Black Feathers: Erotic Dreams (Paperback)

by Cecilia Tan (Author) "Having one's first book published seems as though it ought to be an auspicious occasion, with much fanfare, but as I sit here to write..." (more)
Key Phrases: knife girl, nerve cuffs, Johnny Kwan, Timothy Delancey, Hong Kong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews
A debut collection featuring 23 tales devoted to erotic fantasy. All but two of Tan's hot, twisty stories have appeared elsewhere, in kinky magazines you may never have heard of (Paramour, Taste of Latex, etc.) and erotica collections, none reviewed here (Dark Angels: Lesbian Vampire Stories; Switch Hitters: Lesbians Write Gay Male Erotica, Gay Men Write Lesbian Erotica, etc.), although Kirkus did review The Years Best Fantasy and Horror, 1996, edited by Teri Windling and Ellen Datlow, in which Tan's ``The Nightingale'' first appeared. Tan is the founder and publisher of Circlet Press, specializing in erotic science fiction. The dreams herein focus on wish fulfillment (``Daydreaming''), rituals (``Heart's Desire''), faraway worlds (``Pearl Diver''), utopias (``Telepaths Don't Need Safewords''), the seamy side (``Porn Flicks''), the near future (``Rough Trade'') and how the other half lives (``Whipmaster''). Each section gets its own intro by Tan (``Right now I like writing endings that seem like beginnings''). ``Penetration'' catalogues substitute dildos that the narrator (top) uses on her seductee (bottom): They include kielbasa, a burning candle, and an Idaho potato swathed in a condom. ``Daydreaming'' tells of a virgin student who can't keep his mind in focus and keeps being invaded by gay fantasies; ``A True Story'' reveals the narrator's masturbation modes; in ``Heart's Desire,'' the narrator must whip an S/M boy at a lesbian party before she can free and own him; and in ``Pearl Diver,'' a virgin dives by moonlight and collects large pearls in her vagina to provoke visions. To avoid narcosis, full hormonal participation is required. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Description
In this groundbreaking collection Cecilia Tan blurs the very definition of sexuality and redefines the future of erotic fiction.She delves deep into the world of dark fantasy in a powerful collection of stories that interweave the supernatural and science fiction with the fantasy of daydream; she brilliantly combines noir erotica at its most potent with startling sensuality to shatter the physical and emotional boundaries of sex.These stories, some never before published, range in style and texture from the warmth of magical realism to disturbing modern gothic -- showcasing a rich and varied exploration of sex in worlds that might be earthtly -- to tales of the human fantasies and magical dreams to which we all succumb. From the critically acclaimed, otherwordly "Pearl Driver" to "The Game," all of Tan's stories celebrate the body and sex, revealing the positive emotions behind even the darkest desires.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st edition (June 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060985011
• ISBN-13: 978-0060985011
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,149,282 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luscious, imaginative, lip-licking erotica!, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

So your boyfriend (or boyfriend*s*) enjoys sexy stories but you'd love him to read something more erotic than the letters page of "Penthouse"...You *can't* go wrong passing this delicious collection of Cecilia Tan's on to him...a wonderfully exotic range of stories that made my heart beat a little faster, my breath come a little shorter, and my skin break out in a heated sweat...On the other hand, who needs to give this book away? Give *yourself* the present of this luscious collection, and see if you don't expand your own sexual imagination!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos on a delightful erotic achievement!, September 9, 1998

By A Customer

FINALLY! After a long wait by her readers, Cecilia delivers the collection we've all been waiting for. I've been a long time fan and imagine my delight when I walked into my local bookstore and found this delicious collection on the shelf! Imagine my sadness when I found that Cecilia had been signing books there the day before. Such is my lot but I still walked away with a signed copy that has since proven to be one of my best book buys of the year.

Black Feathers is a diverse landscape of erotic, exotic and provoking thoughts. A DEFINITE add to any erotica reader's collection.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intelligent pornography, October 17, 1999

By	tom kerr ([e-mail]) (bandung, indonesia) - See all my reviews

not since the original Story of O has there been such truly erotic work available for thinking people to fill in the mind pictures. Ms Tan is obviously a great writer and i look forward to her first big novel...no matter what the subject.