Confessions: Admissions of Sexual Guilt

The mixed bag of stories that comprise this decidedly uneven erotica collection feature characters who, as the editors write, ""do what they believe is necessary to continue to get, enjoy, avoid, justify, or understand sex."" Few of the milder taboos are left unbroken-S&M in Stephen Dedman's ""Below the Cut,"" adultery in Edo Van Belkom's ""Playing the Part,"" voyeurism in Morgana Baron's ""Voyeuse""-but the characters' sexual exploits come off as gratuitous and painfully deficient in the credibility department-even in this forgiving genre-most notably in B. D. Faw and Mike Resnick's ""Odd Habit,"" about a randy nun's encounter with a ""pulsating manhood,"" a ""pulsating organ,"" a ""throbbing in her palm,"" a ""deep throbbing pulsation"" and, eventually, a ""diminishing manhood."" This volume tries to position itself as a springboard for discussions about the nature of guilt and the benefits and drawbacks of confession, but the tawdry writing undermines the editors' lofty vision.