Best Lesbian Erotica 2012, edited by Kathleen Warnock: A Review by Nikki Magennis

This book is overflowing with graphic sex. That might sound like a duh thing to say about a collection of erotica, but it’s the thing that struck me most forcibly while I was reading it. Close-up, vigorous, vivid sex scenes, and lots of them. If you’re looking for a one-handed read, that’s probably all you need to know. For those who’d like a little more depth, read on.

According to the intro, the collection is intended to follow the loose arc of a possible life, starting with a blossoming first-love story, through the experimentation of single life, the ups and downs of coupledom and on towards more mature and committed relationships. I loved this idea, though I couldn’t help feeling there were too many stories consisting of quick, casual sexual encounters to fully realise the concept.

Maybe I’ve read (and written) too much erotica that takes place in the zipless fuck phase of that fictional life line. I suppose it’s a scenario that seems to offer itself easily to erotica: Eyes meet across crowded rooms and characters fall easily into familiar sexual tropes.

There’s a danger in erotic fiction that sex is reckoned to be enough in the way of content, tension and narrative. Dirty words are substitutes for genuinely risky ideas. This makes for shallow, unsatisfying stories, and several times I found myself skipping a tired set-up where the ensuing sex scene was blatantly signposted – promising seduction, sex and orgasm, in that order with barely an ironic wink to break up the journey.

Sex doesn’t always overwhelm the story. In the hands of skilled writers, wall to wall sexual action can be turned into beautifully observed prose: THE LAST TIME by Dani M is the bittersweet tale of a goodbye fuck, described with supple and clear-eyed skill. ‘I just can’t stop entering your pretty mouth’. Here, sex is the medium through which the story is told, graphic action described with evocative precision. WHEN YOU CALL by Sharon Wachsler is a wonderfully complex and ambiguous piece playing with love, bodily failings and emotional weakness. Wachsler maintains a high level of eroticism as an integral part of a moving, well written storyline that calls for rereading. Probably my favourite story in the book.

There are a few stories in the anthology that glow with affecting emotional connection. ‘50S WAITRESS by Julia Noel Goldman is a sweet and tender scene between a couple of ordinary lovers, and even slightly lazy dialogue didn’t eclipse the sentiment. SKIN DEEP by Anna Watson is a touching glimpse into the subtleties of a couple’s relationship, revealing the flaws and habits that make character interesting. NEVER TOO OLD by DeJay is funny and cute – if not slightly cosy – and the relationship is nicely convincing where many of the scenes among the other stories tend to lack the bite, pathos and unevenness that bring a character and a story to life.

A couple of pieces balanced intense sexual content with more imaginative language – Kirsty Logan’s dark, dirty and beautiful REBEL GIRL was a treat, with rich word choices: ‘cunts are pure truth: wet and pink, like steak freshly cut’ and arresting imagery. BLOOD LUST by Giselle Renarde carved out a wonderfully playful and edgy tale about the potential risks and costs of love and art.

If you’re looking for a book brimful of bois and babes, awash with vigorous, up-front fucking, studded with sex toys and dirty talk, you’ll hit paydirt here. Readers after provocative, edgy writing or erotica with a more subtle slant may find themselves feeling somewhat short-changed.


Nikki Magennis is an author and artist. She lives in Scotland and writes as hard as she can, whenever she can. Mostly, her stories burrow into the cracks and look for the light. Find her here: nikkimagennis.com