The Coming of the Night

Rating:
Summary: Powerful and timely novel, moving.
Review: Anyone who wants to know what America was like in late 1981, especially the gay world, should read this exceptional novel. It captures that time exactly, the time when AIDS was just beginning to be whispered about. Rechy includes a wide cast of characters, that range from a priest to a black cowboy, so many others, straight and gay. Some are sad, others are hilarious, like the drag-queen porn director. Rechy roams from rich homes to leather bars; and his description of cruising in a gay bar is a masterpiece, exactly right, funny and sad. It is also a very erotic novel, and always serious in its explorations. By the end of the novel, you'll feel you've lived with all these characters, and you'll be moved by them, even by Dave, the "tough" leatherman, and especially by Jesse the Kid, who brings the single day of the novel to a surprising end that won't leave you. This is a terrific novel, one of Rechy's very best.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning, unforgettable and timely novel
Review: Ever since I read "City of Night" in highschool a dozen years ago, I've been waiting for Rechy to write another book like his first classic novel. "The Coming of the Night" was worth the wait. I read it through in one sitting. It's a stunner. I won't ever forget the characters Rechy follows for one day and night, when whispers about AIDS were beginning but not believed. Rechy brings that very sexual time to life, and the book is very, very sexy. Rechy leads you with compassion to understand what was going on, how AIDS struck gay people with as much indifference as the heated wind blowing across the city. The book is beautifully written, and very pertinent to today. At times, it's surprisingly hilarious. I laughed aloud at the drag-queen rehearsing her porn stars for a private performance before a closeted movie executive. The book races back and forth from character to character, all different, all alive. I especially like Jesse, the beautiful 22-year-old kid celebrating a year of being gay; the picture Rechy draws of him is very accurate, very moving. The ending almost knocked me out. I sat there, stunned, absorbing it all. Frankly, this may be Rechy's best novel, as good as "City of Night."

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: I enjoyed this book much more than City of Night. It's very readable and believable, and truly heartbreaking. The writing style is quite unique and takes a bit of getting used to, but the ending is tied together masterfully. (Similar to Picano's "Like People in History" with jumping plot lines.) My only criticism is that it is a bit too graphic, but then again, so were the early 80's. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Among year's best
Review: I've read this novel twice, because, the first time, I raced through it to see how it would end. The second time, it's even better. I've been able to see how expertly Rechy uses language, how vividly the characters are drawn; he uses a different prose style for each of the many characters, a style that conveys the voice of each, from the driven priest to the hustler, the drag queen porn director, the black cowboy. Rechy is masterful at creating an oninous mood, employing the fierce Santa Ana winds of Los Angeles, the raging fires in the city, the approach of the night to arouse a sense of foreboding. It's a very sexual book because he is documenting a time when sex was everywhere, and he conveys that expertly. That he is able to bring all the diverse elements of his novel together in a stunning, startling climax is an accomplishment that ranks with his classic "City of Night." I would include this novel among the top books of the year.

Rating:
Summary: Best gay read for a long time
Review: John Rechy has written a superb novel full of memorable characters. The cross section of the gay community is strong and believable as are the other characters. A novel of people indulging on the brink of an unknown disaster at the time makes for a significant and perhaps historical account of gay life before the AIDS epidemic. As usual strong writing, great sex and a dash of humour. A must for any gay bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: An instant classic
Review: John Rechy wrote a book that had a pronounced place in my adolescent life, "City of Night," in which he dealt frankly with homosexual male sexuality in the context of cruising and street sex, and I remember it as a vividly erotic piece of work. It was with high hopes that I approached "The Coming of the Night," in which he follows a number of characters through one day in Los Angeles puncuated by the fearsome Santa Ana winds, which charge and pump up all the players' sexual drives. First problem: too many characters developed too thinly. Second problem: for a book that deals almost exclusively with sex, it's not very hot. Third problem: Rechy attempts to portray the gay world at the moment AIDS explodes unbeknownst to his motley cast of men and, in order to do so, he resorts to the kind of lurid and weary detailing of s&m, gang bangs and porno shoots that was handled much more credibly in the pulp fiction of the 50s and 60s. It's wonderful that Rechy is still writing and publishing; I would like to see him break some new ground next time around. Dealing with life post-AIDS would be a fascinating area to see him work with. Only for the fans.

Rating:
Summary: C...-ola...
Review: Ok what was the point of this book? It was nothing more than a study of oversexed, kinky, S&M-obsessed perverts throughout the course of a windy day in Los Angeles. Rechy's overused symbol of the "Sant'Anas" was eventually annoying and his pervasive sexual language and scenarios had no artistic merit whatsoever and no purpose other than thoroughly grossing out this (gay) reader. Save your time and read a true gay masterpiece- "Dancer From the Dance"- instead. I regret picking this one up.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting, beautifully written
Review: While Rechy retains his usual competence in portraying man-to-man action, his misperceptions on SM are still all too present. If you have read Rushes, you don't need this book. Up to the point of covering S&M activity, Rechy does a pretty good job with the gay male libido. However, here (as in rushes) he has no perceptions of the SM dynamic. His details of heavier-duty encounters emerge as ignorant diatribe. He sees a substitution of violence and symbol for sexuality, ignoring the actual perceptions of those engaged in heavier duty action.

This tends to invalidate his whole work. Perhaps he should stick to the hustler scene and retire from descriptions of that which he obviously does not understand.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling, Dark, Haunting - A True Perspective of Gay 1981
Review: Wow! This is one of the better books that I have picked up in quite some time. Becoming an adult in the mid 80's, immediately after the AIDS epidemic changed the way we live, it was quite obvious that things would never be the same as they had been. This book is a brilliant representation of perspective and fate -showing how in the course of a day, unconnected lives can interface and brief moments and decisions can alter one's future forever. This book touches on a myriad of personalities and help give the reader insight to behaviors that are fueled by insecurity, vanity, empowerment, domination, loneliness, anger, etc. It was raw, dark and clearly descriptive of urban gay life prior to the mid 80's. Despite its graphic and poignant sexual content, ANY reader will have to appreciate the way the author constructs and implements this story with seamless transitions and expertly developed characters. Keep an open mind and you will see a master author at his finest.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling, Dark, Haunting - A True Perspective of Gay 1981
Review: Wow! This is one of the better books that I have picked up in quite some time. Becoming an adult in the mid 80's, immediately after the AIDS epidemic changed the way we live, it was quite obvious that things would never be the same as they had been. This book is a brilliant representation of perspective and fate -showing how in the course of a day, unconnected lives can interface and brief moments and decisions can alter one's future forever. This book touches on a myriad of personalities and help give the reader insight to behaviors that are fueled by insecurity, vanity, empowerment, domination, loneliness, anger, etc. It was raw, dark and clearly descriptive of urban gay life prior to the mid 80's. Despite its graphic and poignant sexual content, ANY reader will have to appreciate the way the author constructs and implements this story with seamless transitions and expertly developed characters. Keep an open mind and you will see a master author at his finest.