The Path of Service
(Guideposts for Excellence)
by Christina “slavette” Parker

Book Review by Ashley Lister

If you’re going to have a slave you ought to have a well-trained one. Where’s the sense of going into a S/M relationship only to discover your slave is either allergic to the washing-up or can’t cook cornflakes? Not that I’m suggesting slaves should have to do all household chores. But personally, if I could get my wife to become a slave instead of her bullying me into doing all the washing, ironing and cleaning: I’d make sure she was properly trained.

Inappropriate humour aside (and quickly glossed over in case she reads this review) The Path of Service is a clever and useful book that could prove invaluable to many couples entering an S/M relationship. Unlike conventional relationships, where most participants know all the rules (or are at least comfortable making them up as they go along) S/M relationships rely on a unique blend of trust and personal awareness. slavette’s book, with its thought-provoking exercises and pearls of Zen-like wisdom, encourages submissives to write down their thoughts, feelings, hopes and expectations so they can better understand their own motivations.

None of this comes across as condescending or patronising. slavette clearly enjoys a life of sexual servitude and knows how difficult it has been to balance her own sense of self-worth alongside her desire to please her master(s). The weight of her experience and knowledge ring through from the pages with a clarity that can only be borne from true sincerity.

The Path of Service is not a book for everyone. And, as it is purchased, it does not contain any of the answers a new slave might be trying find. But it does contain a path to find those answers. Many of the book’s pages are either blank or lined: so the reader can respond to the questions that have been posed, or include their own thoughts on a suggested subject. As a thought-provoking tool to help anyone in an S/M relationship who wants to better understand their personal needs: The Path of Service is essential.

The Path of Service by Christina “slavette” Parker
(Nazca Plains Corp.; May 1, 2006; ISBN: 1887895140)
Available at: Amazon.com / Amazon UK

Ashley Lister
February 2007

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© 2007 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.

About the Author:  Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms. His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books; ISBN: 0753511355), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica.  Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto.  He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Email: Ashley Lister
Website: www.ashleylister.co.uk

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