Elf Child [Paperback]

David M. Pierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Russ, a twenty-something-looking gay man, is a changeling...a shape-shifter who will never age, and who, perhaps, will never die. Living a carefree beach life in San Diego, he uses his uncanny abilities to feed his desire for men of all shapes and sizes - but something important is missing...This suspenseful novel unfolds as Russ realizes that his obsession with image has become empty and that what he really needs is a relationship with another man that will encompass more than the satisfaction of his sexual needs. Eric, who has been enjoying all that San Diego has to offer a single young gay man, is also looking for something more. Falling in love with one of Russ's many sexy incarnations, he is blissfully unaware of the supernatural direction his life story is about to take. Still, he can't help thinking that there is something odd, something "too good to be true" about his new lover...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pierce brings strong plotting, plausible characters, and a true element of suspense to his fantasy, along with something rare in contemporary gay fiction - originality.... An entertaining light read with some unusually serious things to say about gay life." - Richard Labonte, Reviewer, Book Marks and Q Syndicate; "Warm-hearted, weird and wonderful. Pierce's lush and magical story is reminiscent of Francesca Lia Block and her supernatural take on Southern California." - Marshall Moore, author of The Concrete Sky"

About the Author

David M. Pierce has taught composition and creative writing at San Diego State University and served as an editor in the trade department for Harcourt Brace. He has worked as a writer and fundraiser for non-profit organisations for many years and is currently an instructor in the fundraising certification programme at the University of California at San Diego.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Harrington Park Press; 1 edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560234288
• ISBN-13: 978-1560234289
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,760,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good premise (and GREAT cover!), but falls short..., April 29, 2004

By 

GoryDetails "gorydetails" (Nashua, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elf Child (Paperback)

I had high hopes for this book - and not only because the cover's so pretty! The premise sounded very appealing: an immortal and ever-young man, a changeling [in the sense that he can - indeed, must - change his appearance and/or his shape every so often or he'll weaken], who falls in love with a mortal man. Dare he confess the truth about himself, or just keep quiet - and, either way, how will he bear it when his lover ages and he does not? Sounded like it might offer many of the elements of vampire love stories without the blood-letting...

Alas, while the book contains many of the elements of a really good story, it falls a little short. The characters are likeable but 2-dimensional, the writing tends towards the over-explanatory, and the plot twists are, for the most part, interesting, but are foreshadowed and then resolved rather simply.

The story starts slowly, with Russ spending a lot of time contemplating his appearance(s) and deciding what look to wear to go clubbing. [How he manages to avoid trouble when he adopts the appearance of a different model every night isn't dealt with, though one odd side effect of a too-close resemblance to a living person is mentioned.] He meets Eric and they begin a tentative romance, which seems pleasant but a bit too easy (and a wee bit boring). Things pick up when more conflicts start to kick in; there are some potentially interesting interactions involving each man's mother [one a changeling herself, one an adoptive mother with a penchant for genealogy, and both of them very much concerned with protecting their sons], but despite some mild slight-of-hand regarding who's threatening whom, the main crisis of the story - sparked by a really nasty bashing - seemed gratuitous to me... I don't know. I didn't dislike it, exactly; I wanted the characters to get together, to work things out - but I also wanted a little more depth to them, and some greater feel for exactly what the changelings were and how that affected their world-view. [There is a brief hint at the kinds of kinky fun - and troubling psychological issues - one might have dating someone who can morph into almost any appearance, sex, or species, but even that isn't explored in any depth.] As it is, it's mostly a rather fluffy romance - no explicit sex scenes, lots of gazing into eyes and worrying about what the other is thinking - disrupted by that startlingly violent bashing; there are flashbacks by various characters, and more than a few dream/fantasy/out-of-body sequences as well, and some plot twists near the end that made me think "soap opera!". (...)

In sum, I think it could have been a really marvelous story, but it fell short.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A romantic supernatural thriller, February 11, 2004

By 

"blissengine" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elf Child (Paperback)

Russ and his mother Lizzy are decades-old shapeshifters who have settled in San Diego for the time being. Russ uses his abilities to spice up his long string of one-night stands. When he meets Eric, Russ is immediately smitten and feels ready to risk it all to make the relationship work, including the truth about his supernatural self. Their love strains under this burden, and when Eric's mother starts piecing together the truth about Lizzy and Russ, things become more complicated. In one brutal instant, Russ and Eric's love is tested and they could lose not only their connection but also their lives. "Elf Child" is a compelling romance that embraces themes of our image-conscious culture, being an outsider, and the consequences of hiding the truth about oneself. There are some contrived elements to the novel, like the connection between their mothers, but those are but blips in a charming and fantastical supernatural thriller that earns its nomination for a Lambda Literary Award.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A so-so gay romance/fantasy novel, October 10, 2004

By 

gac1003 "gac1003" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elf Child (Paperback)

Russ is a changeling, or elf child. As a changeling, he will never grow old and has the ability to change his appearance to man, woman or beast. He is also gay and trying to find love in modern day San Diego. One night, while on a date, he runs into Eric who accidentally spills beer all over him. Russ notices an immediate connection with him, and they soon start dating. But Russ must keep his abilities a secret from Eric and that soon begins to take its toll on their relationship.

Much is happening with this novel: the search for love and acceptance as a gay man, connecting your present with your past, the overly-image consciousness of some in the gay community. But I had a problem with the characters. None of them displayed any emotional depth, made me empathize with them. They went about their routines and too easily accepted everything that happened. They came across as very one-dimensional. Also, the genealogical connections were just a bit too coincidental which had me shaking my head as the story progressed. This is a so-so novel that could use a bit more character development.