"Master/slave Relations" should be givem high marks simply because it exists. There simply aren't enough books out there that deal with the everyday, practical aspects of the Master/slave dynamic. This isn't the book one reads casually, as fantasy fodder. This book is for those of us who are seriously dedicated to entering into and maintaining lasting intimate relationships in which the M/s dynamic is at the foundation of the bond. You won't find anything here about BDSM play activities. If you're like me and you find yourself incredibly hot and bothered reading that a slave making an extra unplanned stop while running errands is guilty of "an incredible and inexcusable exercise in the very kind of free will that the slave no longer possesses," you'll find reading this book an erotic experience in its own right, but if graphic descriptions of kinky sex are more to your taste, don't expect this book to turn you on any more than any other handbook on interpersonal relationships would. If you expect the M/s life to be a whirlwind of orgasmic bliss, go play in a chatroom - but if you're ready to settle down to the hard work of being a Master or being a slave, this book just might make it a little bit easier.
Rubel never loses sight of the fact that an M/s relationship is, first and foremost, a relationship: a consensual relationship between two (or more) adult human beings of equal value. Like any relationship, it needs to be entered after careful consideration, on the basis of compatible personalities and shared goals. It needs to be nurtured through clear communication and thoughtful listening on both sides. Sometimes it needs to be re-evaluated and re-focused. And then, of course, there are those aspects that don't usually come up in vanilla relationships: contracts and collars, punishments and protocols, structure and surrender. Rubel has much to say about all of these.