Is Sex really necessary?

Use this forum to discuss the July 2020 Book of the month, "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.
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Sushan Ekanayake
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Is Sex really necessary?

Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Despite all the dangers and the exhaustion from the expedition, Grant, the protagonist, finds time for sexual encounters.

Has the author depicted the true human nature? Or is this inclusion just to attract the readers who are fond of sexually explicit content? Is sexual content really necessary for fiction?
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Post by Anna Dougherty »

I do not believe that sexual endeavors are necessary for this book. Grant should not have time for a romantic involvement on the expedition. Although I do not think sex is necessary for the story I trust in the fact that the author thought it was important enough to the plot to include it.
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Post by Diana Lowery »

I think that the sex component was the science fiction element because it was caused by the hormone-producing plant that caused them all to be aroused and fertile. I don't think it was necessary to the story; I think it was annoying.
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Post by The_Vivian »

I wouldn't want to completely rule out the necessity of the sex in the book even though I think it could have been left out. It was however a necessary plot for persons who may not have ordinarily enjoyed the science.
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Post by Topsey »

Although I agree that sex is not necessarily important for books to include, I don’t think the inclusion here is out of place. I think it demonstrates how one can still be deterred by our more baser/natural instinct, regardless of the various tasks at hand.
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Post by Benita_umunakwe »

It is human nature to have sexual urges and I think the author depicted the true human nature and I don't think it's for only readers who are fond of it.
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Post by Brenda Creech »

I found it distasteful. I can't understand how it was necessary for the story. Many times, at least for me, books lose their interest because of things like overly graphic sex, violence, and profanity thrown into it. Books can be excellent reads without it!
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Anna Dougherty wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 12:21 I do not believe that sexual endeavors are necessary for this book. Grant should not have time for a romantic involvement on the expedition. Although I do not think sex is necessary for the story I trust in the fact that the author thought it was important enough to the plot to include it.
I thought the same. How could Grant have found time for that 🤔
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

diana lowery wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 13:51 I think that the sex component was the science fiction element because it was caused by the hormone-producing plant that caused them all to be aroused and fertile. I don't think it was necessary to the story; I think it was annoying.
The author has given fair reasons for the encounter. But the necessity of that for the plot is the issue
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Topsey wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 16:19 Although I agree that sex is not necessarily important for books to include, I don’t think the inclusion here is out of place. I think it demonstrates how one can still be deterred by our more baser/natural instinct, regardless of the various tasks at hand.
That is quite right. Sometimes our basic human behaviours overcome what is really necessary
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

B Creech wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 17:35 I found it distasteful. I can't understand how it was necessary for the story. Many times, at least for me, books lose their interest because of things like overly graphic sex, violence, and profanity thrown into it. Books can be excellent reads without it!
That is very true. If you don't prefer such content, you will loose interest in the book
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

That was one of the problems I had with the book as well. Grant was on an expedition to find his uncle, but he took the time to 'consort' with the ladies? This just doesn't jive with me. It is a detriment to the book, I believe.
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Post by Elvis Best »

In my opinion, the sex scenes were a distraction from what was actually happening. I found it shocking that author decided to add sex scenes. It adds up to why I felt the book dragged on for a bit too long.
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Post by Leen282 »

Topsey wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 16:19 Although I agree that sex is not necessarily important for books to include, I don’t think the inclusion here is out of place. I think it demonstrates how one can still be deterred by our more baser/natural instinct, regardless of the various tasks at hand.
I agree with you, very well worded.
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Post by Carennkemdiala »

I would be dishonest if I said that the sex scenes in the book were totally unnecessary. For me, sex is a natural occurrence and everyone would normally have urges, it’s now left for you as a person to decide to physically get involved sexually or not. So generally, I think it was just normal for Grant as a young guy to have sex even amidst the quest of finding his Uncle. The book is a good read.
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