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Review

It would be quite nice to have more anthologies that are written by and about gay Black men but Black Fire: Gay African-American Erotica, edited by Shane Allison, is a very respectable addition to the genre. Although like most anthologies it varies somewhat in quality, the majority of the stories are worthwhile reading, being entertaining and suitably sexy. Each features at least one African American protagonist who finds “love” or at least sexual fulfillment in places as varied as a men’s store fitting room, a snow cave, an anything-goes sex party, a high school locker room, a Turkish bath, and a school library. One of the most unusual stories, “Alex’s Adventures in the Land of Wonder China Emporium,” is a parody of Alice in Wonderland. Although it is not fully successful it is a clever conceit. With one exception all the heroes are young, buff, hot, and totally irresistible. That one exception is in the story “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” an excellent S/M tale that is one of the best stories in the book. There is also another “slave-master” story called “His Jock Slave,” a title which tells interested readers all they need to know. Among the better entries is “Mutinous Chocolates,” a really different and intriguing account of how a box of candy affects a jilted lover. Another of the more unusual is the voodoo-infused “Black Bayou Fire.” The most ultra-romantic is “Like a Dream,” in which another jilted lover finds his long-sought happy ending, and the sexiest tales include “Tomorrow” and “Black Motorcycle Boots.”

 -- Roy Liebman