Location: United Kingdom
Member Since: July 21, 2009
1 user has added this author as a favorite.

Alex Draven


Biography

Librarian by day, storyteller by night, Alex Draven writes queer romance, alternative love stories, and erotic tales from the shadows.

Where to find Alex Draven online

Website: http://www.alexdraven.org.uk
Twitter: alexdraven
Blog: http://alexdraven.dreamwidth.org/

Books

Fall    by Alex Draven
Price: Free! 9310 words. Published on June 12, 2010. Fiction.
0.75 star(3.75 from 4 reviews)
Pet thought he'd slammed the door shut on his past, on his dreams, and on the centaur herd that raised him. Now there's another herd runaway standing on his doorstep; one who won't take no for an answer.

Alex Draven’s tag cloud

centaurs    contemporary fantasy    gay    gblt    glbt    glbt fiction    mythical creatures    paranormal    queer    queer romance    urban fantasy   

Alex Draven's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Alex Draven

  • Questing Beast on June 20, 2010
    star star star star star
    I've read two of Andrews' print novels, and enjoyed one far more than the other, so this was something of a tie break. Point to Andrews - this is a delightful read - fun and playful, while both the universe and the characters are solidly rooted. An excellent taster.
  • Flight of the Hawk on Nov. 12, 2010
    star star star star star
    G.R. Grove's knowledge of the period gives this story such solid roots, and Gwernin and Neirin are joyous travelling companions. The lyrical patterning and the stories-within-stories grew more and more compelling as the book progressed, and I found myself pulled more and more into their world. It's always a gamble starting with book #2 of a series, but this time it paid off, and I will be going back to pick up #1 as soon as my budget allows.
  • Just Another Day in Paradise on July 17, 2011
    star star star star star
    This anthology of short stories is overflowing with short shorts which will get under your skin and linger in your memory. There's a seamless mix of paranormal and contemporary stories here, which both roots the paranormals still more deeply in reality, and adds an extra gloss of horror to the contemporaries - the systems and rules of regular life can be every bit as cruel as the monsters of horror. The collection as a whole is relentless - dark, and rich, and bleak, and clear. It's not so much that you can't expect a happy ending as that they're used as seasoning, so you can never be sure at the start of each story how this one might end.
  • Coyote Bluff on July 17, 2011
    star star star star
    An elegant short story, full of memories and moments of clarity.
  • H10N1 on Oct. 09, 2011
    star star star star
    It was a pleasure to read an action-packed page-turner like this with a strong, smart, Hispanic female lead who doesn't fall into the 'hot teenage girl kicking butt in a mini-skirt' cliche, and instead demonstrates several models of 'strength' with enough flaws to feel very human. The terrifyingly plausible post-apocalytpic collapse of American society turns the peril settings up to the max, and every time you think you can relax, something else lurches out of the shadows to challenge Taeya and Rick and keep them fighting for their lives. I didn't entirely love the ending, but I am glad that the author did choose to leave them with something somewhat positive, to balance out all the grimness en-route.
  • B-Sides and Broken Hearts on Nov. 19, 2011
    star star star star star
    I loved this book. This book – this author - *gets it*, gets music as part of the warp and weft of someone's life, and being part of a musical chosen family, and dance floor communion. This isn't my scene, my city, my specifics or my story, but it felt utterly real and utterly familiar. The way some albums, some songs are like time machines, transporting you back to a very specific time and place. Those late night, post-gig conversations, in late night cafes or sitting on door steps. The way place and history and music stitch themselves together. The way life changes, and you're not 19 and a student any more, but life without music is still as incomprehensible as it was when you were. The author has also done a masterful job of inserting a fictional major ban into the real musical landscape without breaking anything – the way that Blue Electric fit into the web of inspirations and inspirers is done so fluidly I had to check they were a fictional band, and that's some trick to pull off! More than that, though, the whole sprawling cast, and all their interests and contact and influences and influencers also feel so real, there's no way not to be caught up in their emotional journey. Also masterful is the degree to which, even though the book sticks to a limited perspective, the internal lives of the rest of the cast are entirely manifest. While the story and the setting might feel like an open-ended road trip of random associations, it's actually a very tightly plotted, structured novel, which is part of what gives it such strength. I loved that it wasn't a traditional romance, as things developed, and that the importance of friendship is treated as central, as much as music and love and taking action. If you've ever followed a band, or sat up all night talking about life the universe and everything hung on a framework of music; if your life has or has had a soundtrack – read this book.
  • Queer Wolf on Dec. 04, 2011
    star star star star star
    Given the contents of my urban fantasy / gothic shelves, I'm not sure that I entirely agree with the writer of the preface when he says that werewolves have been under-represented in recent literature, but there's always room for more. Even with my predilection for weres, I was a little worried at the sheer scale of the anthology ~ how many different takes on werewolves can there be? The answer is, plenty ~ all the stories here are different, distinct, and high quality. In any anthology there will be stories that appeal more or less to each specific reader, but the balance was in my favor with this collection, and even the stories I didn't personally enjoy weren't poorly written. For example ~ Wolf Lover. I couldn't get past how skeevy the narrator was, and possibly as a result, the story didn't quite take me with it when it shifted, but I'd still say it it was a well put together story that got an emotional reaction out of me. In contrast, the opening story, Wolf Strap, is fantastic, and sets a high standard for the whole anthology. The first person voice is so strong, and the world feels satisfyingly messy and vivid, and while I'd love to have more story about Ayla and Shannon, there's also a rightness about where the story ends. It manages to pack in an entire murder mystery into a short story, complete with genuinely creepy bad guy. (I'm thrilled to discover that Naomi Clark has written a sequel, though.) Some of the other stories didn't quite make a full five-stars for me, but came very close. Family Matters, for example ~ I loved this world, these characters, but it's less a short story and more the first chapter of a novel. Similarly, Shy Hunter was really sweet, and, again, I loved the world, but the story's action got increasingly rushed to try and keep to the anthology's word count. New Beginnings offers pacey action and excellent pack politics, but left me with one too many questions about how werewolves work in this world to be truly satisfying. There were other stories, though, that did score a full five out of five, including Moon Sing, a fabulous tale of teenage alienation, which pulled off destiny without being sugary: The Stray, which is so adorably, sweetly, lovingly, laughing at the clueless human, John: Where the Sled Dogs Run, which is a totally different take on human-wolf interactions, and, as do many of these stories, features a fascinating and convincing wider cast: and Night Swimming, which created a spellbinding scene right off the bat, immersing me in it's world. I feel I should note that the anthology is a little heavy on the m/m stories, rather than a broader range of queer identities, but overall, Queer Wolf is a strong collection, a very enjoyable read, and highly recommended.
  • The Price on Jan. 26, 2012
    star star star star
    Really enjoyable noir urban fantasy, which doesn't flinch from confronting the brutal things people do, with and without demonic assistance.
  • The Price on Jan. 26, 2012
    star star star star
    Really enjoyable noir urban fantasy, which doesn't flinch from confronting the brutal things people do, with and without demonic assistance. The humour, character focus, and the very likeable first person voice kept me turning the pages, keen to know how things were going to work out for Jimmy. My one criticism is that it seemed a bit afloat in time - the noir style pulling it back in time, the modern details trying to keep it present day.