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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Erotica that focuses on the BLACK MAN's thoughts - 4.5, August 6, 2002
This review is from: After Hours: A Collection of Erotic Writing by Black Men (Paperback)
I have been eagerly awaiting After Hours. A fan of black erotica, I noticed that writings BY black men were pretty scarce, so when news of After Hours came out, I knew I had to read it, and let me tell it, it doesn't disappoint. After Hours contains stories that aren't simply about sex. These stories actually have depth and make you think while at the same time, they evoke the sensual tension that makes good erotica....GOOD. And it's a plus that with these hot black male authors writing these stories, it's nice to finally see a positive spin on sex from a male's perspective; it's refreshing. You will find yourself immersed in wonderful stories that will tickle your mind and your sensual bone, especially in stories like "If It Makes You Happy," by Cole Riley, which is by far my favorite in the collection. In this story, a correctional officer gets caught up in the sexual heat permeated by a beautiful inmate and when he essentially ruins his life to have her, he realizes that this beautiful creature has skeletons too big for him...or her to tackle. Aside from Riley's stellar story, After Hours contains nineteen stories from some of the best black male authors in the business today, such as National Book Award Winner, Charles Johnson, Colin Channer, Curtis Bunn, Brandon Massey, Brian Egeston, and many more. If you want to peek into the many facets of the erotic black man's mind - the virgin who is afraid of revealing his inexperience for fear of rejection, the husband who finds himself in an awful predicament when he assumes the sexy notes he's been receiving are coming from an admirer, the man who mysteriously won't allow his girlfriend to kiss him and the hilarious reason behind it, the lyrically beautiful story about a man who wants what he can't have and a woman who can't be for him what she doesn't know she is, among many other deep sensuous tales - then you owe it to yourself to pick up After Hours and be tantalized. Shon Bacon
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Various definitions of erotica, December 31, 2002
This review is from: After Hours: A Collection of Erotic Writing by Black Men (Paperback)
What exactly is erotica? This is the first question that popped into my head as I began reading After Hours and continued running through my mind as I delved further into my reading. Robert Fleming has introduced us to a collection of short stories by some of the hottest African American male authors on today's literary scene in which they share their take on erotica. Intially, my mind was focused on mind-boggling, soul-stirring, toes-curling stories of love, romance, and sex; but this book opened my eyes to the gamut of levels of erotica. Icing on the cake was the fact that it comes directly from our black men; what they want and consider sensual and erotic. From the humorous stories that tickled my funny bone to the ones that sent shivers of delight through my body and on to those that heated up my imagination and played with my senses, I was lost in a world of delightful storytelling. I visited with men willing to completely let go as in Earl Sewell's "Rock Me Baby," saw glimpses of men ready to give everything up to please their women as in Brian Egeston's humorous story "Wallbanging" and even saw a married man with a secret admirer who isn't quite sure how hot the "Cayenne" can be (written by Eric Pete)--one of my favorites of the bunch; especially the sentence..."Come kill this." Fleming has done a wonderful job compiling these 19 stories to present this collection and done so in a manner that is not demeaning to either women or men or to the actual theme of erotica. I will admit that I would've liked things a bit steamier in a few of the stories (to fit my own personal definition of erotica), but as a collection, the stories were wonderful. It was also fitting in that we each see erotica on many different levels; seeing it from a man's point of view definitely makes it even better and dispels the stereotype that men don't share their emotions or their vulnerbilities. Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but could be great, August 8, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: After Hours: A Collection of Erotic Writing by Black Men (Paperback)
This collection of short stories written by our black men is something to be proud of because it displays a tremendous amount of talent and thought. What it lacks is the kind of bold eroticnature that you expect from an anthology that promotes just that. There were some instances of the combination of great story-telling and great eroticism, too. Like in "Home Alone," by Curtis Bunn. His bio said he wrote an Essence best-seller called "Baggage Check," and I went on and ordered it. Loved that book, which was filled with []scenes that supported a strong story. He's a great writer. In After Hours, Bunn's Home Alone was a wonderful story about a great married couple that gets freaky when the kids are away for the weekend. The love scenes are spicy and hot, and it brings the story full circle. But, and maybe it's just me, I wanted more. Really, his story could have been a book. It's the best story in After Hours. But there were other great stories, too. Where Strangers Meet by Robert Scott Adams was a thoughtful read. Just the idea of throwing away all inhabitions and just going for it is something most of us - even us women - contemplate sometimes. Even if we never do it, we do think about it. Colin Channer's Revolution was well-written and a good story, but lacked in sexiness. Kalamu Ya Salaam, whom I have read in "Black Erotica," is always an interesting, thought-provoking writer, and he was in this case with his story, The Roses Are Beautiful, but the Thorns Are So Sharp. And Earl Sewell's Rock Me Baby gave us some hot moments, but not Cayenne pepper hot. All in all, the collection is an artful piece. Robert Fleming should be commended for exposing us to some truly gifted writers that we didn't know of, like Curtis Bunn and Brian Egleston (Wallbanging) and Brandon Massey (The Question). It is a tastefully written and edited work that works more toward arousing your imagination than your senses. Nothing wrong with that, but a little more spice in each story would have added to the experience. Lana Rickett, New York, NY
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