with sympathy, respect and may be a blind eye or a quiet chat has now, in some parts become a notifiable criminal offence, not because of the homosexuality, but because some societies have chosen to legislate all kinds of relationships, indeed all kinds of behaviour in general with inflexible, inhuman and unkind statutes that brook no circumstance and care not one jot for the hapless victims of their protection.

Read it at iomfats

This lengthy thirty chapter story only just falls within teenage years as the principle character Shawn is nineteen. Shawn however is not an ordinary nineteen year old.  His deafness leaves him more vulnerable and his interactions with the minds of others give him a different perspective on exploring the world.

When his mother receives a letter from a father he has not seen for nineteen years asking Shawn to stay, Shawn is initially determined against the visit.  In the end he goes and what follows is a powerful and touching coming of age story as Shawn finds family and more.

Read it at  fictionpress

I don't read a great deal of fantasy, so I am always aware that when I do, what is striking me as new and original may be well worn and familiar to others.  The plus side of that is that the fantasy fiction I do read, I judge on what I read rather than on comparison to similar stories.

This long but uncomplicated tale recounts the adventures of 16 year old Adam as he discovers his place in a city of magic in a world that is divided.  Dark forces and non magic human forces are set against the city and all of Adam's kind.  A hero is needed, a prophecy needs fulfilling.

There is allegory a plenty here if you need it, although how much is intended I don't know.  The story is exciting and not without humour.  The characters are interesting and the "universe" well constructed, a universe the author draws us into without laboured explanation.

Read it at gayauthors

This is a lengthy 29 chapter tale about the incredible adventures of thirteen year old Nathaniel Halverson and a host of friends that at one stage extendeds to an entire rebel scout troop.

I say incredible, but JJ Janicki tells the story so well that I am sure that he could convince me of the truth of every word.  His writing is funny and his style very direct.  The events may be implausible, but are just about possible. The characters may be unusual, but they are for the most part very loveable and all contribute to the story.

Not only is the story fun, but it could even be classed as educational.  I learnt all sorts of fascinating facts about the USA as I read it, and things about the english language.  Once again all of it presented in a humourous and very readable way.

Read it at iomfats

In some ways this incomplete twenty three chapter memoir might seem an unlikely choice for this site.  It is unfinished, but nothing is lost because of that because there is no plot to complete.

This story has long been a favourite of mine, and reading it again for this review was still a pleasure.  The writing is very intelligent and explores the writer's seemingly insatiable youth at his all male boarding school in the north of England with the eyes of an adult with a remarkable gift for placing himself back in his young mind.

Although the sex is plentiful and very erotic, it is the unrivalled portrayal of being a "public" schoolboy in the 1970's that make this story so entertaining. The sex may have been exceptional in quantity and availability in his school, certainly a lot more than I ever enjoyed, but you will not find writing that better captures the comradeship, fun and fear that was all part of growing up and being upper middle class in Britain.  The times may have changed, but I suspect boys in such schools will still recognise the ambience and company.

Read it at nifty

This twenty chapter story of the seventeen year old Cameron and the change in his life from misery to happiness is less harrowing than vLista's other stories.  There is no protracted physical abuse or violence.  Cameron is abused though, by neglect, and it is the damage done by that that he must repair.

I am a great fan of vLista's sadly  short collection of stories, and this one is no exception.  As always it is well written, and I particularly like the study of the overtly pious Mr Harris.

Read it at gayauthors

Sixteen year old Jesse is bullied at school, and in the absence any friends and only minimal parenting from his father he has become dependent on Sam, a boy who haunts his dreams. As the bullying worsens, Sam seems to become less a dream and more a reality.

This story definitely needs a violence warning! There are a couple of lengthy scenes of extreme brutality, torture and rape that certainly tend towards gratuitous. Is the violence justified? Well you would need to read it to answer that question, but in the end we are talking about fiction and the author has chosen to put it in.

The story is well written and explores in depth the fate of the bully as victim far more at the pyschological level than the physical.  Anyone who has been bullied will recognise the cycle of fear that prevents the bully helping themselves out of their hell.  Anyone who has been bullied will also recognise the desperate fantasies of revenge even if their own imaginations never took them quite this far!

Add to all this an exciting plot and a twisting confusion about who or what Sam really is and you have a cracking story, one that I was glad to have read, with some reservation about the violence.  maybe I'm just too soft!

Read it at the authorshaunt