Men on men : best new gay fiction /

AIDS and families are the concerns of many of the 18 stories in this new anthology of gay men's fiction. Robert Ferro in ``Second Son'' explores with Jamesian convolution the familial relations of a 40-year-old who has just told his father and siblings he has AIDS. The normally precious Edmund White writes with clear-eyed humor and sympathy about a man whose lover has died of AIDS in ``The Oracle.'' Andrew Holleran plays the silent partner in a conversation among four men on their way to another's funeral in ``Friends at Evening.'' Balancing these and other fine pieces from practiced hands is a selection of mildly experimental tales about gay youth and gay love life by lesser-known or new names, the best of them Dennis Cooper's ``The Outsiders'' and C. F. Borgman's Vonnegutian ``A Queer Red Spirit.'' Perhaps the most enjoyable entry is a red-blooded excerpt from a forthcoming bildungsroman by Michael Grumley, ``Life Drawing,'' which acutely piques interest in the whole novel. A rich offering. RO. [OCLC] 86-12856

Another excellent collection of gay fiction from Stambolian, editor of Men on Men (1986). Once again, Stambolian--a professor of French at Wellesley--does a fine job of picking stories without the usual insular gay clichÉs--almost all these 18 pieces speak powerfully to the world at large. ""My Mother's Clothes"" by Richard McCann is the moving tale of the shame a young boy feels when he's caught trying on his mother's dresses. ""Jungle Dove"" by Joseph Pintauro is the shocking story of a young Italian-American man threatened with rape in prison. James Purdy checks in with ""In This Comer. . .,"" the story of a widower without conscious sexual identity who finds himself attracted to a young boy. And Tim Barrus' ""Life Sucks"" is a blistering indictment of gays who try to ignore other gays with AIDS. With a few exceptions--notably, Christopher Davis' weak, frenetic ""The Boys in the Bars"" and Melvin Dixon's ""Red Leaves"" (about a gang that terrorizes gays)--a strong collection, the best around of gay fiction. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.