I love all the books by Badger Therese. Here are my reviews for the three available books in the "Female, Recreational" series. I recommend them, utterly! You can find them on Amazon. And if you have a Kindle Unlimited account, they are included. So, check them out!!
Female, Recreational
Hannah, a young woman with a very sheltered background gets seized as an asset when her mother's debt becomes too great to ignore anymore. Due to her great beauty and open heart (which translates to extremely effective sexual intuition), Hannah is irrevocably sold into sexual slavery.
The novel does an incredible job of building a world not so much different from our own, but one where slavery is legal. Those who are unlucky or unfortunate find they must forfeit their rights in order to survive. Generally, that means submitting to the culture of slavery where humans are bought and sold, coldly punished for infractions, chained and kept in cages, used for sex, labor, and research. The world is so well developed that an infinite number of engaging horror stories could be written within its confines. But, this is the story of a young woman who is brilliant and has a heart that is greater than all of us. She is simply navigating this new life, trying her best to come to terms with her situation, and still finding a thread of empathy for all those, whether free or slave, she encounters. Her path through this horrific world is so incredibly uplifting that by the end of the novel, I wanted to be a better human.
The word "horror" must be defined in the context of this novel. I am NOT speaking of blood and guts and severe physical and sexual abuse that you may find in "dark" novels. Instead I am talking about really small petty things that we do (likely unintentionally) every day which, for Hannah - the slave, could lead to punishments. She knows that she is now just a product - a very expensive product - and her future depends on her owners being satisfied. In this world, the culture of slavery has become so ingrained that the inhabitants see the slaves as something less than human. What may appear to be love between individuals of the two classes only extends as far as the owner's satisfaction. This is the story of Hannah, who navigates the pettiness and jealousies of fellow slaves and her owners with astounding brilliance and humanity.
Yes. This is a fetishy novel with extensive care in the description of how the heroine is chained and caged. There are explicit descriptions of her sexual encounters which are certainly not consensual (she's a slave!), but still, never violent. I would rarely, rarely ever give a fetish novel a five star rating. I read them for the fantasy and entertainment, not for their great literary value. But here, alas, I have been tricked. This has been the best fetishy novel I have ever read. Even after ~450 pages, I was devastated that I had reached the end.
So very much recommended!
Female Recreational II: Kenneled
This is the sequel to “Female, Recreational” (obviously). It picks up where the first book left off following Hannah as she navigates her life as a modern world female sex slave. In this alternate US, slavery is legal. Although those who are slaves DO have rights, so this is not about whips and violence and snuff. Indeed, Hannah has been bought for $1.5 Million so she is treated more like a status symbol by the family that owns her. Also, she is kept locked down like something worth that much money as well. Her owners are more worried about her being stolen than simply running away. And so, this is the root of the fetishistic aspect of this novel. Hannah is constantly in some form of bondage - she sleeps in a cage, she is kept in fetters outside of the cage. Also, she is a particularly attractive and talented sex worker, so she is often nude in public and sexual relations are often assumed. She is always given the choice whether or not to have sex with the men and women in this book, but she is generally always going to do it, because that is her job in life - “female, recreational”. She enjoys it as well.
All the societal protections required to support this form of modern legal slavery allows the author to observe human interactions from a completely different paradigm. That is what makes this novel brilliant and why I whole-heartedly give it 5 stars.
I am totally in love with Hannah’s character. She is truly the gem of the story. Some of the situations that she gets into actually parallel situations in real life. For example, when some characters see her naked and in chains, they have obvious preconceptions regarding who she is. They can not believe that she spends her free time doing online courses to pursue a physics degree.
What kinds of friendships form between slaves and free people or slave and other slaves? In one passage, Hannah observes two free people flirting - attempting to gauge interest, figuring out how to get a first date. This was juxtaposed with Hannah and another slave male who, in passing, meet and casually decide to have sex - because they have permission from their owners and that is what they do.
It is also interesting how easy it is for some perfectly nice individuals to thoughtlessly treat Hannah in ways that are utterly degrading. For example, at one point Hannah is left languishing naked in a covered cage in the corner of a college classroom simply because the professor does not yet need her as a prop. People just have assumptions about what boundaries exist (or don’t exist) based on the individual’s status in society.
So, once again, while this is erotica with sex and bondage and enough sexually related bodily fluids to fill a… a large container… There is also a powerful, relevant social commentary.
I love this book. I love Hannah. I was sad that the book had to end. I really, really hope that there is a Female, Recreational 3. (Please!)
Female, Recreational III: Spartacine
Oh, how happy was I to waken one day and find that Female, Recreational III had been published! The main character, Hannah - a very expensive sex slave - is one of my favorite, most beloved characters in all books that I have ever read. Perhaps, that is a sad statement about me and my literary chops. It may well be. But, then again, perhaps you should read and decide for yourself.
For, in Hannah, we have a character that is utterly sympathetic to the reader in all ways. She is too expensive for her owners to allow to remain unguarded and thus spends most of her time kenneled or in fetters. Yet, she is loved (in a way) and she loves (in a full-hearted way). Though she is in chains, she is utterly free when it comes to sexual pleasure. Just as a professional athlete would naturally exercise in the off-season. There is no question from her handlers that she will need to maintain her sexual skills on a daily basis. The veil of shame and sexual repression has been lifted from her and what we see is a brilliant character living in a different paradigm than any other you may encounter.
Hannah is not just all sex though. She also has a brilliant mind, ever eager to learn and experience. In this book, Hannah has matured a little. She has had the time to consider her lot in life and she arrives at some very radical conclusions. “I have been imprisoned. Wrongly,” she determines. And, “It is the duty of all of those wrongly imprisoned to challenge their confinement. To escape, in mind if not body. To sabotage.” And finally, “No matter the cost.”
Hannah loves her owners like a family. She is allowed to visit her birth mother. She is allowed to take online college courses and apply for a position at a university. She is allowed to submit research papers in order to receive a scholarship. She is allowed to hold congress carnally with her fellow slaves. So, Hannah’s rebellion is not some constant string of out-lashings, but rather something much more subtle and brilliant and subversive and devastating. A lot of the fun is watching her plan evolve and observing her gentle steps through small deceits, each corporally punishable, ever towards a grand reckoning.
And so, once again, I must do no less than recommend this book. It is such a thrill to observe Hannah and her interactions amongst a host of other wonderful characters as she navigates her world of minor injustices and the consequences of trying to right wrongs - the sacrifice one may need to make for justice for all. Concepts that play marvelously against the backdrop of real-world America. This is a thinking-person’s tale mixed thick with erotica and social commentary.
And… I hope, whole heartedly, not the end of Hannah’s story…
Topic: Female, Recreational by Badger Therese (Read 6794 times)