Customer Reviews

To Serve and Submit

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a warm read, with unusual sexual encounters, but while erotically set up, it's not all that graphic (to me at least) -- I thought the heroine was likeable, if simplistic in her ambitions. A kind and uncomplicated girl who is very sexually responsive. The world building interesting, with a bronze age appeal, a bit of fantasy with spirits and elementals that our heroine is able to see and sometimes bargain with and hints of science fiction that are more a lead into the sequel.

I found it charming and a quick read. Perhaps a bit pricey at fourteen dollars but with the Amazon discount it's a good buy for those who like their reading pleasures a little spicy.

The main character is a pleasure slave, who truly takes satisfaction is serving and giving pleasure. However there are some characters who are *censored* and there are some not overly graphic depictions of rape, and ultimately the worst offenders go to a bad end, while our heroes triumph. Includes self sex, menege/group sex, elements of bondage and discipline.

I liked it.

Let me start by saying that the sexual roles in this book do not match my own so someone else who leans toward the female submissive/male dominant model may find this book more intriguing than I. "To Serve and Submit" is a cross between fantasy and erotica, a cross necessary to get published by mainstream ROC but which may result in confusion between the two audiences. This review is designed to explain the story to both groups. Susan Wright focuses very well on the development of Marja, a young woman from a backwater community whose father sells her for cattle. Following the wishes of others with greater supernatural power of her own comes naturally to her; following mere human commands seems to follow with just a bit of training. Marja grows from innocent to leader in the course of the novel, not finding happiness in slavery so much as power in her ability to bent or stand firm as the need arises. Throughout the book I could well understand why so many people are attracted to and jealous of Marja but I frankly could not understand what she sees in the main male character, Lexander who seems to grow weaker as the plot continues. I entitled this "soft core" for two reasons. First, unlike many fantasy novels I am used to there are none of the technical layouts of maps, dictionaries, or even large scale digressions into "history" -- depending on your taste this may be a plus or a minus. Secondly, I must disagree with another reviewer: the sex scenes here are not explicit. Using non-standard English terms of sexual organs and sexual energy, Writght pushes the edge of what many mainstream publishers will print unless the sex is displayed negatively but for those used to reading erotica and [...] the scenes may seem short and rather undetailed. Readers should also note that Wright's fantasy world is not a kind one for most members of it -- women are ill treated routinely (there are at least 3 rapes) and the poor or young or pushed down without concern -- but the world is not a nice place folks, especially one where traditional religion is fighting off a new monotheistic one.

S&M should not be this boring.

I borrowed this from a friend, who even admitted herself that she couldn't bring herself to finish it. I wasn't even stalwart enough to get to the point were she gave up in frustration. When I'm reading through a laundry list of kinks, and the scenes they're portrayed in are so bland that I'm not stimulated on any level? You've done something wrong.

But perhaps the first hurdle I wasn't able to surmount were the NAMES in this dismal book. "Lexander"? "Hel*a*na"? A god named "Loji" who gives birth to an eight legged horse? Exsqueeze me? Is it just me, or did she just pull an "Eragon" here? We just change one letter in a common name, and now all of a sudden, it's exotic and otherworldly? Wrong! But yes, the Eragon reference is deliberate, because this is purple-shafted prose on a par with the teenaged writer of that equally lame book.

How the writer of this is receiving so much acclaim for such a lackluster title, is just evidence that the kinky community has little else to heap it's accolades upon. So of course, the lackluster get to be a big fish in a small pond.

Definitely give this book a try if you liked the Kushiel series. _To Serve and Submit_ has a similar blend of politics, sensuality, enchantment, and lush prose.

The setting is an ancient North America, in which Norse settlers live alongside Native Americans in an uneasy peace.

The basic plot is this: Marja, a rural girl of mixed heritage with the ability to speak to the olfs (earth spirits), is sold to Lexander and Helanas, mysterious foreigners who are in the business of training pleasure slaves to be sent to their homeland. On a visit to a nearby chieftain, Marja ends up embroiled in a tangled mess of political rivalries. Meanwhile, Marja's love for her master, Lexander, is growing, and this, too, complicates everything.

Marja has been trained to be submissive, and so in the early stages of her journey, she can be maddeningly passive. One character asks her whether she ever thinks for herself. However, I think this is intentional and part of her character development. Marja grows stronger throughout the book; while still remaining a submissive in the bedroom, she learns to be stronger and more assertive in other areas. The novel ends with a satisfactory resolution to the most pressing issue, while leaving the way open for a sequel in which Marja may find herself learning more about Lexander's shadowy homeland.

My only quibble is about the villain. He's sort of a one-note character, a giant walking male sex organ. I feel that he could have used some complexity.

If you're scared off by the BDSM thing, don't be. The sex scenes are more sensual than explicit. This is not erotica with gratuitous plot tacked on; the plot and character development come first.

When I saw this on the bookshelf I got excited. "Oh boy! Naughty adventure time," I thought. And there were some naughty adventures. There weren't that many naughty characters, though. There were characters who lived to love (to put it nicely), characters who lived to hurt, and characters with hearts of gold---but no characters to fall in love with as a reader. Unfortunately, Susan Wright can't seem to bring the same level of tension to the REST of the story as she does to her characters' bedroom antics.

I was hoping for something like the Kushiel's Legacy series (even though her prose is often over-blown and her story-lines can be just-this-side of sentimental, Jaqueline Carey knows how to set a scene and make you care about her characters), a series of books I shamefully admit I more devoured than read. What I got was half-baked erotica. Don't get me wrong- I like erotica, but this book isn't good erotica. Additionally, it isn't good fantasy. To Serve and Submit is like that Goobers Peanut Butter/Jelly Combo every kid made their moms buy them growing up- neither the peanut butter nor the jelly is of good quality, and being smushed together doesn't help the situation.

"To Serve And Submit" is the first book I have read by Susan Wright and it's a kind of cross between fantasy and erotica - an amalgamation of the two genres which works fairly well but might be dissatisfying to purist readers of either genre.

Susan Wright's writing style is very good - the story never drags but moves on quickly but with some charming detail about the world in which the events are taking place. Marja is a young woman living in a time/place rather like pre-industrial Scandinavia. Unlike most of her peers she can commune with the "olfs", little sprite-type beings that are cheeky but can also help her. Her job is to collect iron for her father to use but when an unusual looking man, Lexander, sails to their village she sees a whole new world opening out to her - he offers to come back to collect her in a year to help make her a pleasure slave and she agrees.

Marja finds herself among several other trainee slaves in different stages of their education; once ready they are moved on to Lexander's homeland on a journey by ship. Marja is taught by Lexander and his consort Helanas to be a submissive slave - and she seems to take to it remarkably well. I wasn't entirely convinced why she wanted to become such a good slave at the outset and why she went along with everything that happened to her - Lexander's statement "you're a true submissive" seemed a little too easy.

The world in which the story takes place is a harsh world, particularly for women, and Marja is required to sleep with whomever she is commanded to, male or female, although she doesn't seem to find this a problem. She becomes more and more attached to Lexander and works hard to be the ideal slave, submissive and obedient to his every requirement.

But then things start to change - Marja is sent by Lexander to shelter with a woman, Silveta, so that Lexander can be reunited with her as he says he loves her. Marja has been trained up till now to be submissive and to obey orders in a rather naïve way, yet she soon discovers that behaving like this is a danger to her as she travels to find Silveta. Marja has to grow up, and learn her own common sense, very quickly. She takes refuge with a couple for a while but is always yearning to meet up with Lexander again. Unfortunately she's not always particularly good news to those with whom she is staying and she is the unwitting cause of a duel which requires her and Silveta to flee.

Marja herself describes her method of getting through life: "I traded what others valued in order to survive." For Marja her item of value is her skills as a pleasure slave and she uses these skills to keep herself safe, to lull people to sleep so that she can escape and to survive her training as a slave.

For those who like reading fantasy books there is a lot to like in "To Serve And Submit". The world that Susan Wright has created is an interesting one, albeit very harsh, and the descriptions of the surroundings are very well written although a map might have been helpful!. The sexual element, that of dominance/submission, multiple partners, group sex and three occasions of rapes is much stronger than you would expect in a traditional fantasy novel and might put some people off. Things weren't written in too graphic a manner and so this element wasn't as difficult as I had initially feared but I found the underlying sexual threads of this story made me a little uncomfortable and they might be rather too much for many readers. However for those with an open mind who are ready for an interesting story of a young girl's learning about her nature and growing in strength so that she can prevail against some very difficult situations, this is an excellent and well-written read.

I had questions about whether or not to write a review as it would reveal a great deal about my personal life to do so. I am a sexually dominant woman, which means I am the one who would give the orders.
This story is vaguely reminescent of Kushiel's Dart and that series, however this particular book relied less on intrigue and politics and survival.
Marja is sold into slavery by her family and finds her true self.
The story of Marja and Lexander represents the ideal for a top/bottome relationship, caring and loving. While many of the others who take advantage of her submissive nature represent the 'normal' view of that relationship.
The characters were touching, as you saw them develop.
I do have one itty bitty gripe. The author's constant use of phrases such as "because of my submissive nature,"; "my submissive nature made me..." and so on. On one page I counted no less than 6 variations of that particular theme.
Pros:
1. An excellent heroine who finds strength in the ability to submit
2. A hero who finds hope in the ability to control and protect
3. Side characters that are wonderfully charming
4. A wonderfully realizecd world

Cons:
1. Repetitive phrasology - We get you have a submissive nature and it makes you do things because you must follow orders. It felt almost as if she is padding the pages to make a certain word count
2. A map of the world she is trapped in. I got soooo lost when we were on the Continent in Scandanavia.
3. More focus on the training from Lexander would have been wonderful

Good for those of us who understand the life and for everyone who wants to see a different kind of love

I must admit that the moment I saw the cover of this book I knew it was for me. After reading the book I was not disappointed. In fact, it surpassed my expectations. The characters are beautifully developed, and I was able to picture the story vividly in my mind. The heroine Marja and her submissive nature fascinated me. One thing I especially loved about the book is that so much happened in it. It was not a slow-paced novel. Things were always taking place, and I did not find myself bored. I suppose the idea of a woman being submissive may appear sexist to some. However, I believe it is a person's own decision. It does not make them weaker. In the book, Marja's ability to be submissive actually made her stronger and helped her rather than the opposite. I highly recommend this book and applaud the author for the great story that it is.

I heard that Jacqueline Carey fans would like this book. I love Jacqueline Carey, but this book was drivel! It sounded like it started out trying to be like her writing, but it just didn't have the depth or originality. Maybe I just couldn't picture it... I have no idea about scandinavia or its history except some norse mythology (I guess this is about where it's set), but it all seems very grimy and unglamorous- mud huts and wooden forts-- and then you have pleasure slaves who learn erotic yoga?? I like the idea of godlings and sprites and gnome things, but frankly I think she went out on a limb with having "pleasure slaves", and that limb broke. I like reading erotic books, but I think the author attempted too much with too little. She should have stuck with either a fantasy romance, or given her character a little more depth and made a fantasy adventure.
So Carey fans beware!! There is no substitute for the original!

This book was amazing! So detailed and easy to picture. Definitely one of my favorites which I read over and over again!