History’s Passion

Stories of Sex Before Stonewall

By: Richard Labonte

Narrated by: Owen Godeep

Four acclaimed erotic authors re-imagine the past.... Welcome to the hidden queer history of men loving men not so very long - and centuries - ago.

In "Heaven on Earth", Lambda Literary Award winner, editor, and author Simon Sheppard evokes a noirish Depression-era setting for Wichita rich kid Eli who, with an innocent young gas station attendant as his sidekick, embarks on a bloody, lust-fueled crime spree: Bonnie and Clyde meet Leopold and Loeb.

In "Camp Allegheny", Lambda Literary Award winner Jeff Mann recounts a clandestine Civil War romance between two Rebel soldiers whose passionate lovemaking survives bitter winters, life-threatening sickness, and bloody fighting during the real-life Battle of Allegheny in 1861 and the Battle of McDowell in 1862.

In "Tender Mercies", Dale Chase imagines the world of young Luke Farrow, a failure at prospecting during the California Gold Rush who succeeds in the more lucrative role of camp boy, where physical violence is as much a part of a rough, raw world as is selling sex for nuggets of gold - until a surprisingly tender man comes into Luke's life.

In "The Valley of Salt", David Holly blends legend with lust in the beautiful city of Gomorrah more than 3,000 years ago, where the Priests of Baal summon a beautiful young man as a temple sacrifice - which means he's now the indoor sport of the legendary city's sexually potent warriors, until taken captive during the Battle of the Vale of Siddom.

©2011 Richard Labonte (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Erotically Charged and Challenged...

Some of the stories in this anthology are absolutely brilliant with something to say, while others feel like they are merely about sex. Seeming to start with the best and move toward the worst in the last one. At times poignantly poetic and so beautiful that it made me weep. Very interesting conceptual idea and for the most part an interesting look at gay sex through a historical lens. Very hard to give it an accurate rating.

Gay Lovers Through History

Richard Labonté has brought together four M/M erotic novellas set in eras before "gay identity"existed. LaBonté has edited many fine erotica anthologies— his taste is superb— and I'm glad he set his mind to producing this collection of longer fiction.

The writers in this collection have found space for great tenderness, intimacy and passion in stories of the Civil War, the Gold Rush, the Great Depression, and the infamous biblical city Gamorrah. Each one lustful, romantic, and historically spot-on.