Doc and Fluff: The Dystopian Tale of a Girl and Her Biker [Paperback]

Pat Califia (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrick Califia is a noted pornographer and cultural critic whose writing and activism have revolutionized queer sex. Among his most noted books are Coming to Power, Macho Sluts, Melting Point, No Mercy, and Speaking Sex to Power.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555833691
• ISBN-13: 978-1555833695
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,781,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An adventure worth revisiting., August 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Doc and Fluff: The Dystopian Tale of a Girl and Her Biker (Paperback)

I have read this book at least 8 times, usually around the winter soltice. I find it invigorating, for - even though the title labels it a dystopia - it lays bare the essence of our human experience right now: how to make the best of what we have. Many dystopias leave you depressed, but even though this book is set in a future where the society, and the land, are in much worse shape than we see it now, everyone is doing their part to follow what they find important. For some it is a spirituality based on the earth's cycles and basic physical reality, for others it is following their hedonistic desires and satisfying those of others. These two groups are the main ones in the book, and Califia's immediacy of style make it seem like she's been there and is sharing with you what she saw and heard. Also, because the main topic is human relationships and how they are just or unjust, the setting is peripheral. This is a novel of human karma, instant karma, set against the background of deities. But the human volitions reflect the cycles of nature, and for me this book is so satisfying because it brings the scope of birth, struggle, pleasure, sacrifice, and death into immediate and intimate perspective thru the interactions of the characters.

I'm getting a little heady here because it's pointless to describe any details in such a small space. Every time I reread Doc & Fluff I feel like my battery has been recharged, that I can continue my life, with all its small and large problems, powered by the knowledge that it all does count towards something. And this keeps me coming back.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars from horrifying to enthralling, a tale of strong, free women, June 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Doc and Fluff: The Dystopian Tale of a Girl and Her Biker (Paperback)

when i'm trying to describe this book to a friend, i usually end up saying something like, "all the sex is violent, and all the violence is sexy." which isn't, strictly speaking, true. some of the situations that Doc and Fluff encounter as they bike around their devastated world are truly horrifying... but none of it without reason. in a few places Califia's politics show through, as in the case of the all-female Harpy Farm, where transsexuals are treated (unfairly, Califia clearly believes) as less than the "real" women. overall, though, the story is about two women trying to make a relationship work when they both have unusual demands to make and no experience in keeping their lovers with them. on the way, other characters struggle with the same issues, there is lots of (frequently kinky) sex, and issues of violence and retribution are played out in the near-anarchy of Califia's world. nobody comes out of the book entirely wrong, and nobody plays the part of perfect romance hero(ine). when someone goes riding off into the sunset, you know she's going to have more trouble wherever she goes. but you also believe she'll be able to handle it. definitely not for the faint of heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doc and Fluff, November 30, 1999

By 

Frances Nowve - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doc and Fluff: The Dystopian Tale of a Girl and Her Biker (Paperback)

Who would have thought that such a fast-moving, action-packed story could have so much else to offer as well. This one delves into the intricacies of relationships, provides an often satirical, but also a compassionate and understanding view of the politics in a lesbian-feminist community, and shares a spirituality related to the goddess.

While the politics and philosophy and raunchy sexual encounters are always there, the novel never loses sight of it's down-to-earth humanity.