Alleys and Doorways: Stories of Queer Urban Fantasy
Title: Alleys and Doorways: Stories of Queer Urban Fantasy
Authors: Steve Berman, JoSelle Vanderhooft, B.A. Tortuga, Meredith Schwartz
Tags: Stories, Anthology, MM romance, FF romance, Scifi, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Humor, Angst
Length: 204 pages
Rating: Good
Blurb: In Alleys & Doorways, editor Meredith Schwartz has brought together stories of the odd and mysterious ways that queer life happens in the city. Covering a wide range of styles, moods and emotions, from the poignant and erotic to the whimsical, these tales from a roster of acclaimed authors strive to create new legends for gay urbanites.
Featuring several stories that were finalists for the Gaylactic Spectrum Award, this anthology promises to enchant you. Be wary where you read these stories... that train ride, that bus, that sidewalk may lead you to someplace Else... but be assured that your destination in these new alleys, these new doorways, will be an exciting one!
I think one of the things I enjoyed about this anthology the most was the range of story in it. Yes, the majority of them are geared towards gay men (or women who enjoy reading such things), but there are also a lot of story in there that in my opinion contain more. You have everything from the straight up m/m sex story, to stories that make you think as well as a few that cross other boundaries. While this anthology does not per say contain a wide range of what I would term "Queer" stories, it does contain a wonderful array of works from the humorous to the angst. :)
"Everlasting" by Rose Fox, was an interesting story. Ultimately I found it to be sadder than anything else. Still, I rather enjoyed the angst of the piece though I'm not sure that I cared so much for the ending.
"The Steel Anniversary" by Valerie Z. Lewis. This story was actually not at all what I expected; it was a very different type of story than those I normally read. However, I found that it was interesting. In this short you meet Xana and her lover, fifteen years after the war that brought them together. This is a somewhat sad post-apocalyptic story of survival, and how trauma changes us all in different ways.
"The Truth of Skin and Ink" by B.A. Tortuga, is your typical guy meets guy, guy likes guy, guy + guy have sex. The story was well written but there really wasn't a whole lot to it beyond the sex. One of the things that I liked about this anthology was that it mixed this kind of story with stories that had a bit more meaning to them. The combination made the anthology a lot more fun to read.
"Side Effects" by M. Decker, was funny. I think one of the other great things about this anthology was the mix of angst, sexy and funny. Too often short story anthologies only bring in one type of story. That gets kind of old. "Side Effects", was the funny story of Jordan and practicing magician who gets his first commission. Only things don't quiet go the way he expects. :)
"Path of Corruption" by Steve Berman, so I've read this story before in a number of other anthologies. I honestly skipped over it in this book. I find this story both interesting and disturbing at the same time. It is not one of my favorite works by Steve Berman, but there are a lot of things you can read into this story. It is not just you're simple tale of boy meets hustler and things get weird.
"Were" by JoSelle Vanderhooft and we are back to the humorous side of things. I must tell you I was not exactly sure about this story at first but by the end I was rather in love with both characters. This story is built around a rather funny premise involving were rabbits and were wolves but the ending is quiet sweet. And I will say I enjoyed the geeky humor.
"Lost" by Wendy Barnum this story felt real, sad and sweet to me. It's about a man who runs away when he runs into trouble that is how he deals with things. Even if he just ends up jumping on the first train to wherever. I think this story brings into the light some of the wonders of being with someone who loves and knows you and what can happen.
"The Reflection of Love" by Julia Talbot, was a story about a different kind of magic than those that you usually see featured. Alain has the ability to find things that are lost to scry for them. What he doesn't expect is Alain or for things to start going wrong. But in the end they work out right.
"Underneath" by A.J. Grant, this is a story that I would throw more into the category of modern realism, though it is a little more out there... While, I enjoyed this story I found it somewhat harder to follow. But it is cute and entertaining from the beginning to the end as you follow the characters their quirks and interactions. Welcome to the Knights of New York. ;)
"The Love Potion" by Abbie Strehlow, when do love potions ever go right in stories? Though I must say this one turned out much better than I expected with plenty of laughing turns and fun moments.
"Picture Perfect" by Sean Michael, this was a story that had me on the edge of me seat wondering what was going to happen the whole time. While you knew deep down that, things would work out, I wasn't sure exactly how that would happen. I think that Michael's did a good job of keeping the reader on edge until the inevitable ending. And I will say I didn't see that coming.
"The Token" by Elspeth Potter, I think we all understand to some extent the desire to belong, and the need to call some place home. Perhaps some of us more than others. This story is about someone searching and finding that place. A place where you can be yourself.
"Cedar" by Ann Stocce, is a fun story about magic and having or finding a place where you are welcome no matter when you stop by.