Rating: 
Summary: Every Nine Seconds---could be better
Review: I just finished reading this book. It is sweet and clever in places. It gives a plausible background to the characters of Brian and Michael and how their friendship evolved. However, on pages 130-131 a scene occurs in a state liquor store of a meeting that is totally out of character of the entire book. It changes the entire mood of the book. I almost closed the book and threw it away. Instead, I just whited out the lines that were so offensive to me. It ruined the entire book. I did trudge through the rest of the book and found it enjoyable. I still think it needs a rewrite, but I do demand perfection for my favortie show.
Rating: 
Summary: my review
Review: I just wanted to point out the fact that the author changed the story of brian's bracelet. In the third season of the show Justin says that Brian got the bracelet in Mexico and his initials are written on one of the shells. It was not bought by michael at a craft show.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I must say although I enjoyed reading the book I feel that it could have been much stronger if provided with more history as to how the two met and became such good friends. But, the book started off in much the same way as the series with Michael portrayed as a spineless follower that allowed his friend to have all the fun while he waited to clean up his mess. Don't get me wrong out of all the characters Brian is my favorite. But, just once I would have loved to see Michael get the guy that was placed under that infamous Brian Kinney spell. In addition, I feel the liquor store scene could have been left out. It was something I had a hard time getting passed once I read it. But, all in all I did enjoy the book and look forward to the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: It was o.k.
Review: I purchased this book with anticipation of getting alot more detail of the early years of Michael & Brian and their families. I was very disappointed that my expectations were not what I received. The story takes place in approximately a 3 week period. The entire story is centered on the guys High School Prom and Graduation. I really didn't feel that any new information was given into the background of any of the characters that had not already been mentioned on the show. There were several opportunities to develop details for the backplot. An example, Debbie thinks to herself at one point of the book about Michael's REAL father, the drag queen, and there is no further explanation. We already knew from the show that Michael's real dad is a drag queen. I expected some back story here. Why did Debbie hide this? What was she feeling? SOMETHING!! It was only mentioned in passing in the book.
Another example? Michael's Uncle Vic comes for a visit. The author alludes to the fact that there is something secretive going on between Debbie & Vic, and Debbie wants to tell Michael. She sits him down to tell him the secret (that we already know from the show) but is interrupted and doesn't get to tell him. It is never mentioned again in the book. I wanted to know what was Michael's reaction? How did Vic decide to move in with Debbie? If a reader has not ever seen the show there would be so many unanswered questions.
I think this series is a good idea, but future novels need to have alot more NEW details about the times before season 1. The author of this book basically took details from the show and expanded it without giving us any new details.
Rating:
Summary: A Quickie
Review: I really enjoyed this book, though its not the best. There is some discrepancy from the show, but if you can get past that its a fairly decent read. Telling the tale of Mikey and Brian, honestly you really couldn't go wrong. I felt it stayed true to the chacters to the best of its ability. It even made them deeper as their past is often discussed on the show but obviously not to this depth. If anything its worth the time (and its a very quick read) just so you can read Never Tear Us Apart which I loved.
Rating: 
Summary: New Fan to the Series
Review: I started watching QAF recently. I didn't have Showtime but now that I do, I watch it every Sunday after "Six Feet Under". I figure if I can watch a show that has gay themes, why not watch this show?
Speaking of the show, the book is a pretty good read as to how the friendship between Brian and Michael continues to remain despite their differences. The reader also understands as to why Brian is the way he is--unaffectionate, determined, and brash. Michael lives in a childlike existense with his comic books and collectibles. He doesn't open up about his sexuality until prom night when he is forced to confront a classmate and himself. Both Brian and Michael, despite their different paths remain close friends. The book focuses mainly on the friendship of Brian and Michael. The boy Justin was just a hint of what is expected if they were to meet again.
Rating:
Summary: great on character; lousy on facts
Review: I thought the book was a surprisingly good read. I didn't have high expectations for it, so my expectations were exceeded. However, what is maddening are three factual details which are totally contradicted in the series, or just plain stupid: One is that according to the series, Brian's infamous shell bracelet - his signature piece - was bought by him in Mexico. Here, it's the eighteenth birthday present from Michael. We heard about Mexico from Justin on the series, does that mean Brian lied to Justin? Second is that nowhere is Lindsay mentioned, yet she and Brian dated in high school, in the novel she doesn't exist. Finally, the near disgusting notion - in the book - that Justin as a small child with a teddy bear named "Gus," that is so ludicrious as well as banal one wonders where that idea came from. Really, some sort of psyhic link implied between Lindsay (her choice of name for her and Brian's child is Gus, over ten years later) and Justin? Give me a break. However, one thing the novel is good at is characterization. The characters actually sound like themselves in the series. There isn't a moment where you go that's not Michael or that's not Brian. It SOUNDS like them, the dialogue and descriptions. So that's why I give it three stars. For most writers it's easy to get the facts right, but characterization is off, for this writer it's just the opposite.
Rating: 
Summary: Every Nine Seconds
Review: I thought the book was great. It did have parts that didnt match with the show but if you love QAF and the characters you wont mind, Im reading it for the second time right now. The part about the bracelet wasnt the authors fault, the book was released BEFORE the origin of it came up in the show so you cant blame Joseph. I thought the book was pretty dead on other wise. The "intimate" parts are very well writen and if you have a good imagination I think you will enjoy them......a little too much. Truly the ONLY part I didnt really like was the ending.....I thought Brian would have come up with something way better than what he did for graduation. I really didnt like the review before mine because it gave away too much info. and dissed the author for things he couldnt help, like the teddy bear boy being Justin, YOU ARENT SUPPOSED TO TELL PEOPLE THAT!! That was one of the biggest shockers in the book and they gave it away! About Brian being nice to the kid, he probably wasnt a "...." hole to little 7yr olds when he was 18 unless they were to him so dont assume that he would be. You know just as much about Brian and Michael as Joseph did so I doubt you could have done any better. I think Joseph did a great job writing this book and if you are a true QAF fan this is a must have!
Rating:
Summary: Brian and Mikey - The Early Years
Review: I'm a big Queer As Folk fan - you can read my review of the first season DVDs here at Amazon - and was happy when I heard there would be a series of books based on the QAF characters. This is the first in that series of novels.I enjoyed this story. Its an easy read and surprising to me, it does stay true to the shows defined characters (in this case, Michael, Brian, Debbie and Vic). This book also incorporates other aspects of the tv series as well - referencing events and foreshadowing character development. Even the title of the novel is based on the first episode, where Michael narrates a scene at Babylon. The book begins a couple of weeks before Brian and Mikey's High School graduation and concludes just after. Debbie is present, as is Uncle Vic. We are presented with the dysfunctional Kinney clan as well. Both Brian and Michael are very complex characters and this is just a small peek into thier friendship. To expect more, is probably to expect too much. Perhaps, with the other novels published, we'll get a better look at how they came to be who they are in the show, but this is just a starting block. I'm not sure of the extent CowLip (producers of the show here in the US) was involved with these novels, so there's actually no gaurantee. All in all, though, it is an enjoyable read, visiting with characters we know and love. I do have a few issues with the book, one being that the liquor store scene was a big mistake (huge) and really doesn't work on any level but being very stupid. My only other real issue is the usurping of "Save The Last Dance". Any QAF fan knows the significance of this song in relation to the series. Its an incredibly romantic and moving moment shared by Brian and Justin. It was a big mistake and really an insult to include it in the book as it was. For those referencing Lindsay Peterson here - Please, she's not in the book. She's in the second book "Never Tear Us Apart" as that follows Brian in college. Unless I missed it, this very significant event in Brian's life is not addressed in "Every Nine Seconds". For the QAF Fan - I recommend this novel. Its fun, and thats really the most important thing. For those wondering, there are several sex scenes and they're explicit, which should be no surprise if you're a fan of the show.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring! Badly Written! Brockton!
Review: I'm a huge fan of the series, so I was really excited to get this book, hoping to learn some backstory on two of my favorite characters. Wrong! First of all, who wrote this? ... Seriously. The sentences are short and choppy, with a minimum of description. Secondly, there's nothing new here. Everything that's "revealed" has already been revealed on the show, with the exception of the origin of Brian's bracelet, and that was contradicted early in the third season. Continuity, folks! The author obviously assumes that the reader is familiar with the show, so if you don't watch the show, you'll find no character development. If you do watch the show, you'll be bored because nothing new happens. It's a vicious cycle. And like many readers, I really hated the liquor store scene, which was only included so that the author could mention a future character's name. It's especially disturbing considering the relationship Brian and this future character have at a later time. So if you, like me, are a fan of the show, stick with the show and pass up this glorified fan fic. The love scenes are nothing special and the rest of the book really isn't worth wasting your time reading. Let's hope the next book is a little better.
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