When we think of good adult movies we should think of the brilliant acting of Burton and Taylor, or of the directing of Billy Wilder or Mike Nichols. When we think of good adult books we should think of Nabokov ("Lolita") or Neal Drinnan ("Glove Puppet").

For such a short novel the plot goes in so many ways, yet stays entirely coherent. Written in the first person by a 20-year-old, the boy's mood changes with his age and with the story. The writing, however, is consistent from cover to cover.

The story is fascinating and will take the reader through a whole range of emotions. It makes one wish the author had been paid by the word, so the novel would infill every detail.

Australians have been turning out great stuff for decades. Here's another outstanding novel. Since it's short everyone should take the time to read it. Neal Drinnan was in his early 30s when he wrote "Glove Puppet." We can all hope he has many more excellent novels to write.

This is a wonderful little book. Comedy, TRADGEDY, romance, sex, taboo ... A little bit of everything. The characters are all beautifully written and they draw you deeply into their story. A little dark, yes, but an excellent read. Drinnan is a great writer. This, as well as Pussy's Bow and Quills, are all well worth reading. I'm waiting for a new one!

"Glove Puppet" is an outstanding "autobiography" of a 20-year old man (Vas) who was raised in the theatre.

This book is everything that is good about true literature and every bit as racey as a great porn novel.

We start off the book with meeting our young Vas in a train station where his mother is dying from an OD.. Enter now our tragic hero (well that is how I saw him).. He picks the boy up and wisks him into a different life.

Well Vas reaches puberty and things begin to spiral down from there.. First he seduces his "father" then several of his fathers lovers.. and then there is the prostitution.. Drugs and men..

And all this goes on within a plot that is clear and well defined.

This may be a short book but, it is one(like many men before me) that you should own and read.

...Pussy's Bow is a hugely entertaining story. The characters are all very real - I think they were my roomates at one point! But seriously, Drinnan's characters are remarkable because they are so flawed - in very honest and realistic ways. The story is exciting and even comical at times. A night on E is so vividly written, I think I had a flashback. Drinnan has crafted some great stories with solid, colorful writing. I cannot wait for his next book.

I really enjoyed Neal Drinnan's "Glove Puppet" and quickly snapped up "Pussy's Bow." While I enjoyed the book and found the characters to be well-drawn and, for the most part, likeable and engaging, I finished the book feeling that there was something missing. The blackmail subplot is introduced, occasionally raised, then just peters out, and the ending is a bit abrupt and not completely satisfying. Still, Mr. Drinnan is a good writer who knows how to keep you turning those pages and, in spite of my minor disappointment, I do think he is one of the better writers of gay fiction today. "Pussy's Bow" is an entertaining novel; I just wish it had been a bit more complete.

Yep - that's right...once again Neal Drinnan has crafted a well written work filled with characters that are almost too recognizable to some of us. We get Dixon (the delicious globe trotting party boy), Doc - the responsible yet heavily medicated elder) and Dng the creative artist. (did I need to mention that all three share each other's affections?) Adding to the mix is a new to the scene houseboy, a nosey alcoholic girlfriend neighbor, drugs, a murder, sex, more sex, and blackmail.

Drinnan has elevated the genre of gay fiction. His writing, which appears effortless, is shaped much more by the plot, by the story, than by outside issues such as coming out, AIDS, or even sexuality. It gives us instead something that is purely entertaining, sexy and enjoyable.

What an enthralling read! "Quill" is about Elliot Bernard, who has just published his third novel. His ex-lover Blaise is forbidden by his current lover from reading the book, but Blaise is drawn to it and discovers that it's a thinly-veiled tome about his current relationship. The further he reads, the more Blaise is shaken from the ennui which threatened to engulf him. Of course, he's angered immensely for what Elliot has done to him, but could this new novel actually be a message for him? And in the second part, Elliot's mother takes center stage at her younger son's funeral. Elliot has died, leaving his mother to continue in her struggle to reconcile her son's literary and vividly queer life with what she knows from life in the Australian rural town where Elliot grew up. Ultimately, she finds a sort of strength to claim her own influence on her son's career. This compelling, insightful, dazzling book will delight readers and stop them in their tracks (and not at the distracting typographical errors).