A delightfully written book of adventure, with a laid-back hero, great characters and witty observations on the English class system and customs. The witty comments in this book are reminiscent of the early Gavin Lyalls. Entertaining reading which leaves the reader guessing as to how it can all come together and make sense. But come together it does, with a dramatic ending where our hero makes a moral decision that I for one would have made differently. "You got to watch that money stuff, ..... Too much of it and it can get to change your personality, you know - like drink".

This book is so good that I finished it in one sitting. There is not one wasted word and I was in for a thrilling ride once I started. The mystery is taut, intense and captivating, the entangled romance sensitive and touching. The hero, Kyle, with a weak heart, is immensely likable and well potrayed. It is a rarity that a character could stand up so well in short mystery novel but Kyle does. Kyle finally accepting the loss of his father and the revelation of a half brother he would never have a chance to acknowledge gives a touch of melancholy to the story. Definitely one of my favourites.

I found this book to be immensely well-written, with plausible characters (if implausible names), a plausible story-line, and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm a great fan of murder mysteries and this book is as good as the best of its type. It isn't a 'police procedural' however, like so many recent muder novels. It's more a delving into the minds of a very closed community, an examination of motives, desires, and personas.

It is, in fact, very "Agatha Christie".

Well worth reading.

Colin Dunne cleverly blends a painting's subject with the story of some gay friends and the story of a missing artist (and his missing painting). The resulting tale always intrigues, with a focus on strong dialogue and character development. You don't have to be gay to enjoy this book. Nor do you have to like mystery novels. Just the characters and conflicts that start the novel would have kept my attention, but the added dimension of the murder and the painting made me read quickly to the surprising twists of the novel's closing chapters.

I'm not usually a fan of anthologies, but I had this one thrust on me by a writer friend who knew that I enjoyed fantasy/sci-fi, and that the subject matter of the stories was of personal interest to me. Overall, I would recommend this, though some stories clicked more than others, as I suppose is true with most things of this nature.

The most enjoyable reads were "Wizard's Moon," and "Candleglow" with definite reread potential on the latter. I don't think it's a coincidence that these two stories were written by the editors who put together the anthology. They seemed the most professional, the characters the most engaging.

Honorable mention to "Midnight Confession" because it felt real (if I had to hazard a guess, pen names aside, I'd say this was the only male author among the crew) and touched on issues that took it to a higher level than simple pleasure reading.

I had a hard time wrapping myself around the novel-sized cast presented in "Persephone Ascending" but the setting was fun, if a little reminiscent of Final Fantasy.

"Centauri" and "In the Dark" needed a little more development to feel like complete stories.

"Messenger" on the other hand was longer than it needed to be, and I didn't find the narrator a memorable character. Still, the concept of the fox-god lover was fun.

"Once Upon a Time" started out slow but picked up once Alex was introduced. A decent, casual read, though some of the humor felt forced at times.

I'm not big on contemporary fiction, but "Temporary Gifts" was a well done piece, that acknowledges that monsters in the woods aren't what horror is really about.

As I said, all in all, I would recommend this anthology, but I'm not going to give it a five stars for two reasons. First because the majority of the male characters didn't ring true to me as a male reader, and I realize that oddly enough I may not be the target audience, but most of these guys honestly didn't feel very manly. Second because most of the stories glossed over the fact that being gay means being different and not quite fitting in... always a powerful theme that deserves exploring.

This was refreshingly amateur in the best sense of the word: it had a real energy, and a fascinatingly uneven tone (skill levels fluctuating from story to story) that you just don't get in today's over-edited, over-processed fantasy anthologies.

The unifying theme is romanticized sexual relationships between two male characters expressed in fantasy and horror settings. I don't think this has ever been done before.

The first story, "Wizard's Moon" just draws you right in from its opening line which I read at my bookstore job and had a hard time tearing myself away from. (I ended up buying the book.) The boy who is the main character is very appealing, and the story (while of a generic sword-and-sorcery type) is well-shaped through a real beginning, story arc, and end. A very strong opener to the anthology.

The next story "Temporary Gifts" verged on horror, and didn't appeal as much to me since I'm not much for that genre. Then "Once Upon A Time" I found to be a witty and very engaging male+male take on the traditional folk tale. The next offering "In The Dark" just left me clueless. At only two pages, it wasn't clear to me what was going on.

The next story "Messenger" was absolutely gorgeous. For me, it was easily the best in the book. It reminded me of feudal Japan but also of pagan harvest beliefs which made the gay theme all the more remarkable. Usually pagan beliefs center on the life force that arises from heterosexual union and procreation, but I found this relationship between god and priest to be absolutely believable. I would love to see more writing by Bet Lorysse.

"Centauri" I found very well-done, as short as it was. It certainly set a mood. "Candleglow" was complicated and impressively packed with historical detail: for the Shakespeare fan, especially the fan who likes "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I have to admit that I liked "Midnight Confession" least in the anthology, but that's my bias again: I'm not a horror fan. "Persephone Ascending" I found original and intriguing. I think a novel or even a series could be drawn from this material.

In all, I found this anthology to be very entertaining. It covered a LOT of ground, and it broke a lot of ground! I hope this becomes a successful series of anthologies in the future, and I certainly plan to look for the next one.

I gotta say that when I first found out about 'Sigil,' I squealed like a little girl and danced an Irish jig. And why not? This is the first publication of original work produced in the West (that I know of, at least) that caters directly to the tastes of that ever-marginalized group, us fans of shounen ai/yaoi and slash. (Quick, extremely condensed definition -- romanticized depictions of intimate relationships between two male characters, usually for female readers, usually written by female writers. If that ain't your cup'a'tea, then you better ease on down the road, jack.)

That said, I try to avoid anthologies, since the level of quality changes for however many stories are anthologized. That's the case with 'Sigil.' Not every story is a winner. And, of course, another bias of mine leans away from the short story format. I tend to like novels a lot better, since there's more room for development in every facet of the story. Still, that doesn't mean this book isn't worth a gander. My favorite story was 'Messenger.' It had atmosphere, delicious prose, and a straightforward, uncomplicated plot that left little room for underdevelopment or loose ends. And the sex. Let's not forget about the sex. One of my least favorites was 'Persephone Ascending,' for reasons that were the exact opposite of what made 'Messenger' so good -- a non-straightforward plot that left LOTS of room for underdevelopment (like the one-shot villian) and loose ends (what about this 'new world' the crew is supposedly sending people to? Did they succeed in their quest? etc.)

Overall, these aren't the most astounding stories I've ever read, but I do feel that this book is a landmark in publishing. If you're a drooling fangirl like me, then buy this book knowing that behind the scenes (or in front of the word processor) are a few kindred spirits who started off just like you. Buy it knowing that it's probably the only thing of its kind. And who knows? Maybe there's a second, even better volume of 'Sigil' in our future.