Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
I must first admit my bias.
I am a long time fan of Vulgus's stories. In fact, they are part of the inspiration for why I write.
However, of all of his stories I believe I like this one the best. If you are going to read a Vulgus story for the first time - this is the one you should read.
In many ways this story reminds me of "Be careful what you wish for". The basic set up is different but the feel is similar. That is also one of my favorite stories of his - although it is much shorter.
I suppose one reason is that he writes from the female main character's perspective and does a damn nice job of it. As a single mother myself I noticed things in the narrative of her life that really seemed quite genuine.
It is relatively long - 16 chapters. I was hoping there would be more. Just when I fall in love with Vulgus's characters he tends to end the story and leaves me wanting to know more.
He does a fairly nice job of wrapping things up, but I would have liked more.
Vulgus is one of those authors that a lot of people know of when writing BDSM related fiction. This story like most of his stories feels like "Yeah this could happen". There is no mind control (well, not really) or aliens or going back in time. It's all very plausible and there were times I found myself going "So call 911!" only to find a few paragraphs later the character say "I wanted to call 911 but there was no phone.." or something.
There is a Norman Rockwell suburban 'woman next door' you might know and this is the most interesting journey of her life.
All in all, I would rank this one of the best stories on the site overall.
I would like to see more like this from him. I find myself really impressed.
Reviewed:
Thank God for porn, eh? I get really tired of looking through the new stories list and finding material more suitable for my public library than my hard drive. Sometimes I think SOL isn't even an adult website anymore. A lot of people seem to think so, believe me. I've heard the opinion expressed that SOL is a site for fiction that only tolerates erotic content.
Huh?
Thankfully, I can breathe a sigh of relief when I see Vulgus driving towards the beleaguered defenders of Bastogne like Patton's Third Army on a double ration of Viagra! A story with a title like, "My Stepson the Psychopath" is a welcome reminder that there are still a few writers out there with the talent, the energy, and the desire to pen hardcore, in-your-face porn without a hint of remorse. I really hate it when an author apologizes.
Vulgus gives us a story, don't get me wrong, but it isn't terribly deep or original. This is old school. It doesn't have to be a complex, angst-filled drama of life in a near future dystopia filled with cheerleaders and time machines, and that's the whole point. Pornography is good enough. When it's well conceived and executed; when the author can exercise enough patience to run spell-checker; when the entire plot can be summed up in four user friendly words -- That's a whole lot better than Moby Dick, let me tell you!
As one might expect from Vulgus, characters are taken from the extremes of social convention. The protective mother, with a history of bad decisions and ineffectual role models, falls prey to her maternal instincts. The sexy daughter is happily objectified with the help of chemicals, much as most teenage girls were at my old high school. I'm sure she'll be o0n the cover of Seventeen in no time! The husband is suspiciously creepy and wonderfully absent the way so many men inexplicably are in this golden age of leisure. The evil stepson is a nice metaphor for the dislocation of responsibility, but if I go too deeply into the underlying social commentary, I may be tempted to write a term paper.
Suffice to say that when properly written, good porn is not shallow, it's merely difficult to appreciate while one is furiously stroking a jelly covered dildo between her legs. I ran out of Rocket Lube, sorry about the mess. My dog will lick it up later. Speaking of which, I really hope the story continues with some bestiality. And that's my only real issue, by the way: Begging for a continuation? Come on, you either want to or you don't. You know what your fans want, Vulgus, and everyone else can cross the street. But if my voice counts for anything...
Not much of a review, I know, but honestly...If you readers need me to tell you that Vulgus can write, you're either too young for premier membership, or you really need to go back to the Naked In School end of the pool. Or maybe you're just here for the literature? It wouldn't surprise me.
Jais