About Out of the Woods
by Syd McGinley
290 pages / 80300 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-187-6
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub, also available in
paperback.
Wild boy Tarin is determined not to be captured by the men who live in
the decaying Before Times buildings on the other side of Tarin’s woodland
home, but he’s just as determined to protect the younger boys in the woods.
No one remembers being a child or knows where all the women have gone or how
society crumbled, but for as long as they can remember, boys have lived in
the woods and are hunted by the men each Fall. Some boys believe in a
mysterious Lady who protects them, while others think the men are magic.
Tarin knows better – he’s met a man, and escaped by stabbing him.
Hunted through the woods as he tries to protect the weaker Cory, Tarin is
trapped and claimed by the very man he knifed. All Tarin wants is to stay in
the woods and not have to get ‘civilized,’ but he’s carried off into a
different world of rules and discipline. Will he be able to survive now that
he is Out of the Woods?
Review
Angela Benedetti, author of Hidden Magic, writes: Syd McGinley's Out of
the Woods begins a new series, science fiction with pervasive (although
not overly heavy) BDSM themes. For those who already love McGinley's Dr.
Fell stories, this has some of the same flavor, in that there's a strong
lifestyle BDSM component, but it doesn't feel at all like just a copycat
series. Writing an SF story gave McGinley more scope to embed the
man/boy dynamic into the mainstream of her hyper-masculinized, military
society, with a full complement of problems and downsides to go with the
sexy, fun aspects.
Our main character,Tarin, lives in the woods with the other wild boys.
They run around mostly naked, hunting for meat, and gathering nuts and
berries, sharing and looking after one another. Nearby are buildings
from the Before Times, where men live. Each fall, the men come into the
woods and hunt boys, capturing some of them and taking them away to the
buildings. Older boys try to protect the younger ones, but no matter
what they do, they lose some of their number every year, and boys taken
by the men are never seen again.
This year, Tarin is captured and taken into the civilized world of men.
At least, the men call it civilized; Tarin just wants to escape.
The setting is clearly post-apocalyptic, although we don't know what
happened to destroy so much of the Before Times world. I don't think the
men know either; they do what they can to survive, maintain what
remnants of civilization they still have, and take care of their boys,
without worrying much about what happened or why. The women -- called
Ladies by the boys in the woods, and Mothers by the men -- are
mysterious figures, apart and unseen and essentially worshipped by the
men. Along with what happened, what's going on now, how the larger world
works and why it's set up the way it is, are all parts of the puzzle of
this world. There are a few clues given throughout Out of the Woods, but
I'm assuming we'll have to wait for further information in later
stories.
Part of the fun of reading this book is recognizing all the little bits
from the Before Times -- our time -- that show up. I'll admit it took me
a while to figure out what "go-sloshes" privileges were [cough] but
Tarin's "flower-toes" were obvious and cracked me up. The men teach the
formerly-wild boys through songs and stories, most of which are familiar
to modern readers, like "The Little Red Hen," and "Little Bunny Foo-Foo,"
the latter of which mentions had me cracking up again. The fact that the
characters are serious about these things just makes it funnier, without
having it come across as dorky, or trying too hard for humor. It all
makes sense in context, but it's funny just the same. :)
The characters are well drawn, with a full cast of supporting players to
fill out the world. There were people I liked, people I respected, and
people I wanted to strangle. I enjoyed watching Tarin and Garrick get to
know one another and become close, despite Tarin's determination to run
away as soon as he gets a chance. Their relationship is a bit rocky,
starting with their first meeting when Tarin leaves a knife stuck deep
in Garrick's thigh, and I think the other officers have some sort of
pool going re: whether Garrick will be able to tame his wild boy. And
even if he can, there are other problems and other people threatening to
keep them apart.
There's definitely a gap at the end for a sequel, and I for one am going
to be camping out on McGinley's lawn, waiting for her to finish it,
because I was left with strong desire for more, of the world and the
characters as well as the continuing plotline. Anyone else who feels
like joining me is welcome to bring a sleeping bag and a picnic basket;
we can all wait together for what will hopefully be the first of many
sequels.
Sample
Tarin curled his toes a bit tighter against the bark as
he scooted his butt back, and leaned against the tree trunk. He wanted to be
securely lodged to munch on his blackberries and nuts. He’d gotten more
scratched than usual gathering the berries and he wasn’t inclined to share
them with Cory who had done no work. He was a good ten arms off the ground
and there were still plenty of leaves on the oak to hide him from grounders.
He felt bad for the kids who couldn’t climb well -- one less escape route
and hiding spot -- but Tarin relished the solitude and view. He sighed as he
popped the first squishy purple fruit into his mouth. The woods were both
lonely and crowded. The boys always knew where everyone was and what they
were doing -- it was good sense -- but it was also smart to stay scattered
in the run up to hunting season. Tarin hated the combination of no privacy
and no real settled spot to call safe.
Tarin rolled the fruit around his mouth and mashed his tongue up to make it
burst. Lady! It was good. Still warm from the sun and the sweetest thing
he’d tasted all year.
He loosened his waist strings so his cock could poke free from his simple
leather pouch of deer hide. He didn’t like wearing even that much but he’d
learned to protect his cock and balls as he berry hunted. He missed Mart.
Cory would pet him with his hands until Tarin gifted him with his come, but
Mart had used his mouth to coax and lick his load from him. Mart would
swallow straight from him, but Cory always primly lapped from his cupped
hands. Tarin felt his gift was being politely accepted instead of relished.
He tried to set an example by eagerly claiming his share from Cory’s cock,
but it made no difference. Cory would shoot, but as soon as he was done he’d
pull his prick away from Tarin’s still hungry mouth.
Tarin pulled at his foreskin a little and felt his cock push forward. He
spat into his palm -- still purple with blackberry juice -- and rubbed his
dick. He wrapped one leg tight around the oak limb and moaned as the bark
chafed his inner thigh. It was rough, but felt so good. No one had caressed
him since Mart. He rode the branch a little as he slid his foreskin back and
forth. He leaned back to relieve the pressure on his balls and yelped as a
twig prodded against his butt. Lady, how would that feel if it had poked in?
He bit his lip -- his cock had jerked at the idea even as his brain said
ouch. Some of the boys said cocks could go there, but that was crazy talk.
No one had ever actually done that! Mart said Aran, the boy who was his
older protector, claimed his protector had got his cock in, but it had made
Aran yell too loud, and even spit didn’t make it slide like a wet palm
would. Tarin had grunted, and said it’s always someone who knows someone --
never any boy who’s actually here. Mart had sighed and moved his finger from
Tarin’s tight, dry, little hole and agreed it didn’t seem likely.
Tarin pumped his hand faster. Lady! Yes! He tightened his hand and his come
squirted between his fingers. Scat! He tried to cup his hand, but his
precious fluid was already pattering onto leaves below him. Damn. That was
bad luck -- and wasteful. He licked his fingers clean. Mm, berry juice and
salt.
He leaned back against the tree trunk. Safe, private, fed, and satisfied.
The sun and the breeze worked to dry his sticky cock and balls. He squinted
across the treetops and tried to spot movements in the men’s camp.