From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Come Unto These Yellow Sands

Josh Lanyon

Start date: May 1, 2013

Finish date: May 31, 2013

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Apr 04, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: glbt, rainbow-gay, romance, action-crime-suspense

The book begins with Swift, a teacher, trying to help a promising but troubled student, Tad. Then it moves to Swift's house, where the man is cooking and waiting for his lover, the chief of police Max. At the beginning I really had a moment of doubt. I thought: he - Josh Lanyon - won't make me buy it this time. Not an ex drug-addict with an almost indifferent lover, to whom he lies. We are in medias res and what I absolutely love in Josh Lanyon's book is the hungry anticipation. We're at 2% of t The book begins with Swift, a teacher, trying to help a promising but troubled student, Tad. Then it moves to Swift's house, where the man is cooking and waiting for his lover, the chief of police Max. At the beginning I really had a moment of doubt. I thought: he - Josh Lanyon - won't make me buy it this time. Not an ex drug-addict with an almost indifferent lover, to whom he lies. We are in medias res and what I absolutely love in Josh Lanyon's book is the hungry anticipation. We're at 2% of the book and they're having sex, intimate, mature, intense sex.

And slowly that feeling I get when a book enthralls me started, the heart squeezed in my chest, my belly feeling empty, the need to swallow, the fact I have to remember to breathe, because the story is sucking me in and nothing else matters. When I realized I had tears running down my cheeks and one of the protagonists of the book was crying at that moment, I realized I was played again, the magic had worked anew and I was there trying to share the emotions of a fictional character as if he were real.

If you haven't got it by now, let me tell you that I really loved this book. Too bad for me I didn't read the clever warning of the publisher: The Surgeon General has determined that Josh Lanyon’s smart, sexy, sophisticated stories may prove hazardous to your heart. This book made a mess of me.

I know that I say it for every Josh Lanyon's book he's written, but these two MEN are wonderful. The mystery part is a very nice frame for the plot, but this is romance at its finest. There's always a balance of weakness and strength the author is able to reach with his more flawed characters. For Swift this is a personal emotional baggage he won't probably ever be able to drop. Max's weakness is probably Swift himself.

Max is the stronger one, the steady rock, the anchor, a rough and charming guy who can soothe with his inner stability. He is 45, a man in law enforcement that has the courage to date a guy with a troubled past of drug abuse and an embarrassing rap sheet. At the beginning he seems the one who invested less in their story, but when you stop to think about him dating Swift - openly dating Swift since everyone in the town seems to know it - you realize that's a statement heavier than a million words. Max was hard and apparently heartless at times, but I was never mad at him - I just resented him when he called Swift crackhead. I think he was extremely solid and real and I would have expected nothing different from him, when he learned about Swift meddling with his investigation. We see him through Swift's eyes and it's only later in the book that we understand how caught up in his world Swift is and that he wasn't able to see how much Max cared for him. They are two reserved men, probably for different reasons, and I loved that they weren't drama queens, on the contrary their reactions - even when mad - were sort of restrained, they became inner turmoils. Their love making is really healing and it's true communication between them.

I loved loved loved Swift. He is a drug addict. People with addiction are difficult to deal with, I know from personal experience. They are frustrating, because the restlessness that makes them use is also that same over-sensitivity that makes them special. Swift really broke my heart a few times - when he cried in Max's arms and when he talked about his dad's funeral. I liked the way Max understood the place Swift was in his moment of crisis and was there for him.

Swift has a lot of demons haunting his life. There's the threatening addiction, the box of poetry, the guilt for his past choices, the unresolved relationship with his mother. I was amazed that such a complicated character had such a quiet voice. It was warm, even when he was talking about painful memories or feelings. I guess it's the voice of a survivor, one that he's not sure he's still there.

Swift is a poet - son of poets - who became famous at a very young age, but stopped writing poetry after his father's death pushed him into a deadly addiction. It was as if his father was always there with him, even if he was dead. He was a sort of real presence through Swift's memories. Swift's mother was instead absent in his life, even if she was still alive. There's a chasm between them that was formed when Swift's mother tried to have him institutionalized and blamed him for his father's death. It's easy to think of her as a negative figure, but it's not what Swift feels. Sometimes you try to shock an addict to get a reaction and I think that was what she was trying to do. When you see it from the outside, the people dealing with addicts seem sometimes hardened and heartless, but you have to be, even if it breaks your heart to tell someone that they're ruining their life and that of everyone around them. That was what I saw in Swift's mom, a desperate woman. I felt compassion for her, even if I couldn't help feeling that a true mother would be there.

I'd better stop here. Just read it for yourself. It moved me deeply. It amazed me with its writing. 10 stars. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2011 Mandy*reads obsessively* rated it really liked it

Shelves: hurt-comfort-disability, m-m, ebook-owned

Good mystery, honest and heartfelt love story!
Recommended!

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Mtsnow13 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, erotica, fbi-agent-detective, romance, suspense, professor-teacher, less-than-200-pages

Just finished as a re-read, but this time as an audiobook. Loved it! I especially enjoyed the beginning of each chapter with 'create your own adventure' entries. And Swift's voice, as a former addict ( I guess he will always be fighting this) and his depth of apathy about his own writing, living in his own little world, and not really connecting with people on any scale, well, took a bit to warm up to him as a person. The creative genius, what do you do when everything loses color, or you have t ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2011 Enny rated it really liked it

The first half of Come Unto These Yellow Sands was absolutely fantastic. I really could feel Swift's struggle with his past, his craving to get high and his fear of losing the only person in the world he is close to. But as soon as the two main characters reconciled, the quality of the book went downhill fast. The drug problems suddenly were gone and the couple became all lovey-dovey. Another quibble of mine was the ridiculous way the murder mystery got solved. It's like Mr. Lanyon suddenly lost ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 JSidelinger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Josh Lanyon is an exceptional writer and an automatic purchase for me. I just had the pleasure of reading his latest release "Come unto These Yellow Sands" and for me; it is his finest work to date. Sebastian Swift or Swift as he prefers is a man with a troubled past. He was a drug addict but has been in recovery for six years. Swift is now a literature professor at a small college and in relationship with the town police chief, Max Prescott, a rugged 6’4’’ handsome man who is committed but has Josh Lanyon is an exceptional writer and an automatic purchase for me. I just had the pleasure of reading his latest release "Come unto These Yellow Sands" and for me; it is his finest work to date. Sebastian Swift or Swift as he prefers is a man with a troubled past. He was a drug addict but has been in recovery for six years. Swift is now a literature professor at a small college and in relationship with the town police chief, Max Prescott, a rugged 6’4’’ handsome man who is committed but has never definitively spoken about his feelings. Their relationship is comfortable one until Swift makes a fatal error in judgment while trying to help a student. Police Chief Max whose occupation defines aspects of his personality feels blindsided and reacts badly when Swift confesses his mistake jeopardizing their relationship.

Mr. Lanyon is adept, in my opinion, at telling a story – his works touch people; have substance; conflict and resolution; strong imagery; layered plots that do not go for the easy solution; and he keeps the audience in mind. You find that want to discuss his plot and characters with other readers. I believe this novel is one of his finest for all those reasons as well as a fresh approach. The new work departs from the first-person POV, and although it has humor – it is not the overt witticism we have come to know in his other stories but deftly understated and subtle. Another expression of Mr. Lanyon’s effectiveness as a writer is his seamless interweaving of lines of poetry throughout this story – the choice of verses is perfectly synced with the story’s framework; adding another layer of understanding to its protagonist. For example, “There were no paved roads on the island, but the dirt roads were hard-packed and wide. Swift drove them easily, despite the rain sheeting down. White sand, white skies…the only color came from the trees lining the road, scarlet and gold foliage fading into the autumn mist. Nothing gold can stay…How very true.” It is only a single line from the Robert Frost poem entitled the same, but it isn’t shoehorned in- the single line flows naturally.

"Come unto These Yellow Sands" is not an ordinary mystery – yes, there is a murder, but the essence of this story addresses and examines relationships between long-time lovers, mothers, fathers, sons, family, and friends. It is about the interplay of feelings, history, circumstances, misunderstandings, loss, and reconciliation, all intricately woven into the story’s fabric giving its characters depth and dimension. There heartbreaking moments of realism that given its context make you realize that if these were not fictional characters – the response would still be entirely appropriate given the same circumstances. For example, when Max questions Swift’s motivation and asks, “Why did you keep it from me? Aside from the fact that you were breaking the law, you had to know it wasn’t going to…end well between us.”

Josh Lanyon fans will have another favorite couple to add to their list – Swift and Max are not larger than life characters. However, they are and will be memorable for their vulnerability and flaws - each protagonist is complex and endearing for different reasons. Swift has his demons to overcome when his world is upended, and he is thrown into an “adventure” he would not have chosen for himself. There is an occasion when he has a rough night and Max reassures him saying, “I’m not going to let go of you. I’m going to hold you all night.” Capturing the character’s heart and emotions are Josh Lanyon’s forte. He gets it right with each book and especially so in this new one. “Come unto These Yellow Sands,” is an emotional journey that is both poignant and reflective - it had me reaching for tissues.
...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Lasha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-borrowing

Some people have compared Come Unto These Yellow Sands to the Adrien English Mysteries, but since I have not read those, I have no idea if this is true or not, so for me this Josh Lanyon book will stand on its own as a truly wonderful and unique read.

Professor Sebastian Swift is a former drug addict who happens to be an award-winning poet. But ever since his addiction caused his career to crash and burn, along with most of the relationships in his life, he’s settled down in an out-of-the-way tow ...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Yuri Aoi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m

I don't remember how I came across Josh Lanyon, but I might end up reading all of his books before long. I like the world he creates with his pen and wish to indulge myself forever in there... Is this going to be a first title of a new series? ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Lee Brazil rated it it was amazing

Swift is now officially my favorite Josh Lanyon character. I can relate to him from the perspective of someone who has frequently had to be dragged into awareness of the here and now. And I really, really wanted there to be a sequel. Alas.

The mystery is neat, and I enjoyed Swift's refreshing, oh no, I'll happily hide while you take out the bad guys perspective. So much more interesting a characteristic than the nosy, intrepid amateur.

The flavor of addiction is strong, and it lingers forever, an ...more

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