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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1984)
R E V Slave to Master by Jim H unger Jo h n Preston’s / O n ce Had a Master, just o u t fro m Alyson Publications, is a series of autobiographically based short stories, w hich, as the name suggests, contain a strong m aster-slave them e, though no extrem e violence. In fact, the prim ary acts o f physical violence are spankings and nipple biting. As the author him self readily defines his stories in his epilogue, they are basically pornographic, but they are also m ore than that. F o r one thing, they are an interesting o r ganization o f vignettes w hich chronicle the sexual evolution o f the narrator, noting the m a jor m ilestones in his odyssey from eager slave to adm ired master. The stories are introduced by a short story w ith the same title as the book, and the first line o f the story begins, ‘‘I once had a master. . which lends a sort o f legendary o r fairy tale quality to the collectio n. The m ain character has em barked upon a journey o f learning and self-realization, as is also com m on in folk tales. / O n ce Had a Master is an exam ple o f the sum being greater than the parts. Individually, the stories can only be defined as porno graphic; the m ain character spots som eone he wants to have sex w ith, and then they do it In the in itial stories, however, the narrator is a slave, o r subm issive type: in the first he is an urban dw eller w ho travels great distances to be w ith his taciturn country master; in the second he is a teenager whose com ing-out relationship is w ith a dom inating tru ck driver o f Portuguese descent In the later tales he is a belt-slapping, handcuff-toting m aster of som e prowess. In the end he finds — dare we hope?— true love, or so we are led to believe. O ne problem with / O n ce Had a Master is organizational. The epilogue, “ On W riting Pornography,” w ould better serve as a pro logue, since som e o f the inform ation pro vided here by Preston w ould be o f interest to the reader at the o u tse t In this section the a u th o r discusses his plan and objectives in w ritin g Master, as well as his philosophy con cerning pornography in general. W hile Preston is a m ore than adequate spinner o f yarns, this collection o f stories is m ore im pressive together than the individual com ponents w ould be separately, and the discus sion in the epilogue w ould make this m ore readily ap parent O ne area in w hich Preston is particularly success ful in Master is in the revelation o f s/m persona, fo r better o r worse. The reader may o r m ay not agree with the rightness o f an integral part o f the sex act being dom ination by one person and subm ission by another, bu t if the m otivations and drives o f s /m de votees is o f any interest, Preston does a good jo b o f unraveling his characters. The narrator periodically discusses his philosophies, and he and his liaisons often have revealing con versations w hich explain th e ir actions and S I E W interests. C om p risin g only 120 pages, / O n ce Had a M aster is very undem anding o f one’s tim e, and it’s w ritten in easy-flowing, very readable prose. The title story even possesses a poetic, m ystical quality about it w hich may destine it a position o f em inence in s /m literature. The collectio n o f stories contains no cruel viciousness, nor does it espouse that kind of behavior. W hat it does do is chronicle the evolution o f a person in this sub-culture of a sub-culture, and it does this rather well. Yes, sir! ADVERTISERS Full Page Ads at a price you can't refuse! August 31st issue only Call your Ad Rep Today 223-9652 M usic food Fashion Show Portrait Drawing Pottery Demonstration Information • IN T IM A T E Compliments o f Sunnvside-Up Bakery' i 6 nahs ^ THE Place for Seafood and Steaks Original owners since 1977 LUNCH • DINNER • SUNDAY BRUNCH LOUNGE 7425 SW BARBUR BLVD (at Terw illiger) 245-2188 The Open Door Theater presents CLIN IC JR’s VEST 300 NW 10th 224-1482 August 9-September 29 Thursdays & Fridays at 8 p.m. S5.00 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. ____ Must be 21 Just Out, August17-August 31.1984 n