Fantastic Erotica: The Best of Circlet Press 2008-2012

This brilliantly imaginative compilation of short, steamy tales of contemporary and period fantasy, fairytale, future dystopia, and space opera, chosen from Circlet's e-book anthologies by a popular vote of readers, succeeds both as speculative fiction and as erotica. Humans encounter satyrs in Frances Selkirk's "The Beauty of Broken Glass," succubae in Michael M. Jones's "Devil's Masquerade," and shapeshifters in Vinnie Tesla's "Ota Discovers Fire." Standout stories include Bernie Mojzes's "Ink," a strangely sweet tale of Cthulian tentacle love; Elizabeth Reeve's hilarious "A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment," in which the plainest of five sisters inadvertently summons an incubus; and "Ota Discovers Fire," a traveler's tale that blends anthropological satire with a compelling setting and delightfully hot human-werewolf sex scenes that flow seamlessly from the plot. Plenty of same-sex pairings make this volume friendly to readers of all orientations. Exploring an underlying theme of the energy that arises when someone from the everyday world encounters true strangeness, these stories exhibit powerful world-building that slams the reader into delicious deviation from the mundane. (Oct.)