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

Frenzy is well described by its own tagline, “60 stories of sudden sex.” Edited by Alison Tyler, it is a collection of stories, mostly averaging 2-4 pages in length, about sex without too much pomp and circumstance leading up to it or walking away. It is a quick and easy read, or nice book to have around if you don’t have much time to devote to reading or just not that long of an attention span – with just five or ten minutes you could get through a few stories from the book at a time.

While the book is fairly varied in topic, it does lean to the side of exhibitionism and voyeurism. There were stories of light bondage, of affairs, and of quick, unexpected sex but there were definitely more on the exhibitionist side than anything else. The stories were also more solo and heterosexual in nature than anything else. While most of the stories were about only the sex, and without the romantic or emotional entanglements that accompany them, there were a few that focused in on the love and the emotional want with such strength that the sex was almost like a second thought to the story line.

Some of my favorite short stories in the book include “Eight Dollars to Paradise,” a story of an innocent woman purchasing a dildo for herself in a downtown sex shop, to celebrate her divorce from what was insinuated to be a very unfulfilling marriage, “Hands On” where a principal encounters a new young teacher that requires and desires discipline, “Coming to Conclusions,” in which a lifestyle or play group familiar with one another catches the most elusive member of their circle pleasuring herself in the bathroom on camera and enjoy it thoroughly, and “Gray Irish Mornings,” where a tourist staying in a hostel with his wife is seduced and pleasured in a shower by a very friendly native. Also, in “Seconds,” a group of PTO mothers lustfully attack and pleasure the man who arranges the school lunches together after a meeting, and on a more romantic note in “Waves,” A man listens to a recording from his married lover arranging their next meeting, only to explain at the end of the story that she’s recently passed away. In “Appetite,” a woman on a diet attempts to replace the foods she loves with sex, and is still not as fulfilled as she craves to be.

If these sound like stories that would interest you, this may be a book to try. Overall it’s well written and would be a good intro to those interested in erotica or those with a well-established interest that simply don’t have the time to read and keep up with a long storyline like they’d like. It also occurred to me while reading this that it would make a great gift for friends of mine that I think would enjoy erotica but are hesitant to being a longer book or even to buy one for themselves. As it is a compilation of 60 stories, there were a few that didn’t do much for me, and I’m sure it would be the same for any reader. Just as every author is different, so is every reader and they don’t all mesh well. This is only to be expected, and really can’t be counted against the book. After all, it wasn’t marketed as, “The book of erotica perfect for Tori.”

The only downfalls of this book I can think of are that there’s very little rough or hardcore play in the book if that’s what you’re looking for. Also, the cover is not at all discreet, making it tough to hide from children in your home or anyone else you might not want to be aware of your enjoyment of erotica.

This is still one of my favorite books of erotica. While others I read once and then let collect dust, I find myself going back to this one.