Mr. Benson: A Novel

This is not an easy book to read, as many reviewers have said before me. It's an honest look at the dynamics of a master/slave relationship, including the rough scenes, the fetishes, and the kink. The book lacks much of the "mushiness" of the more idolized master/slave stories written over the last few years, but it's not a "cruel" portrayal of just the "roughness".

I think it's a fascinating look at power exchange and the psychology behind it. Most of the story is told by Jamie's (the slave), but what really makes this book stand out for me is the epilogue. It's written from the point of view of the master (Mr. Benson) and illuminates many of his actions, giving them a meaning and interpretation you would have never suspected from show more reading Jamie's account. show less

Okay, this book isn't perfect. I have yet to read one that is. There are a few typos, but not enough to detract from the overall effect, which is what I base my ratings on.

I'd heard so much about this cult classic, and the way it has been a forerunner for the genre, pre-empting many of the latter BDSM slave/master books. I didn't expect to find anything new, assuming most that have been written since to be derivatives of this.

And when I say I was surprised, I'm not talking here about the plot twist which the author used to make a couple of statements about different kinds of kink.

What I hadn't expected were two beautifully expressed aspects of the whole BDSM psychology.

Firstly from Jamie in that vivid scene where he goes back to the show more Mineshaft in his leathers and enters the room with the sling and just watches the men circling who want to be placed in it and the hawks against the wall:

"Mr. Benson had taken away my pride, but then he had replaced it with a new kind - the pride of belonging.
But now I was like the rest of them: in such great need that anyone who would pay attention would be the man for tonight. There was no emotional bond to be considered."

This whole scene and the ones following it, resonated with me more than any others in the rest of the book. Not so much Jamie's involvement in them, but because of all the other people depicted. I could imagine the desperation and the boredom so easily. This disconnectedness and sheer want is very obvious to the onlooker, albeit on a less intense scale, at events like the Mardi Gras party. There are a lot of lonely guys out there.

Then later, in the section from Mr Benson's POV, another epiphany came when he says:

But no one ever writes about the cumulative effect of SM. How every time becomes another building block in your respect for a bottom...... Every time I'd present him with a test or an obstacle and he'd get through it, the emotion of my pride would build. It was the constant willingness on his part to work at being worthy of me that created the ever-increasing respect I had for him.

The rest of the scenes in the book fell into line with others that have been written since, but for me, those two sections captured the essence of that need and what people really into BDSM get out of the experience.

For Jamie, it was having an emotional bond and belonging to not just any top, but to Mr. Benson and for Aristotle, it was having someone who trusted him enough to allow himself to be molded to what he wanted him to be.

I'm not saying other BDSM writers don't get this angle. Some do, brilliantly, but I did like the way John Preston presented it all so simply.

The book is not for the squeamish, but after reading "Carried Away" by David Stein, short stories by Barry Lowe and true life accounts by Dirk Vanden, the more intense gritty scenes were not unexpected.

It's a shame the book isn't available as an ebook, and I do thank Kate for the gift. show less

I can see why this is a classic. It's an enjoyable read but it's not literature. The author is good at what he does, creating a titillating read with out the frills. This book makes no apologies for what it is and manages to stand the test of time, which is unusual for many pulp books of that era.

The first half of Mr. Benson is a wonderful coming of age type novel, then it becomes some sort of half baked mystery. Although I enjoyed the book and have told many people to read it, I feel it's an over rated classic. However, it is a good introduction to s/m.

I thought that it might be interesting to read a novel about a SM-relationship but I got the idea that I ended up reading something about a SM phantasy with a lot of sex in all kinds of environments: gang bangs, sex in a hotel, even a real slave market. Well, that might be entertaining and thrilling for some, but I was so curious about the emotional entanglement between two men who are involved with one another. But unfortunately except for a lot of sex I didn't get a convincing answer to that. Conclusion: to much phantasy about SM sex, to little real life

This is a classic kinky gay porn book about a hot young man in the city looking for the perfect top to do all kinds of delicious deviant things. There was a lot more piss than I was expecting and a murder mystery, which was unexpected. A bit dated, but still hot.

Available at local library.