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Review

Muscle Men (an engaging title if ever there was one) is a collection of stories about bodybuilders, boxers, wrestlers, gardeners -- men with hot bodies and the men that love them. Or just lust. They treat, in various ways, the perfect male body which, in the words of Jack Fritscher (one of the authors), is "the lingua franca of gay male culture".

The stories range widely, but with names like Muscle Worship, Brute, Fight Cub, Muscle Meeting, you get the idea. They focus on muscle men wrestling (and getting turned on), flexing (and getting turned on), working out (and getting turned on), etc. Simple, really.

My favorite is a wonderful fantasy, Mr. Muscle Pump by Steven Bereznai, which really embodies the spirit of this book. Backstage at a competition of the same name, Rodney Jarrod ("the Rod") is pumping up: "His body swells larger. So does his crotch. Several of the room's muscle jocks swallow nervously". Many will swallow more than that before this tale is finished. But Rod is looking for Trey Trojan, the current title holder: "His waist in tiny, his shoulders ridiculously wide, his pecs firm -- all in symmetry with his thick arms and thicker legs". Trey really wants to win this contest and Rod, wanting to please as well as command, comes up with the most ingenious ways to pump him up. Suffice it to say, he is fully blown after the workout and they both get their prize. The onlooking contestants and attendants get rather a good pump as well. Everybody's a winner at this particular contest.

It's fun, the stories are all well-written, and it's hot. You may just get a good workout yourself.

 -- Miles Fusco