The Marketplace
by Laura Antoniou
Luster Editions, Circlet Press, 2010
Reviewed by Lisabet Sarai
If you had a friend who was interested
in BDSM, but who didn't have much experience, what fiction would you
advise her to read? What books belong to the BDSM canon? The Story
of O, certainly. Maybe A.N. Roquelaure's Beauty trilogy
(although if the real author were not Anne Rice, I wonder if those
books would get as much attention as they do). Perhaps Molly
Weatherfield's Safe Word and definitely a couple of Rachel
Kramer Bussel's D/s-themed anthologies such as He's on Top,
She's on Top, Yes, Sir or Yes, Ma'am.
One book that would make almost
everyone's list, I think, is Laura Antoniou's The Marketplace
and its sequels. I've been hearing about these books for years –
no, decades – ever since I joined the ranks of BDSM readers and
authors. Although I'm a devotee of D/s fiction and to some extent
practice, somehow I never got the opportunity to read any of the
series. One reason was the fact that despite their acclaim they have
received, the books keep going out of print. The Marketplace
was originally published by Masquerade Books in 1993. A new edition
was released by Mystic Rose Books (also responsible for the wonderful
primer Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns) in 2000. Now
Circlet Books, renowned for speculative and scifi erotica, has
created a new imprint call Luster Editions to bring The Marketplace
books back for today's readers. When I was offered the opportunity to
review the first volume, I jumped at the chance.
The Marketplace introduces a
world where an elite cadre of dominants train, sell and buy willing
slaves. The secrets of the Marketplace members are jealously guarded.
In the everyday clubs and dungeons, BDSM afficionados trade rumors
about the shadowy cabal of slave owners and their human property: the
rigors the slaves must undergo, the enormous sums of money exchanged,
the contracts, the collars, the decadent resorts, the beauty and the
power of the masters and mistresses.
The Marketplace introduces
Grendel and Alexandra, traders and trainers of premium slaves. Both
are expert dominants. The book is deliberately vague about their
relationship. Four would-be slaves apply to undergo the Marketplace
training regimen at the hands of Grendel and Alex and their major
domo Chris. None is a true amateur. In fact, all four consider
themselves to be accomplished submissives. Almost immediately, the
dominants strip the four of their illusions and show them how far
they are from being Marketplace material.
Brian is a gay bottom who loves to be
beaten and “forced” to suck cock. Despite his claims to being
submissive, he is manipulative, sarcastic, cynical, rebellious and
far too garrulous to be a good slave.
Sharon is used to holding men in thrall
as she eagerly offers herself as a sexual object. Like Brian, she
believes that being a slave is all about sex.
Robert has been feminized by his former
mistress to the point that he has no self-confidence and hates his
own penis. Although he is intelligent and well-educated, he becomes
helpless and incompetent under pressure.
Finally, shy, virginal Claudia can act
the part of the sweet, submissive French maid to absolute perfection,
but that is the limits of her repertoire. Her mistress offers her to
Alex and Grendel out of frustration and boredom, hoping that they can
make her braver and more sensual.
Grendel and Alexandra devise customized
lessons and trials for each of the aspirants, seeking to teach them
the reality of being a slave in the Marketplace world. Sharon is
assigned to muck out the stables and study diction and opera. Brian
is made to wear ribbons and bells and deprived of sexual
satisfaction. Robert studies martial arts and is forbidden to shave
his hated body hair. Shrinking violet Claudia is required to take
responsibility for the entire household while the normal housekeeper
is on vacation and to severely discipline the other aspirants.
Although many of the stereotypes in
BDSM erotica may have started with The Marketplace, the book
itself is fresh, original and engrossing. It considers the nature of
D/s relationships with rare depth and insight. In the Marketplace
world, submission (and in fact, dominance) is about far more than
sex. For the first half of the book, few of the lessons imposed on
the would-be slaves involve sex at all. They learn to obey without
thinking, to take responsibility for their successes and their
mistakes, to trust their masters and each other. Over the course of
the novel, each one changes, approaching the perfection required of
Marketplace slaves – though how that is defined will vary for each
one.
I loved this book. For one thing,
despite its fantasy premise, it has a realistic, down-to-earth feel.
The characters are complex and their interactions nuanced and
believable. The Marketplace is the exact opposite of the kinky fairy
tale world of the Beauty books – even though they share activities
and physical elements.
I also appreciated the recognition of
the deep sense in which the slaves' servitude is consensual. The
aspirants' most cherished desire is to be accepted as worthy by the
Marketplace. The most terrible punishment that can be threatened is
for them to be sent away, to be released from the training and set
adrift in the shallow world of BDSM “play”.
Finally, I resonate with the view of
D/s as something more than just a game, as something that can
transform one's soul. To quote one of my favorite passages:
To be thrilled by the touch of
leather, aroused by harsh words, or satisfied by the security of
rigid bondage is the mark of a lover.
To be thrilled at the opportunity to
provide useful service, aroused by a pleased nod, and satisfied by
the proverbial job well done, is the mark of a slave.
It may sound severe. Almost
anti-erotic. Until you see two people, owner and owned, existing in a
complementary relationship where each suits the other like balances
on a delicate scale. Until you feel the energy of their rapport, you
cannot understand how they fulfill each other, take and give in ways
no negotiation could possibly express.
Then you will understand the
singular intimacy that drives such people on their search for
perfection. It is beyond orgasm. Beyond love. It can almost be called
rapture.
If these words speak to you the way
they do to me, you must read this book.
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