Even has a bit of heart between the extreme

White & Rufty know how to ratchet up the action and they don't hold up here. A well told tale with an interesting cast of characters and even a bit of heart.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Do I Have Your Consent?

I’d like to say something right away. I’ve been consuming audiobooks a great deal for the last few years. I listen to them when I’m driving, I listen to them when I’m at the gym, and I occasionally even listen to them when I’m relaxing at home. Normally, I’m a fan. In this case, I think I would have been better off reading the book in either physical or digital format. If you’re familiar with my reviews, I typically focus on the story first and mention the audiobook narrator at the very end. I’m deviating from that here. In most instances, an audiobook narrator should be virtually invisible–like the word “said”–in that they neither add nor subtract from the quality of the narrative they’re reciting. In the best cases, they elevate the narrative with the caliber of their performance. This is neither of those scenarios. I was not impressed with Louise Cooksey’s narration. Most of the performance was great, but her attempts to capture the individual voices of the male characters within the story left a lot to be desired. They universally sounded like whining, nasal, teenage boys who had recently been dumped. This was suitable for the character of SLAVEMASTER, but it made the audiobook harder to listen to than if she’d simply used her general narrative voice instead. None of this is meant to suggest she’s a bad audiobook narrator–she definitely was not–just that her voices for a couple of characters made it a bit of a challenge to stay in the story.

As far as the story is concerned, it was almost a cautionary tale about the online fetish websites of the 1990s and early 2000s…much of it focusing on the worst elements within that world. Naturally, that makes sense, when you’re familiar with the case of John Edward Robinson…the inspiration behind the story’s antagonist.

Rufty and White introduce readers to a world of depravity and torture–only some of it consensual. Readers familiar with bondage, domination, and sadism aren’t likely to be squeamish…and much of the content will be less shocking than one might expect from the authors. I don’t think the purpose was to be shocking…but rather to guide readers into a world they may not be familiar with–or may only have a 50 Shades of Grey introductory-level understanding of–before taking them beyond their comfort levels and urging them to shout out a safe word that will only fall on deaf ears.

It’s the hellish conclusion of the story where White and Rufty come out to play, no longer satisfied to play tour guides in the well-trod ground of S&M and B&D…desperate instead to take you somewhere you only accidentally discovered. If you’d only stayed somewhere safe, somewhere comfortable, somewhere you knew the rules…you would have been fine. But you let them take the reins.

You asked for this, after all?

You consented.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Highly recommended  

For me, The more extreme, the better and this does that very well

The fact that this is based on a real life serial killer enhanced the storytelling having something to base it on

I thought that Louise did a fantastic job narrating the subject matter
If you’re looking for a erotic thriller, that isn’t afraid to push, the envelope, look no further 5stars

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Not at all what I was expecting but in a good way!

I went into this completely blind. I expected it to be pretty much straight up torture BdSM stuff. There is a legit plot here. Multiple POV, mystery, murder and so much more!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Captivating Narration and Gripping Storytelling

I recently listened to the audiobook version of "Master of Pain" on Audible, and it was truly a captivating experience. The narrator's voice was engaging and perfectly suited to the story's tone. The production quality was top-notch, with clear audio and seamless transitions between chapters. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with its gripping plot twists and well-developed characters. Overall, I highly recommend the audiobook version of "Master of Pain" to fans of hardcore horror looking for a thrilling and immersive listening experience.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Just so twisted

This was beyond my comfort level. BDSM is euphoric for some and what this book describes goes way over extreme perversions. I’m just way too vanilla I guess

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Master of Pain

When you get White and Rufty in the same room, you get brutal. Good storyline. Decent character building. Fast paced story and hard to put down.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Lots of triggers, no safe words. Proceed with caution…if you dare

I have read several fetishist gone too far themed books of the splattery variety. The last few I read were major disappointments, despite being highly rated and widely praised. The author of those last few books has a very supportive fan base and that’s great for them, but after reading their work, all that praise feels a bit disingenuous. I have concluded that I just don’t like that author’s writing style and probably won’t read more of their sexually charged titles. When I read a book centered around sex, even in horror, I want sexy language. I want to cringe at the horror and tingle at the titillating. I want Master of Pain.

Melanie is a young single mother looking to spice up her life. She decides to explore her darker desires by lurking in the BDSM forums and ends up meeting someone calling himself Slavemaster (red flag). They message back and forth a bit and eventually Melanie agrees to meet in person. He sends her a contract (red flag) that she holds on to until after she makes an ass of herself with the babysitter/crush. I know that need to feel like more than just your baby’s mother all too well, but I wanted to scream at Melanie right up to the point where she met up with Slavemaster. But only up to that point because by then, I knew she was a goner.

While this book was inspired by the story of America’s first online serial killer, John Edward Robinson, this is not a humans are the real monsters story. It is, but it’s also more. This takes Robinson’s claims of supernatural influence and brings them to life. You see, Slavemaster is trying to spice up his own life as well. Slavemaster wants desperately to be accepted by the Council, who look at him like he’s Frank in Hellraiser and they’re the Cenobites. Strong Clive Barker/Hellraiser vibes, which I love.

I was familiar with Wrath James White’s work going into this. He has a way with words that I really appreciate. He is a poet and a wordsmith. I haven’t read Kristopher Rufty before, and I don’t know which parts he contributed, but the end result is so good. I’ll be dipping into his catalog for sure. I think the only thing that would have made this more enjoyable is if WJW had narrated it himself. If you’ve ever heard him speak, you get it. That said, Louise Cooksey’s narration is great. She is a seasoned narrator and very good at what she does. I really liked this book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!