Johnny Was: And Other Tall Tales

Rating:
Summary: Up, Up & Away
Review: Greg Wharton's latest effort, a book of tall tales called Johnny Was, is a refreshing break from the short story 'stroke' books that have been flooding gay sections in bookstores of late. What makes Wharton's book different, and better, is that his tales are created to entertain the mind first, and titillate the libido second. It sounds deceptively simple, and yet readers are starving for this kind of writing, but are usually presented with stories that announce "I am here to entertain you with this sexy story". Not that there is anything wrong with a stroke story, mind you, it's just that man does not live by porn alone. Fortunately, with Greg Wharton at the helm of suspect thoughts press, man doesn't have to. In this collection of shorts the reader is treated to everyday people...and it is in everyday situations that human truths feed great stories. From the dog-walking romantic to the volunteer for geriatrics to the teenaged camper, these funny, sad and horny guys will keep your mind entertained, and your heart longing for more, long after the covers are shut and the book put aside. And that's what makes a good short story.

Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing Break from Porn
Review: Greg Wharton's latest effort, a book of tall tales called Johnny Was, is a refreshing break from the short story 'stroke' books that have been flooding gay sections in bookstores of late. What makes Wharton's book different, and better, is that his tales are created to entertain the mind first, and titillate the libido second. It sounds deceptively simple, and yet readers are starving for this kind of writing, but are usually presented with stories that announce "I am here to entertain you with this sexy story". Not that there is anything wrong with a stroke story, mind you, it's just that man does not live by porn alone. Fortunately, with Greg Wharton at the helm of suspect thoughts press, man doesn't have to. In this collection of shorts the reader is treated to everyday people...and it is in everyday situations that human truths feed great stories. From the dog-walking romantic to the volunteer for geriatrics to the teenaged camper, these funny, sad and horny guys will keep your mind entertained, and your heart longing for more, long after the covers are shut and the book put aside. And that's what makes a good short story.

Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled
Review: This isn't just a collection of erotic stories, it's more. The excitement of eroticism is there, but more important, this is more a book of lonely hearts. The characters you will meet in these stories, a dog-walker, teenager at camp, volunteer to the nursing-home set, prisoner on death row, and more, all in one way or another are dealing with unrequited love.

Some scenes are sad, some are funny, and some just plain sizzle. Don't consider this as "porn"--it's a collection of stories about the surprising twists and turns that life takes, and how various people deal with them. I would have enjoyed even more of these stories in this gem of a volume.

Rating:
Summary: Up, Up & Away
Review: Wharton dashes from the starting gate with a character who dreams of tornados. This is most appropriate to describe the central theme of the collection. Some of the people living inside Wharton's head are adulterers, victims of unrequited love, or on death row awaiting execution for being a little too intense when it comes to love. One contemplates the irony of religious persecution. It would be easy to write that Wharton takes on numerous clichés and gives them new life but the internal dialogue of his avant-garde characters keeps well off the path most traveled. In the end Wharton's collection whips into quite a finale as it sucks his protagonist up into the heart of an actual tornado. Read Johnny Was and take a look at the world from the inside of the maelstrom.