Rating: 
Summary: Still Recommended After All These Years!
Review: This is an update to my previous review. I read this book two years ago, and in that time I have read a lot more gay fiction, and now have much more to compare to. I am happy to say that I still feel comfortable recommending this book. It's an easy little read with quite a bit of charm. I would also like to recommend Frontiers by Michael Jensen, Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai, and Dream Boy by Michael Grimsley. Below is the text from my previous review:I thought I was going to hate this book after reading the first 50 pages or so, but I wound up getting pulled into the plot anyway. I enjoyed the second half, as well as the ending, and a lot of it certainly does ring true (as hard as that is for us to admit!). The author does seem to suffer from "Cute Dialogue Syndrome" - "Our gym is full of queens like you, spending the gross national product of Peru every month on bodybuilding supplements." I am tired of writing where every response from a gay male is smart, snappy and witty! And at other times, the dialogue is just a bit unbelievable - when Brian asks John if he wants to see his cartoons, John responds, "I'd love to see them. I respect creativity, I wish I had some kind of gift." WHO TALKS LIKE THIS??!! Lastly, I just hated the "get in shape and dress better to keep your man" moral. But, there are some good insights into relationships, what's really important in life, and the powerful seducing forces of the fast life. No, this isn't a fabulously written, intellectually stimulating, ground-breaking novel. But it is a nice, fun little read with a few good little lessons. And I just kinda liked it.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick read, but little satisfaction
Review: Ultimately, not a bad book, and certainly a quick read (it took me three hours to get through the whole thing). The author captures the sense of San Francisco's body culture quite well, as well as the shallowness that supports that culture. Of course, this line of thinking is not new, or even very original. Certainly the narrative tends to be very conventional in its linear progression (no plot details, but it is about love, so figure it out). This was a letdown. I felt the story would have been stronger with more pithy observations on the meaning(s) of this body-obsessed culture not only for gymbots, but all gay men. The book touches lightly on this, in its concept of being "invisible" vs. being "seen," depending on one's body type. Outland could have made more of this, but unfortunately for his readers, he let it slide. I found the resolution to be particularly disheartening, and a reification of everything the novel seems to want to critique. So, a nice story, but one that could have used more analytical bite.
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