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Master of O
Enter the decadent dungeons frequented by the powerful players of Los Angeles in this sexy virtual page turner! Steven Diamond is a high-powered LA attorney by day, but by night he uses his wealth and influence to indulge his most intimate desires - including the domination and ownership of his choice of beautiful and willing female slaves. His life is a waking dream until his younger half-brother, Ray, presents him with a unique gift: The eponymous O, a mysterious and seductive submissive hedonist in search of a master deserving of her complete devotion. Master of O takes you inside the hidden world of the most privileged and indulgent elite pleasure seekers, a world at once enticingly exotic and recognizable as Steven and O navigate the dangerous territories of desire, power, and gratification in this modern classic of erotic obsession, a new addition to The Story of O saga, told for the first time from the point of view of the dominant man. "Ernest Greene s long, loving riff on the most significant sexy book of all time is the real deal gripping and pervy, knowing and witty, sexy and moving. If Story of O played out today, here s what the other side of that classic tale would look like: brainy and literate, scarily observant of the details of the kinky LA good life, where exotic furs are faux, whips are Jay Marston, flight attendants wear translucent blue latex, and the power-trappings of masculine dress finally get the fetish stylist they deserve. Read it for the dead smart vocabulary and cryptic Jethro Tull reference, or read it for the hot, hot characters and the searing sex but read it!" Carol Queen, Author, The Leather Daddy & The Femme; Co-founder, The Center for Sex & Culture "Ernest Greene's Master of O is more than a welcome snapshot of a side of the sexual spectrum we never see; it's a dense, poignant, and often hilarious document of a dark world full of collars, snaps, cinches, creases, ornamentation, red marks, and things that need to be just so. It is also brutally erotic. The California Stephen Diamond, Esq. and the intriguing O inhabit is our California, just 50 shades sexier. --Gram Ponante Author, A Porn Valley Odyssey: Making "The Facts of Life XXX "
764 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
49 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Ernest Greene
7 books10 followersErnest Greene has served as Executive Editor of the best-selling adult magazine Hustler's Taboo since 1999 and most recently as Chief Associate Editor for Hustler's All-Sex issues.
Greene, who is particularly well known for his groundbreaking approach to the presentation of unconventional sexuality related to consensual domination and submission, has participated in the production of adult video for three decades as a performer, writer, director and producer. His body of work comprises over five hundred titles, including AVN award winners Strictly for Pleasure, Mask of Innocence, Tristan Taormino's Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women and Jenna Loves Pain. With his wife, Nina Hartley, he has served as producer and director of the Nina Hartley's Guide series of adult sex education programs for video market leader Adam&Eve Pictures. The series has sold over three quarters of a million videos to date and now comprises forty titles. His own XXX features for Adam&Eve, O: The Power of Submission, Surrender of O, The Truth About O and The Perfect Secretary: Training Day have won multiple awards and are among the best selling X-rated story-driven titles in recent years.
Greene, who is particularly well known for his groundbreaking approach to the presentation of unconventional sexuality related to consensual domination and submission, has participated in the production of adult video for three decades as a performer, writer, director and producer. His body of work comprises over five hundred titles, including AVN award winners Strictly for Pleasure, Mask of Innocence, Tristan Taormino's Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women and Jenna Loves Pain. With his wife, Nina Hartley, he has served as producer and director of the Nina Hartley's Guide series of adult sex education programs for video market leader Adam&Eve Pictures. The series has sold over three quarters of a million videos to date and now comprises forty titles. His own XXX features for Adam&Eve, O: The Power of Submission, Surrender of O, The Truth About O and The Perfect Secretary: Training Day have won multiple awards and are among the best selling X-rated story-driven titles in recent years.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 31, 2014
A modern retelling of the classic Story of O, with a twist: it's told by the dominant, not the submissive. You do get the occasional flash from O's point of view, and the other brother, Ray, but this is mostly Stephen's story. Author Ernest Greene has written an elegant, sensual and intelligent book.
I started reading Master of O a week ago, and didn't think it would take me long to finish. I'm a notoriously fast reader. However, the book took much longer than I expected. I had to keep stopping to masturbate. I usually only have that problem when I’m writing my own erotica, so I was definitely impressed.
While Master of O certainly stands on its own, having read Story of O (as practically every kinky person has), I think I appreciated it even more. Story of O is a fabulous erotic story that has fueled thousands of fantasies, but it has some serious flaws. Master of O repairs most of the scratches and dents left on my consciousness by the original.
I read Story of O many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, and I have a hard time separating the book from the 70s movie (also seen a long time ago). Both book and movie fascinated and disturbed me in equal measure, I think because back then I had no understanding of real consensual BDSM to give me context.
Even as I was turned on by it, I was confused as to why O would submit herself to such torture, and it made me uncomfortable with my own reactions to it all. I have to agree with Ernest Greene's observation, that the two dominants of the story hardly seemed capable of inspiring such a depth of devotion from any woman. (Besides, I just can’t take a man named “Renee” seriously. My apologies to the French.)
Now, knowing the original author’s reasons for writing Story of O in the first place (to please a lover whose sadomasochistic interests she did not share, as well as to prove wrong his chauvinist assertion that no woman could possibly write erotica as well as his hero, the Marquis de Sade), I understand better the sense of chilly detachment that I found in it. There are occasional whiffs of the author’s disapproval of her characters’ actions, and a total lack of understanding for their motivations.
Master of O doesn’t suffer from any of those flaws. It is obvious in every line that Ernest Greene understands both the desires and the satisfactions of consensual BDSM. We get to see the wheels turning in the mind of the master as he plans out a scene and reads his submissive’s reactions. And oh, my, does Master Stephen have some fabulous toys!
I’d like to have all those toys, but I’d settle for his closet. When you read it, you’ll understand. Some women dream of sexual domination, but all women lust for that kind of closet space.
Ernest has had a lifelong fascination for Story of O, but has expressed his dismay at the ending. He’s not the only one to feel that way. The ending of Story of O fucking sucked. It was as disappointing and frustrating as that first bondage video I ever saw, but Master of O has made it up to me.
Reactions to Master of O’s ending will probably be split. Ten years ago, at the beginning of my journey and at the height of my joyous emersion in slavery, I would probably have thrown something across the room, or at least pouted.
Today, with thirteen years of experience in the reality of BDSM, I think the ending of Master of O is perfect in its irony. Ernest Greene has given O the substance and understanding that her original creator did not. You cannot read this book and wonder what O wants and why.
Master of O is a well-written, stylish, sensual and utterly beautiful piece of erotic fiction that should be required as a companion to the original.
Or you could just forget the original and read Master of O. For my money, it’s a much better use of your time.
You can get a copy in digital or paperback at masterofo.com. I suggest the digital, because it's easier to hold a Kindle with one hand. You'll need the other for… well, you know.
I started reading Master of O a week ago, and didn't think it would take me long to finish. I'm a notoriously fast reader. However, the book took much longer than I expected. I had to keep stopping to masturbate. I usually only have that problem when I’m writing my own erotica, so I was definitely impressed.
While Master of O certainly stands on its own, having read Story of O (as practically every kinky person has), I think I appreciated it even more. Story of O is a fabulous erotic story that has fueled thousands of fantasies, but it has some serious flaws. Master of O repairs most of the scratches and dents left on my consciousness by the original.
I read Story of O many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, and I have a hard time separating the book from the 70s movie (also seen a long time ago). Both book and movie fascinated and disturbed me in equal measure, I think because back then I had no understanding of real consensual BDSM to give me context.
Even as I was turned on by it, I was confused as to why O would submit herself to such torture, and it made me uncomfortable with my own reactions to it all. I have to agree with Ernest Greene's observation, that the two dominants of the story hardly seemed capable of inspiring such a depth of devotion from any woman. (Besides, I just can’t take a man named “Renee” seriously. My apologies to the French.)
Now, knowing the original author’s reasons for writing Story of O in the first place (to please a lover whose sadomasochistic interests she did not share, as well as to prove wrong his chauvinist assertion that no woman could possibly write erotica as well as his hero, the Marquis de Sade), I understand better the sense of chilly detachment that I found in it. There are occasional whiffs of the author’s disapproval of her characters’ actions, and a total lack of understanding for their motivations.
Master of O doesn’t suffer from any of those flaws. It is obvious in every line that Ernest Greene understands both the desires and the satisfactions of consensual BDSM. We get to see the wheels turning in the mind of the master as he plans out a scene and reads his submissive’s reactions. And oh, my, does Master Stephen have some fabulous toys!
I’d like to have all those toys, but I’d settle for his closet. When you read it, you’ll understand. Some women dream of sexual domination, but all women lust for that kind of closet space.
Ernest has had a lifelong fascination for Story of O, but has expressed his dismay at the ending. He’s not the only one to feel that way. The ending of Story of O fucking sucked. It was as disappointing and frustrating as that first bondage video I ever saw, but Master of O has made it up to me.
Reactions to Master of O’s ending will probably be split. Ten years ago, at the beginning of my journey and at the height of my joyous emersion in slavery, I would probably have thrown something across the room, or at least pouted.
Today, with thirteen years of experience in the reality of BDSM, I think the ending of Master of O is perfect in its irony. Ernest Greene has given O the substance and understanding that her original creator did not. You cannot read this book and wonder what O wants and why.
Master of O is a well-written, stylish, sensual and utterly beautiful piece of erotic fiction that should be required as a companion to the original.
Or you could just forget the original and read Master of O. For my money, it’s a much better use of your time.
You can get a copy in digital or paperback at masterofo.com. I suggest the digital, because it's easier to hold a Kindle with one hand. You'll need the other for… well, you know.
November 17, 2014
I finally finished “Master of O,” and, to put it simply, I loved it. The rich language put me in mind of the great 19th Century erotic novels that I loved as a young woman just finding out about “porn.” The detailed descriptions of the settings, the people and the things they own transported me to a fascinatingly erotic world, providing a truly memorable experience. I was a huge Romance junkie as a teenager and this book was such a surprise, seamlessly placing the daringly explicit sex action into the larger context of the character’s day-to-day lives.
I liked how the sexual situations were portrayed, especially the one with O and the two half-brothers. It brought to mind a missed opportunity from years ago, when I passed on playing with a set of brothers (I’m still kicking myself on that one). I’m not as BDSM-specifically-focused as the characters in the book but how seriously they took what they did and how they did it strongly resonated with me. I’ve rarely read sexual descriptions of any kind so effectively rendered.
Being a woman, this story was as close as I’ve gotten to understanding what goes through a man’s mind when he’s attracted to a woman as strongly as Steven was attracted to O. Most romance books are told from the woman’s point of view, leaving the men to be little more than projection screens for the female protagonist. I appreciate the way the author gave as much time to the inner lives of the men as to those of the women.
I was really taken with how the story was constructed, such as the way things mentioned in passing in the first chapter pay off all through the narrative. The story had Noir-ish overtones in its moral universe but it never descended into parody.
All in all, I think this is a great book for couples. I tried reading some of it out loud to a partner and it worked really well! I can see a couple using passages from the book to set their own mood for sex play, or highlighting different scenes to help a partner figure out what might be fun to do at home.
Highly recommended.
I liked how the sexual situations were portrayed, especially the one with O and the two half-brothers. It brought to mind a missed opportunity from years ago, when I passed on playing with a set of brothers (I’m still kicking myself on that one). I’m not as BDSM-specifically-focused as the characters in the book but how seriously they took what they did and how they did it strongly resonated with me. I’ve rarely read sexual descriptions of any kind so effectively rendered.
Being a woman, this story was as close as I’ve gotten to understanding what goes through a man’s mind when he’s attracted to a woman as strongly as Steven was attracted to O. Most romance books are told from the woman’s point of view, leaving the men to be little more than projection screens for the female protagonist. I appreciate the way the author gave as much time to the inner lives of the men as to those of the women.
I was really taken with how the story was constructed, such as the way things mentioned in passing in the first chapter pay off all through the narrative. The story had Noir-ish overtones in its moral universe but it never descended into parody.
All in all, I think this is a great book for couples. I tried reading some of it out loud to a partner and it worked really well! I can see a couple using passages from the book to set their own mood for sex play, or highlighting different scenes to help a partner figure out what might be fun to do at home.
Highly recommended.
November 10, 2014
I can earnestly recommend this book on many levels. Firstly as a really well written story of erotic fiction with a sexy noir feel, it definitely delivers. All sorts of kinky fun for everyone. As a lesbian, myself, I'd wondered if a male author would "get it right"...he did! But there are all sorts of fun configurations and orientations depicted. Some I identify with, some I do not. But because it is so well written it was a fun to enjoy the ride and be exposed to experiences outside my personal experiences, which isn't that why we read good fiction? It is for me.
As much as this book is sex driven, it is also character driven. It's main character is a dominant heterosexual male with a thoughtful yet flawed inner voice. In my experience this is rare in this genre. All the characters and the relationships with one another are rich and filled in nicely. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the protagonist and his brother. It is an unconventional portrayal of a unique dynamic.
But back to the reason I, and most would buy and read this book. Yes, titillating in all the right ways.
As much as this book is sex driven, it is also character driven. It's main character is a dominant heterosexual male with a thoughtful yet flawed inner voice. In my experience this is rare in this genre. All the characters and the relationships with one another are rich and filled in nicely. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the protagonist and his brother. It is an unconventional portrayal of a unique dynamic.
But back to the reason I, and most would buy and read this book. Yes, titillating in all the right ways.
June 2, 2016
I tried. I really did try to finish this book. I've always been a fan of the original, and this had hope to be a good modern adaptation. Sadly, the author's pretentious obsession with material things bogged down any flow this book had. The BDSM scenes were good, but not good enough to wade through Greene describing all the fancy goodies he would own if he was a gazillionaire.
Greene stays true to the original plot, but the scenes in the original "Story of O" were edgy enough that it didn't matter how uninteresting the rest of their lives were. There was almost no caution or tentative feelings on the part of O, thus no conflict. It just droned on about the daily meanderings of a magazine editor and her gazillionaire boyfriend (and of course, his fancy watches and pens). If you want to read an interesting version of that story, Abigail Barnett's "The Boss" series is much better; it's what 50 Shades should have been.
Master of O is just tripe. Don't waste your time.
Greene stays true to the original plot, but the scenes in the original "Story of O" were edgy enough that it didn't matter how uninteresting the rest of their lives were. There was almost no caution or tentative feelings on the part of O, thus no conflict. It just droned on about the daily meanderings of a magazine editor and her gazillionaire boyfriend (and of course, his fancy watches and pens). If you want to read an interesting version of that story, Abigail Barnett's "The Boss" series is much better; it's what 50 Shades should have been.
Master of O is just tripe. Don't waste your time.
November 14, 2015
If you are a fan of Story of O by Pauline Réage, then you will love Master of O. The characters are amazing and you'll quickly find yourself wrapped up with all of the characters and the story. The women in the book are absolutely brilliantly written. They are strong, fierce women who know what they want and aren't afraid to embrace their wants and needs and refuse to settle for anything less. I love the strong submissive women in this book. I bought this knowing it would be a great read, but it's better than what I could have ever expected. This book should rank up there with other BDSM fictional standards such as Story of O and the Sleeping Beauty trilogy.
May 23, 2015
i really wanted to like this book. i liked the premise, the idea of rejigging the characters from the Story of O into a modern setting was fun; however, this book is so loaded down with unnecessary detail, it bored me. it would be difficult to recreate the masterful (term used deliberately) style of the original, so i respect the author for taking on the challenge, but this book is tedious, there's no tension whatsoever. everyone just goes along with everything. it's all good fun. all good fun isn't sexy alas. this book as missing the darkness of the Story of O.
February 13, 2015
In Master of O, Ernest Greene expertly manages a deft balancing act of sacred and profane. If you are looking for a wickedly debauched romp, you will not be disappointed. But look out- it is the truly thoughtful and profound narrative of transformation that will sneak up from behind and hold you captive!
October 17, 2014
Fairly pompous and overwritten. Hetero. Couldn't get all the way through it.
January 20, 2015
Interesting to say the least
August 21, 2025
I really wanted to love this book; had it on my TBR shelf forever, and was excited to finally dive into it. But it just doesn't work for me. Note: The BDSM is pretty hardcore, so if whipping and caning is not your kink, you probably won't like it.
The good: It's basically fan fiction, an alternative take on the Story of O, but this one includes the Master's perspective. It also includes several other perspectives, and really fleshes out the details, not just of the BDSM aspects, but everything from cars to watches to lingerie. As an Angeleno, I also really enjoyed the place details, street names, etc. It is also very big on consent all the way through, which is HUGELY important.
The bad: For me, it piles on too many details that don't add anything to the story. For example, in one chapter about a Lear jet flight from LA to San Francisco, there's an entire paragraph about the weather that's just THERE - cloud cover blah blah blah, which doesn't affect the flight, the characters, etc. This is why I decided, at 578 pages in, with another 200 to go, to dnf which I rarely do.
A writer friend once described the special details in books as "butter," to be applied lavishly. For example, in a period romance, the reader wants flouncy dresses and balls. The butter here isn't just lavish, it's like the deep fried butter they have at some state fairs. *Everything* is name-checked: the cars, the clothes, the types of watches, the bondage and sensation devices are all described minutely, right down to the special brand cigarette lighters they use to fire up their joints, which is described in almost as much loving detail as the SM scenes. I use cannabis myself; I didn't need a full description of rolling a joint, lighting the joint, this time with the XYZ lighter, smoking the joint, Every Single Time (and it happened often). This is where you can use Tell instead of Show, after the first time, "They went through their usual cannabis ritual, then did ABC."
The characters are all a little too perfect at everything they do. They never worry if they are assuming the correct presentation, or if their partner feels some sort of a way. We're not seeing any emotional struggle, any mistakes (no cane stroke a little too deep or in the wrong spot? ever?). I loathed a particular popular BDSM book, but we at least had some flashbacks to the Dom's earlier experiences and struggles. We don't see these characters learning, growing, or changing, which is what *I* need to really connect to fictional "people." I guess the perfection fantasy and details are enough for some readers, so if that's you, enjoy!
The good: It's basically fan fiction, an alternative take on the Story of O, but this one includes the Master's perspective. It also includes several other perspectives, and really fleshes out the details, not just of the BDSM aspects, but everything from cars to watches to lingerie. As an Angeleno, I also really enjoyed the place details, street names, etc. It is also very big on consent all the way through, which is HUGELY important.
The bad: For me, it piles on too many details that don't add anything to the story. For example, in one chapter about a Lear jet flight from LA to San Francisco, there's an entire paragraph about the weather that's just THERE - cloud cover blah blah blah, which doesn't affect the flight, the characters, etc. This is why I decided, at 578 pages in, with another 200 to go, to dnf which I rarely do.
A writer friend once described the special details in books as "butter," to be applied lavishly. For example, in a period romance, the reader wants flouncy dresses and balls. The butter here isn't just lavish, it's like the deep fried butter they have at some state fairs. *Everything* is name-checked: the cars, the clothes, the types of watches, the bondage and sensation devices are all described minutely, right down to the special brand cigarette lighters they use to fire up their joints, which is described in almost as much loving detail as the SM scenes. I use cannabis myself; I didn't need a full description of rolling a joint, lighting the joint, this time with the XYZ lighter, smoking the joint, Every Single Time (and it happened often). This is where you can use Tell instead of Show, after the first time, "They went through their usual cannabis ritual, then did ABC."
The characters are all a little too perfect at everything they do. They never worry if they are assuming the correct presentation, or if their partner feels some sort of a way. We're not seeing any emotional struggle, any mistakes (no cane stroke a little too deep or in the wrong spot? ever?). I loathed a particular popular BDSM book, but we at least had some flashbacks to the Dom's earlier experiences and struggles. We don't see these characters learning, growing, or changing, which is what *I* need to really connect to fictional "people." I guess the perfection fantasy and details are enough for some readers, so if that's you, enjoy!
February 2, 2020
Girl meets millionaire. Millionaire enslaves girl and introduces her to a world she has never imagined... On the surface, this seems like the same old (Fifty-Shades) story. However, in Master of O, the girl is a highly successful fetish photographer who was born rich and prefers strict Master-slave protocols over romance. Though the key elements of Story of O are still present in this novel, there are major differences of which the main two are the focus on consent and a plentitude of explicit societal critique.
Read my full recommendation of this impressive novel on kinkstarter.
Read my full recommendation of this impressive novel on kinkstarter.
March 24, 2018
Kudos to Greene for this ambitious homage to Story of O. I loved the modern setting and characters (despite their affinity for bespoke clothing and lighting up every other page). What would have made this story perfect was proper editing. I became increasingly irritated with the atrocious number of grammatical mistakes, misspellings, skipped words, extra words, and poor word choices. Apparently Mr. Greene does not hold himself to the same level of perfectionism that he claims for his main characters. Truly punishment-worthy!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews