Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James Primer (and Books Like 50 Shades)
Introduction
Fifty Shades of Grey is a self published work by a British author using the pseudonym, E. L. James. It was originally published along with the two sequels, Fifty Shades of Darker and Fifty Shades of Freed, in its entirety, as Master of the Universe on ff.net, a site that hosts what is known as fan fiction. Master of the Universe reimagined the Bella and Edward love affair set in contemporary Seattle, Washington with Bella as the young college graduate virgin and Edward as the masterful billionaire with secret sexual predilections. This collection of submissions has since been deleted.
Where to Buy:
The ebooks can be purchased at Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
The print books can be ordered directly from the publisher. These books are print on demand and may take a few weeks to reach you.
Comparison of Text:
Master of the Universe begins with this:
I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror. Damn my hair, it just won’t behave, and damn Rose for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I have tried to brush my hair into submission but it’s not toeing the line. I must learn not to sleep with it wet. I recite this five times as a mantra whilst I try, once more, with the brush. I give up. The only thing I can do is restrain it, tightly, in a pony tail and hope that I look reasonably presentable.
Rose is my roommate and she has chosen, okay, that’s a bit unfair, because choice has had nothing to do with it, but she has the flu and as such cannot do the interview she’s arranged with some mega industrialist for the student newspaper. So I have been volunteered. I have final exams to cram for, one essay to finish and I am supposed to be working this afternoon, but no – today – I have to head into downtown Seattle and meet the enigmatic CEO of Cullen Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Allegedly he’s some exceptional tycoon who is a major benefactor of our University and his time is extraordinarily precious… much more precious than mine – and he’s granted Rose an interview… a real coup she tells me… Damn her extra-curricular activities.
50 Shades of Grey begins thusly:
I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror. Damn my hair – it just won’t behave, and damn Katherine Kavanagh for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I should be studying for my final exams, which are next week, yet here I am trying to brush my hair into submission. I must not sleep with it wet. I must not sleep with it wet. Reciting this mantra several times, I attempt, once more, to bring it under control with the brush. I roll my eyes in exasperation and gaze at the pale, brown-haired girl with blue eyes too big for her face staring back at me, and give up. My only option is to restrain my wayward hair in a ponytail and hope that I look semi-presentable.
Kate is my roommate, and she has chosen today of all days to succumb to the flu. Therefore, she cannot attend the interview she’d arranged to do, with some mega-industrialist tycoon I’ve never heard of, for the student newspaper. So I have been volunteered. I have final exams to cram for, one essay to finish, and I’m supposed to be working this afternoon, but no – today I have to drive a hundred and sixty-five miles to downtown Seattle in order to meet the enigmatic CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc. As an exceptional entrepreneur and major benefactor of our university, his time is extraordinarily precious – much more precious than mine – but he has granted Kate an interview. A real coup, she tells me. Damn her extracurricular activities.
Throughout the MoTU series, the names of the most important characters in the Twilight series appear including Esme as Edward’s “Mom” and Irina as the predatory Mrs. Robinson. These names are changed in the published version of the books.
Background of fan fiction
Fan fiction are works of fiction written by individuals that take inspiration from another work. Bridget Jone’s Diary, for example, is fan fiction of Pride and Prejudice. Famous authors such as Naomi Novik began writing fan fiction. You can learn more about Fan Fiction at the Organization of Transformative Works. MoTU was one of the most popular series on ff.net, a repository for free fan fiction. During the height of its popularity, an auction for the series raised $30,000. The author appeared on a fan fiction panel at the 2010 ComicCon and attended a three day conference in DC thrown by her fans.
Publishing Path
E.L. James then contracted with The Writer’s Coffee Shop to produce a commercial product for sale. These ebooks were sold and in print on demand. On February 21, the publisher announced that over 100,000 copies of the book has been sold with over 90% of those in ebook format.
The book has become a sensation in New York City where Upper East Side women are reading it in droves. While some are comparing this to the Story of O, romance readers know this series falls within the erotic romance category, a category of books where the sexual relationship is the vehicle for the relationship arc.
On March 10, 2011, Vintage announced it had won a bidding war for the books, paying seven figures for the three Fifty books (and possibly others) for North American rights. Vintage, a division of Knopf|Random House, released new ebook editions on March 12, 2011, and a 750,000 print run of trade paperbacks will follow.
Romance definition
A romance is defined as a story whose primary focus is on the relationship and the emotional arc between the individuals in the relationship. A romance book is marked by having an uplifting and satisfactory conclusion. Some readers call this the “Happy Ever After” or the “Happy For Now” ending.
Tropes within Fifty:
- Strong erotic component driving the relationship arc
- Internal personal angst
- Clashing personalities
- Caretaker Alpha Male
BDSM
BDSM is a popular trope within the erotic romance genre. One of our reviewers is a scholar has this to say about BDSM:
BDSM is a combination of the acronyms of the main elements of a variety of non-standard sexual practices: Bondage/Discipline (BD), Domination/Submission (DS), and Sadism/Masochism (SM). Bondage can include any sexual restraint, from the most vanilla of sex play with scarves and blindfolds, all the way to elaborate rope bondage, rope suspension, and the Japanese erotic rope art, Shibari. Discipline ranges from the practice of “punishing” naughty submissives during encounters that often include role play, to specific fetishes like over the knee (OTK) spanking, and caning. Domination and submission refer to sexual identities and practices in which one partner is submissive to a dominant partner, doing what they are ordered to do, usually, but not always, in sexual situations. Sadism and masochism are much more specific sexual paraphilia: sadists receive pleasure and sexual arousal from inflicting pain on their partners, while masochists receive pleasure and sexual arousal from having pain inflicted on them.[i] A BDSM romance, therefore, must explore Regis’s elements particularly through, by, and with one or more of the “kinky” sexual practices encompassed by the acronym. Rather than using a kinky activity merely as spice to sex, as a standard erotic romance might, in BDSM romance the kinky activity must be integral to the characters’ emotional trajectory and to the relationship they build together. However, although the BDSM label encompasses a wide range of activities, in general, most BDSM erotic romances construct the relationship between the characters using the mutually-constitutive pairing of Domination/Submission (D/s). That is, two (or more) protagonists establish an emotional and physical relationship, overcome the emotional barriers between them, and achieve their happy ending, through exploration of the D/s dynamic in which one protagonist sexually dominates the other.[ii]
[i]. In real life practice, although rarely in the BDSM romance genre, the term BDSM as a whole also encompasses a wide variety of sexual fetishes like foot or rubber fetishes.
[ii]. Very few BDSM erotic romances explore the romance between the characters through Sadism/Masochism instead of Domination/Submission. Some exceptions include Anah Crow’s gay male romance, Uneven (Round Rock, TX: Torquere Press Publishers, 2007) ( A | BN | K S ); A.M. Riley’s gay male romantic suspense, The Elegant Corpse (San Francisco, CA: Loose Id, LLC, 2008) ( A | BN | K S ); Victoria Dahl’s heterosexual, male-dominant novella, The Wicked West (Don Mills, Ontario: HQN, 2009) ( A | BN | K S ); and Heidi Cullinan’s Nowhere Ranch (San Francisco, CA: Loose Id, LLC, 2011) ( A | BN | K S ).
Recommendations
The author has not written any other books. We would like to make the following recommendations:
- Recently I read Sylvia Day’s Bared to You and it has a lot of notes that resonate for the 50 Shades crowd complete with a young recent college grad and a young, commanding and magnetic billionaire hero. Both come from traumatized backgrounds and feature a push/pull relationship. If you like 50 Shades, I think you would like this book.
- For dominant males like Christian who take care of everything you may like Blue Eyed Devil ( A | BN | K S ) and Smooth Talking Stranger ( A | BN | K S ) by Lisa Kleypas. These books feature wealthy men in a contemporary setting who want to take care of the heroine. Reader Ridley recommends the Lorelei James series beginning with Long Hard Ride ( A | BN | K S )
- For deep intense emotional angst you may like Passion ( A | BN | K S ) and Patience ( A | BN | K S ) by Lisa Valdez. The latter book contains BDSM themes as well. Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelly is another story featuring a lot of emotional tumult and a tortured upbringing like Christian. You can find a Review at Kati D’s site.
- If you have an interest in exploring BDSM further, other than the above recommended titles, you may be interested in Natural Law ( A | BN | K S ) by Joey Hill; Sweet Persuasion ( A | BN | K S ) and Sweet Temptation ( A | BN | K S ) by Maya Banks; Lean on Me ( A | BN | K S ) by Cherise Sinclair; Slave to Love ( A | BN | K S ) by Nikita Black
If you are interested in learning more about romance in general, you may be interested in the following. Again, I urge you not to be deterred by the covers of these books. There are some amazing books inside.
- Welcome to Temptation ( A | BN | K S ) or Bet Me ( A | BN | K S ) by Jennifer Crusie; Just One of the Guys ( A | BN | K S ) by Kristan Higgin; Here Comes the Groom ( A | BN | K S ) by Karina Bliss (don’t let the cover deter you); Yours to Keep ( A | BN | K S ) by Shannon Stacey
- Naked in Death ( A | BN | K S ) by J.D. Robb; Snapped ( A | BN | K S ) by Laura Griffin; The Darkest Hour ( A | BN | K S ) by Maya Banks
- The Iron Duke ( A | BN | K S ) by Meljean Brook; Alpha and Omega ( A | BN | K S ) by Patricia Briggs; Slave to Sensation ( A | BN | K S ) by Nalini Singh; A Hunger Like No Other ( A | BN | K S ) by Kresley Cole; Dark Prince ( A | BN | K S ) by Christine Feehan
- Spymaster’s Lady ( A | BN | K S ) by Joanna Bourne; Written On Your Skin ( A | BN | K S ) by Meredith Duran; Delicious ( A | BN | K S ) by Sherry Thomas; A Lady Awakened ( A | BN | K S ) by Cecilia Grant
- Liberating Lacey ( A | BN | K S ) by Anne Calhoun (very spicy); Willing Victim ( A | BN | K S ) by Cara McKenna
Oh no no, if the first book in that series is any indication, the Maya Banks “BDSM” books are terrible. Although, now that I think about it, that might be beside the point. They’d probably appeal just fine to Fifty fans. Lots of bland telling, loaded with superfluous sex scenes and hardly any BDSM to speak of.
You know what I think might appeal to Fifty fans that’s actually pretty good? Lorelei James’ Rough Riders series. That series is chock full of the caretaker alpha fantasy and is pretty spicy. It also has a rabid following, so maybe it tickles the same part of the reader’s brain as Fifty.
Thank you for the list of book recommendations. It is time for romance writers to get recognition for the hard work they put into their craft.
@Ridley: Added your suggestion.
@Jane: I was also going to say “pretty much any Harlequin Presents ever written” but that didn’t seem helpful. I also doubt a non-romance reader could get past those covers. They repel me still, and I know I like them already.
@Ridley: Oh I know thus my encouragement. The packaging of the 50 book was brilliant.
I haven’t read Fifty Shades of Grey, so I don’t have any “if you like this” type of suggestions but I do want to advise against Sweet Temptation by Maya Banks (yucky, creepy, not remotely romantic). I wish I could unread that book.
For an exploration of romance in general, I would add:
BDSM: When in Rio by Delphine Dryden (for a milder introduction); and Afterlife by Joey W. Hill (for a deeper exploration and the ultimate in caretaker heroes).
Category: Trouble in a Pinstripe Suit by Kelly Hunter (emotional, dreamy, perfection) and Sex, Straight Up by Kathleen O’Reilly (wonderful hero and heroine and a compelling exploration of grief). Trouble has possibly the worst book description I’ve seen, ignore it.
Historical: All Through the Night by Connie Brockway (angst central with the best ending ever) and Stealing Heaven by Madeline Hunter (lots of juicy history and an epic heroine)
First Person Narrative: Perdita by Joan Smith (hero is a complete and utterly delightful ass) and Trail of the Tudor Blue by Gwen Roman (nonstop effervescent fun, a fictional Orangina)
Well drat… my original comment disappeared.
Thanks Jane and everyone for the excellent recommendations. I’ve added to my wishlist and I’m definitely going to check them all out. I haven’t and don’t plan on reading 5o Shades. I’ve read about equal parts negative and positive reviews for this book but it still doesn’t appeal to me. That and I haven’t and don’t plan on reading any of the Twilight books, so I’d just miss the references anyway.
I’m open to the idea of BDSM but I haven’t found any books that have gotten me over that knee jerk uncomfortable feeling. But then again, starting with Mercy by Annabel Joseph probably wasn’t the best introduction. I guess I can’t get over the feeling of exploitation and degradation against the submissives and I can’t seem to grasp why this would be appealing. I understand wanting to be taken care of and the “freedom” of allowing someone else to make all the decisions and telling you what/how to do. But does that have to come at the price of humiliation and pain? I’m not condemning the BDSM lifestyle by any means, I’m just trying to understand it and I know that I probably come across as sounding naive and judgmental. I’m a live and let live kinda person (as long as there is obvious consent and no kids involved). I do my best to keep an open mind and I’m willing to give just about any genre a chance. So if anyone has a suggestion about a good “starter” book, I’d love the recommendation.
Thanks again everyone for the great suggestions and reviews.
Lauren Dane writes BDSM in some of her books, and she writes it an essential part of *that* relationship, very hot, and absolutely not squicky.
@erinf1: Have you tried Cerise Sinclair? She has some of my favorite BDSM romances. Most of them don’t involve any humiliation, or very little if they do.
I also really liked The Wicked West by Victoria Dahl, I wish there were more books written that explored the SM side of things further, and did it well.
What was the series by Lora Leigh, “way back when” she was only pubbed by Ellora’s Cave, that dealt with a “masters club”? Branded or tied or ??? They may have been repubbed by one of her print pubs by now. Gah my memory does not serve consistantly. LOL Anyway I recall those were very shocking to me at the time, but facinating as well, with compelling characters. Of course LL has her supporters and critics for sure. But there are quite a few other BDSM romances that I imagine were better examples of the “safe, sane, concentual” than this Fifty Shades. There was a trilogy, where one book pretty realistically dealt with the Master/slave lifestyle, that inspired a real love/hate reaction from me. It was facinating! The good ones were awesome because the kink is integral to the story, and the character development and plot had to be extremely well written to make the BDSM elements palatable and “non squiggy” to us vanilla readers!
Huh. Now I’m going to have to go back through my “old” book list to find my keepers from those days! Great, another time sink. Thanks Jane! ;-) LOL
I second the recommendation of When in Rio by Delphine Dryden! I also totally loved the Masters of the Shadowlands series by Cherise Sinclair. And as an intro to BSDM romances, I think book 2 of the series works the best. It’s heroine is taking a class in BDSM so the reader gets to follow along in her education.
@erinf1: I just wrote a HUGE comment over at SBTB about BDSM recommendations: here you go. If you’re really interested, I’d suggest Dahl’s THE WICKED WEST or Matthew Haldeman-Time’s AFFAIR IN PARADISE. They’re both gentle and romantic and fun and hot, but they deal with *why* do BDSM. I’d also recommend Joey Hill’s NATURAL LAW, second in a series, but totally a standalone. It’s a femdom/malesub book, so might automatically deal with the gender squickiness you’re talking about that I TOTALLY understand. Also, for something slightly heavier, VERY hot, but still dealing with the psychological side of things, try Heidi Cullinan’s SPECIAL DELIVERY. God, I love that book.
Angela, Victoria Dahl is a great writer–yes.
OH wow. Thanks guys :) I’m definitely going to check all these recs out. I really appreciate your comments.
@Sarah Frantz: unfortunately, I’m at work and SBTB is blocked so I’ll have to check that out when I get home. Thanks so much for the understanding and the recs.
IIRC…Laura Kinsale’s Shadowheart (the long awaited sequel to For My Lady’s Heart) explores some S/M themes that begin with the forced seduction of the heroine. I think she portrayed her characters with a deft hand but know many readers were up-in-arms and the book was controversial when it came out. It’s been a long time but I enjoyed the book.
I think Joey Hill is known for her femdom/malesub books but the hero in Beloved Vampire is dominant and establishes a BDSM relationship with the heroine to help her heal from a cruel and tortured past. This book is so much more than an erotic romance and I remember finding it intensely emotionally satisfying.
@Lada: I also loved that book. I think the heroine’s name was Jessica?
@Jane Litte: Yes, Mason and Jessica are a couple for the ages…
The Lora Leigh series was called Bound Hearts and the recent books were indeed pubbed by St Martins. I’m not sure if these are BDSM anymore or different kink. The other series I was thinking of was Strength in Numbers by Rachel Bo and the book that made such an impression was Branded. I believe it was pubbed by Loose Id. It doesn’t seem like she has published anything recently.
I like Beth Kerry’s Sweet Restraint. I’d not read much BDSM before I read that book and I really enjoyed it. It’s kinda BDSM lite.
I did just read the Kindle sample of 50 Shades. It’s the sort of thing that were it free, I’d probably see where it went, maybe. It certainly didn’t draw me in.
@Dabney: I think the free version, titled “Master of the Universe” is still posted online.
Here’s the link to Master of the Universe that will become Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker: http://thelitoftwi.com/documents/MofU.pdf
Also I found out this link has been posted on the boards over at Amazon. So, if you can access the read for free, why pay for the first 2 books?
@kt grant I believe the first and second part is the entire three book series.
@Jane: This link ends with the evil villain smoking his cigarette and wanting revenge just like it was in Darker.
I wonder if only the first 2 books were originally posted as fan fic and then knowing James was going to publish them, she ended up writing Freed?
I haven’t read Freed but my understanding was that there is a MoTU version out there with ll three parts minus an epilogue but with five or six bonus scenes.
Freed has bonus scenes at the end from Christian’s POV when he first meets Ana during his interview up until he stalks her at the store she works at. Maybe that’s them?
Fifty Shades of Grey is #1, Darker #15 and Freed #21. http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-03-18/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/list.html
Grey beat out some established author’s for the #1 spot. Wow. Now the rise of refurbished fan fiction will be published everywhere.
@KT Grant: The rise of refurbed fanfic, self published authors thinking this will happen to them and packaging erotica/romance covers that will make the reader think what they’re reading is regular fiction and not romance/erotica.
I can’t say I’m in favor of any of that happening.
10 bucks says in the coming months Amazon’s self published section will explode.
@Ridley:
That was my thought, too. Christian could be straight out of a Presents novel.
I still have not read this, but plan to tonight. This might add the needed push I need to explore a deeper and darker side in my own novels. I will post a review after I finish it on net galley.
@ Sarah-do you have an email addy that you wouldnt mind me shooting you a quick note? Am looking for some rec’s and you and I have similiar tastes. Thanks
I’ve always loved the Sleeping Beauty series.
And also the Outlander series by Diana galbadon, especially book one of the series. Highly erotic and also historical with time travel thrown in.
Thanks Jane for your analysis of _50 Shades_. I’m very interested in these attempts to fuse bdsm themes and romance and appreciate your recommendations. I have now begun to read the Master of the Universe stories, and am struck by the predominance of what I’d call standard romance elements, e.g. the rich, powerful, mysterious man. The male as dominant clearly fits with romance genre like hand in glove. I’d like to inquire if you have recommendations in (het) romance stories withe the woman dominant? Is this like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole? Do you think there is a way to have a male figure with enough ‘alpha’ or power or mystery to appeal to female romance reader, and have him at the same time submit to the lead female or heroine in the story?
@nik: Natural Law by Joey Hill is the best femdom story I have ever read. Would love to read more like it.