I’m not a big fan of anthologies. Too often I enjoy a few of the short stories, but find the remaining bulk to be unappealing. Whipped was a pleasant surprise, and I was entertained from start to finish. Could I even call it delightful?

I was immediately drawn in by the first piece, “I Am Your Kitten,” which describes a submissive girl living as a kitten with her mistress. I’ve not read a ton of BDSM, but this piece struck me as a fresh perspective. “The Rubber Chicken Scene,” which sounds hokey, truly made me laugh aloud with its geek references and name calling. The tale of Cinderella isn’t new to kink, but “Down in the Cinders” gives Cinderella authentic motivation for her life as a sub.

Many of the stories are about ordinary people, in slightly less-ordinary situations, stepping out beyond vanilla sex, which I found to be some of the most erotic in the bunch. “Tagging Along” has a girl ordering her new boyfriend around like her little brother while she and her gal pal have a night on the town. “Paul in the Hospital” is a short letter that thanks his mistress for all the training that prepared him for his painful procedures. I nearly cried at the end of “The Littlest Dominatrix,” when “Liona,” a cross-dresser, finally gets his/her fulfillment with the help of a couple hapless dommes.

I found only two of the stories to be sub-par. Perhaps it’s just my personal preferences coming into play, but seemingly-endless descriptions of what a person is doing to someone else tires me. I require dialogue! “At the Power Exchange” bored and confused me with its knot descriptions, and “A Recent Favorite,” by Violet Blue no less, was impersonal. Violet Blue’s string of emails back and forth with a sub has some voyeuristic appeal, but BDSM loses a lot when the characters aren’t within each other’s reach.

For the most part, give the DVD a miss. It’s a grainy, 8mm documentary shot in the early 1990s, though it’s dated 2000. Even if you haven’t read the Afterward to the documentary (found in the latter part of the book), you can immediately pin the decade when the secretary for a domme agency appears in Seinfeld’s proverbial “puffy shirt” early in the first chapter.

The film isn’t a total waste; once you’ve started the film, skip ahead to Chapter 12 for a dominatrix training session that’s truly hilarious. Imagine your best friend’s mom (complete with high-waisted, pleated jeans) practicing her spanking on a big, blond beefcake in a multi-color Speedo.

My husband really summed up the film; “I dunno, it’s too gritty for a beginner, and seems really out of date. It’s more like the depressing story of how a guy messes up his marriage over another chick’s feet.”

I wouldn’t categorize Whipped as serious wank material, but it’s full of spicy ideas to try out with your lover.