Recommended Reading - Hipster Gangbangs, ranked!
I read all 9 of Hannah Wilde's "Hipster Gangbangs", and I've got some thoughts
I was doing some research on a story I’m working on for a planned collection of gangbang stories (my first collection, The Center of Attention, comes out May 1 at all the usual places, and is available now to paid subscribers), and I ran across Hannah Wilde’s “Hipster Gangbang” series. The price was right and the premise seemed fun, so I bought the omnibus and settled in for a read.
I have a few thoughts about the series as a whole before I get into the rankings. First, few of these are especially “hipster”; coming out in 2015, at the tail end of the “hipster” meme’s popularity (think guys with mustaches wearing vintage skinny jeans and sweaters, riding fixie bikes, drinking cortados, listening to Fleet Foxes), this series seems to be using the label more as an SEO term than with any particular interest in being hipster erotica. No shade there — as someone who’s trying to sell some erotica herself, I’m all about whatever tricks it takes to get your work in front of people’s eyes in an increasingly prudish advertising and marketing environment.
Second, these are not especially high concept. Unlike the May Fellowbrook stories I highlighted yesterday, where there’s a bit of world-building and set-up to get to the gangbang, most of Hannah Wilde’s hipster gangbangs have about as much plot and character as a typical porno short. Again, no shade — if you’re buying something called “Music Festival Hipster Gangbang,” you’re not expecting “The Brothers Karamazov,” or even “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,” and the faster we get to the action the better.
Third, the writing is good, with a fun voice, interesting descriptions, and a drive that moves the story along. The editing, alas, is atrocious; these could have stood one more pass through spell check at the very least, and maybe a little time to cool and a second or third read before hitting the publish button. Again, this isn’t a criticism I level without seeing that the one finger I’m pointing at Ms. Wilde has three more pointing back at Ms. Quick — both reading and writing erotica tends to be a very solo activity, and most of us telling dirty stories for fun and profit aren’t doing so with the benefit of a professional editor, nor even a friend who’s willing to give our work a once-over. In my public life I’ve had the good fortune to work with some great editors, and they’re worth their weight in gold to a writer; but I’ll be damned if I’d let any of them look at the stories in “The Center of Attention” (unless they buy it anonymously and don’t tell me about it).
And finally, as someone who has tried her hand at writing some gangbang scenes, I was struck by how well Hannah Wilde handles the big event itself. Gangbangs are weird and complex, there are a lot of moving parts to stage manage, and it’s really easy to get bogged down in the details of where everyone’s bits are currently engaged at any moment. Instead of stage managing all the dicks, though, Wilde gives a general sketch of the action and focuses in on a few key moments — in some cases, these key moments are what make the story stand out. We’re largely in the head of the woman at the center of the gangbang, and focusing in on her experience rather than trying to describe the details of the action makes these a fun and breezy read. This is something that I hope to work on as I write my own dirty stories.
Overall, I thought these were a fun and raunchy read, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who’s interested in what the gangbang erotica subgenre has to offer. And at about $5 for all 9, I’d say it’s worth springing for the bundle — even if the quality is uneven, you’re going to get your money’s worth vs. buying the individual stories for $2.99. But as with anything of this sort, some stories are better than others, or at least more memorable, so here’s a ranking in case you’re interested in a more targeted read.
Starting at number 9, the one that I found least engaging: “Barista Hipster Gangbang.” In this story, our heroine, Amy, is a recent college graduate entering a tough job market and applying one last time for a barista job in the big city before packing it in and heading back home (most of these stories appear to take place in some version of Los Angeles, to the extent that setting matters much, though this one has a little bit of a San Francisco vibe). The manager of the coffee shop hires her not for her coffee making skills — she apparently doesn’t especially have those — but for her willingness to take over an exclusive weekly poetry reading night that the coffee shop hosts for a group of tech entrepreneurs. The catch is that it’s not really a poetry reading night, it’s a gangbang night, and the barista is the central attraction.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy “Barista Hipster Gangbang” — I did, it just didn’t stick with me the way other stories did. I felt that it could have done a bit more with the setting — hipsters are, after all, strongly associated with coffee shops, so I was hoping for at least some fancy, fussy, high-priced lattes to make an appearance. The story was also told from the third person point of view, which gave it a bit more distance than the first-person narrated stories in the collection; being in the character’s mind while the participants are in the character’s orifices is a big part of what makes the other stories work.
At number eight, “Gamer Hipster Gangbang,” in which Lauren is fed up with her boyfriend hogging the video game console and belittling her boss gaming skills, and makes a bet with him: if she can defeat him in a “Street Fighter”-style combat game, then she gets to have a gangbang with his buddies. Surprise: she wins! And enjoys being the center of attention.
Again, not a bad story, and it delivers on its promises (games and gangbang). I just felt that it could have used the video game motif a little better, maybe incorporating the game play into the actual gangbang itself, or requiring the participants to role play as characters from the game. It was also a little too forgiving of the crappy boyfriend character — this could have had a serious humiliation angle for him, but he’s allowed to redeem himself and even participate in the event.
At number seven, “Graduate Hipster Gangbang,” in which our heroine Hannah gets her revenge on the mean girl cheerleader Ashley at a graduating class camping trip by gangbanging the football team, stealing the thunder of Ashley’s campfire strip tease and, one presumes, intended gangbang of her own. I liked the first person narration, and I liked the way Hannah orchestrated the revenge gangbang and even incorporated her non-football crush as the anal anchor to the fuckfest. This was the first story in the collection, and it certainly kept me reading; I just felt that some later stories worked a little bit better.
At number six, “Fashionista Hipster Gangbang,” in which fashion blogger Penny comes to the attention of the most powerful publisher in the LA (and possibly world?) fashion scene, and is the center of a gangbang watched by the design and publishing greats and performed by beautiful male models as her entry into the rarified world. This felt like a missed opportunity for some “Eyes Wide Shut” strangeness, since the event takes place at an opulent mansion with a fasion-oriented audience on hand — there could have been more weird costumes and a bit of a BDSM angle. But the characters were interesting, and the premise was solid.
At number five, “Goth Hipster Gangbang,” in which goth girl Danielle saves her movie theater from closing by gangbanging the wealthy swim team boys while an arty French horror movie plays (it sounds a little like “An Andalusian Dog”, which would make a lovely backdrop for a gangbang). The heroine’s resourcefulness and single-minded focus makes this one stand out, in addition to the playful use of the theater setting.
At number four, “Music Festival Hipster Gangbang,” in which Lily scores VIP tickets for her three friends at a desert music festival by gangbanging a group of four men who have extras. This one comes closest of all of the stories to being truly “hipster,” with its music festival setting and obscure bands, though none of the characters are themselves typical hipsters. I enjoyed this one for having a bit of a plot, and even a little foreshadowing, though it’s pretty obvious from the start where things are going and it gets there pretty fast.
At number three, “Hairstylist Hipster Gangbang,” in which Brittany gets a gig as a hairstylist to the stars at a full service salon, one of the services of which is offering gangbangs to the actors whose hair she styles. This one was memorable for the use of the stylist’s chair throughout the gangbang — when the stories take adavantage of the props and settings, they really stand out.
My second favorite was “Surprise Party Hipster Gangbang”: Mandy has never had a good birthday gift, and has generally negative view of birthdays as a sign of impending mortality, but when her boyfriend discovers she enjoys gangbang porn, he endeavors to give her the most memorable birthday gift of her life. I liked this one because it had a sweet angle to it: her boyfriend has put a lot of effort into making this night special, selecting just the right group to bring Mandy’s fantasy to life, and the event completely changes her attitude toward birthdays and, presumably, life. So heartwarming!
Finally, my favorite of the nine “Hipster Gangbang” stories is “Yoga Instructor Hipster Gangbang”: Jenny is a yoga instructor in a slump because of her sad boyfriend, but after a meditation session with a yoga guru, she decides that the path to her happiness goes through an exclusive yoga class dedicated to delivering her an unforgettable gangbang. Like “Graduate Hipster Gangbang” and “Goth Hipster Gangbang,” “Yoga Instructor Gangbang” features a heroine who puts in the work of planning and executing her own gangbang. And like “Surprise Party Hipster Gangbang,” it’s a life-altering, positive experience for her — she takes command and steers her ship into happier waters as a result. I like a feel-good gangbang story.
As a fan of the genre, I can highly recommend the entire “Hipster Gangbang” series; don’t go into it expecting anything especially hip, or especially creative, but if you embrace the spirit in which they’re presented — giving you a dirty read and taking your $5, thank you very much — they deliver all that they promise.
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