Slaves of the Empire [Hardcover]

Aaron Travis (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Haworth Positronic Press; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (2006)
• ISBN-10: 0739479385
• ISBN-13: 978-0739479384
• ASIN: B000V0LMLU
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,570,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

AARON TRAVIS's first erotic story appeared in 1979 in Drummer magazine. The dozens of stories and short novels he produced over the next fifteen years received extravagant praise from readers and critics. Susie Bright called "Blue Light" "perhaps the most fantastic supernatural erotic thriller ever written," and Michael Bronski declared the gladiator novel SLAVES OF THE EMPIRE "a high point of gay male writing in the second half of the twentieth century." His story "The Hit" (included in the short novel KIP) was voted the #1 erotic story of the decade by readers of Susie Bright's Best American Erotica series.

Travis stopped writing erotic fiction in the early 1990s and moved on to another career. The paperback editions of his work are now expensive collector's items, but all the Aaron Travis stories were made available in new Kindle editions in 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Travis (a.k.a. Steven Saylor) eroticizes Roman slavery here., February 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Slaves of the Empire (Paperback)

Saylor, an editor for a number of soft-core gay porn magazines in the 1980s under the name of Aaron Travis, retained his pen name for the erotica published by Richard Kasak in his BadBoy imprint. The original novel was serialized around 1980, in Drummer magazine I believe. It's explicit SM fiction that follows the erotic adventures of an arena warrior subjugated by the Roman upper class as well as other warriors. Saylor knows his Roman history (as he reveals in his novels about the Roman "detective"), and writes better in this format than most of his fellow pornographers. Ironically, the graphically portrayed sexual abuse of slaves is probably more accurate of their actual condition than in the Quo Vadis-type bestsellers, which romanticized their Christian conversion (as late as the film adaptation of Spartacus in 1960, Kubrick had to cut direct allusions to sex between masters and slaves). Ultimately the book isn't up to much, and it's unlikely anyone will ever do a dissertation on Saylor's work, but it's a fun weekend read. A note to anyone interested: get it now, because BadBoy is letting many of these books go out of print.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific writing, and erotic as well, May 12, 2007

By 

Tim Evanson (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Slaves of the Empire (Paperback)

"Slaves of the Empire" launched the career of Steven Saylor (writing at this time under the name "Aaron Travis"). It's easy enough to see why: Unlike most erotica, this work is primarily a historical fiction novel first and erotic a distant second. Most erotica writes the sex, and then tacks on, in the most unappealing way, the story and characters. "Slaves of the Empire" does not. These are fully-fledged and portrayed people, acting in character during a time of great social, economic and political upheaval. Saylor/Travis is a stickler for historical accuracy, and it shows here. Thankfully, that historicity doesn't get in the way of the story or sex, as it does in many other historical erotica novels. Intead, Saylor/Travis uses the historical realism to add to the erotic potential of the sex scenes.

Most people will buy this novel because of the sex scenes. In that regard, Saylor/Travis thinks far outside the box. Absent are the typical pornographic BDSM tropes which litter lesser works of erotica. Saylor/Travis is one imaginative BDSM afficionado! His understanding of the dynamics of BDSM sex -- the power relationships, the sexual relationships, the need for proceed slowly (for that alone can be its own torture), the need to structure sexual attention over time (rather than fulfill fantasy in one scene) -- rank far and above those of most BDSM and erotica writers. Coupled with the historicity of the novel, and the reader's growing (and horrible) realization that "this could have really happened", make for some very powerful erotica.

This work has long been recognized as one of the premiere efforts in the genre of BDSM erotica, and any erotica (for the matter). It is a joy to see it back in print. It is a novel no serious student or fan of gay erotica should be without.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Erotic story of captured twin sex slaves in Rome, October 17, 2006

By 

Jane (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Slaves of the Empire (Paperback)

I have read many novels on bdsm,S&m,master and slave, etc. But Aaron Travis, without a doubt has taken his story to the highest level of imagnative bdsm,erotic sex I have ever read in a book!

The exquisite torture,breaking and using of the captured Germanic twin boys owned by the brutal general Marcellus incorporates all the elements of bdsm,etc.but applies them to the Roman time period. The twin boys are valued because they are twins, beautiful and different.These slaves are as unique and precious as gems and Marecellus uses them, dresses them and hands them out as gifts and bribes. They are a status symbol.

He rewards them, for one night, to Magnus, a former galley slave,and now a highly respected gladiator. But Magnus may get more than he bargained for in the deal!

And therein lies the other best part of this book. A great story.A lush description of Rome,the other slaves,the general Marcellus.

This is a fabulous pornographic novel woven into a story! Which makes it all the more wonderful because of the flow of one sexy scene into another. Even the description of the drape of the minimal clothing Marcellus dresses his twin slaves in is erotic and sexy!

Aaron Travis(Steven Saylor) shows his skill as writer when he can combine the two elements in an erotic story of brutality,exquisite torture,unrivalled depravity, erotic debauchery, a very cruel master and beautiful twin slaves in Rome.

A perfect story.