Product Description

Trysts is the first collection of dark fantasy fiction with gay characters by Steve Berman.

Berman has assembled thirteen (thus the triskadecollection of the subtitle) evocative stories, all of which revolve around the central theme of the 'tryst.' But these passionate hookups and romantic encounters range from the eerie to the horrifying to the wondrous.

Trysts offers readers dark and quirky tales from a distinctive voice in gay fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #338713 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 164 pages

Review
"All in all, "Trysts" is a marvelous collection and a surprisingly adept debut for Berman." -- The New York Blade

"If you've never understood the allure of short stories, Trysts will be a fantastic start. Consider it a must-have." -- Echo Magazine

"Steve Berman has a unique voice and style... missing from the gay fiction, as well as the dark fantasy markets." -- Midwest Book Review Bookwatch Volume 2, Number 8

From the Publisher
Trysts has received two nominations (Best Other Work and Best Short Story) for the 2002 Spectrum Awards, which are sponsored by the Gaylactic Network and created to honor works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror that deal positively with queer characters, themes, and issues.

From the Author
When was your last tryst? I often wonder... those ever-so brief encounters tend to last in memory far longer than the time spent in the embrace. Often my imagination revises past passions, not so much improving them but changing things... what if the boy spent the night, what would we say in the morning? Or if I watched him inhale the smoke from a cigarette hungrily, like he was feeding on each wisp? Fantasy, in my mind, extends beyond the simple act of wanting another's body next to yours.

The curse of being a writer works as a blessing for readers - my imagination never lets anything in my past rest, and now and then something worthwhile is put on the page. My hope is that, when you explore all thirteen stories in Trysts, emotions are touched and some of your own distant affairs are remembered.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Eerie Reading
Berman, Steve. "Trysts: A Triskaide Collection of Queer and Weird Stories", Lethe Press, 2001.

Beautiful Eerie Reading

Amos Lassen

Steve Berman gives us thirteen beautifully written weird stories in "Trysts". A tryst by definition is a moment of passion which is stolen and a tryst can take place anywhere and at any time. There are no limits set on trysts and many times the concept of reality is minor. Berman takes the word tryst to new dimensions in this collection of stories as he brings a touch of the supernatural into play and he adds a sense of uneasiness to his stories. The characters in these stories come face to face with extraordinary situations and the settings of the tales complement the horror that the characters feel, The stories keep the reader guessing while the characters come across as being real and we see ourselves a bit in them.
Berman shows his talent as a writer with these stories and this not just an anthology of stories dealing with the supernatural but if a world that is the author's own creation. Some of the stories are sexual in nature and others show pure horror. Berman shows his imagination throughout and from reading these stories, the reader walks away with questions to which there are no simple answers. The structure of the stories gives us, the readers, ideas to ponder and the visions that Berman creates are disturbing, dark and many times quite graphic.
Even those these are gay stories, they seem to go beyond the boundaries of gender but still contain a dark sexuality that is appealing. There is an appeal to the senses which is difficult to do well in writing but Steve Berman pulls it off with aplomb.
Variety is also a key word here. There is a story that is a take-off of Huckleberry Finn, there is one about prostitution, an Ouija board, of art coming to life and so on. All of the stories look at life and give us a twist on life, loneliness, sex, youth, desire and drugs. These are stories for reflection and to ponder. Do not read them too quickly or you will wonder why this exciting reading experience is over too quickly.

Fallen
All the stories were good. The stories from the Fallen were the best and I hope there are more ?

Mixed Bag
This collection of short stories is, as the headline indicates, a mixed bag. Several of the offerings are cleverly written and erotically charged. Unfortunately, the author decided to take a turn into arena of "Weird Stories" (as indicated in the title). The turn, for this reader did not work well. Despite this fact, Mr. Berman is a talented writer, and you, the reader, should read his other works as well.