Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Gents: Steamy Stories from the Age of Steam
AUTHOR: Henry Alley, Anonymous, Nick Campbell, Tom Cardamone, Dale Chase, Verona Hummingbird, Rhidian Brenig Jones, Matthias Klein, Kolo, Katie Lewis, Dale Cameron Lowry, Jeff Mann, Mike McClelland, Charles Payseur, Felice Picano, Claudia Quint, Rob Rosen, Jack Saul; ed. by Matthew Bright
PUBLISHER: Lethe Press
LENGTH: 264 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2018
BLURB:
Return to an era of foggy back alleys and Macassar oil in every man’s hair. Editor Matthew Bright has assembled a glorious cadre of authors, including such award-winning storytellers as Felice Picano, Tom Cardamone, and Jeff Mann, and readers will take delight in following the trysts of 19th century noblemen, servants, and rakes. Illustrated with genuine Victorian era erotic photography.
– Extract: Sins of the Cities of the Plain (Jack Saul)
– Hiraeth (Rhidian Brenig Jones)
– The Romp (Dale Chase)
– The Blacksmith’s Son (Katie Lewis)
– Like Trains in the Night (Verona Hummingbird)
– Mombasa Vengeance (Mike McClelland)
– Extract: My Secret Life (Anonymous)
– The Story of a Criminal Practice (Nick Campbell)
– Progress Be Damned – (Rob Rosen)
– Luc Orphenlin and the Hodag of Rhinelander (Charles Payseur)
– The Whipping Master (Dale Cameron Lowry, Author)
– London, 1888 (Jeff Mann)
– Steam in Antartica (Matthias Klein)
– Extract: Teleny (Anonymous)
– Henry/Hendrik (Henry Alley)
– On a Passage to the Queen’s Jubilee (Kolo)
– Mr. Okada and his Calotype Camera – (Claudia Quint)
– Grey Salamanders – (Tom Cardamone)
– All My Oceans of Blood and Ink – (Matt Bright)
– The Invincible Theatre (Felice Picano)
– Extract: My Secret Life (Anonymous)
REVIEW:
I love a well-planned anthology, especially when there’s a specific theme that runs through each story. Lethe Press never disappoints with their quality anthologies, and this one is no different.
All of the hallmarks of good, slow-burn Victorian fiction are present from start to finish—buttons flying behind closed doors, coy looks exchanged across a crowded room. There’s eroticism in subtly, and it comes through in wordplay and double entendre rather than bold flirtation. There’s no lacking in points of view and setting, either. Real stories from times past, like “Sins of the Cities” and “My Secret Life,” offer more realistic points of view wrapped around stories that explore the fantastical, such as steampunk in “The Blacksmith’s Son” and occultism in “Progress Be Damned.”
Oncoming change is a big theme throughout the story, as in most Victorian fiction. The world is changing, but not fast enough for men who love men, and sometimes the underground lifestyle can get pretty lonely. Men fall into each other’s arms as they talk politics and argue gas lights versus electric. They encounter racial and class conflicts before unbuttoning their shirts. And this is never a lazy collection. Each story serves a purpose, provides a glimpse. What sort of lives did these men lead? How do they find ways to love one another in such an outwardly oppressive time? And how, in this time of pursed lips and closed doors, do they even find each other?
Not every single story will satisfy every reader, but there are so many of them that if you don’t like one, you can move into the next. Don’t expect a traditional HEA in each one—more often than not, the men get some kind of satisfaction, but it might not be riding off into the sunset. And if you’d rather not read ultra-explicit F/M erotica, I’d skip the “My Secret Life” excerpts.
If you’re a big fan of historical erotica, especially of the Victorian era, this one is a must-have for your shelf. It’s comprehensive, well-written, well-compiled, and full of filth!
RATING: 
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