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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
theosophy, January 21, 2007
My personal problem with this book is that I cannot relate with the two main characters.
Religion-inspired soul-tearing guilts that torment young innocent Kevin are as far from my background as the blinding perfection of sweet natured, understanding, sincere 'Bel.
It is my problem of course but I also think that such a conflict as Kevin experiences is literarily speaking a little obsolete and perhaps up to date only among the gay youngsters belonging to certain religious communities.
At the same time it is not my wish to underestimate the depth of this book. Mr Johnson, throughout his work, develops a view of the world and of religion as they could and should be and though this makes some paragraphs quite hard to understand at the same time it is absolutely different from the usual new ageish blurb you get from shallow minded so-called thinkers. You may think them objectionable but you cannot discard them as useless.
The book in itself is probably no masterpiece: it is an easy story, neat, consistent, well written, with some nicely done action scenes that betrays a competent writer.
I feel like objectioning about the author's clearly understandable opinion that casual sex is questionable, the real thing being only the one you share with the love of your life... what about those who have not found it yet?
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Deserving Lambda Literary Award Winner, June 27, 2003
This review is from: Secret Matter (Paperback)
Kevin Anderson is moving along through his life, finishing up college, and getting ready to leave New York City for a prestigious internship in San Francisco when issues about his sexual orientation begin to bother him. His roommate, Tim, is gay, but Kevin has been so busy with school that he has purposely not given it much thought. When Tim confronts him, Kevin ends up feeling rather glad they are going different directions upon graduation. Kevin flies out to the West Coast for an internship with a company that is helping to rebuild after a giant earthquake. He couldn't be more excited. And then the Visitors arrive. A race of oddly human-like space people touch down in several cities around the globe, including San Francisco, and nothing will ever be the same. Everyone around Kevin: his neighbors, his boss, new friends, and coworkers are profoundly affected by these new beings, especially when Kevin's company is given a contract to build a facility for them. By accident Kevin meets up with a Visitor named 'Bel, and their connection blossoms into a friendship. But is 'Bel so alien after all? And what's with the Visitors' periodic changes in skin color? They seem so human, albeit much larger, but they possess some odd characteristics, and they seem to be hiding something. Are they dangerous? What secrets do they carry, and where, exactly, are they from? Before Kevin can get to the bottom of his questions, political disasters and miscommunications occur, and the Visitors are expelled. 'Bel and his emissaries are very clear that certain actions on the part of the U.S. will have grave consequences upon his people and their world, but no one listens except Kevin, who has fallen for 'Bel. Now the young man is on a mission to unravel the Visitors' secrets in order to prevent the death and destruction of Visitors and millions of Americans. The secondary characters are critical in wrapping up the story and resolving the mystery of the Visitors. Very quickly the reader feels sympathy for Kevin and his struggle to deal with both his internalized homophobia and the new experiences that confront him. The book is a mystery, a coming out story, a sci-fi adventure, a romance, and an insightful twist on biblical themes and philosophical debates. Secret Matter is an enjoyable read most worthy of the Lambda Literary Award it won...
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A nice story ruined by poor editing, January 6, 2012
Secret Matter is a science fiction story with gay characters. When the Visitors arrive from another planet, Kevin Anderson falls in love with the one of the aliens, 'Bel. Kevin ultimately learns the secret of why the Visitors have come to Earth, and together with 'Bel, they must save the planet. The author, Toby Johnson, is a talented storyteller. The book has a nice pace to it and is plot driven. There is no explicit sex in this book, which was much better than having too much sex, as many gay romance books do. The author updated his 1990 book so it wouldn't seem out of date for contemporary readers. Technologically speaking, the update works pretty well. However, the fact that the protagonist, Kevin, is afraid to come out of the closet, seems a bit dated for the 21st century. Although I enjoyed the story, it was hard to read because of all the grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and awkward phrasings. There are at least 3 dozen grammatical problems in the book, and each one brought the story to a dead stop while I struggled to decipher its meaning. It was like driving down a road riddled with pot holes. This lack of editing is unfortunate, because it reflects poorly on both the author and the publisher, and makes me reluctant to buy other books produced by either of them. In its present form, this book is unsuitable for a public library, because the patrons would complain about all the errors. For the same reason, I cannot recommend this book to any of my friends.
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