Master
Colette Gale

Master tells an alternate version of the famed classic, setting its story mostly from the point of view of Edmond Dantes' intended, Mercedes Herrera Mondego. From the first page, the reader is swept into an erotic tale of true love. Yet the revenge theme that makes The Count the classic it is hasn't been abandoned. Characters face their downfalls, all right, and the Count gets what he seeks. But he also gets more, in the form of his once-intended. Mercedes is no simpering woman; she is smart enough to figure out the game very quickly. And she is wily enough to turn it back around on the Count more than once.

No matter what course the lives of Mercedes and Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo, have taken since the night Edmond was dragged off to prison, when the two come together, sparks fly, clothes melt away, and there's enough heat here to melt iron.

This is the part of Colette Gale's writing that receives the most attention. Readers seem to either love or hate the erotic scenes that pervade each and every chapter. They are graphic, there is no sugar-coating that. Yet given that the front cover proclaims this book to be An Erotic Novel, readers should be aware of what they're in store for when they pick the book up. There is no excuse for someone who claims they didn't know.

The erotic writing is not here to merely titillate. Given that the Count's chosen method of revenge against Mercedes is a sexual one, the sex earns its spot in the book. Go back to that Erotic Novel bit: sex is also present in the two subplots that further explain the stories of various characters from the original, including one scene in which things go a bit too far and is disturbing enough when it happens. Upon further reflection, it becomes even more so. And, as a credit the characters, they are touched deeply by it, too. Maybe even bettered by the experience.  

Ultimately, this is a story of bitterness, of what we can learn, and how love can change us when we allow it to -- for better or for worse. When the end of the book comes and all is at last revealed, we see the lengths love can drive us to. But we also see the power of the act of sex, itself.

One of the strengths of Master is the growth all of the characters undergo. The Count and Mercedes both change and learn, but so does the supporting cast. These aren't static, plastic people who watch life bounce off them. And while it would be nice to see more of the Count than just his all-consuming need for revenge, once the reader steps back and looks at the story more critically, those glimpses of a deeper soul are there. A less-round character would not have denied Haydee's bathtime desire, for example. Nor would a one-dimensional character have pulled off the Romeo and Juliet-esque plot twist at the end.

"Colette Gale," herself, is a recast of an other, popular writer. I am either lucky or unlucky enough to know who Colette really is. Lucky because I love her books, but unlucky in that I found myself comparing the two writers. In the very beginning, I felt that Gale's scenes weren't set as carefully or as vividly as her counterpart's, that they had a breathiness and breeziness that was almost annoying when you know what sort of powerful scenes Gale can create. That, however, fell away as the book went on. The ending scenes, in particular, are as richly described in mood and detail as I was expecting in the early going. That, too, could be argued is there to help illustrate the way in which the characters change. They become more aware of their surroundings and the way others are affected. It's an interesting yet subtle commentary on the tale.

Subtle and complex, Master is one of those reads you will devour the way the characters devour each other. And like them, you'll come away wanting more.