IO Pan IO Pan

Reviewd by Sven Davisson

Satyriasis: Literotica 2, Ian Philips
(Suspect Thoughts, 2003, 304 pp, $16.95)

What issue of Crowleyana would be complete without a visit from the great god Pan? A little devilment? A little horny satyre? Erotic satirist, Ian Philips brings all these in spades—or pitchforks.

Mr. Philips eruditeness is evidenced throughout this collection of erotic stories. His numerous, subtle allusions, however, blend seamlessly with his text. Philips uses his broad knowledge of literature to wonderful affect, however the reader is never talked down to.

Satyriasis is a delightful cocktail party, where the host has had one too many and you can’t get enough. Like good humor, the work is both intelligent and well paced. One can read these stories again and again—still finding new things to amuse afresh.

The opening story of this collection finds the great god Pan returned to Earth and needing to be topped. His pursuit progresses as only a god’s can, as he moves toward satisfying his hairy tail. Plutarch’s pronouncement, echoing down to our age spilling forth in Burroughs’ Apocalypse, “The God Pan Is Dead” finally has an answer. He comes back not once, but twice within Mr. Philips’ collection.

Other interlocutors in Philips’ twilight celebration include Adam, Eve and Steve in a motel room; the Alpha-Bits, A-list Bears in San Francisco’s ultralux den; two beloved dentists who like to play rough after-hours with the tools of their trade; a hustler with a mad love for Edgar Allen Poe and a made hate for dot-commers who’s caught unawares on a client’s webcam; and a rather mischievous deli counter cold-cut.

Ian Philips is Kathy Acker with a sense of humor. A devilish one at that!

Other Books by Ian Pilips


	See Dick Deconstruct: Literotica for the Satirically Bent Up-and-coming author Ian Philips cages some of his favorite pieces in this bestiary of "literary filth." Whether it's the tale of the televangelist who meets his match in Hell or the gay moralist who finds the man of his dreams at a circuit party or the skater boy who's seduced by a Whitman-quoting Bear or the Black leatherdaddy with a secret fondness for the color khaki or the Long Island housewife who beats the Devil at his own game, there is definitely something in this collection of literotica to arouse anyone who is queer in the head.

	Law of Desire: Tales of Gay Male Lust and Obsession Edited by Ian Philips & Greg Wharton With contributions by Justin Chin, Trebor Healey, Patrick Califia, Kevin Killian, M. Christian, Simon Sheppard and many more, this erotic exploration of the thin line between lust and obsession will leave you gasping.