Great read ( )

Kinky horror you cannot put down and the title just grabbed me. ( )

This book is worth getting just for the title story. Self-Made Man stars a sort of Dahmer-esque (gay cannibal) villain who somehow remains touching. You can hear the desperate cry for true connection to another human being that leads to his pathology. It is gory and graphic, but it is a lot more than a gore story. As with a lot of the titles in this collection, and Poppy's writing in general, the characters are emotionally vulnerable and relatable. Depending on how far you are able to extend your empathy and suspension of "real life" morals for fictional tales, you will find something lovable and endearing even in characters who display abysmal behavior. ( )

I so want to like Poppy's books. I want to be one of the cool kids. I want to be open-minded. But, this grouping of short stories was way out of my comfort zone. Very graphic and detailed gay sexual encounters that had me wanting to cover my eyes and chant "lalalalalalalalaIcan'thearyou." His [yes, I know Poppy is female looking to US, but, she identifies herself as a gay male and I wanted to honor her preference] writing is wonderful--and the story I really enjoyed was "Mussolini and the Axeman's Jazz." I also enjoy the little looksee authors sometimes give us into the writing of their stories. Poppy prefaces each entry with a little blurb about it.

Five stars for the language and mechanics. Luxurious use of language, writing skills can't be questioned.

I admit. I'm just an uptight, old bat who can't handle in-your-face erotica. If you are at ease with detailed sexuality in your reading material, then you will enjoy Poppy's stories. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?ID=401 ( )