Unnatural Acts and Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: Bold erotic horror.
Review: In this collection Lucy Taylor achieves something very difficult and presents us with nine very sex-centric tales without ever losing a handle on her plot or characters (something which, say, Poppy Z. Brite has continually failed at.) A woman searches for a lost city of sin; a hitman meets the love of his life - after death; a young man learns the dangers of idol worship backstage at a wrestling tournament; the spell of a forgotten goddess awakens forbidden lust in a bored Greek tourist. Very explicit (but never gratuitous), often psychological and complex (see the title story) and recommended for the adventurous horror reader.

Rating:
Summary: Only 4 those sick of the same old bland erotic horror . . .
Review: Unnatural Acts is a 190-page collection of Lucy Taylor's erotically charged horror filled short stories. The title pretty much says it all but take one look at the cover featuring a backside view of a squatting unclothed beastly looking woman giving birth to frogs while a shocked voyeur looks on and you'll realize this isn't stuff for the faint of heart.

Taylor takes readers on a journey into the darkest realms both real and imagined. She writes with unflinching brutality about the grotesque, the disgusting, the shocking and nothing is taboo. I read this in one fell swoop, unable to stop even when repulsed beyond belief, until I had finished the very last page. The standout story for me just happens to be the one depicted so grossly on the cover called "Baubo's Kiss". It tells about a plain young woman on a trip with her faithless girlfriend who discovers her sexuality in a most unexpected place. Her transformation from doormat to goddess was awe-inspiring. "Making the Woman" is probably the story that disturbed me the most. It's very short but unforgettable. It's about two troubled twelve year olds who have seen way too much of the dark side of life. One day they decide to make themselves a woman. The cold calculated way in which they perform their task and the final revelation is haunting. "Idol" is a dark, dirty tale about a young man named Conners who is obsessed with a wrestler. When Darius the Python picks Conners out of the crowd to be his sexual partner for the night Conners romantic dreams of forever come true in an unexpectedly twisted way. Many of the other stories feature cruel men while revenge and the search for pleasure (even when the cost may be intense pain or death) is a common thread that binds them.

Lucy Taylor writes extreme horror that can be very unpleasant to read. So, do I recommend it? Yes, but only if you know what you're in for. You've been warned. Now go find a copy of the book!

~LS