Author Norman McClelland draws on personal experience as a voluntary slave, or “v-slave,” in this comprehensive manual intended for use within the Master/slave (or M/s) subculture.
Slave Scripture coaches readers on how to successfully assume the role of slave in a consensual and conscientious manner. It covers common subjects such as safety, both in and out of sexual situations, as well as navigating family and community. McClelland also delves into the mundane: how and when to eat in public, use the bathroom and so on.
While similar guides are already available, most are formulated for Masters “training” their slaves. In addition to this uncommon perspective, McClelland covers topics overlooked by many. For example, he includes a balanced discussion on whether romantic love is an appropriate component to an M/s relationship, and how this can interfere with the necessary power differential of Master and slave. For non-M/s readers curious about what this kind of relationship entails, McClelland does an excellent job of explaining the psychology of a person who chooses to “make most of his wants and needs secondary to the wants and needs of another.”
Occasionally, McClelland’s chapters are based too much on personal experience rather than from a broader perspective. For example, his brief section on “Hair” describes both a past and current Master’s perspective on his beard, but glosses over hair on other areas of the body. This is also one of several sections in which McClelland misses nuances that may happen in M/s dynamics with one or more female-identified participants, since his own experience is that of a male slave with a male Master.
If you are a female M/s practitioner or want a general guide to BDSM kinks and fetishes, this may not be quite what you arer looking for. However, if you’re seeking specifics on how to delve deeper into a male/male M/s relationship, or have curiosities about the M/s lifestyle, this book is a well-informed contribution to current literature.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
