A California inmate named Andres Martinez recently had a book confiscated by prison officials, as they claimed that it contained obscenities and violence, both of which are against the rules where he’s currently serving time for attempted murder. However, the First District Court of Appeal declared that the Pelican Bay State Prison inmate was allowed to have “The Silver Crown” back, because it did not qualify as obscene by the definition of the law, nor did it pose a threat to incite violence, as the prison officials initially declared.
Now, it is important to note that “The Silver Crown” in question is not the 1988 children’s fantasy novel, written by Robert C. O’Brien, about a young girl named Ellen, who discovers the magical, titular crown on her pillow and is whisked away on a great adventure. No, this “The Silver Crown” was written by Mathilde Madden and is about werewolves that have a whole lot of sex.
In fact, I’ll allow the Court of Appeal of the State of California to give us the book’s synopsis.
We have reviewed the book. As will be described more fully below, the plot involves werewolves, witches, a ghost, and magic spells. It is 262 pages long with 44 chapters. There is a fair amount of violence in it, but that is not dwelt upon and is not shocking or gory.
There are also a great number of graphic sexual encounters, one per chapter through most of the book, including detailed descriptions of intercourse, sodomy, oral-genital contact, oral-anal contact, voyeurism, exhibitionism, and ménage à trois. Semen is mentioned. Crude slang is used to describe various body parts and the sex act itself. The sex is sometimes rough but always consensual. Women are portrayed as frequently aggressive, always willing, and seemingly insatiable. Men are portrayed as frequently demanding, always ready, and seemingly inexhaustible. The sex occurs between humans and werewolves, as well as intra-species.
On the other hand, the sex appears to be between consenting adults. No minors are involved. No bestiality is portrayed (unless werewolves count). And there is no sadomasochism.
Oh, how I have longed to block quote a passage from a legal document that includes the phrase: “No bestiality is portrayed (unless werewolves count).”
Ultimately, it was determined that “The Silver Crown does not lack serious literary value”, according to The Atlantic, because the characters are developed and the book tells an actual story in between the howling good times. Alas, this victory may be short-lived for Martinez and his fellow werewolf enthusiasts, as the decision flies in the face of another decision that dictates how much authority prison officials have in declaring what is or isn’t obscene.
Either way, I hope this goes back to court, because the more chances we have to discuss werewolf erotica, the happier everyone will be.