All Comments on 'Letters From the Hesperus'

This is such a brilliant piece with great imagery and detail. There is so much more to this than the gay category listing suggests; The writing style, the characters, the setting are all beautifully crafted. It remains an exciting, stirring piece that yields surprise after surprise even on the 3rd reading! Another fine work :)

Brilliant writing. Evocative and tender.

You display great story-telling skill and weave words that light the images you paint.

You fully deserve the 'E'

This is superior to many of the stories I've read in this 'zine, which I've been reading for several years. The dialect of the period sounds authentic, and it was a great love story, besides.

The best I have ever read on this site, and better than most of what I read generally. Thank you for an amazing and moving experience.

This is wonderfully written; something now for me to emulate! Thanks!

Repeating my comments in public: the emotions are powerful and you pull your readers along. Beautifully written, smooth reading. The E is totally deserved.

What more can I say that I haven't already? Fan-fucking-tastic.

Gut wrenching, yet incredibly hot. The "E" is for EXCELLENT, EXEMPLARY, EXQUISITE, ENTICING, EXTRAORDINARY -- and ENVY ;o)

A wonderful story, beautifully written. Loved every word of it!

That was just an incredible story. Sensual, sexual and pure. Thank you.

This story was so beautifully written. I was transported back to the era which it occurred. I like the characters and especially Richard, whose torment was revealed clearly by the fact that his wife Marie had passed on. His love for his wife mixed with the love for Tom. I like this transferrence a lot. It made the story a bit more realistic. Good Job!

A touching story of grief, longing and mutual comfort found within boundless passion. I loved the comparisons made between Marie and Tom. It was lyrical and provocative without the need to become vulgar. Loved it!

That was an enchanting story...I dissolved into tears at the final sentence, but felt many emotions throughout. Erotic, delicately balanced, and beautiful.

I got so wrapped up in the writing (like poetry) that I almost couldn't break away back to reality. An enchanting gorgeous work of love and passion.

Fine! Just write a brilliant and enchanting piece of erotic fiction! See if I get jealous . . . *mope* . . . :D

In all honesty, a sweet, heart-wrenching yet uplifting saga that needs no one to herald its power, but I feel inclined to do so anyway.

How is it that I'd never read this before? My awe of your writing grows with leaps and bounds.

Brrrrrr! When I think what's going to happen to these characters, and what terrible acts they commit, and what their final fate is, I really wonder if this story shouldn't have been classified as "Erotic Horror". (Of course Longfellow had to censor the most shocking aspect of the tale for his Victorian audience.) It's no wonder at all that Richard winds up absolutely mad by the end.

Brilliantly done! A more than worthy counterpart to your generally upbeat piece on Pope.

Your words capture, for me, such sweet assuage in another's arms.

Brilliant.

The language used seemed very authentic of the era. Unfortunately, this kind of language has always grates at my nerves for some reason. Still, the mystery plot was wonderful. A courageous and unique theme. The fact that you attempted it clearly shows just how much your writing is a cut above the rest...

Um, to the commentator about Richard going mad in the end... read again, guy. Its the other way around. He's mad in the beginning, and then recovers in the end thanks to Tom.

Epistolary stories can be very difficult to execute, and this one, being really a single viewpoint, was a little confusing. I got lost in tenses and time here and there. I'm still not certain I caught on to the plot of the story, but I let all that go with the language. At times it was almost a little too much, but it was very strong and evocative. For me, the story was more a mood or a visual presentation (probably because I lost the plot thread in the narrator's desire to be secretive or inability to admit something). It was very beautiful and effective in doing those two things.

I'll look for more of your stories. Thank you for sharing this one.

I never thought that I would like a story in the form of letters. It was truly good though. I really liked it.

I was uncertain at first how you were going to make it work, but after the fifth letter or so, I couldn't stop reading. An excellent job, I must say.

I really thought epistolary fiction was a lost art. Thanks for proving me wrong.

...but I was obviously wrong. This piece is proof that an epistolary story can be written well. I was reminded of this piece on the SDC, and for that I am thankful. You are a writer in a class of your own, Shanglan.

I loved watching the madness grow, the torment escalate, and the final acceptance of truth. Thank you, Shang, for sharing your phenomenal talent. *Hug* ~Minx

thank you very much. I enjoyed the piece quite a bit. As well as an earlier piece- the one with the autistic (maybe?) man.

I still adore this. But then you know that. How the hell did I fail to laud it here in the comments on the first reading? No matter; I redress that now.

(Oddly, it was listening to Procol Harum's "Wreck of the Hesperus" that made me think of it and want to read it again.)

Beautiful, evocative, passionate and ultimately transcendent.

mlle

There are few pieces on this site that rank with this one. Thank you so much for sharing your extraordinary gift. Note perfect from beginning to end!

And then put it together again. This story was lovely, thank you.

Absolutely amazing how you kept both the letter concept and the literary style of the period throughout the whole story. Of course he would write to his wife in this way, not saying the crude words that men might use amongst themselves.

This story reminds me of Carizabeth's Captain trilogy, so I would recommend that for anyone who enjoyed this story. And I wish you had written more than the few stories shown here.