Customer Reviews

Desert Sons

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Mark Kendrick writes so well that it’s hard to believe “Desert Sons” is his first novel. My curiosity was intrigued from the very first chapter and I read on just dying to know what had happened between Ryan and Crawford. The truth wasn’t revealed until near the end of the novel, and the suspense added a beautiful touch to an endearing story. (...) Scott is witty, charming, funny, and oh so sexy. Ryan has a darker side than Scott, but his complexities and tragic past make him a fascinating character.

I don’t want to give away any of the story, but the developing relationship between Scott and Ryan is one that kept me reading and reading. (...)

“Desert Sons” is a realistic portrayal of gay youth. Scott and Ryan are “real” boys, with real problems, and needs. The steamy and frequent sex scenes make the novel inappropriate for younger readers, but are entirely realistic. The sex scenes aren’t just thrown in to entice readers. They belong there. The story would not be complete without them. The imagery is so sensual and sexual that the novel is worth reading just for their sake. If the sex was deleted from “Desert Sons”, it would still be a story that I’d recommend to anyone. This is a novel that works on more than one level. (...)

“Desert Sons” is a definite “must read”. It’s become one of my favorite novels of all time and I recommend it to everyone.

Mark Kendrick has pulled off something amazing with the release of his first book. The story centers on Scott Faraday, a gay teen who has never been in a relationship and is out to a few friends, and Ryan St. Charles, who has been in a rocky relationship and who struggles with whether or not he is really gay. The narrative alternates between the points of view of each of the boys and offers an original spin and a chance to see things from each of their perspectives. As their friendship develops into something exciting it reveals some of Ryan's past which is both scary and tragic without being melodramatic or predictable. There is the past relationship, suicide attempts, former abuse, and loads of denial that the boys must work thru. One of the truly amazing things about this book is the authors descriptive skills...you will feel the heat of the desert and the coolness of the rain as you read. You will lose yourself in the story of these two young men. Part of the magic is that at alternate times in your life you have been each of these boys. You have felt what they feel and understand what they are going thru. You will be pulling for them at each turn. This is a great coming out and finding your way in the world book. Some authors think these themes require an "event book". Something that is larger than life and sadly mostly unbelievable. This book find the balance that is not only exciting but believable as well. From the dialogue to the descriptions this author has given the world a rare treat. Don't miss this one. You will be begging for more by the end and will be hard pressed to find another book on the subject that is half as good.

This book was clearly a labor of love for its author. Mark Kendrick understands the kind of people and locales that he writes about here. It's nice, too, that he takes his time in getting the two main characters, Scott and Ryan, together. Their cautious circling of one another lasts for over a hundred pages before it finally culminates in their accepting themselves as a couple. Kendrick does a fine job with Ryan's character in particular -- his moodiness, the way his troubled past affects his sense of self, his mistrust of the world.

I just wish I liked this book more. For me one of the biggest problems is the author's apparent preoccupation with sex. While it is true that teenaged boys think about sex about a million times per day, once this book starts going on the sex scenes it just never lets up. Ultimately it all starts to get a bit repetitive and, yes, boring. Toward the end of the book I found myself skimming over the horny bits whenever I realized the boys were about to go at it yet again. (At one point I think I even muttered "Sheesh, give me a break!" outloud.)

It is one thing when a sexual escapade has a context within the story and somehow serves to develop character or drive the plot. It is quite another when it seems that the scenes have been included mainly to titillate the reader (or perhaps the author.) My own disbelief began to dawn early on, when, after those first hundred pages of comparatively realistic caution and doubt, Scott and Ryan are suddenly masturbating together on a camping trip. In this scene and the others that soon follow, bodily positions and discharges are rendered in detailed, heavy-duty prose. (It is curious, though, that when it comes to the boys' most particular feature of male anatomy, the author turns coy, declining to offer anything except that Ryan is "thicker".)

The storytelling in the non-sexual scenes is often just as descriptive, but here it is mostly in a way that furthers the story. The writing itself really isn't that bad. It is not especially poetic or rhapsodic, but it communicates the story effectively and keeps those pages turning. I have to note, however, that the worst thing about the author's prose style is the way he constantly shifts points of view, frequently within the same paragraph. (The first chapter -- the one I sampled on Amazon before buying -- happens to be entirely from Ryan's point of view, so it is non-representative.) One sentence will describe a thought on Ryan's part, then the next will suddenly come from Scott's point of view, with little or no transitional writing to guide the reader along. In my confusion I often had to stop and re-read a passage to decipher who had been thinking what. This problem gets especially bad when there are more than two people in a scene. What results is something like a traffic jam in prose. The flow of the story comes to a halt and you are snapped out of world that the author has worked so hard to create. It is really too bad that Kendrick did not have a skilled editor to help him whip his book into better shape.

Kendrick has created a memorable character in Ryan St. Charles, and he does a good job with many of the secondary characters too. I must admit, though, that the other main character, Scott Faraday, began to wear on me by the end of the novel, and for that reason I will not be reading the sequel. If you don't mind the constant sex (and I can understand where for some the sex will indeed be a plus) then this is might be the book for you.

This is a very-well crafted coming-out book. The author has a fine ear for teenage dialogue and writes with a style that owes no apology to the best "literary" gay novels. Kendrick makes the reader care very much about his two young protagonists, even though one of them (Ryan) is a "troubled" youth. His boyfriend, Scott, is the most likeable character I've ever encountered in fiction. Kendrick also works in a number of very explicitly erotic scenes that never feel gratuitous. I've read many gay coming-out books; this is one of the very best.

Ultimately, Desert Sons was a sweet coming out story. I didn't feel cheated of the time I spent reading the book, but I when I was finished reading this book...I really was finished reading it. Unlike such coming out stories as "Leave Myself Behind" and "Common Sons", this book doesn't escape the confines of teen romance and will inspire very few second and third reads. The dialogue and story plays out as would a teen's stream-of-conciousness, lacking the depth that an enduring story would require...to endure. The majority of the sex in this book was gratuitous and added nothing to the plot...the sex, at times, also interrupted moments of good storytelling. I understand that a teen boy's world is very much about his libido...or lack thereof, but the complexity of "coming-out" and loving someone at such a young age, in the midst of turmoil and struggle, involves a poignant complexity that this book touched upon...but didn't succeed in addressing.

Mark Kendrick may have created a book that embodies the teen mindset quite well, but he fails to include all of us who have already been through this experience and who now look back upon it through different eyes. It's simply not written on our level.

I would recommend this novel wholeheartedly to teenage boys who are gay or struggling with their sexuality...because Desert Sons is uplifting and sweet and promising of something that many gay teen boys have yet to experience. But, for us adults, it offers much less.

Its a real pleasure to read about a level-headed, likeable gay teen like Scott Faraday in DESERT SONS, who celebrates being gay and expects others in his world to celebrate with him. When he meets a troubled teen by the name of Ryan St. Charles, Scott is challenged, not only to like the guy, but eventually to bring him out. This first novel by Mark Kendrick hints at a maturity of style rare in many first novels. The characters are well conceived and presented in depth. The story seems simple at first, but always in the background is the depth of the problems that Ryan must work through as his friendship with Scott grows. There is real growth of character, here, presented in unabashedly erotic and emotional scenes. Kendrick has a real gift of description of the desert and the forests of northern California, as well, which plays an important role in making the story vibrant and sensuous. Simply a good read. --Ronald L. Donaghe, author of THE BLIND SEASON

I think the highest praise an author can receive are the words, "This book is very readable." This book, Desert Sons, is very readable! It's also very very steamy. Erotica tends to bore me because it can seem repetitive, but Mr. Kendrick has, first and foremost, written a very good story. As a result, the sex scenes, explicit but not graphic, make a good book even better!

I purchased this book along with its sequel, "Into This World We're Thrown." Hindsight being 20/20, I now know I should have waited until I read "Desert Sons" before paying for the sequel. Although I can see that the author was well intentioned, this is the most amateurish book I've ever read. I can't imagine how something like this even gets published. At the very least, the publisher should have sprung for a decent copy editor to clean up the numerous typographical errors.

But mere typos would have been forgiveable if at least one other aspect of the book had been praise worthy. The characters are stereotypes and poorly drawn ones at that. The author makes the cardinal error of telling, as opposed to showing, precluding any chance for the characters to develop organically. I was particularly confused by Ryan St. Charles who, as the author repeatedly informs us, is supposed to be some super-cool, high school bad boy, yet almost immediately he responds to the nebbish-y overtures of Scott Faraday. In real life I think it would take a lot more convincing than putting on a funny character voice to get someone so supposedly deeply troubled and image conscious to come around. None of it rang true for me.

Descriptions of the boy's sexual encounters (much like play-by-play rundowns of the omnipresent frisbee matches) were rote and repetitive. By my standards, they were not in the least erotic or sensual. Too much concentration on minutiae. Several emotional climaxes of the book, wherein Ryan's childhood traumas are revealed, are overwrought and unconvincing. And in the end, everything is resolved way too easily. I don't know how old Mark Kendrick was when he wrote this but it comes across as the wishful thinking of a naive, starry eyed high school student.

I wanted to like this book. I did. Although I knew it wouldn't be Shakespeare, I had high hopes for a light, entertaining, sexy read but in the end found nothing to recommend. I will definitely not be reading the sequel.

I hate to disagree with all the positive reviews of this book, but I did not find it worth the time or the money. Scott is so unbelievably secure in his homosexuality at the age of 16, he is boring. He does need to come out to everyone, and of course, in this perfect world everyone is cool with it. The novel is repetitious and monotonous. At least the author was able to get the style of a 16 year old - clumsy and awkward. And what he does to English grammar! Aren't there editors any more. Save your money on this one.

I didn't want this book to end and was so glad to find out that there was a sequel. I was very taken in by the main characters Ryan and Scott. The author does a very good job at making the store come to life. It was also a nice change to read a book that shows a young gay couple committed to each other. I only wish I had read this book when I was a little younger. I think everyone, especially gay teens could benefit from reading this. It is much more then your typical coming-out book.