Amity’s Vow

Crimson Dragon

Amity works as a servant to the Duke. Her duties include the standard serving wench fare -- preparing and serving meals, cleaning, mending. But her life has always been difficult, and she would gladly work hard to survive in this world. However, her life is made even more difficult by the constant sexual demands placed upon her and all the other wenches used by the Duke. If it were not for her undying spirituality, she would have taken her own life long ago.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when the young, incompetent Duke picks a fight with his far stronger neighbour and the King refuses to intervene.

Bradley has found his focus. His prose tackles tough moral subjects and many of them. Here, Bradley focuses beautifully on Amity and her life, allowing us to assimilate his messages in a subtle manner. I cared about Amity; hated the villains that abounded in this tale. And that is what is important to a true story teller. Even while I’ve never been in a position like Amity’s -- I could still relate to her and what she was feeling.

A word of caution. This story is not for everyone. There is a great deal of violence and angst -- it is not a particularly happy story. However, at least for me, Bradley pulled me into a different world and while I abhor some of the actions that took place there, it was with definite purpose that Bradley showed it to me.

Sit down. Take a deep breath. And fall into another world.

 Ascension

Crimson Dragon

We meet Sally as she wanders home, a typical twelve-year-old with twelve-year-old problems. Until she arrives at home and we discover that Sally has problems well beyond her years. Can she ascend beyond her environment?

As always, Bradley makes the reader consider -- really consider -- his topic. Today, Bradley is tackling the darker and damaging side of underaged sexual encounter: the more plausible results of debauchery gone to excess. This is not a world where sex with children is glamorised or encouraged to the reader. It is not pretty. It is not sexy. It is not erotic. And one must consider whether the real world should be any of those things when it comes to underaged participants.

Bradley’s purpose with this story is not erotic, so I hope that he (and readers) understands the significance of the zero in Eros below. I intend it as a compliment and a measure of success.

Amongst the waves of paedophilic tripe that abound the newsgroup these days, this story is like a breath of fresh air, disturbing as it may be. Perhaps, it is nearly necessary. 

Blessed by Nature

Crimson Dragon

On the beautiful island of Saint Lucia, a member of the French Empire, Edenism, the new social fad, has taken hold. In a world only slightly different than our own, Anne-Marie stands on her balcony, nude, watching the servants as they move about the estate grounds cleaning the grounds or building structures. Suddenly, Nicholas appears.

Nicholas is the new gardener, hailing from British Virginia. Nicholas is full of strange and new ideas, which earned him a one way ticket out of his homeland. And while his unusual ideas interest and shock Anne-Marie’s complacent view of the world, it’s his unbelievably huge example of maleness that initially catches her eye.

And it is with this member that I take issue. Before you get all excited, no, I’m not taking issue with the mutant, freakish nature of it. Many authors seem to have a fixation with size, and I suspect Bradley is making a subtle point with the nature of the blessing. Rather, I must take issue with the depth of detail. While I suspect Bradley was making a literary point, I found the detailed descriptions of Nicholas’ schlong a little overboard to the point of tedium. While it may simply be my preferences, I suspect that had Bradley been describing a particularly deep vagina or endowed pair of breasts, I would remark in the same way.

As always, I enjoyed Bradley’s metaphorical comments on the state of the world. In this story, Bradley explores imperialism, caste, complacency, servitude and the status quo. Some might find this unusual, and even preachy, in a piece of erotica, but for me at least, I like that Bradley has something else to say than only that of sexual import. If anything, Bradley may have tackled a few too many issues with this story. While interesting, and Bradley does do most of the social commentary justice, it might be perceived by some as a lack of story focus.

Both Nicholas and Anne-Marie were delightfully human. I liked the characters immensely, and the story’s underlying Eros.

Color Bar

Crimson Dragon

Tizzy arrives from the big city to meet her sister in Tramsville where the only bar that will admit her is a grungy hole at the Breckenridge Inn. When Edith is late, Tizzy finds out the hard way, that life in the South isn’t quite the same as life in the North.

I was going to push some buttons, pointing out that the title was misspelled. After all, I happen to know that Bradley uses British spellings. What could be worse than misspelling a title? And then I realised that this is done with clever purpose. I suspect that it might be something that many people will miss.

Bradley, as often is the case, explores racial tensions and inequity. The story isn’t about the sex, and certainly doesn’t glorify the treatment of Tizzy, but rather seeks to shock and expose racial inequity for the monster that it is. I was going to score this story with a zero in Eros, and that is probably what Bradley would expect and desire for this tale. I’d even scored it thus, until I began to write the review and think more about what Bradley had written.

You see, there is subtle Eros in the story, if only in the expression of humanity that instils this piece. Eros is not simply the blind application of sex, and the score below certainly does not reflect the quality, pleasure or heat of the sex scene that was inevitable in this story. No, rather, I’ve given the Eros score below to reflect the expression of humanity that Bradley achieved here, both with Tizzy, and her sister, and even the bartender. It is more of a sororal Eros, rather than a sexual one. I hope this doesn’t confuse too many people. Ah, read the story, if you want to know what I mean.

Now, having said all that, as you might imagine, the story is a downer. And while it is certainly a well-written, worthwhile downer, I wasn’t in the mood this time. Nevertheless, everyone should read stories like this, if for nothing else, the depth, and commentary.

Cottage Life

Crimson Dragon

Dot is a liberated girl of the 1960’s. As some of you might know, the 60’s were a tumultuous time -- a time of experimentation, a time of upheaval. This is the story of Dot, who is killing time at the cottage, hanging around unclothed, because that’s what one did to protest society’s repression. And she is waiting for Bill, her brother, and Sam, Bill’s friend and lover, to join her and alleviate some of the boredom of being a flower child. But even being as liberated as she is, Dot finds herself wondering about Bill’s current obsession.

This story gives us a window into the times. We watch as the three young reactionaries wander through their lives, through psychedelia and music and dope. I really loved the glimpses into a different time and lifestyle than most readers would be used to, I reckon.

I was a little disappointed in the ambiguity of the piece. While Brad does a wonderful job of presenting the time and the character of the era, I was left hanging a little. There didn’t seem to be a focus, or a message, here beyond an exposition of the times. I wanted to see further -- to see what happens to the three teens, what their decisions and lifestyle wrought upon them and how they learned and/or grew from the experience.

However, I did like the story as written. Even if nothing else, it is a wonderful glimpse through the window of time, and that alone makes it worthwhile reading.

creamfields

Tainted Lime

This is the story of the Creamfields festival, which takes place every summer in the UK, and one particular girl who thumps, jumps, and pumps to the music as the Ecstasy takes over and the people she’s with become more and more sexually attractive and they are suddenly naked and dancing and fucking while the relentless music drives them on and on.

As lime who is a little bit past his prime, I’m more than a little uninformed about the current music scene. But this story made it come alive for me. The beat of the music, the feeling of the drugs, the raging dancers: I was swept away by all of it.

I’ve been looking out for Bradley Stoke stories for some time now, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I found one that caught my fancy. This is the one that did it for me. It’ll do it for you, too.

                                                            
(This review is taken from The Tainted Lime Reviews Issue #33, by [email protected] (http://www.asstr.org/~TaintedLime/)).

Cyberwhore

Crimson Dragon

Alone, millions of miles from home, Kevin finds himself desperate for companionship. And sometimes, when one is desperate enough, one can deceive oneself into seeing something that isn’t there. Only unlike most prostitutes, Sindy is ready and willing to do anything -- well almost anything. Some things are beyond even Sindy’s capabilities with her perfect breasts, her insatiable sexual drive, long tanned legs and willing mouth. And Kevin needs to learn this
the hard way.

In Cyberwhore, Bradley chose a focus and flowed languidly from presentation to the inevitable conclusion. This is not necessarily a happy, Hollywood story, no siree, but it is satisfying in a way that many erotic stories in this forum lack. It has character, growth, plot and atmosphere -- a true story.

This story is certainly worth reading. If you are looking for decent fiction amongst the chaff -- grab this one.

Divine Love

Crimson Dragon

In a convent tucked far into the countryside, nuns have forsaken worldly possessions, living in poverty and denial. All has been voluntarily foresworn -- physical love, clothing, and perhaps even understanding. When Sister Love enters the convent, Sister Divine is torn between conflicting loves -- her devotions to the Lord above, and her desire for the tall black nun that shares her humble worldly abode.

As usual, Bradley pushes us to consider our world. Here, he asks us to consider the role of religion, and sex, and God, and love. I’m not sure exactly where Bradley was heading with this, and what the ultimate conclusions are, but perhaps that is exactly what Bradley wants us to think about.

This story is heavy, without doubt, but Bradley somehow makes the naked nunnery something far more than a typical male fantasy stroke story, even while supplying us with hot sex amongst the themes.

Freedom in the New World

Crimson Dragon

Thasra is a slave. When I first began to read this, I was afraid that I was reading another Slave of Gor impersonation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Thasra is a slave in perhaps the most literal sense, dragged from Africa against her will into the clutches of the white devils in the New World. The New World that, ironically, represents freedom and democracy and adventure. That is, if you are white and a landowner it does. If you are black and a woman and constantly afraid of the master’s whip, well, the land of the free isn’t quite the Eden advertised.

Bradley takes us deep into Thasra’s mind, telling her story, using contrast, sex, and imagery to drive into us the horror of her existence, the inequity of the times. This isn’t a fun story, nor is it meant to be. The caution in the codes is quite correct. But that isn’t to say that the story isn’t worth reading. The commentary and the insights are well worth the effort to read it. While it is disturbing, perhaps we need to be disturbed sometimes. Bradley hits the theme and the topic dead on. While there’s a definite sexual element, the story is not about the sex beyond its use in the story, and doesn’t pretend to be. That’s a good thing. The eight below isn’t an indication of failure to provide eros, the story was never intended to do so, and so the score there is actually a reflection of success. You’ll have to read the story to understand what I mean.

I truly enjoyed it.

Lady Cyrrh

Lovely Thasra is a slave belonging to the boorish Enoch Evans, who alternately lectures his slaves about American democracy and bangs the hell out of them. It is early in the 19th century, and slavery is still legal in the states. Thasra submits to her master’s attentions while reflecting on the irony.

Eventually she does something about it.

I’m always a sucker for a historical sex tale, though this wasn’t so much a sex story as a character study, and, as the author explains, a rumination on American freedoms. Still, the sex was handled well, and if it wasn’t exactly arousing (and I hope no one gets aroused by a young black woman’s humiliation) it was interesting to read and felt true to life -- I felt like I was present in the scene and feeling all the protagonist did, the benchmark of any good story.

The Fix

Tainted Lime

A lonely, fifty-year-old man is out walking through a crummy part of town. He’s looking to feed his compulsion for prostitutes. One of his usuals gets picked up by someone else before he can get to her, and he has to settle for a woman who looks like she just broke out of a drug rehab center.

This story is not pretty. The man is pathetic, and the girls are almost ghastly. It’s a sad situation. The ending fits with the tone of the story, although it comes out of the blue.

The reason to read the story is to appreciate the ugliness of it. The sex is creepy and isn’t much of a turn-on, but it’s still an artful and vivid story.

(This review is taken from The Tainted Lime Reviews Issue #37, by [email protected] (http://www.asstr.org/~TaintedLime/)).

Just Friends

Antheros

I’m a fan of Bradley’s work His is one of the best prose around, with a subtle choice of words that makes each sentence seem chiseled. “Just friends” tells about Sophie and what being a porn star makes to her persona.

The story is told nonlinearly, jumping from past to other past to present, with quick scene changes. I think it works very well and is part of the attractiveness of the story, but I’m sure Bradley must have received emails complaining about it.

What pleases me most about this story is that it avoids falling into one of the two typical stereotypes that most stories here would: Sophie is not a nymphomaniac who is absolutely delighted in having sex all day long, but the story does not paint the picture of redemption either. The sex is described in a raw, mechanical sense, suitable for the tone of the story and the way Sophie sees it. Third-person narratives are often told in a sided view, sympathetic to how the main character sees the world, and this is used by Bradley to imprint into the reader the dryness that Sophie sees it. The story brings the image of a see-saw, Sophie changing and Justin changing as well, each one seeking for what the other has.

The very end of the story struck me with a note of sadness. Sophie is probably thinking that she’s responsible for changing Justin’s behavior and for losing his friendship---what she cared the most in that friendship.

Koochy

Crimson Dragon

Sex. Drugs. And rock and roll—er—house music. Bradley follows Janine and Edie, two friends, into a North London house party where the drugs flow freely, the music pounds heavy, and the scent of sex is in the air.

Janine loses Edie temporarily while dancing in a rhythmic fog, then finds Edie holed up with an anonymous guy. Shocked and hurt, Janine begins wandering, and finds Molly, a shaven-headed, pierced occupant of the house, where she finds solace, and maybe revenge, or maybe something else.
I honestly didn’t think I’d like this story. It’s only me – some weird aversion to heavy drugs and heavy house music. I know. I know. I’m reviewing sex stories, right? Focus. The London/French slang is daunting, and sometimes tough to follow for those not into the scene.

But you know what?

It doesn’t matter.

This is a glimpse into a different world, at least for me. Bradley brings it alive, and the girls, the party, the atmosphere comes to life for the reader in a way that I honestly didn’t think would be possible for me. In that, I have to admire what Bradley has done here.

The sex is hot—definitely more than stroke fiction. The characters and the plot are all in place. I didn’t see a single technical flaw.

Bradley surprised me with this. This is an excellent tale, and even with my prejudices, or perhaps because of them, I have to say that overall, I really liked this story.