Review: The Academy

The fourth book inThe Marketplace Series by author Laura Antoniou is titledThe Academy: Tales of the Marketplace. It is a marked departure from the rest of the series as this is a compilation of short stories by a variety of authors, including Ms. Antoniou and her wife, Karen Taylor. As well, the stories are joined together with narratives supplied by Ms. Antoniou. This may be the most satisfying of the entire series as it gives the reader a fresh prospective of these well known characters.

The story is set in Japan where an 'Academy' of the Marketplace has formed to review various rules and regulations that they are currently operating under. Chris Parker is back, attending the academy to submit a paper for review. Having been sent there by Anderson, he is accompanied by his 'slave', Michael LaGuardia, a character introduced to us in book three. Late in the story, Anderson makes an appearance, bringing along Chris Parker's real life brother, another character that has previously been made known to the reader.

The hosts are the Japanese contingent of the Marketplace, up until now very little has been seen of them. However, they become an integral part of this book and of the following, book 5, so note them well. It is funny that is has taken this long for them to make an appearance in the series since the formal manners of the Japanese and Eastern cultures on the whole are prime examples of what the Marketplace is all about.

Kendra Mandarin, the over the top flamboyant female, is back as well, one of the most well known spotters of our little gang. Readers will recall she is the one who brought Robin to Chris Parker in book two. She also brings along her twins for the journey who provide some hours of amusement for the attendees.

The stories are neatly tied together in some spots as stories being told to others at the Academy while we follow along in the adventures of Chris and Michael. We also discover along the way the background story of Rachel, how she became involved with Chris and how she came to be working with Grendel and Alex. Geoff Negel is another returning character as the Academy is chock-full of a who's who in the Marketplace.

There are a few notable stories to be on the look out for:

A personal favorite isInsha'allah by Karen Taylor. This lovely piece tells the tale of Khadija; a young woman who finds herself in a quandary after her father passes away and leaves her basically in charge of his large company. Her uncle, being old fashioned like the country she lives in, finds it unacceptable that she is unmarried and sets out to find her a husband. Khadija goes about, in quite an unorthodox way, finding her own husband. Her story gives us a chance to view the Marketplace from a different angle.

Ms. Taylor also provides us with another interesting tale, featuring a beloved character from the first novel, Claudia. InThank You, Miss Claudia, we see the transformation she underwent during her training with Alex and Grendel has held up and she is a formidable and much admired slave in her household.

Bull's-eye by Celilia Tan is another stand out. It introduces us to a lost but not forgotten spotter by the name of Matson and the slave that undid his career named Lily. It is a cautionary tale of how things can go horribly wrong when a spotter attempts to train his own finds.

Among the more peculiar of the chapters is "The Dog and Pony Show" which gives the reader a glimpse into some of the more interesting sexual fetishes. It is exactly as it sounds and not nearly has humorous.

Redemption by Michael Hernandez takes us into the seamier side of Amsterdam, spotters and a brisk education on strap-ons. This chapter is unusual as it is even darker than most. Enjoyable reading nonetheless.

The Nurse by Karen Taylor is another haunting tale, dealing with loss and love. It is one that will stick with you after you have set it down.

Again, the series delivers fine adventures for those of us who enjoy BDSM and the Master/slave relationships. In a literary world where most of the Master/slave stories come for a science fiction series set on the mythical planet of Gor, this is a far more realistic and Earth-bound concept. The violence, strict discipline and S&M may not be for everyone but if it is something that intrigues you or even something you enjoy in your real life, you will find something interesting within this well-written series. An excellent climax to the series overall, this volume is a treasure you will savor. Enjoy!