Customer Reviews

Beasts: FotoFactory Anthology II (FotoFactory Anthology Series)

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Very few publishing houses produce works of all-male erotica, but luckily for those of us who appreciate the art form, the ones who are involved do a smashingly good job. Such is the case of FotoFactory Press, whose volume "Beasts" is a brilliant take on the reciprocal male animal/animal male theme.

"Beasts" features images that show not only the love for men and their pets, the most obvious choice, but also the sometimes rather uneasy relationship men have with animals, the danger and fear associated with the two for each other since the beginning of time.

But the theme doesn't stop there - the collection also represents man as beast, which is a theme that shouldn't be ignored. In a photo by Joel W. Benjamin, two horns protrude from a man's forehead, steam issuing from his mouth in a ready-to-charge expression; in another by Ali, a nude man holds an antelope's skull before his face, obscuring his own identity for a raw, fearful expression of feral beauty.

There are more sedate, cheerful images that illustrate the love of men for their animals, and the unexplained (as yet) power pets have to calm us and relieve our stresses. In Rub-a Dub, by Martin Meyer, a muscular bald man clad in only jeans spends a sunny day giving man's best friend a bath in the backyard. In Jose Messana's Mark with Pet, a nude young man reclines restfully in a haystack with his feline acquaintance, as soft beams of light caress both their bodies.

As with many other FotoFactory books, the world of photographers is well-represented, with images by such standout artists as Dean Keefer, Reed Massengill, and Mark Lynch. The quality of the printing and the reproduction of the photos is excellent, and the hard cover and dust jacket well-designed to keep the book in good shape for a lifetime.

FotoFactory of Santa Monica, California has a long and successful history of creating unique photographic monographs (as well as limited edition photographs and calendars). This book, titled BEASTS is more a celebration of a fine group of photographers who were wither asked to respond tot he subject of 'beasts' or who had already created images that fit the category. The beasts are animals - as man's best friend, as predators, as tattoo engravings on bodies, and forms of behavior when men become the animal of their nature. It makes for a fascinating survey of what the iconic element of the word 'beast' can imply.

The fifty-two photographers are form around the globe and while some names may ring louder bells than others, they all are very fine artists. The list is as follows: Ali . Björn Andrén . Larry Ashton . Clifford Baker . Steven Baratz . Jim Barnes . Joel W. Benjamin . Tom Bianchi . Rick Castro . Lance DeWalt . Evergon . Benjamin F. Fink Jr. . Stephen Fleitz . Robert Flynt . Ed Freeman . Nina Glaser . Alair Gomes . Steph. Gorkii . Kelly Grider . David Grinnell . Kim Hanson . Conrad Hechter . Baly Hinter Wipflinger . Justice Howard . Donnie Hudson . Rolf Juario . Dean Keefer . Ross Bennett Lewis . Mark Lynch . Geoff Manasse . David J. Martin . Reed Massengill . José Messana . Martin Meyer . Daniel Nicoletta . Freddie Niem . Barbara Nitke . Ray Lewis Payne . Stevee Postman . Veli-Pekka Räty . Paul Roberts . Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte . Edgar Scott . Robert Emery Smith . David Sprigle . Stanley Stellar . Vince Sullivan . Brian To . Bill Toscano . Arthur Tress . Tim Wilkerson . Cameron Wolf. The images are in brilliant black and white, in duotones, and in color. The reproduction is excellent and having once 'read' this book it is unlikely that the reader will ever see 'beasts' in the same light! Grady Harp, October 11

This book was just not what I expected from the cover. Very few cute boys and there pets and more freaks and geeks taking poor quality pictures.

Men with snakes, puppies, snails, kitties and just about every other non-human create one could imagine. Some photos are adorable, others disturbing, but all follow the common theme of men with BEASTS.