Subjection Demoted Book 1 edition by Alicia Cameron Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Subjection Demoted Book 1 edition by Alicia Cameron Literature Fiction eBooks 
In a world where intellect and achievement are valued above all else, a young man risks everything to save his brother from a life of slavery. Thrown into a harsh, unyielding world where slaves are treated as less than animals, Sascha struggles to come to terms with everything he knows being ripped away from him, but a life of success could never prepare him for his life as one of the Demoted. Sinking lower and lower, Sascha begins to lose hope, but the whim of a mysterious, wealthy man has the potential to change all that.
Cashiel has a dark history that he guards carefully. Between family and business and politics, he rarely has time for a slave, much less a lover. But when he sees a young man who reminds him of the very history he is trying to escape, he makes an impulse decision that he’s not sure whether to regret or not. The slave could expose everything, or he could be the most valuable asset that Cashiel has ever acquired.
Cashiel and Sascha share desires, hopes, and a home. Each man is limited by status, hindered by history, and desperate to succeed. The question is, will that be enough? (M/M)
Subjection Demoted Book 1 edition by Alicia Cameron Literature Fiction eBooks
I love slavefic and this one works well. I will be reading more from this author. The corrupt institution that trains the slaves was fascinating. The plot to overthrow that is just getting started here, but intriguing.The writing is good, clear, concise.
The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is that the characters are a little colder than I hoped for (I don't need sappy characters, but some feeling of really falling for each other). I am guessing the sequel will be better.
I can recommend this to people who enjoy slavefic.
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Subjection Demoted Book 1 edition by Alicia Cameron Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
After the fourth World War, 15% of the population is reclassified as "Demoted". Under the guise of ensuring peace due to overpopulation and competition over resources, the powers decide to enslave the underperforming segment of society. Subjected to sterilization and reconditioning, they are then placed in various positions in society according to ability and desirability.
The primary point of view is first person narrative from a rescued torture slave, Sascha with sporadic, short shifts to his master Cash. Contrary to what one would expect it is oddly detached and there is a significant exposition to establish the characters and setting.
End of first chapter, it jumps backwards to their first meeting a month ago. Which heralds a trend, the seesawing back and forth in time is distracting. Combined with the irregular POV switches it slows the story down as each flashback in time features copious amounts of exposition about how Sascha got where he is. Frankly, Sascha's choices were a bit too much, and made me roll my eyes.
The argument why demoting has preserved "Peace" is not made, merely stated. This is an assumed tenet of the construct of the world. There is pontificating about how the only difference between Demoted and everyone else was the degradation. And the system is unjust--Look at Sascha, if he can fall through the cracks or jump into them as the case maybe, then the premise of Demoted culling the inferior into service positions to preserve resources for the better and brighter is invalid.
While the story line is basic, it was one that interested me. Unfortunately, it's told very drily and evoking little emotion or empathy, like reportage, which was so incongruent for a first person narrative, which should make one feel like they are there. Sascha's disassociation led to this reader's ambivalence.
Cash and Sascha have understandably different views on the Demoted system. They keep having intersections of synergy, but the years have not been kind to Sascha and Cash is impatient. There is failure to communicate, and as the master, it lies solely on Cash's shoulders. Sascha has no rights, yet I felt like the story was trying to balance the blame at times. Again, eye roll.
This is not a freestanding book. Multiple story lines, not just an overarching series arc is left unresolved. Sascha and Cash are unresolved. A family feud is still in play. While I don't mind threads being left open for subsequent books, the lack of closure was disappointing.
I understand the author's argument that people are trapped in their respective positions, and the Demoted system feeds the megalomaniacs and enslaves everyone who disagrees--slave and free person alike. A reasonable argument, but the characters disassociated from each other made this a less than rewarding read. The dry recanting of events by Sascha of the traumas he endured during his reconditioning process kept me from empathizing with him. I don't need torture, but I need to see how he feels. Finally, the timeline jumping back and forth kept breaking the narrative and my reading continuity. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine, others might not care, but flashbacks and flashforwards for no discernible reason is an inelegant way to tie two timeframes together.
Overall, I loved the premise more than the execution.
Cashiel Michaud acquires a slave for his Peace Day escort; a big occasion requires the privileged to have someone pretty on their arm. But the newly acquired slave on his arm, while looking the part in latex body paint and strategically placed rhinestones, is anything but a high class escort. He was a torture slave at a low-brow brothel when Cashiel’s best friend, Bobby, told him he had his eye on someone interesting for him.
'For once, we look less like a detached master and a used up whore, and more like a businessman and his high-class escort.'
Cashiel ends up buying Sascha because the mistress is going to beat him to a pulp and because he shows glimpses of potential – he can count cards, and has some (covert) attitude. What Cashiel doesn’t think about when he buys Sascha is life with a slave after the Peace Day event is over. The boy who cowers, seems poorly trained, and is already half starved, continues down the path of not eating, and can’t answer questions easily or (understandably) truthfully, and is something of a… bother to Cashiel.
“I had planned on selling you, when I bought you,” he hesitates, still calm. I guess he can be calm; he’s not the one whose life gets passed around like a used hov-car.'
Sascha is a Demoted. He deliberately rigged the ‘Assessment’ – used to work out who potentially are the best and brightest in their society. His twin brother, Abriel, would have been Demoted if the academically accelerated, yet problematic, Sascha didn’t intervene as he did. The Assessment is like studying for your final high school exam with the added pressure of ending up Demoted and in re-education if you don’t get good results. Being a Demoted is brutality disguised as an overall social benefit. Re-education is touted as helping with overpopulation, job shortages, and diseases that require new treatments. In reality, the Demoted are forcibly sterilised and given manuals and correction on how to be the 'best' slave they can be, and are forced to have sex with the guards and each other. Those who don’t comply, or are deemed useless or too difficult, are placed on the blacklist, something you do NOT want to be on. The Demoted are government-sanctioned slaves, and, basically, human guinea pigs.
'As I lay there in the dark, I reached down and gingerly ran a finger along the small line of stitches from the vasectomy. It was such a little thing, but it changed me forever, just like the Assessment, just like the choice that I had made.'
So Cashiel and Sascha end up together, but it’s not a match made in heaven. It isn’t about romance. Cashiel has property, a commodity who could come in handy, and in the meantime he has someone who cooks and cleans. Cashiel is not the worst master by any stretch, but he’s cold and a product of his upbringing. He punishes Sascha, threatens to sell him, gives him to his boss for a promotion to advance his plan and position. He’s also perfectly okay setting Sascha up if things hit the fan re his research that Mother Dearest foiled several years ago. He also has moments of feeling something for Sascha, apart from annoyance and frustration, and being (potentially) quite likeable, in amongst the normal void of his emotions and his consuming need to be one step ahead of his mother.
Sascha is smart but the re-education and Bethel’s Brothel beat him down to the point where he is emaciated, has some tendon injuries and has been both physically and emotionally scarred. He finds it hard to locate any emotional equilibrium in his life and is quite broken. But Cashiel, while being in his head, is his best hope for a better life in this society. He does things for him – like medical care, giving him access to a computer, and more – that Sascha hasn’t had since before being Demoted.
I won't go into any more particular detail as there are machinations in the background regarding the Demoted system that should be read, not reviewed. Subjection is set in the future after the fourth Word War and is a dystopian setting. The overall writing is good, the MCs interesting - both have been scarred by environment in different ways, although Sascha is quite broken. I believe this is #1 of a trilogy, so it has some more books before it's wrapped up. It is darker slavefic so if you like that style of writing, this may suit, if not, probably steer clear. I enjoyed it and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in what has started out as quite an addictive piece of writing.
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A very good book. I do not really like first person narration, but this was good. I was just surprised that Sasha chose this way to save his brother and not something different, as making research about the most tolerant training facilities and trying to ensure that he would be treated well there, buying him off after his training, or something that would be more compatible with his computer skills.
I love slavefic and this one works well. I will be reading more from this author. The corrupt institution that trains the slaves was fascinating. The plot to overthrow that is just getting started here, but intriguing.
The writing is good, clear, concise.
The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is that the characters are a little colder than I hoped for (I don't need sappy characters, but some feeling of really falling for each other). I am guessing the sequel will be better.
I can recommend this to people who enjoy slavefic.
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