High Couch of Silistra by Janet E. Morris

I found this book to be similar and far superior to the oft praised 'The Handmaid's Tale' (published in 1985). The fact that this was originally published in 1977 is absolutely astounding. As always, my opinions are solely my own. Many thanks to Perseid Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the newly released eBook. If you like 'Barbarella' - you'll probably like this series. However, it doesn't allow the sex to get in the way of a good story either, or to 'dumb it down.' The mix works for me. Just keep in mind that this is primarily a sex-fantasy and only secondarily a sci-fi-fantasy. I still found it enormously entertaining. Some of the descriptions (especially of the outfits) were amusingly 1970's-tinged. On re-reading, the sex wasn't quite as graphically explicit as I'd remembered, but it was clear enough, and, really, just as racy as I'd thought it was. And along the way, Estri has a lot of sex. When her mother dies, she lays an obligation on her to find her father. Childbearing is one of the most important social responsibilities on Silistra, symbolized by the twisted chain called the chald worn by all upstanding citizens - so it's a desired outcome.īorn into the Well system, Estri has no idea who her father is, but knows that he was an offworlder. However, this is no 'feminist' paradise - a woman becomes a man's property if he manages to impregnate her. Promiscuous sexuality is expected, and status and power is centered around the 'wells' - brothels run and controlled by women. Due to their difficulty in having children, Silistra has developed an interesting economic system. I remembered the basic story: Estri, a beautiful woman of the planet Silistra, is the High Couch of Astria - one of the most powerful people on the planet, and also a high-paid prostitute. Going back to read it again, decades later, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. But it was certainly something that made a lasting impression on me. My five-star rating is taking that early experience into consideration.

She had absolutely no idea what she'd provided me with. Nope, she never did, and I got all the sequels out of the library later, too. I was probably eleven or twelve? My mom was not a fan of 'trashy' books, and I read this with big eyes, hoping that she didn't decide to peek inside. She knew I liked fantasy, and came home with a random selection of paperbacks.

I first read this book because my mom checked it out of the library for me.

High Couch of Silistra by Janet E. Morris