Customer Reviews

High Couch of Silistra

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I must confess, I first bought a copy of of Janet Morris' High Couch of Silistra because of its famous Boris Vallejo cover illustration. I collect Vallejo's stuff, having all but six of John Norman's Gor series, many of which Vallejo also illustrated.

Amazing how a well-done cover can betray a book's content! John Norman's Gor series is set on a barbarian world in space, Earth's mythical opposite. Its culture is shot through with male dominance and female bondage, as well as with Norman's extensive philosophy on this subject. Now Morris brings to the fore her work as a fascinating female writer (and musician!) with which to compare Norman's views. I read this book that I might answer the question, "Is there something to Norman's view, or is his vision just a perverse (though intriguing) male fantasy?"

Well, Morris' world suggests that women also think in the terms that Norman has popularized: male dominance releasing female desire and sexuality through bondage. The planet Silistra, though not without technology, has rejected technology to remain barbarian. At the top of its social order are the Well-Keepresses, a caste of highly intuitive, telepathic prostitutes (like ancient pagan fertility priestesses). Their counterparts are males: the Liaisons--men from other planets (outworlders) who manage the trade between Silistra and the other planets of the galaxy.

All the high-born of Silistra are bound by chalds--chains symbolizing their obligations and responsibilities. Besides the Keepresses & the Liaisons, the castes include the Slayers--who stand halfway between Gor's warriors and assassins. Thus, Silistra is a caste society, much like Gor.

Like Gor, too, Silistra is a world where human sensuality is open to the world--indeed, the world itself revolves around sensuality and sexuality. Men are dominant, and women, though strong and capable of fighting alongside men, are at their mercy. Strong, violent men rape women into submission, chain them, whip them and even enjoy pushing them into Lesbian sex.

Thus Silistran sexuality is confused in a way that it is not on Gor. On Silistra, Lesbianism, homosexuality, bisexuality and voyeurism play prominent roles in the narrative.

Yet Ms. Morris does not let these twists on nature interfere with her overpoweringly masculine heroes, nor with her incomparably sensual heroine.

Like John Norman's Gor, Ms. Morris' Silistran tale comes replete with barbaric tongues, behind which one imagines no little research must stand. In total effect she is able to create an entirely believable world, barbarian, exotic, touched with science fiction, yet not tied to the modern world.

All these elements combine to produce a flavor of exotic sexuality, barbarian space culture, mythic creatures woven into the epic quest of her heroine, Estri, to find her father. By these complex means, Ms. Morris has made High Couch of Silistra a worthy and exciting read.

I can imagine how revolutionary and fun this book was when it first came out. However, time has worn away its power.

Story: I didn't like the idea that the protagonist often felt incomplete when she's not pleasing a man who treats her badly. It sends the message that women are weak and are fundamentally incapable of being independent. Also, the characters seem to lack depth and believability. There was a character, Dellin, who really epitomizes the lack of logic in the characters. He humiliated, enslaved, beat, and whored the protagonist out to strangers throughout most of the book. Yet, towards then end, his character suddenly changes to someone who is caring and worried. There was no explanation in this change. I think the author deliberately made the characters change without explanation to allow the readers to imagine the reasons themselves. It was a very poor choice. It ruined the flow and creates an air of disconnect between the reader and the story. The story was not engaging at all.
Also, the story arc of the main character seemed random and incomplete. I know this is a series but the book lacked any type closure. Every character seemed to drift in and out of Estri' journey without reason. Their stories were never addressed at the end of the book. Estri's ending was the most frustrating. Her whole goal was to find her father because it was the will of her dead mother. She ended up saving the whole of existence through the journey but the idea seemed abrupt and non relavant to her character. The sad thing was that she didn't technically save the whole of existence. Powerful godlike men just decided against doing so because she might be a missing link between physical beings and pure sentient beings. She didn't even do any convincing. She was just shown like an object at the evidence table at a court case. The book just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Writing: I loved the writing. I was eloquent and easy to follow, even when discussing abstract ideas. I didn't like, however, the use of alien words. There were words and ideas made up by the author and used by the characters to add to the believability that this is another world. However, it was a bit pedestrian and gimmicky.

I loved the story, it reflects the struggles the main character has with being a woman of power. It also reflects the attitudes of many women writers in the 70's (when this was written) that show the struggle women have with being strong without identifying or giving up their power to men. Great book, very erotic, with situations that seem somewhat demeaning to women. If one can get beyond that, one can appreciate that this was written by a woman at a time when women science fiction writers seemed to be largely ignored. She really is able to create a different world. It was fascinating, like visiting a foreign culture. There are sequels, as well, and all were as good as this one.

I found this book to be, overall, quite enjoyable. The storyline was suspenseful, exciting and quite erotic. The setting was also very good. The only problem I had was that the narrative was rather complex, as though she was trying to appear more intelligent than necessary. The book has a glossary of terms and I found myself constantly looking things up in it.

In 1977, the first gay, lesbian, bisexual science fantasy series was launched with Janet Morris's High Couch of Silistra. The book ignited an uproar in the then-prudish sf and fantasy community. "High Couch of Silistra" by Janet Morris caused a furor when it was first published. Introduced with a glowing New York Times review by Jerold Jonas, it ignited controversy in the science-fiction community. A science fiction reviewer, A.J. Budrys, gave it an enthusiastic and positive review in Omni and a"dirty as hell" review in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. High Couch and the rest of the Silistra quartet (The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, The Carnelian Throne), were the first erotic science-fantasy series.

Since then, erotic fantasy has taken its place, female sword-wielding heroines have become commonplace, and Silistra has spawned a raft of imitators. These four books have many foreign-language editions: French, German, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese, Russian, and more. There are additional "erotic passages" in the French versions; the German covers are the most startling.

The heroine of this series is joined by two male heroes -- literally and figuratively. Every aspect of sexuality and adventure is explored, from bondage to the relationship of sex to power. These books are so real you can feel, taste, and almost touch the stories. There was nothing else like them then; there's nothing like them now.

As with all Janet Morris titles, the books have a philosophical aspect and are deeply researched. The society of Silistra evolved around the reproductive physiology of its females. The Silistran language is documented in a glossary. In this first book of the series, Estri, the heroine, goes looking for her father. And finds more than she's bargained for.

Now that there IS a GLBT community, the Silistra books should enjoy a resurgance among the best and brightest readers.