In The Supersonic Phallus, Steven Key Meyers has a good time exploring the UFO craze of 1947...and the ways in which it can serve as a metaphor about queerness in post-War America. It makes for an interesting, quick read, and its brevity ensures that the story (and metaphor) don't overstay their welcome.

This was definitely a good read.
It was short but a really good read I thought.
Ufos and aliens are my kind of thing .

The unexplainable phenomena operating in the skies of Sinai, Colorado mirror what’s happening in the heart of our main character, Sam, as he struggles to understand and accept his own queer identity in an era of deep closets and discretion.

The Supersonic Phallus is a quick but complex read, well-suited for fans of 1940s period pieces. It’s equal parts investigative journalism, humor, and heartbreak.

I was a bit afraid from the book's description that this might be a bit too intellectual and erudite for my tastes. I am pleased to report that I was completely wrong with that impression. While the narrator is prone complex sentences and uncommon words, the book remains easily accessible. The author does a fantastic job in bringing you back to the 1950s, and an even better job fleshing out the main characters and the townsfolk in more depth than is typical in a short book like this one. The main characters, Dean and Sam, are an interesting study in contrasts. Dean experienced things in war no human should have to experience but still presents an optimistic, if reserved, persona. Sam managed to avoid the horrors of war, has a wife, a son, and another baby on the way, and still finds Dean as tempting as the Apple to Eve. How their relationship unfolds, how it ends, and the realizations they both come to are the crux of this exceptional period piece and I won't say anymore about that. I will say that The Supersonic Phallus is a both a fun read and a book that will get you thinking and I highly recommend it.

I didn't know I needed a book about two reporters investigating UFO sightings during the UFO craze, with the UFO being a metaphor for the narrator's queerness, but turns out I did. It wasn't a masterpiece but it was an entertaining read from start to finish, and isn't that the point sometimes?

The Supersonic Phallus isn't really a story about flying saucers in the 40's. Instead it's about reporter Sam's struggle with his sexuality as he engages in an affair with fellow reporter Dean while they investigate flying saucer sightings. The book is a quick read covering the week or so of the investigation and while Sam is well developed it would have been nice if Dean had gotten more room to develop (or if we had gotten something from his perspective). The book also neglects to really deal with the fact that Sam is cheating on his pregnant wife. Still it's a nice quick read and if you are interested in historic depictions of queer relationships, I think it's worth checking out.

Not quite what I was expecting, but good nonetheless. A short story about flying saucers, queerness, and the necessity of truth. While I wasn't a big fan of the writing style I do think it worked well for the story. I expected the sex scenes to be a bit more detailed given the title, but that's just personal preference. Overall there's a lot to chew on in this.

This is a very quick, very engaging read. The plot is relatively light and incredibly entertaining. This book is pulp sci-fi, and with that in mind, it is a very good book within that genre. The characters are a little one-dimensional, but it actually works really well in this story. The writing is a little expository, it tends to tell rather than show, but this is a function of the genre. The sci-fi aspects are well integrated into the larger plot and very well-researched. Anyone who has found themselves on the far side of a late-night alien research rabbit hole will recognize the “truth” to the events used in this book. Additionally, and this might not be something which the average person cares about, this book does a brilliant job of capturing Western Colorado and includes accurate details of Colorado history. Overall, this is a very fun pulp sci-if story that is perfect for when you want to be entertained and not have to really focus on something.

This is a neat historical tale about UFO sightings in post-war America, and the two queer journalists chasing the story, and each other. The conflict between Truth and Drama when reporting the news is perennially interesting, and realistically played out here.

Note, it's not in any way a romance, more a character study and self-discovery arc, so I had to adjust expectations once reading. I'd also say that naming two Main Characters Dean and Sam in a story with supernatural elements is a bold decision in this day and age, but it did feel more like "whatever, those are good white American names" rather than undisguised fanfiction.

I read an ARC at NetGalley, and appreciate the author sharing that way. All opinions are my own. 3.75 stars, rounded up at Goodreads.

Firstly - terrific title. Drew me instantly!

This tale is a lovely, humorous, and sad telling of gay experience in the 1940s, against the backdrop of UFOs and post WWII American economic and technological rise.

The cognitive dissonance required of so many in that era was beautifully juxtaposed with the ridiculousness of UFOs. The journey of discovery, fight for truth, the suppression of truth, the lives we lead, and the regrets and joys that can bring.

A short little tale that doesn’t explore characters much beyond the protagonist. Despite this, the commentary on Sam’s life for those few weeks speaks volumes and shows some of the difficulties of what being homosexual was like in an era, thankfully long gone (but dishearteningly, not gone for everyone).

What’s nice about this tale is that it really shouldn’t upset anyone by being “too depressive” or some other silly critic that more serious stories can face. There is a lightness of tone which makes this story fun to read, but if you’re open to it, a small sadness for all those generations of men and women who couldn’t love themselves or others freely.

Very grateful to Netgalley and Smash-and-Grab Press for an ARC to provide an honest review.

This was fun little book to read! A quirky little take on the UFO craze, but with deeper meanings throughout. Enjoyable, laughable moments, but characters that you come to care about without realizing it. If you're looking for a break from reading series after series, this is a great palate cleanser!

What a lovely read! I'm not usually too interested in anything romance related but this was so so tastefully done as a subplot, the main plot on chasing UFO's complimenting the queer and macarthy witch hunts that were rampant in this time?? So well done. This has all the right amounts of description, history, fiction, gorgeousness, I'm so reading this again later with a highlighter in hand!

4.25 stars

NetGalley ARC. Grabbed this one because of the fun title and the cool retro cover. Thought it would be campy based on the title, but was actually a solid, straightforward little story of two reporters investigating UFO sightings for their local paper in the 40s. Not a romance novel but had some romantic moments. Quick read, finished in a couple of hours. Fun surprise! Four stars.

Very engaging story of two male reporters reporting on suspected UFOs and becoming involved in the time of the Roswell incident. Although a novella, the book does a good job telling an interesting UFO and relationship story while also asking the question is it easier to believe in UFOs then to believe your sexuality isn't what you thought it was. Thought this book was well done.
Thank you to Netgalley and Smash-and-Grab Press for an ARC to provide an honest review.

*The Supersonic Phallus* is a quirky, historical novella set during the 1947 UFO craze, blending post-war atmosphere, journalism, and subtle queer romance. While the love story between Sam and Dean is understated, the story shines through its period detail, investigative plot, and character-driven humor, making it a fun, quick read for fans of historical fiction with a light LGBTQ+ subplot.

I thought this book was strange and provocative, and even when it didn’t fully land for me I respected the creativity and nerve in bringing it to the page.

3.5 stars rounded up.

That cover is an absolute banger, right? As the title indicates, though this novel has some sword fighting, The Supersonic Phallus is not a romance novel. The novel itself felt a little skinny, more like a fable or a period piece. Two cub reporters are sent to investigate reports of UFOs in a small town in Colorado in 1947, same year as the Roswell crash. The narrator has a wife and a kid and another one on the way, while his counterpart is much more obviously queer-coded. They begin a largely unspoken affair while Scooby Doo sleuthing their way to the truth of the unidentified aircraft.

I almost wish I had gotten this story from the perspective of the lover. Our narrator is never honest with himself, and often you can feel the irritation coming off his colleague slash lover. We never really get his lover's thoughts on the situation, not in depth. Which is not to say I couldn't feel his welter of frustration and hurt as the affair deepened in some ways, but was still consigned firmly to the closet. Also unlike a romance novel, I could really feel the constraints of society, the straight jacket of homophobia, not as an impediment to our lovers to be vanquished, but something so indelibly etched on our narrator that he cannot even conceive of anything more than some furtive coupling.

Anyway, I thought The Supersonic Phallus was an approachable historical fable that put me in mind of The X-Files, just a little. There's something strangely matter of fact about the downbeat ending. This is neither a tragedy nor a comedy, though it is both rueful and funny in equal measures, which is a very complicated tone and one I don't feel like I encounter often. And this doesn't have anything to do with anything, but it struck me while reading that very few women writing m/m would let the novel end that way because it doesn't center the wife's feelings, among other things. Huh.

I received my copy from Netgalley.

DNF.

This book was not for me.

The title and concept looked fun and I was expecting a Chuck Tingle vibe.

There were several comments early on in relation to WW II that crossed the line for me. While it may be true to the time and part of setting up the characters personality, a character celebrating the atrocities at Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a no thank you from me.

I don't know for sure what I expected this to be (she lied, knowing full well she expected something that started its life as a Wincest fic), but it perfectly suits the cover (which I LOVE and is the whole reason I grabbed this from NetGalley). The style was consistent for the setting and time period, and while I haven't even decided if I liked it yet, I definitely had fun with it.

3½, rounding up to 4.

As with most good short stories, I wish this was longer (no pun intended.) The author's direct writing style, I feel, is appropriately paired with the subject matter of post WWII extraterrestrial mania. I really enjoyed the characters informal way of speaking and connecting, making it feel all the naturalness of the smoke-stained 1950's. Though it sticks with the over-arching trope of queer relationships never ending well, I feel less scorned here than I have with other books who commit the same crime. The reader understands the contention, the impossibility, though a part of you wishes to every last typed word that perhaps this time, it will go differently.

Feedback notes
Sentences choppy or run on.
Relies too much on using parentheses to add information about characters or that could revealed by showing rather than telling
Also adds information that doesn’t add to the story or the characters and could be left out to clean up the writing making reading a better experience
The concept of possible aliens and these two guys searching the truth is interesting
There are times when certain paragraphs should have followed each other for better flow. Like the introduction of Ernie. His introduction comes out of nowhere then we go back to Dean and Sam where I was like why were we talking about Ernie? Then after a few paragraphs we go back to why we met Ernie and I felt that the introduction of Ernie and his visit being the catalyst for the characters to investigate should have put in one place instead of broken up.
Character building is clunky and they feel cardboard cutouts. They don’t feel like living people inside the story.
When they write kids, how old? The Sam says they are good looking and how one is already sharing looks Dean it made me uncomfortable
Also so far the flying saucers the catalyst for the story doesn’t feel important. Instead adding unnecessary color to the story that the flying saucers should received more attention. Other than they don’t know what they saw it doesn’t feel cool or extraordinary.
If the they want to build a world that feels real outside the story, the story needs to be longer than what it is right now.
Also it is set after WW II and that doesn’t seem relevant. How the story is unfolding the time period doesn’t seem important. The late forties/early fifties should played up. When reading the story I want the inner narration to sound like a transatlantic accent. 40’s and 50’s slang could be used and camp the time period just close to parody but not crossing the line
Some spelling errors and proper noun capitalization
Also using livid when I think mean vibrant or similar words
The story starts to flow towards the middle when Sam and Dean have an intimate encounter
The story starts to hit it’s stride but it feels like a chore to get there
Now I know why Ernie was introduced but again he doesn’t seem like a real person. If he is such a big personality, he should jumping off the page.
Sad true for many who couldn’t live openly
It felt right that it didn’t end for Sam and Dean to end up together
I just wanted the story not to feel lifeless. I love stories involving UFOs and aliens. I enjoy movies from the 40s and 50s. I have enjoyed movies and video games that parody that time period. I was looking forward to a queer story in that world but it just didn’t live up to expectations.
The title sadly is more interesting than the book

A well plotted long novella, entertaning and well plotted. The UFO craze and an intriguing portrait of USA just after WWII
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this digital copy, all opinions are mine