The Review:

Honesty from the outset~ I’m probably going to get my butt kicked for being so vague about the rating for Wilde Stories. Oh well.

First things first~

Wilde Stories contains 11 short stories that are extraordinarily diverse; not only in terms of the voice and writing styles of each of the authors, but their approach to the speculative fiction genre and to the themes themselves. The stories range from the more ‘traditional’ haunting of “The Woman in the Window” by Jameson Currier, the reeling time travel trip (literally) of “Acid and Stoned Reindeer” by Rebecca Ore, the poignant “Ever so Much More than Twenty” by Joshua Lewis, to the downright scary “City of Night” by Joel Lane and John Pelan.

One of the things which particularly struck me whilst reading this anthology was that this genre lends itself very well to dealing with issues affecting the GLBT community. (Apols to those who don’t this all-inclusive word.) I suppose one might say that about any of the sub-genres of GLBT fiction, but it seems to me the fantastical imagery of speculative fiction allows authors to explore more metaphorically such subjects as sexuality, being in the closet, coming out, prejudice, loss and love. The end result can be very thought provoking as I found with a number of the stories in this volume.

I have to say my responses to Wilde Stories varied so much; from the ‘wow’ to the ‘ummm’, I felt I was on a roller coaster at times. Later, I wondered if this was the intention of editor Steve Berman or maybe I was just ‘reading’ too much into it as I am wont to do after attempting to work my way through a review of an anthology this. :)

Regardless, there were a couple of stories that were absolute stand outs for me. The first of these was the superb horror story by Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco entitled “Awkward”. Quite frankly the only ‘awkward’ thing I found about this work was the use of French Canadian language, which, because I don’t read or speak it, I found disjointing. Other than that, it was a wonderfully dark and sadomasochistic story about a suburban queer couple whose so-called perfect life is ripped to shreds under the torture of two gay kids, who could, in fact, well be the ghosts of their past.

The second story was the Shakespearen-esque farce called “The Island of the Pirate Gods” by Hal Duncan. I’m not sure I can even begin to describe this short other than saying that if you can imagine a gay and very campy version of “Pirates of Penzance” complete with weird and wonderful, love-challenged faeries you just might be coming close. This was an absolute riot of a read.

A couple of issues/warnings~

It’s been a long time since I’ve read any fiction in which I’ve had to deconstruct imagery and symbolism to try and get a deeper understanding of the meanings and themes embedded in the work. I think because of that the nuances of some individual stories flew straight over my head. For example, while I found “An Apiary of White Bees” by Lee Thomas to be a compelling read I am not certain I fully grasped the bee metaphor beyond the stings associated with first love and sexual experience as well as that of sexuality itself. Maybe I’ve hit the nail on the head. *shrugs* However, there were several other occasions whilst reading the anthology when I was left with the feeling that I’m wasn’t quite sure if I ‘got it’ or not.

My Recommendation:

Overall, and to the credit of Steve Berman, Wilde Stories is a good quality volume of short stories, which both challenge and engage the reader. I would recommend it particularly to fans of speculative fiction. I think those of you who do have a love of this genre will be quite blown away by the boundaries several of the stories contained in this anthology push. -for-jessewave2 s Alysa H.1,358 72

Kind of dated already, though only 10 years old. A few good stories, some others not so much. Your mileage may vary.cutthroat-book-club-20181 Richard Parent56 2

This is, as far as I can tell, the start of the anthology series. If you're LGBTQ+ and love speculative fiction, this is a series you should read. The stories speak to that feeling of being an outsider, and yet of being a member of a passionate clan. I really enjoyed this series. I think you might, too.1 Liam Ostermann2,561 71 Read

I bought and read this back in the COVID lockdown - I don't recall being massively imprseed - must take another look at it and review properly.literature-anthology literature-fantasy-weird-sf literature-queer-interest ...more K36 6

I bought this for the Hal Duncan story, and wasn't disappointed (fans of the author's Vellum and Ink books will be pleased to know his short story in this anthology stars a piratical incarnation of the character Jack Flash). Described as speculative fiction the stories in this book lean more toward the strange and the fantastical than the sci-fi. I enjoyed most of them and some of the weird moods and imagery has really stayed with me. Good value for the kindle, I'll be checking out the other annual Wilde Stories anthologies. Sure, I didn't love every story but I'm still giving it 5 stars because it functions well as an anthology, introduced me to new authors and hangs together as a well-curated collection.fiction mxm short-stories Bitten_by_Books627 116

Wilde Stories 2008: The Best of the Year’s Gay Speculative Fiction is the first in a new yearly anthology of the year’s best gay speculative fiction. In this first collection, eleven stories are featured that run the gamut from horror to fantasy to psychedelic trip...

For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Wilde Stories 2008: The Best of the Year's Gay Speculative Fiction in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.
ricki Erika361 115

If these were the best stories of the year it couldn't have been the best harvest they've had in a while. There was only one story I really and it was the last one in the book. There were about other two I kind of d but fell flat by the middle of the story. Interesting ideas, but lacking on the execution part. The narrations were all over the place, ending up being confusing/vague when trying to be 'mysterious'. I couldn't care for most of the characters, their lives surrounded by so much decadence. All but the last one left me with a bad aftertaste.lgbt-literature Mark115 1 follower

I really wanted to this collection much more than I did. Most of the stories were simply unusual or abstract, not necessarily reading as fantasy, horror, or suspense.

That said, I'm glad I read this for Hal Duncan's story. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep me eager to read the other Wilde Stories anthologies. Del33 2

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