Frenzy. 60 Stories of Sudden Sex - erotic fiction by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Escheresque

I'll admit to being a bit of a snob when it comes to literature. It may have to do with my degree in English or maybe the fact that I'm an aspiring writer myself. No matter the cause of my particular nature, it leads me to only re-read books or stories that reach a certain standard. And, to be honest - at least half of the stories in this anthology hit the mark. However, before I explain how this book excelled, I'd like to bring up one point: it was not an anthology of purely "frenzied" sex.

I bought this book expecting, from the title, stories of mindless, lustful coupling. I was looking for scenes that bordered on exhibitionist - heated by the desire to end a mindless hunger. I know from my own experiences that when your blood is singing in your veins and the ache that's between your legs throbs with each step you take - sometimes you just long to throw off the last vestiges of civilized behavior and fuck right there - not caring if everyone sees (or perhaps longing for everyone to see).

Don't get me wrong - this book did have several stories along those lines, but not all 60 of them were the genre I was hoping for. That's not to say that they weren't good erotic stories in their own light. As I stated earlier, at least half of the stories in this book were worth a second read. And they spanned through the fetishes - hand fetishes, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sadism, bondage, role playing, spanking. This book has a bit of it all.

All of the stories are short reads - some less than half a page, and none of them exceeding five pages (perfect for night time if you, like me, enjoy a book and an orgasm before bed). It's a trade-back sized book that is easily portable for road trips (though you may want to invest in a dust jacket, there will be no mistaking what this book it about if someone were to get a look at the cover). One of the things I personally like most about erotic stories is that if I find an author who did exceptionally well, I can then search them out exclusively, having had a taste of their material.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes erotica "on the go". Because while the sex in this compilation might not have always been quick and poignant - the stories were.