Waterways by Kyell Gold

[reviews_and_ramblings]

How I like when I find a book, a real long and complex book, which takes me tied up from the first page to the last with the eagerness to read faster to know what happens and the hope to slow down to make it lasts a bit more. And when I finish the book, I wish to start it again to convince me that, yes, I just read a very very good book and that yes, I found another author that will gift me many beautiful stories in the future...

Kory is a seventeen years old guy. Middle-class family, private school, every gadgets a guy his age could want. But Kory is not happy, he was dumped by his girlfriend cause he wrote a beautiful poem for school paper and he didn't dedicate it to her. Worst, lately he prefers to spend his spare time at home, on line or reading, rather than with her. Probably he would finish dumping her, but still it hurts that she takes the decision from him.

So Kory decides to spend sometime in the municipal pool, and not in the usual private pool where all his friends gather and where he has to suffer the sympathetic smiles... And he meets Samaki. Samaki, same age like him, but from the poor side of the city, is a very nice guy, someone he could talk to. Kory is happy to find a new friend but still, when they part, he has the feeling to have missed something, to have not answered some untold questions by Samaki. And when he recalls all the time spent together he finally understands... Samaki was hitting on him, Samaki is gay...

How can he tells to Samaki that he is not gay? cause he is not gay... but if he is not gay why he has these dreams on Samaki? dreams that he has never had of his former girlfriend? And maybe he is so happy with Samaki cause he feels for him... But what he felt is wrong, Kory is from a strictly catholic family and he knows that God will not love him if he is gay. But when he cofesses his sin to Father Joe, he is surprised to not find a condemned glare in the priest eyes, but instead Father Joe tells him to see inside himself and to ask help if he needs. Not image of hell in front of him, not eternal damnation. And more he opens himself, more people he finds who accept him.

Waterways is the coming age journey of Kory. It's a three part story: Aquifers where Kory discovers what he feels, Streams where he has to take some decisions, and Oceans where he strengthens that decisions and starts his adult life. All along he will have Samaki and along the path he will loose some people and he will find new friends.

Waterways is a pretty intense, very romantic and utterly beautiful novel... so, does it matter if Kory is a otter and Samaki is a fox? Does it matter if this is an anthropomorphic book where all the characters are of different animal species? Someone said to me that people freak out when they are put in front of a book about love between "animals"... I replied that maybe this is a book where it's more problematic the "furry" thing than the gay theme, but that I would read it anyway cause I have no problem at all. And I'm very happy to have done so, cause Waterways is an huge discovery. I find really interesting how Kyell Gold deals with the furry theme, converting all the human world in a melting pot of breeds: usual expressions like "on the other hand" become "on the other paw", the different animal scents can be a problem, but also an arousing thing when Kory dreams of the musky fox scent of his boyfriend, the patch of white fur on Samaki's groin could be arousing like no other else for Kory's young body...

I will treasure Waterways among one of the best book I have ever read and for sure this will be not the last book by Kyell Gold that I will read.

Beautiful cover and interior illustrations by John Nunnemacher.

http://www.sofawolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=81

Amazon Kindle: Waterways

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading+list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by John Nunnemacher

Comments

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'm rather squicked by the Furry, I have to admit. I suppose it's because 1. It's watching animals have sex like humans, instilling all human emotions and vices (and religion!!) and 2. Anthropomorphic animals belong (for me) in Disney. Even the sex scenes in William Horwood's Duncton Wood ("real" moles, not anthropomorphic ones) were a little squicky.

I've never read one, so to judge like this is probably wrong, but for me, this is like My Little Pony porn, or Sponge Bob Porn - I can't see the difference.

If, though, it's supposed to help the YA population come to terms with these issues, that's good - but I'd rather see it done with human beings.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, though.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Well, when I first read the blurb I thought "I like this story", and this is enough for me to put apart the "furry" matter. And then reading the book you are involving by the story and you forget that Kory is an otter and Samaki a fox. Really I think you should try on of Kyell Gold's book, if not this one, try the historical fantasy Volle and its sequel Pendant of Fortune.

Elisa

[louisaclark.livejournal.com]

Wow! And I learned a new word - anthropomorphic. (no sarcasm intended) I definitely wouldn't read something like this, but I do find the story intriguing.

LouisaClark

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Louisa I think that, if you find the story intriguing, you should give it a try. I was surprised on what enthralled I was.

Elisa

[lddurham.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with erastes in that animals talking and walking around belong in Disney for me. When I first read your review, I thought it sounded good. I was a bit put off by the animal-thing, but I figured I could handle it. Then I clicked on the link and saw the cute animal cartoons and immediately took a step back.

But you know what, I think I'm going to go for it and expand my horizons. What you described of the story sounded pretty good. It does seem like it's meant more as a Young Adult novel or even a kid book to introduce this kind of turmoil to the kids... But I think I'll try it out. I can always stop reading if the pictures or idea of it starts to squick me. If I start thinking My Little Pony porn, I'm jumping ship, but I'll give it a shot. :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I was thinking at you writing my review. I know you have little kids, and I think "hey this book could be also a Young Adult's book" and I would like an opinion by someone who has more experience than me with kids... There are some erotic scene that I think Disney will never consider, but if I think on what I have read when I was 13 years old... well these ones are pretty tamed.

Elisa

Intrigued but...

[leeteng.livejournal.com]

I am intrigued by your review because it is so convincing. But squeamish about them being animals... I love shapeshifters but these are 100% animals!. OK I will get this but none at Amazon ???

Re: Intrigued but...

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately at Amazon there are only Volle and Pendant of Fortune, which are medieval gay fantasy. Direct from the publisher you can buy the book and also through a German online bookseller.
You live in Asia, yes? maybe for you is better the German bookseller:

http://www.blackpaw.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p50_Waterways.html

Elisa

Re: Intrigued but...

[leeteng.livejournal.com]

Yes I live in Tokyo and all these western M/M books are causing me a fortune because of freight. Thanks Elisa. Will check this site. Hmm Volle and Pendant of Fortune have great reviews in Amazon. Anthropomorphic..a word hard to remember :)

Re: Intrigued but...

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Havent't read yet Volle and Pendant of Fortune, but for sure I will read them soon.

Elisa

[(Anonymous)]

I appreciate your openmindedness! Kyell Gold's stories are all quite well written, and I'm glad to see they might be enjoyed by people besides furries. If you do go on to read Volle or his other stories, you may find them to be a bit more intense--both in sex and in the degree of 'furriness'--but they are all very good. I have yet to finish off the Waterways series, but it's one of my favorite stories.

Reading the other comments, I never really thought about it being like My Little Pony Porn. :) It's definitely out there for many, but often, I find it enjoyable to envision myself as my 'totem' animal (an otter, by the way) in daily life and admittedly in some sexual situations. So when I read these stories, it's not that I'm thinking about having sex with animals, I'm imagining experiencing sex with another person in a different way. :P It is just important that one have a certain recognition between their fantasies and reality.

Anyhow, here's a couple more resources if you keep reading furry erotica:
http://www.yiffstar.com
http://www.furrag.com

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I have Volle and I will read it soon. I try to diversificate my readings and so I want to wait some days... but I think not too much, cause I really liked Waterways.

Elisa

[dar-han.livejournal.com]

Hehe, it seems Kyell enjoyed your review ^^

I'd say, as a "mainstream" furry, I'm a bit surprised by some stereotypes I hear. "Sponge Bob porn", "My Little Pony porn"? People, that's about as attractive to me as it is to you.
The vast majority of the fandom isn't about taking well-established CHILDREN's characters and put them in an adult situation (of course, there are exceptions)
Most furry works are directed at teenagers and adults, not children. That is one thing to keep in mind when taking a look at it.

Anyway, as said before, Kyell's skill makes his works easily readable by furries and non-furries alike. I've already read the first two parts, Aquifers and Streams, because Kyell had made them available for free on internet well before the publication of Waterways. "Oceans" being only available in the book is one of the best reasons to get it once you've read the first two parts. That's what I basically did, as soon as I did. Thanks to my boyfriend I was able to get a copy of Waterways, even though it won't reach me until a good month. No doubt for me, the next thing I'll ever order online, is a copy of Volle and Pendant of Fortune.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

You are right. Sincerely when I started the book I soon forgot that I was reading an anthropomorphic ficition, I was so involved in the story that the only reference to it, like the paws and the fur, were only a plus to the read.

And for this reason I first wrote the review like it was a coming to age journey of everyday teen, and then I specified that Kory is a otter...

And yes, I never had in mind some of the cartoon of my youth while reading this book.

Elisa

[dar-han.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, just a friendly warning though. Even if Volle is considered Kyell's masterwork and is definitely worth a read, it focuses far strongly on erotica than Waterways does. Some people might be disturbed by that ^^;

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Actually I think to have read a lot "worst" :-) I can have "only" 33 years old, but I have more than 20 years of romance and erotic romance behind me and some werewolf erotic romance are pretty explicit! (I can't give details, they are too embarassing but let me say that I have learnt a lot on the anathomical part of the wolves...)

Elisa

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Reading my previous reply I notice that I can be misunderstood. When I say "worst" it's in an ironic way, since in some erotic romance, there are very explicit scenes, and I don't think that I will be shocked by Volle.

I have no intention to offend no one. Elisa

[kyellgold.livejournal.com]

I did notice that you wrote the review specifically to highlight the story and then added the anthropomorphic detail. I thought that was very well done, and was an excellent thought to present "Waterways" to a non-fandom audience.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I like very much Waterways and other people other then in LiveJournal (in LibraryThing) ask me where to find it, so I hope you will find some other readers.

Elisa

[dar-han.livejournal.com]

Sorry if it's kind of a late reaction, but I just got my own copy of Waterways, which is the first entirely english-language book I've ever owned, and also the first furry one.
I'll probably be done reading it by the end of the week...

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you like it. I have also Volle, but for my taste Waterways is more on my plate. I like contemporary stories. Elisa

[dar-han.livejournal.com]

Forget the end of the week, I started reading it yesterday and couldn't stop until I finished it, around 2am ;-P And then I couldn't sleep for another hour because of all the things the story made me think about myself.
Now I definitely know I was right to get that book.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

For me was the same. When I started it I couldn't stop till the end, and then I'd like to start again. Elisa