Customer Reviews

SexLife: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What if you had to have sex in order to literally live? What would it be like if sex was no longer for pleasure but for survival? Oh my! Most people cannot even imagine, but Gary Hardwick (author of Color of Justice) has imagined this kind of world in his novel, Sex Life as a. a. Clifford.

This futuristic novel takes place in First City, 2268 A.D. Where the world is considered a social Utopia: a place where intellect, talent, beauty are the prize of the day and technology has advanced to a level where there is no poverty and crime . . . and no sex for pleasure.

A disease called CMB has destroyed the connection between sex and pleasure by turning sexual intimacy into a biological function of survival. Now people must have sex five times a day or they will die and all pleasure in the act of sex no longer exist.

Joe, a resident of First City has a survival sexual encounter with a mysterious woman named Vella with whom he experiences miraculous pleasure. These feelings take them on a journey that not only affects them but the world around them.

The premise of this story was so captivating that I knew I would read this book. Clifford painstakingly sets up this society and introduces ideas that no one would ever think of or would ever want to. As a reader I was amazed at the thought and detail that was put into this novel. However, because of the much-needed set up, the story moves slowly. Joe is also written to be very reflective on his life which tends to drag the story as well.

Those who are interested by an alternate universe will find it completely fascinating. You will also be able to appreciate the believability of the social structure. I would recommend this read to someone looking for something a little different and with a lot of patience.

Kotanya
APOOO BookClub

Imagine: traveling in motor cars that float, using a subway that beams you up, antidepressants as common as candy, the big sport competition is chess matches, and the corporation you work for hires PSP's (Personal Sex Providers) for their employees and have rooms for copulating because everyone has to have sex five times a day in order to survive. If you were living in the 23rd century or in the year 2268, this would be your norm. a.a. clifford AKA Gary Hardwick presents this and much more in his futuristic sci/fi novel, SexLife.

In the year 2268, all people have a disease known as CMB. The men's fingers start twitching and women get headaches. They must have sex or die. In New City, formerly New York City, philosopher Joe meets his requirements by having sex with various partners. Sex is emotionless and done without deriving any pleasure; just a means of survival. No one believes in real sex anymore. Joe meets a lady named Vella and they experience the unexpected during intercourse where they were just "fixing" each other. After this experience Joe becomes obsessed with having this woman and experiencing this feeling again. But this obsession is dangerous. If the government finds out about it they will want to do laboratory testing on the couple. Vella is married and it is illegal to get a divorce. In spite of this Joe is determined to have this woman and uses friends and situations to his advantage to have this feeling in his life forever.

This was one of the most imaginative books I have read in a while. It was a little tough going in the beginning learning the acronyms and technical workings of life in this particular century. Once that was made clear, I read the rest of the novel with anticipation. The action was not as fast paced as Gary Hardwick's thrillers but it was just as intense and exciting. SexLife is the first in a trilogy in which I will be anxiously awaiting further installments.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub
Motown Review Book Club

I've read all of Gary Hardwick's books, and Sex Life is one worthy of your time and money. The author does a good job of explaining how humanity has 'evolved' into what it now is, and the CMB affliction is a horrible and futuristic possibility I only hope remains fictitional in nature.

It is a story of hope; that humanity, no matter how advanced, will remain dependent on emotional connections between one another.

It is as close to a romance story as I (and most other 'men') will admit to reading, although this is not a gender specific story. It is an explanation of humanity's future, and how two people found one another in an ocean of hopelessness.

Joe, a man who lives in First City (New York) in 2268 lives a normal life as a clinical philosopher helping employees at his company deal with their problems. But, like everyone else in First City and anywhere else in the world, he suffers from Chronic Metabolic Breakdown which is commonly called CMB. Although all of the previous diseases (AIDS, Cancer, etc.) were cured, this disease is incurable and it forces two people to get together in a sexual act that is devoid of any passion and, as a result, they usually refer to sex as "getting fixed". Unfortunately, all who've reached puberty must have sex at least 4 or 5 times a day or they will die. Nobody derives any pleasure out of these sexual acts which is suspected to be linked to the disease. However, one day, Joe meets a lady named Vella and real desire and real passion is awakened in him. He does things totally out of character all in the pursuit of this woman that he just has to have and this new and exhilarating feeling that he never wants to lose.

Sex Life is a fascinating story that grabs your attention and never lets it go. The story is definitely one worth reading as the author skillfully tells a tale of how life in the future could be in an all too scary and realistic way.

Reminiscent of books like 1984 and Brave New World, Sex Life, the first book in a trilogy, is a story that sci-fi fans are sure to love.

In his new novel, SexLife, author Gary Hardwick (writing under the pseudonym a.a. clifford) creates an absorbing and thought-provoking futuristic world. Best known for his gritty suspense novels Color of Justice, and Double Dead, Hardwick makes the transition with ease, but doesn't leave behind his signature style.

Set in First City (formerly called New York) in the year 2268, SexLife depicts a social utopia wherein humankind has solved its many ills. There is no poverty, crime or suffering and science has made life relatively trouble-free. So, what's the catch? Well, in this utopia, if you don't have sex five times each day, you will die.

Immediately, we meet Joe, an ordinary man plagued with CMB, the disease which has caused this global dilemma. Joe's peaceful life changes after an encounter with Vella, a mysterious woman (who is a chess master of all things) They do the deed and what results is not only a miracle, but perhaps the cure for a suffering world.

But any miracle comes at a price and this is when SexLife shifts into high gear, plunging the reader into a world where action, technology and romance merge, creating an enthralling, genre-defying mix.

Hardwick writing as a.a. clifford is both author and provocateur, entertaining and challenging at once. He craftily encodes social issues within his stylized narrative, forcing you to question both components of the book's subtly clever title.

With an intriguing premise and execution, SexLife is a compelling and satisfying read.

I absolutely DEVOURED "Sex Life"! The layers of philosphy, action, despair and hope make it a satisfying read that leaves you thinking long after you've put down the book.

Clifford creates a "perfect" world in which there is no crime, diseases like AIDS and cancer are easily cured, and being a professional sex provider is just about the most prestigious career a person can have. The trade-off, however, is that sex is without love and without feeling. Sex is a matter of survival.

Desperately wanting to regain what humanity has lost, people of this new age long for "Real Sex." This search for "Real Sex" is poignantly reminiscent of today's search for "true love."

The book is as much a cautionary tale as it is a science fiction adventure, for Clifford shows that a world that continues to develop intellectually and technologically without also emphasizing the importance of emotional sophistication is handicapped by its emotional weakness. Because people's ability to emote falls into disuse, they have lost their ability to regulate their moods without the help of anti-depressants. This "Utopia" is really an existential paradox as people live for the sake of living but not for the joy of it. Could it be because it IS all about sex?

I loved the book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance, adventure and suspense. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Sex Life is intriguing,a must have (to read and for your collection) if you like romance novels, futuristic novels, suspense novels, books that touch on family, friendship, etc., because it touches you on every level.

The story takes you to a time in which people no longer have the ability to feel or have emotions. Their only motivation for connecting to one another is survival. But in the midst of all of this non-existence, somehow, two individuals meet up and connect on a level that they could never have imagined. A level which would threaten their very existence and the world in which they had known. And just like in this life, once they had that one experience, that one moment in time in which they truly felt something, there was no going back, no matter the cost.

Sex Life grabs you from the beginning and leaves you clinging for more at the end.

The second installment is something I eagerly anticipate reading!!!!!!

To a.a. crawford, GREAT JOB!!!!!

A.A. Clifford (Gary Hardwick) offers a intriguing look into the one aspect of human living the often has a stronghold on many. Sex Life is a futurist look at survival beyond need. Male and female interaction ...holds a more significant importance than in present day (today). The ramifications of living without is deadly.

This sci-fi novel is definitely an intellectual read, and a thought provoking page-turner.

Reviewer: LC

Imagine a world in which [love making] exists, but not as we know it today. Envision a place known as New City aka New York City, in which common diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, do not exist, nor crime, drugs or poverty. Instead, you MUST [make love] five times a day in order to live. The disease that all residents catch once puberty hits is called CMB or Chronic Metabolic Breakdown. As a result of the disease, there is no line between [love making] and the emotional aspects of it or the pleasure as we know it today. Instead, it is merely a tool needed to stay alive. Buildings are even equipped with special places to [make love] and there are Professional [Love] Providers available to "fix" those in need. But what happens when someone questions why the disease exists and desires to feel more than what he's been told he can feel? This is the premise behind SEXLIFE by a.a. clifford (pseudonym for Gary Hardwick).

Joe is accustomed to living in the Intelligence Era in which New City is run on advanced technology systems and everyone is intellectual. In spite of this Joe questions the cause of CMB and wonders if anyone will ever experience the "old" way of [making love. . He questions this even more when spotting Vella when he feels "something" just by looking at her. And, then later, he sees her at a party and during their encounter together, they feel the desire, the emotion, and a host of other things they've been told no one had experienced since the dawn of CMB, it is indeed history in the making. Joe becomes totally absorbed in locating Vella again to see if what he experienced was real or a fluke and as a result, he puts the safety of his friends at stake and is on the run for his life once the government finds out.

SEXLIFE is an exhilerating, imaginative, and original work of art and I look forward to the next book in this planned trilogy. Clifford did an amazing job of catching your attention, making you stop to think "what if?" It also makes you appreciate the world in which we live today...one in which [love making] is to be treasured and shared with those you love.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I ran across this book by chance and had to read it. The title didn't match the cover and both enticed me to find out more. The plot is full, with forbidden relations, action and despair all packed into a dystopian society. Sure, there's a cure for just about everything, but intimacy seems to have disappeared. This book is supposed to be a trilogy, but as far as I know, it never happened. This is very disappointing given how wonderfully written "Sex Life" is. However, readers will not feel unresolved at the end.