Mere Mortals [Paperback]

Erastes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2011

Orphaned Crispin Thorne has been taken as ward by Philip Smallwood, a man he's never met, and is transplanted from his private school to Smallwood s house on an island on the beautiful but coldly remote, Horsey Mere in Norfolk. Upon his arrival, he finds that he's not the only young man given a fresh start. Myles Graham, and Jude Middleton are there before him, and as their benefactor is away, they soon form alliances and friendships, as they speculate on why they ve been given this new life. Who is Philip Smallwood? Why has he given them such a fabulous new life? What secrets does the house hold and what is it that the Doctor seems to know? Trust acclaimed author Erastes to tell a moving story in the field of gay historical romance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mere Mortals" is a compelling story...the end result is an impressive combination of mystery and intrigue that is disturbing yet ultimately moving"

--Edge New York

"...storytelling that is not only fascinating, but so cleanly put together that any writer will, perhaps, be envious." 

--George Seaton - "Out in Print"

"... It's a great story, written in true gothic style which keeps you guessing until the end."

--Queer Magazine Online

"...Erastes has hit the mark with this piece of historical fiction. Read it and love it. You won't be able to put it down until you discover the fate of Myles, Jude, and especially Crispin as they grapple with their forbidden longings and dreams..." -- Damien Serbu, Lambda Literary Foundation.

''An unsettling tale of loss, obsession and mystery, set on the bleak Norfolk Broads. Definitely one I'd recommend.'' --Donald Hardy, author of Lovers' Knot

About the Author

Erastes was born in Essex in 1959, and has lived in too many places to count since.

She writes gay historical fiction and short stories which have been published in over 20 anthologies. Her novels Standish and Transgressions have brought gay historical romance to mainstream readers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lethe Press (March 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590210433
• ISBN-13: 978-1590210437
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 8.4 x 5.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Erastes was born in Essex in 1959, and has lived in too many places to count since.

She writes gay historical fiction and short stories which have been published in over 20 anthologies. Her first novel Standish (Regency) was nominated for a Lambda award and her second, Transgressions (English Civil War) is part of the ground breaking line by Running Press and was a Lambda 2009 finalist for gay romance.

Her latest releases are Mere Mortals, a gay gothic set on the Victorian Norfolk Broads, and Muffled Drum, set during the Austro-Prussian war of 1866. Her next release is "Junction X" set in the 1960's and out November 2011.

She's the owner of Speak Its Name (www.speakitsname.com) the only place on the planet to review gay historical fiction.

Erastes is represented by Professor James Schiavone

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sure to please fans of gay historical ficton and Gothic tales - superbly written March 23, 2011

By Gerry A. Burnie

Format:Paperback

When it comes to man-on-man, historical romance and adventure, the name Erastes invariably comes to the fore, and her latest creation, Mere Mortals [Lethe Press, March 23, 2011] is perhaps her best effort yet. It is in my mind, anyhow, and I've read and reviewed many of her novels and short stories in the past.

The first thing one notices about this novel is the subtlety with which the story unfolds, and the leisurely, measured pace that is so in keeping with a nineteenth-century theme. For example, the story opens with a coach ride through the countryside setting, and with this clever device the reader is invited aboard to see it for him/herself, i.e:

"There was nothing here to write about, or so it seemed. After so many years spent at school in the well manicured quadrangle and playing fields of Barton Hall, this new landscape seemed empty, untidy and bleak. A light mist covered the land as far as the horizon, little more than a thin vapour, but it was enough to drain all colour from the scene passing by the carriage window. I gave a wry smile. Colour that mainly consists of bleached dead reeds, brown ditches and brown muddy pools

"Since leaving Yarmouth the coach had travelled slowly north, following the coast road, such as it was. The coachman had warned us passengers that the roads were bad at this time of the year and he wasn't wrong; more than once the three of us - for that's all there was, travelling in the filthy weather - had to alight, braving the vicious biting wind to assist the coach out of one of the larger ruts we encountered. Even inside the coach with the curtains drawn, the wind sliced its way through any small gaps in the woodwork."

Ergo, in one deft stroke the author sets the tone, the pace, the theme, as well as introducing the narrator and some of the characters. This is writing at a very high level of the craft--almost a textbook example--and it is why Erastes has earned the respect she enjoys.

Mere Mortals is very much a Gothic story with the requisite manor located on a bleak mere, secret passageways, sphinx like servants, and a handsome but mysterious master. All of them playing their parts delightfully, as do the three boys. There is tension, too; plenty of it. Tension that is velvet-wrapped in mystery. It permeates the atmosphere but never becomes blatant or oppressive until it surfaces near the end; when the secret of Bittern's Reach is revealed.

If you are a fan of M/M romance, historical fiction or Gothic tales, all superbly written, then Mere Mortals is bound to please on all counts.

Gerry Burnie
"Two Irish Lads" & "Journey to Big Sky"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gay Gothic Romance May 19, 2011

By K. Peoples

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like Erastes's writing. I enjoy gay romance novels and hers are among the best, in terms of plot, characters and quality of writing. This story, to me, was not her best, but it was quite good and well worth my time and effort.

In a time (early Victorian England) when being actively homosexual was an invitation to prison, if not to a hangman's noose, three teenage boys are "caught" being homosexual at their schools. None of the three were from well-to-do families, so being caught out and "sent down" (i.e., expelled from school for cause) should have been the end of them, one way or the other. It was not so because of the timely intervention of a well-to-do man in his 30's, who took them under his protection and brought them to his home as his wards, for reasons he did NOT immediately make clear to them. The remainder of the book because a matter of the boys sorting out their protector's motives and their implications to the boys themselves. Thus, at the outset of the book, the author introduced an ominous tone that only increased as the story progressed. Strewn throughout the story, there are enough clues to the protector's motives such that the climax didn't really surprise me very much. I'm happy to give this novel four stars and the author a pat on the back, though I like her novel "Standish" better. If you like the genre and this author's writing, this book is worth your time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gothic by a Contemporary Master May 18, 2011

By Elliott Mackle

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The conventions of Gothic romance are endlessly adaptable. While elastic enough to please fans of low-rent bodice rippers and highbrow fiction alike, the Gothic pattern of moves, symbols and character types can be woven by expert hands into something new and surprisingly contemporary. "Mere Mortals," by Erastes, is such a one.

The novel opens with a journey, first by coach, then boat, across the Norfolk Broads, a network of marshy rivers and lakes, ending at a large and mysterious mansion on a remote island. Young Crispin Thorne, a penniless orphan, having been removed from boarding school, arrives at Bittern's Reach, the seat of wealthy, well-bred Philip Smallwood, his newly named guardian. He is accompanied part of the way by another local worthy, Dr. Baynes. The latter, surprised to hear Thorne's story, indicates, without much explanation until later in the book, that neither he nor most members of the community are on close terms with Mr. Smallwood.

Thorne is greeted not by the master but by servants and by news that two other orphans, Myles Graham and Jude Middleton, have also been installed as Smallwood's wards. A program of gentlemanly education is begun forthwith. Each is given a valet, tailored clothes, handmade boots and other accouterments for every occasion, expensive watches, lessons in riding, fencing, music and dance, and tutoring on a variety of more academic subjects.

As individuals, the boys are almost entirely unalike. Where Thorne is shy, Jude is sly and sexually aggressive and Myles an athletic, more manly man type. Differences aside, what they have in common is at least a passing acquaintance with male-male desire or, to use their term, "inversion." Taken together, the trio stands in for the maiden in distress of Gothic convention. What's unconventional is that they not only discuss their previous experiences but begin to experiment among themselves.

Smallwood, all steely charm, returns, tutoring his wards further in the niceties of polite society. At odd moments, the boys explore the huge house, discovering secret doors, hidden passageways, forbidden rooms and evidence that all is not as it seems, either in their good fortune or in the mansion in which they have come to dwell. Smallwood decides to give a party, a sort of debut, to introduce his new wards to the neighboring gentry. There is a storm, a quarrel between the host and Dr. Byrne, the revelation of long buried secrets as well as new ones and ... enough! No spoilers here.

Erastes is a master of gay historical fiction. This is one of her best tales. Enjoy the ride for yourself.