Men on Men 5: Best New Gay Fiction (v. 5) [Paperback]

Various (Author), David Bergman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This recent addition to the "Men on Men" series, now under new editorship, lives up to its subtitle with emphasis on "new." The book reads like overnight dispatches from a primarily young, gay America. It's exciting, too, in its variety. These stories, ranging in place from a Dairy Queen in Texas to a village in Ireland, are narrated by the love-lorn as well as hustlers and were written by a diverse group of men-most of whom share little more than a brief publishing history. If there is one idea that unifies these stories it is that of the lover, whether he's on the horizon, being courted, settling in, becoming dull, dying, or long dead. At times these stories may be gangly or a bit awkward, but that's a good part of their charm. For all fiction collections, especially all public libraries.
Brian Kenney, Brooklyn P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This culturally diverse collection covers wide-ranging and entertaining themes, including gay male sexuality, self-esteem, illusion, and the concept of family. It is tinged throughout, though, with the fear, regret, and loss that color so much gay and lesbian literature in which the overarching motif is survival--emotional and spiritual as much as physical--in the age of AIDS. Presented alphabetically according to the authors' last names, editor Bergman's choices are neither simplistic tales with pat endings nor stories crafted with political correctness--what writers and readers ought to feel--in mind. Instead, they display the complicated messiness that characterizes so much of what it means to feel resonance in the heart, of what it means to be human. Typical are Michael Lowenthal's "Delivery," dealing with the mythic making of babies; Jameson Currier's "Fearless," exploring the making--that is, the actual creation--of love; and Wesley Gibson's "Out There," probing the fashioning of viable lives when those lives are driven by instinct or fear. But herein are several more such tours-de-force. Whitney Scott

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Plume (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452272440
• ISBN-13: 978-0452272446
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,186,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dated and sad, May 1, 2008

By	M/M fan "Michael Wayne" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men on Men 5: Best New Gay Fiction (v. 5) (Paperback)

Yes this book was published in 1994 and it reflects that era in gay writing, but...man was it depressing. I'm very glad gay fiction has come a long way from these short stories, because to be honest only one was worth reading out of 20. Robert Rodi's 'Tricked' was hilarious. If it wasn't for his one good short, I would have been even more disappointed. Lesson learned, only buy new gay novels.