Forth into Light: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Well written and agonizing end to a good trilogy
Review: Forth Into Light does was so few books can do: It made me angry and it made me sad. It is so rare that a book can make real emotions erupt in me, so I must say that I think it was well done. I don't have to like what happens to my favorite character, but it does have to be believable and/or justifiable. However, I'll be honest - this was my least favorite of the three books.

This book is significantly different than the previous two books in the trilogy. It takes the focus off of Charlie and Peter and puts in on a whole village, with a slightly brighter light shining on a expatriate American writer and his son.

I wasn't always nuts about how the story moved along, because it seemed as if Merrick had become bored with his two lead characters and was attempting to "do" something with them beyond that which he'd already done. It often seemed as if there were two books here, neither of which was Merrick terribly committed to.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book because it finalized the two characters I'd come to love from the beginning (sometimes I could relate with Charlie and other times I could relate to Peter). In this final book, it is important to remember what was happening in Merrick's world as well as the 1960 world of the characters. The whole free love movement was in full swing for Merrick, but it was just finding its sea legs in 1960. That's all well and good, but it just seemed rather forced at times in the book.

Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the book, but it was a less pleasurable read than the previous two books in the trilogy. But ya' gotta read it!

Rating:
Summary: Well written and agonizing end to a good trilogy
Review: Forth Into Light does was so few books can do: It made me angry and it made me sad. It is so rare that a book can make real emotions erupt in me, so I must say that I think it was well done. I don't have to like what happens to my favorite character, but it does have to be believable and/or justifiable. However, I'll be honest - this was my least favorite of the three books.

This book is significantly different than the previous two books in the trilogy. It takes the focus off of Charlie and Peter and puts in on a whole village, with a slightly brighter light shining on a expatriate American writer and his son.

I wasn't always nuts about how the story moved along, because it seemed as if Merrick had become bored with his two lead characters and was attempting to "do" something with them beyond that which he'd already done. It often seemed as if there were two books here, neither of which was Merrick terribly committed to.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book because it finalized the two characters I'd come to love from the beginning (sometimes I could relate with Charlie and other times I could relate to Peter). In this final book, it is important to remember what was happening in Merrick's world as well as the 1960 world of the characters. The whole free love movement was in full swing for Merrick, but it was just finding its sea legs in 1960. That's all well and good, but it just seemed rather forced at times in the book.

Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the book, but it was a less pleasurable read than the previous two books in the trilogy. But ya' gotta read it!

Rating:
Summary: Popcorn Pornagraphy From A Bygone Age
Review: Gordon Merrick was the most popular of pre-AIDS gay authors to write glossy pornagraphy with a mass market spin, and FORTH INTO THE LIGHT--the third and final installment of his "Charlie and Peter" series--is typical of his work: a soap opera plot, an exotic locale, Eurotrash, and as much explicit gay sex as can be crammed into the story.

This particular tale finds lovers Charlie and Peter, who are clearly intended to paragons of the gay jet set, in residence with their former mistress Martha (who has obliging produced a child for each) on an isolated Greek island--where they collide with an uncertain teenage boy whose insecurities do not prevent him from numerous gay escapades. Throw in stolen money, a sultry and rapacious male prostitute, and lots of local color and you have plenty of opportunity for one gay encounter after another.

Merrick's novels were tremendously popular in the emerging gay community of the 1970s, so much so that their success spilled over into the general mass market. Although expertly written, they are essentially 1970s gay popcorn pornagraphy with lots of surface gloss and zero depth, beach books for a way of life that vanished in the wake of AIDS--and indeed they were regarded as pancake-deep even when first published. They are perhaps best approached as cultural artifacts, but if the material appeals to you and you can suspend disbelief with a vengence you'll find them mildly entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: This book is amazing!!!!Sweet, made me laugh and cry at once
Review: I am totally obsessed with this trilogy! I fantasize about it, write more chapters, I even dream about it at night. VERY recommended. When I finished the third book, I almost cried because there wasn't more, and I desperately wanted to know what happened to Peter and Charlie next. Both the love and the fights were so honestly written that I almost believed it all really happened. Read these, they're a complete emotional experience!!

Rating:
Summary: Merrick shines again
Review: I must admit I thought Lord Won't Mind was to be his crowning achievement, but I feel this book outdid the first in the trilogy. And this time around, even though the characters are once again for the most part Harlequin cardboard cutouts,... I think the emotional tie to Jeff is what makes me hold this one dearest to my heart of all three (well, all two... havent read One for the Gods yet). And check out the passage between Jeff and Mike for one of the most erotic "first timer" encouters written in any manner...gay, straight, and bi authors would have a hard time (no pun intended) topping this one.

Rating:
Summary: Summary
Review: It began with Peter. Then there was Charlie. Along came Martha. Now in the final chapter of the monumental love story about two men who could pass for Greek gods, steps Jeff, an exquisite young man who brings searing passion -- and intrigue -- to the lush Greek isle on which they all live.