As we finish our first week of August, we decided to hit a bit of a dark Wednesday today. First we have a review of Promising Author Dark's Butterflies of Death, followed by a great review of Author Cehammock's Gaze. This review is by... (wait for it)... Dark! <cough - lame pun - so what>

So to get the bad pun out of your mind - go read. These reviews should hopefully inspire you to discover some great new fiction!

Reviewer: Renee Stevens
Status: Complete
Word Count: 2,196

So, I was sitting here at my computer tonight when I decided that I wanted to read a story by Dark. I hadn’t read one of his in a while and so it seemed like a really good idea. So I go to the Authors tab and I scroll down to Dark and click. Not really sure what I want to read, I decide to just scroll through the stories and see if something catches my eye and WHAM! One word, just one single word snags my attention. Unicorn. I love unicorns, I collect unicorns, so of course for me, this is an absolute must read!

Now, one thing I will point out is that I was a little confused after reading this story, and come to find out it was because I couldn’t see the picture that Dark linked to the story. Just so that the rest of you readers aren’t confused, I want to make sure you know that the unicorn in this story is a bit like a shifter. He can switch forms between the traditional horse that you might picture and a much more humanoid shape.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on with the story itself. This is a very cute tale about a little unicorn that faces his fear. The story starts out with some young unicorns being some mischievous little pranksters, but that isn’t the whole of the story. This little unicorn is afraid, but he faces his fear and it takes him on a journey as he sets out to do the one thing that no unicorn has done, he wants to climb a tree.

Now, I’m not going to tell you if he manages to climb a tree, or what the outcome of this story is. What I will tell you is that I found this a very fun read (despite my confusion at first). If you’re looking for a story that is relationship based or full of hunky guys, then you might not enjoy this story. But, if you are looking for something light-hearted and fun, and a bit of a children’s tale, then you’ve got to check this story out. I personally enjoyed it and my love of unicorns isn’t the only reason. While this isn’t the type of story you’d normally think you’d find on a site called Gay Authors, I am personally really glad I found it. I hope you are too and take a moment to leave a review for Dark letting him know what you thought!

Review by Dark
Status: Complete
Word Count: 2,456

Author Cehammock’s notes drew me into this story. HIV/Aids is a touchy subject and difficult to write about, but he sets up the story to not get dragged down by angst or a lecture. He also mentions that Gaze is meant to lead into a longer story and I can’t help but wonder if that’s something we’ll be able to see here on GA.

I liked the evenness of the story. Brent tells the story completely from his POV and takes the reader through a few days in his life with his partner Hank. The flashback felt a little abrupt, but the story really shows the impact of HIV/Aids on a person’s relationship and outlook on life. Hank and Brent are real people with a real problem and they show various ways of coping.

At first, I was taken with Brent’s dedication to his partner. He shows strength of character in how he handles their interactions, which makes the slight twist in their backstory just heart-wrenching. But the story doesn’t sink into melancholy. Hope permeates the rest of the story and I’m left intrigued and a little frustrated because this is a terrific lead into a longer story. I want to know more about these characters and what other surprises are in store.

Cehammock has a knack for gritty, sympathetic characters. He takes a sensitive subject and doesn’t let it take over the story while still giving it the attention it deserves.

Gaze is a hidden gem from a newer author. If that’s how he was writing in 2006, I can’t wait to see what might be hidden on his hard drive now.