Hello again, friends! To start off this week, I need to drop an inconvenient truth on you: I don’t really like superhero movies. Marvel, DC, crossover stuff, none of it has really appealed to me since my high school days. I’m pretty sure the last one I saw in theaters was Spiderman 3, the one that had Tobey MaGuire and the emo dancing thing…yeah that film was kinda the end of the fun for me. That being said, I still consider it a brilliant genre of film, and they deserve all of the praise and fandom that they’ve generated over the last couple decades. You can probably figure out why I’m talking about such a thing in my Smut Vault intro. It’s my pleasure to present for your consideration…some lesbian superhero erotica. Strap on the cape, it’s time to fly through the double steel doors and reconnect with an old friend…
Saving the City: A Superhero Lesbian Story is brought to us by long time friend of The Vault Ava Sterling. This particular short/novella opens in a sweeping, vast metropolitan city, patrolled by its fearless and talented superhero squad. Eileen, Aria, Samantha (paired with super dog Cirrus), and Victoria protect this district using a combination of flying, super speed, and quick thinking during combat. While the entire squad takes care of business, it’s Eileen that’s the de facto leader, getting all the headlines whether she wants them or not. As the super friends (please don’t sue us, DC) are out treading along their usual rounds on one particular afternoon, the city seems quiet…a little too quiet. Something’s happened to the citizens of their fair city, and it’s time for the squad to be sprung into action! After splitting up the group, Eileen heads to the city center where she’s confronted by an alluring voice. The super villain (and super sexy) Lilith has somehow made the city population vanish…and suddenly our hero’s vision is snapped to pitch black, unable to attack this mini-skirted personification of pure evil. From the subtle tone of her nemesis, Eileen can detect there’s a mutual attraction between the two of them as they verbally spar. Perhaps, if she plays her cards right, there’s a way out of this pitch black hell. As Eileen feigns surrender to the super villain, she enacts the first phase of her plan. Saving this city will take some outside of the box thinking…but then again with that skirt leaving so little to the imagination, maybe not.
The superhero erotic sub-genre has never been graced by yours truly, but with Saving the City, I felt right at home. Eileen’s super team delivered an interesting introduction to the story, and to its credit I felt a desire to learn more about them, despite their relatively short time inside the story’s text. A lesser author surely would have crudely slapped together a quartet of pouty lipped little “fuckables” to act as scene candy, however the super squad was intelligently designed and believable (as such things could possibly be). There’s an interesting little universe referenced throughout, with superheroes of varying fame and ability in all corners of the world. With such a rich setting, I’m hopeful we can see more of this universe, sexualized or not. This is the first story of Ava Sterling’s I’ve read where the sex isn’t the first thought that’s crossed my mind after reaching the conclusion. But that isn’t to say the steamy bits are without merit, either.
With one nice long solid sexual (F/F) scene the character work was going to make or break the story. I’ve personally not given much thought to superheroes and their nemesis’ fucking (I’ve never had a tumblr) but the dynamic of Eileen and Lilith was nice and intense. I’m sorry to report to those expecting laser vision orgasms, or shape shifting stimulation, but the sex in Saving the City is simple, real, and positively dynamite. While maybe not a hate-fuck, two opposing forces dropping their defenses in favor of a moment of mutual attraction is identifiable here in glorious teeth-clenching realism. Maybe the author could’ve taken a bigger risk and added some supernatural elements to the roll in the hay, as it surely would have been a unique experience. However, a realistic, intense first time lesbian fling with your smoking hot rival in a pitch black room…is a little hard to argue with, no?
Verdict: Saving the City by Ava Sterling should be praised for its environment, setting, and realistic sexual content with superhuman yet believable characters. No corners were cut, and no ideas felt stolen from the R34/fanfic files. I want dozens more stories set inside this universe, even though I may still never see another superhero film in theaters. Gal Gadot and Brie Larson are magnificent, but they’re not who I want to see save the day. Next time I’m trapped in the arms of inescapable peril, I’ve got a new crew to call. Come on Eileen, the city needs you.
Thanks to Ava Sterling for supplying a review copy of Saving the City to TehBen.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Author’s Twitter: @Ava_Sterling
Purchase Link: Saving the City
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