 Cameron
Abbottreviews Radclyffe's Shadowland Paperback: 250 pages, $17.99
Publisher: BookEnds Press; (February 2004) ISBN: 1932667067 Available at Amazon |
| Shadowland,
by Radclyffe Reviewed by Cameron Abbott Radclyffe’s new offering, Shadowland, marks a departure from the author’s oeuvre of lesbian romances, which have tended to use the worlds of law enforcement or hospitals as their settings. Fans of Radclyffe will not be disappointed by the new ground charted here, however. At its core, Shadowland is a love story – albeit a dark one, as its name implies – and its appearance serves to confirm Radclyffe’s place as one of the most accomplished and versatile writers of lesbian fiction. Tackling the difficult theme of lesbian S/M, Shadowland leaves all judgments and preconceptions at the door as it follows the protagonist Kyle Kirk in her search for love through an exploration of dominance/submission role-playing. In the hands of a lesser writer, the story could have easily devolved into a dry political manifesto or, at the other extreme, a simple series of cheap sex thrills. Although Radclyffe certainly gives us plenty of hot sex, she masterfully avoids the obvious pitfalls, and weaves instead a thoughtful and thought-provoking tale of Kyle’s personal journey through the shadowland of the S/M demi-monde, from initiation to ultimate enlightenment. Along the way, issues of power, trust and betrayal are deftly handled in nuanced and textured prose that is both intelligent and deeply personal. The sex is exciting, the story is daring, the characters are well-developed and interesting – in short, Radclyffe has once again pulled together all the ingredients of a genuine page-turner, this time adding some new spices into the mix. Whatever one’s personal take on the subject matter, Shadowland is sure to please – in part because Radclyffe never loses sight of the fact that she is telling a love story, and a compelling one at that. |
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