Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) [Hardcover]

Lawrence Block (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Seven Deadly Sins | Publication Date: April 21, 2001

This first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, "Speaking of Lust" is a collection of outstanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin we call lust. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Lust" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that finishes this unique collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kicking off Cumberland's Seven Deadly Sins series is Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire, edited by Lawrence Block (Hit Man), with 19 racy and bone-chilling stories. Joyce Carol Oates imagines a conversation between a man accused of rape and his public defender. Block presents a novella in which four professionals in the off-hours share stories of lust gone awry. Ed Gorman and Clive Barker also contribute.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This first in a series of short-fiction collections based onthe seven deadly sins brings together 18 titillating tales (includingeditor Block's title novella) that are outrageous, explicit, gory, andjust plain fun. The first tale, "Crack," by James W. Hall, about oneman's destructive obsession with a teenage neighbor, sets the tone forthose that follow. Such well-known authors as James Crumley, JoyceCarole Oates, Joan Hess, and Clive Barker are among the contributors,and the wide range of styles brings a fascinating variety to acollection that, given the common theme, might otherwise have sufferedfrom repetitiveness. In bringing together everyday men and women whoencounter lust in extraordinary circumstances, the authors mix realismand mystery with eroticism in a beguiling manner that suggestssoft-porn episodes of The Twilight Zone. All but the mostsheltered readers will waiting eagerly to sample the other sixsins. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (April 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821530
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821536
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.

Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.

In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.

A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sin is in., January 4, 2002

By 

Matthew Weaver "cesarfaison" (Spokane) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) (Hardcover)

Now here's some reading material to get really excited about.

Lawrence Block, best known for his mystery series, especially the ones revolving around private investigator Matthew Scudder and thief Bernie Rhodenbarr, also is the editor of the June 2001 compilation of short stories entitled "Speaking of Lust."

What really makes you stand at attention is the fact that "Lust" is the first in a series of short story collections that focuses on the seven deadly sins - greed, sloth, pride, envy, wrath and gluttony are the others, for those who skipped "Seven."

Do you realize what this means? At some point, there's going to be a collection of short stories devoted to fat people! And another about those lazy bones that simply refuse to get out of bed. Sigh ... at last, my kind of people get their time in the spotlight.

Seriously, I don't know why this type of thing hasn't been done before. Kudos go to Block and whomever is helping him in this infinitely clever maneuver for making lust, everyone's favorite deadly sin, the focus of the first book, which is smart for two reasons. One, because everyone likes lust, it'll be sure to grab the most readers. And now they've got their work cut out for them in finding clever stories that will give the other six the same kind of attention.

If "Lust" is any indication, we're in for a treat when the presumably-titled "Speaking of Gluttony" and "Speaking of Wrath" come out. It offers a fabulous array of stories that range from delightfully sinful to shockingly sexy.

Among the best offerings:

* James W. Hall's "Crack," about a man who discovers a crack in the wall that peeks into the neighbor's bathroom and allows him to spy on their 15-year-old daughter.

* "Ro Erg," by Robert Weinberg, about a man who uses a credit card error to create a whole new persona for himself.

*Ed Gorman's "The End of It All," in which a once hideous monstrosity gets made over into the handsomest man on earth, and prepares to seduce his high school crush ... and her daughter ...

* "The Girls in Villa Costas," by Simon Brett, about a machinating womanizer who finds himself torn between a beautiful woman and her less-attractive-but-stands-to-inherit-the-family-fortune sister.

Aside from introducing and editing the book, Block also writes the title novella. It is here that another reading delight emerges, and in his introduction Block promises that subsequent tales using the same characters will follow in the future books.

Most likely using Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" as a model (Did anyone else enjoy reading this classic in high school? After all, those stories about white whales, scarlet letters and tales about two cities, this classic had farting and people having sex in orange trees! Finally, some decent reading material!), Block's story is really just several people - a priest, a policeman, a doctor, a soldier and an old guy - sitting around playing cards and talking about the ways lust has affected their occupations and lives. Lively discussion and debates ensue.

It's an ingenious way to go about telling the story, and the stories within the story will have the reading audience on the edge of their seats (pay close attention to the priest's tale).

Best of all, the stories are relatively short, so even if there comes the rare offering that doesn't quite tickle your funnybone, you can skip it guilt free and go on to the next treasure.

Reading about sin probably wasn't meant to be this much fun. But, oh, how sweet it is.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 18 short stories, September 26, 2001

By 

real man (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) (Hardcover)

This book has 18 short stories dealing with theme about lust. It is first book of seven that will deal with the seven deadly sins. There are several well known writers who has written a story for this collection, (Joan Hess, Clive Barker, Joyce Carol Oates). Most of the stories have rather predictable ending, but they are enjoyable stories. My top three stories in this book are the Lawrence Block's story(Speaking Of Lust), Clive Barker's story (The Age of Desire), and Robert Weinberg's story (Ro Erg). If you like any of these writers you want to check this book out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lust Leads to Dark Undertow., January 28, 2005

By 

Bohdan Kot (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) (Hardcover)

"Lust is desire raised to a level that prompts unacceptable behavior" is a worthy aphorism to encapsulate the contents of "Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire." This is the first volume in the seven deadly sins series and is a compilation of 17 short stories and Lawrence Block's novella (also named "Speaking of Lust"), the capstone of the collection. The editor Block chose to explore the darker side of humanity, the mortal sin of lust, by handpicking short stories that generally lean towards the macabre with dashes of sex. The skillful writing leads the reader without effort to a world full of double agents and desire perverted. Clive Barker, Paul Bishop, and Ed Gorman, to name a few, are the writers that reward with numerous delicious twists and surprises.

In the first short story, "Crack," by James Hall, a voyeur's obsession over a teenage girl possesses him to a frightful conclusion. The unnamed Fulbright fellow confesses, "In most matters I considered myself a scrupulously moral man. I had always been one who could be trusted with other people's money or their most damning secrets. But like so many of my fellow Puritans I long ago had discovered that when it came to certain libidinous temptations I was all too easily swept off my safe moorings into the raging currents of erotic gluttony." "Crack" is a thorough psychological study of how an innocent beginning becomes pathological.

The characters throughout all of the pieces find themselves powerless to fight a desire that has progressed to a full-blown demon. "Speaking of Lust" is a testament to the power of persistent malcontent thoughts. Evil thoughts eventually have no joy staying inside the ravaged mind and long to be transformed into "unacceptable behavior" for release. The collection examines beautifully how sin does not happen out of the blue. The writers brilliantly illustrate that many bad decisions were made before the ultimate transgressions of murder, suicide, incest, and rape occurred. A showcase of lust gone awry, its inevitable tragic conclusions will leave you fulfilled: or perhaps wanting more.

Bohdan Kot