Stranger Than Truth by David Weaver

Story Rating:  1 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 5 out of 5  

Great scenes.  Dullwriting.

STRANGER THAN TRUTH tackles important issues regarding BDSM in a story format. The characters are well developed as one follows Valerie, a submissive, through a pivotal point in her life and outlines how BDSM affects all aspects of her life from work to play.  A wide range of experiences are detailed as well as the differences between a variety of kinky relationships leaving the reader with a strong understanding that there is no “one size fits all” approach—each relationship is unique and needs to be respected as such.

Weaver is a knowledgeable and dedicated to the subject matter, but the execution is dry and the story plods. There is too much reality and unnecessary minutiae of everyday life detailed to make for good fiction. The author clearly feels passionate about expressing BDSM in a positive light. The explanations are sound and reviews of SSC practices and contrasting it to RACK are straight forward and thus this would appeal to the curious just learning and exploring various elements.

As brilliant and honest as the scenes depicted herein are it comes off as halfway between a story and a tutorial. There is a constant process of explaining all the characters’ actions and motivations: checking circulation, reassurances, and  extensive use of safewords. The pace is unrelentingly slow and would have benefited from more proofreading, there are numerous errors that spell check wouldn’t catch. It may be accurate and informative, but it is not fun reading.

I cannot recommend STRANGER THAN TRUTH to anyone, but those seeking realistic portrayals rather than entertainment. It is unfortunate because some of the scenes are creatively wonderful and address many forms of submission rather than focusing primarily on the physical, but there’s a lot of chaff mixed in with the wheat.

Reviewed by Vivian