Review of Eve's Apple

[Alice Heritage]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Eve's Apple" by Peter Benton.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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A fruity fable

Sexual inequality has pervaded history and whatever the causes, most men are physically stronger than most women. Effort can improve performance, but the limits are real. The fantasy novel Eve's Apple by Peter Benton takes us to a world where roles are reversed and then some.

Protagonists Julia and Howard are exploring a Welsh cave when they stumble through a portal into an alternate universe. All they find to eat is fruit that makes Howard sick and Julia stronger and sexier. They soon meet humans - men who look similar to those in our world, but women who are giants. These are "the Nourished" - addicted to the Dragonia fruit that simultaneously sculpts bulging muscles and sensuous curves and conveys powers that overawe the newcomers. The story starkly shows how Howard, who once took his innate superiority to "grey mouse" Julia for granted, struggles to adjust to the realities of the new world. Julia, meanwhile, is fighting to resist indulging in more of the fruit that she's already had a glorious taste of - and her Nourished hostesses have no inclination to help her resist her cravings.

One of these is Ruth, a stunning matriarch who takes the couple in until they can find their way back through the caves. They learn about the new world from within a family ruled by females whose skimpy attire showcases their physiques. The world-building in this book was phenomenal: the fun the creators must have had in imagining the details glows from the pages. For example, Ruth's teenage daughter Mindy absent-mindedly holds a car one-handed after taking it from a rack of vehicles hooked like animal carcasses. Mindy's friend Amanda wants to borrow Howard for sex - asking the permission of Julia as the woman in charge of him, of course.

For Nourished women are as voracious as they are strong. If you're into sexual liberation, you'll appreciate the sex goddess fantasy. The steamy scenes are a definite strength of this book, which features a range of erotic scenarios. Some chapters open with stanzas from Paradise Lost, clearly part of the inspiration for the paradise found in this book. However, there is room for improving the writing style, especially the depictions of people, which became repetitive. The Nourished women's bodies were described in identical or similar ways over and over again, and the point about their superiority became laboured.

In that connection, the book contained some clumsy dialogue in the name of exposition. Having a character act as a tour guide for newcomers is a great way to introduce a world, of course, but the Nourished would have lived with men's inferiority as their normal. I get that the authors (two wrote this under a single pseudonym) were trying to convey just this. However, the way the characters talked about their normal didn't feel believable. Their explanations sounded like someone commenting on a world they had created rather than a character speaking from within that world. This implausible awareness pulled me out of the story. Episodes repeatedly came back to how feeble the men were compared with the females whose slightest touch could bruise and break them if they weren't careful. The points thus made about inequality were thought-provoking and fascinating, but unfortunately, it was overdone. Therefore, this story could be improved by making the dialogue less expository and more immersed in the characters' perspectives. Occasionally their speech read more naturally, but overall, the constant references to women's prowess and men's lack of it overwhelmed the story with the sense of a point being driven home.

This book would also read better if inconsistencies were ironed out. For example, when Julia explains our world's time units, Mindy finds them ridiculous given that she's used to a decimal system of "decilles" instead of hours. This is a fun detail, but the characters otherwise talk quite happily of inches and pounds.

I do get the impression that while it has a serious underlying message, this book isn't taking itself too seriously. In that regard, poetic licence could account for issues like the one above. However, the inconsistencies were distracting. Another round of editing would also be helpful, as I found more than ten errors, such as missing or misspelled words. With its marvellous premise this book isn't quite like anything I've ever read: it was enthralling and funny. I do, however, need to deduct a star because of the repetitive writing that labours the points too much and because of the error count, so my rating is three out of five stars.

Although some aspects need improvement, I can recommend this book to mature, open-minded fantasy fans. After more than half a century of living in the patriarchy, I relate to the serious message about the raw implications of one sex having power over the other. The authors did a great job of creating empathy with the protagonists. I became emotionally invested in both Julia and Howard as they navigated role reversals, and I'm curious to see how their adventures pan out in the other books of the Drysau Ceudodol trilogy.

******
Eve's Apple
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Wow, this certainly is an interesting premise for a story. I, too, would get frustrated by the overdone 'man-bashing.' Is this the author's first novel? The issues you mentioned all sound like rookie mistakes that hopefully will get ironed out by at least the third book of the trilogy. Hehe, I might wait for you to review all three before deciding to join you.

[Alice Heritage]

Wow, this certainly is an interesting premise for a story. I, too, would get frustrated by the overdone 'man-bashing.' Is this the author's first novel? The issues you mentioned all sound like rookie mistakes that hopefully will get ironed out by at least the third book of the trilogy. Hehe, I might wait for you to review all three before deciding to join you.

As far as I know they haven't written anything else. Apparently it originated from a series of posts in a forum, so I would say it needs more work to get it into book form. Thanks for reading and commenting!

[Hanno Roder]

Nice to see a full review of this one. I read the whole trilogy already a year ago when it first came out. I was really taken with the overall progression that led me beyond what I was comfortable imagining. Open-minded is the word here.
I didn't mind the frequent physical descriptions because it suffused the whole story with a consistent erotic undertone reverberating with distant BDSM echoes. For me, one of the overarching themes in this story is the sensuality of power in both its male and female dimensions combined in the superwoman. The cases of physical objectivation are uncomfortable in our cultural context, but here it is another tool for unassailable women to exert soft power of the sensual kind over men who objectify them. "Responsible" women use the stick only if the carrot fails. I see aspects of caricature in this with attendant exaggerations for stark relief.
I agree this book takes itself about as seriously as a superhero comic, but with a range of serious themes below the surface that only become obvious on reflection.

[Alice Heritage]

Nice to see a full review of this one. I read the whole trilogy already a year ago when it first came out. I was really taken with the overall progression that led me beyond what I was comfortable imagining. Open-minded is the word here.
I didn't mind the frequent physical descriptions because it suffused the whole story with a consistent erotic undertone reverberating with distant BDSM echoes. For me, one of the overarching themes in this story is the sensuality of power in both its male and female dimensions combined in the superwoman. The cases of physical objectivation are uncomfortable in our cultural context, but here it is another tool for unassailable women to exert soft power of the sensual kind over men who objectify them. "Responsible" women use the stick only if the carrot fails. I see aspects of caricature in this with attendant exaggerations for stark relief.
I agree this book takes itself about as seriously as a superhero comic, but with a range of serious themes below the surface that only become obvious on reflection.

I hadn't thought of the women in the story combining both male and female characteristics, but you're right! It's fascinating what can be understood on reflection even as it doesn't take itself seriously. Thank you for your interesting comment.

[NetMassimo]

This sort of blend of erotic and fantasy seems to have good potential with some serious themes occasionally hindered by inconsistencies that can be annoying and should be fixed with more editing. Thank you for your honest review!

[Alice Heritage]

This sort of blend of erotic and fantasy seems to have good potential with some serious themes occasionally hindered by inconsistencies that can be annoying and should be fixed with more editing. Thank you for your honest review!

It does have good potential. I don't know if they will tidy it up - some readers may not worry so much. Thanks for your comment!

[Gerry Steen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Eve's Apple" by Peter Benton.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

---

A fruity fable

Sexual inequality has pervaded history and whatever the causes, most men are physically stronger than most women. Effort can improve performance, but the limits are real. The fantasy novel Eve's Apple by Peter Benton takes us to a world where roles are reversed and then some.

Protagonists Julia and Howard are exploring a Welsh cave when they stumble through a portal into an alternate universe. All they find to eat is fruit that makes Howard sick and Julia stronger and sexier. They soon meet humans - men who look similar to those in our world, but women who are giants. These are "the Nourished" - addicted to the Dragonia fruit that simultaneously sculpts bulging muscles and sensuous curves and conveys powers that overawe the newcomers. The story starkly shows how Howard, who once took his innate superiority to "grey mouse" Julia for granted, struggles to adjust to the realities of the new world. Julia, meanwhile, is fighting to resist indulging in more of the fruit that she's already had a glorious taste of - and her Nourished hostesses have no inclination to help her resist her cravings.

One of these is Ruth, a stunning matriarch who takes the couple in until they can find their way back through the caves. They learn about the new world from within a family ruled by females whose skimpy attire showcases their physiques. The world-building in this book was phenomenal: the fun the creators must have had in imagining the details glows from the pages. For example, Ruth's teenage daughter Mindy absent-mindedly holds a car one-handed after taking it from a rack of vehicles hooked like animal carcasses. Mindy's friend Amanda wants to borrow Howard for sex - asking the permission of Julia as the woman in charge of him, of course.

For Nourished women are as voracious as they are strong. If you're into sexual liberation, you'll appreciate the sex goddess fantasy. The steamy scenes are a definite strength of this book, which features a range of erotic scenarios. Some chapters open with stanzas from Paradise Lost, clearly part of the inspiration for the paradise found in this book. However, there is room for improving the writing style, especially the depictions of people, which became repetitive. The Nourished women's bodies were described in identical or similar ways over and over again, and the point about their superiority became laboured.

In that connection, the book contained some clumsy dialogue in the name of exposition. Having a character act as a tour guide for newcomers is a great way to introduce a world, of course, but the Nourished would have lived with men's inferiority as their normal. I get that the authors (two wrote this under a single pseudonym) were trying to convey just this. However, the way the characters talked about their normal didn't feel believable. Their explanations sounded like someone commenting on a world they had created rather than a character speaking from within that world. This implausible awareness pulled me out of the story. Episodes repeatedly came back to how feeble the men were compared with the females whose slightest touch could bruise and break them if they weren't careful. The points thus made about inequality were thought-provoking and fascinating, but unfortunately, it was overdone. Therefore, this story could be improved by making the dialogue less expository and more immersed in the characters' perspectives. Occasionally their speech read more naturally, but overall, the constant references to women's prowess and men's lack of it overwhelmed the story with the sense of a point being driven home.

This book would also read better if inconsistencies were ironed out. For example, when Julia explains our world's time units, Mindy finds them ridiculous given that she's used to a decimal system of "decilles" instead of hours. This is a fun detail, but the characters otherwise talk quite happily of inches and pounds.

I do get the impression that while it has a serious underlying message, this book isn't taking itself too seriously. In that regard, poetic licence could account for issues like the one above. However, the inconsistencies were distracting. Another round of editing would also be helpful, as I found more than ten errors, such as missing or misspelled words. With its marvellous premise this book isn't quite like anything I've ever read: it was enthralling and funny. I do, however, need to deduct a star because of the repetitive writing that labours the points too much and because of the error count, so my rating is three out of five stars.

Although some aspects need improvement, I can recommend this book to mature, open-minded fantasy fans. After more than half a century of living in the patriarchy, I relate to the serious message about the raw implications of one sex having power over the other. The authors did a great job of creating empathy with the protagonists. I became emotionally invested in both Julia and Howard as they navigated role reversals, and I'm curious to see how their adventures pan out in the other books of the Drysau Ceudodol trilogy.

******
Eve's Apple
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords

I grew up in a family that was ruled by women; my mom and my grandmother. I experienced a matriarchal society in my house. My wife is a strong woman. I respect and love women, and I am loved back. So, Howard, if he knows what is best for him, should appreciate what he now has in that matriarchal society. Men that treat women badly are still "little boys". What a great idea to write a book like this. I hope that its message is delivered effectively. Thank you for this detailed review. In spite of the overdone message, I am still interested in reading this book.

[Hanno Roder]

We men like overdone *wink*
For me, the exaggerations served to amplify the central conflict and enhanced the suspense of how an impossible situation might be resolved.

[Alice Heritage]

I grew up in a family that was ruled by women; my mom and my grandmother. I experienced a matriarchal society in my house. My wife is a strong woman. I respect and love women, and I am loved back. So, Howard, if he knows what is best for him, should appreciate what he now has in that matriarchal society. Men that treat women badly are still "little boys". What a great idea to write a book like this. I hope that its message is delivered effectively. Thank you for this detailed review. In spite of the overdone message, I am still interested in reading this book.

Your family sounds great! Men that respect women are the ones to love! Howard started off smug but then took his sort of demotion like a little boy. I think you'd enjoy this book/trilogy.

Thanks for commenting!