Outlaw of Gor

Rating:
Summary: John Norman A Step from Greatness
Review: I have read almost all of the Gorean Series. One thing that I liked about all albeit too little in some was his idea of honor, the rigidity of it at times, but the necessity of it all the time. I liked his hero at his stoic best when he was against tremendous odds. I liked the humanity of his character at times yet overall I feel he missed the mark by focusing on the man/woman - master/slave thing. He beats a dead horse into mush. If Norman had stayed true to the warrior code and the action novel I feel he could be what David Gemmell is today - One of the best of the Sword and Fantasy genre. I wish I could sit own with Mr. Norman and tell him what I liked or disliked about each book. He has the seeds of greatness like Burroughs, but seems to have fallen down a shute from which he is not willing or able to escape.

Rating:
Summary: Early books are the best in Gor Series
Review: I read the Gor series as a boy in the 70's and early 80's. IMHO the series is most appealing to teenage boys. I recently pulled "Assassins of Gor" off the shelf one night while bored, and re-read it. I was shocked that there was no real sex, and only a handful of pages of philosophy and psychology that I had to skip over. The book was really excellent, although in a straight forward, uncomplicated sort of way. These are escapist novels, richly detailed, which immerse you in an exotic world, not real thinkers. My enduring memories were of the later books in the series, which were almost unreadable because whole chapters were devoted to philosophy and psychology.

I am not offended by the idea that it is natural and enjoyable for women to be submissive to men. Although I recognize it as wish fulfillment fantasy, still I consider it harmless, especially in such an obviously fictitious setting. I even found it mildly interesting the first time it was mentioned. It is the umpteenth repetition that I find boring. I just turn those pages, skipping ahead to the next action sequence. Speaking of wish fulfillment, I wish someone would edit the series, and re-publish it without these parts. Maybe Eric Flint could do it? He likes to edit, according to his afterword to "1633" and he's good at it. Of course, if you take the sex out of Gor you get Barsoom, and that story has already been written.

I looked on Amazon to see if there was anything new going on with the series, and there was. It is being reprinted, starting at the beginning, and at least 2 new books seem to be published, or at least in the works. I was disappointed though that Amazon didn't have the whole series listed under one easy to find heading. I guess there are, after all, millions of books and only so many Amazon employees. So I'm listing the series, in order, along with some brief info. Some of these books I haven't read, as noted.

1.) Tarnsman of Gor - 1966. Earthman, Tarl Cabot, goes to another planet, hidden on the opposite side of our sun, and becomes a master swordsman and Warrior. This is the book that is most like "Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I highly recommend. Note - the 1966 copyright is held by John Lange, the author's real name.

2.) Outlaw... - 1967. Tarl Cabot returns to Gor, to find he's been outlawed.

3.) Priest-Kings... - 1968. Tarl Cabot goes to lair of Priest-Kings to clear his name.

4.) Nomads... - 1969. Tarl Cabot goes to Southern Plains, and meets Mongol type nomads.

5.) Assassin... - 1970. Tarl Cabot returns to Ar, greatest city-state on Gor. Note - this is the first copy I have by Del Rey books, and it has cover art by Boris. I may not like reading about the Gorean philosophy on sexual roles for men and women, but I can't get enough of Boris' artwork depicting it.

6.) Raiders... - 1971. Tarl Cabot goes to Port Kar, pirate capitol of scum and villainy, and learns the meaning of shame. More Boris art on the cover of the Del Rey edition.

7.) Captive... - 1972. A new character, Elinor Brinton, is captured on Earth and becomes a slave girl on Gor. The first time this is done, it may be slightly creative and a little interesting, but it is a radical departure from the earlier books and I consider it to be the beginning of the end. At least Tarl Cabot has a few pages at the end, to tie this book into the rest of the series. This is also the last book published by Ballantine books, which I think is significant in the content and direction of the rest of the series.

8.) Hunters... - 1974. Tarl Cabot goes to the Northern Forest and meets amazon type women. This seems to be the first time there was a break in John Norman's writing, undoubtedly related to his switch to Daw books as a publisher.

9.) Marauders... - 1975. Tarl Cabot goes to the land of the Norsemen and meets Viking type Marauders.

10.) Tribesmen... - 1976. Tarl Cabot goes to the Tahari desert.

11.) Slave Girl... - 1977. Earth girl Judy Thornton enslaved on Gor. Again. No Tarl Cabot at all.

12.) Beasts... - 1978. Tarl Cabot goes to the Arctic ice pack and meets Eskimo type people.

13.) Explorers... - 1979. Tarl Cabot goes to the equatorial rain forests.

14.) Fighting Slave... - 1980. Earthman Jason Marshall is enslaved and forced to fight in a pit on Gor.

15.) Rogue... - 1981. Jason Marshall wanders free on Gor.

16.) Guardsman... - 1981. Jason Marshall earns a homeland.

17.) Savages... - 1982. Tarl Cabot goes to the great plains and meets American Indian type savages. Note - If you like this, John Norman also wrote "Ghost Dance" in 1970, a similar type story about real American Indians. I'm impressed that he kept the writing schedule he did on the Gor novels, and still wrote other books on the side. He also wrote "Time Slave" in 1975.

18.) Blood Brothers... - 1982. Savages and Blood Brothers are a two-part set. Just recently read this conclusion to Savages. Brings closure to Ubar of the Skies.

19.) Kajira... - unread. Another Slave girl story.

20.) Players... - 1984. Tarl Cabot joins the Carnival. Cos goes to war with Ar.

21.) Mercenaries... - 1985. Tarl Cabot returns to Ar again to try to save it.

22.) Dancer... - unread. Another Slave Girl novel? This is where I stopped even looking in the bookstore.

23.) Vagabonds... - unread.

24.) Magicians... - 1988, unread.

25.) Witness... - 2002, unread. I read on amazon that this is a story about Marlenus with amnesia, told by a slave girl.

26.) Prize... - unread. This is not yet published.

Rating:
Summary: EXILE'S RETURN
Review: Tarl Cabot's long exile was over. Again he was back on Gor, the strange world of Counter-Earth, where he had once been the proudest warrior and mightiest tarnsman of that savage planet. But nothing was as it had been. His home city of Ko-ro-ba was destroyed, razed until not one stone remained standing. His beautiful mate, Talena was dead or vanished. His family and friends were scattered across the globe. And Cabot was now declared an outlaw, with all men ordered to kill him on sight. His only chance was to find the strange Priest-Kings who ruled Hor and to submit himself to them. But Tarl was not about to submit!

Rating:
Summary: EXILE'S RETURN
Review: Tarl Cabot's long exile was over. Again he was back on Gor, the strange world of Counter-Earth, where he had once been the proudest warrior and mightiest tarnsman of that savage planet. But nothing was as it had been. His home city of Ko-ro-ba was destroyed, razed until not one stone remained standing. His beautiful mate, Talena was dead or vanished. His family and friends were scattered across the globe. And Cabot was now declared an outlaw, with all men ordered to kill him on sight. His only chance was to find the strange Priest-Kings who ruled Hor and to submit himself to them. But Tarl was not about to submit!

Rating:
Summary: Tarl Cabot returns to Counter-Earth as an Outlaw
Review: The first novel in John Norman's Counter-Earth Series, "Tarnsman of Gor," owed a debt to "A Princess of Mars," the first John Carter novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Both of the second novels in these series begin the same way, with the hero finally able to return to the distant planet where they can begin to search for the great love of their life. But after the beginning of "Outlaw of Gor" Norman abandons the parallels to Burroughs and starts to build on the elements introduced in the first novel to create his own unique world.

"Outlaw of Gor" offers a radical reintroduction to the world of Gor. Tarl Cabot is returned to the Counter-Earth seven long years after he left, only to discover that his City-State of Ko-ro-ba has been ordered destroyed by the mysterious Priest-Kings. Just as no two stones of the city are allowed to stand together neither can two citizens of the city. An Initiate, one of those who serves the Priest-Kings, orders Cabot to submit to their will, but he refuses, and heads off across Gor for the Sardar Mountains, the legendary home of the Priest-Kings. Along the way he walks into Tharna, a town ruled by women. The head woman is called the Tatrix and the ruling class of women wear silver masks. The society is sterile and unproductive and although they try to break Cabot to their will, they are not going to have any more success than the Priest-Kings.

For me "Outlaw of Gor" is the weakest of the early Counter-Earth novels, mainly because Cabot's adventures in Tharna are a detour on his war to the Sardar Mountains. My best advice is to have the third novel, "The Priest-Kings of Gor" on hand so that as soon as you finish this one you can start the next book, especially since this is one of the rare times in the Gor series that the next novel pretty much picks up right where the previous one leaves off. For me these second and third novels are essentially one giant story.

However, from the perspective of the Gorean philosophy (i.e., way of life) developed by Norman (the pseudonym of philosophy professor John Lange), "Outlaw of Gor" is clearly the most important of the early novels. The novel was written in 1967, a time when the feminist movement was beginning to take shape, and it is easy to read "Outlaw of Gor" as something of a response to the times that were a-changin'. A city run by women is seen as being unnatural, and Norman begins to expand on some of the key elements of the Gorean philosophy: the concept of honor and the importance of the Home Stone, the dangers of technology versus respect for the environment, and the independence of men and the "truth" of female slavery. At this point in the series Norman is clearly courting controversy.

Of course, for many potential readers of this series, this is a make-or-break proposition. I preferred the adventure aspects of the Gor novels and abandoned the series in the early 1980s when I found myself flipping through the long discussions on "slavery" that were becoming omni-present in the books. I was also dismayed that other characters besides Tarl Cabot were becoming the focus of the book and the giant story arc regarding the Priest-Kings was becoming increasingly prolonged (and often ignored). But in terms of sword and sorcery novels, Norman's first half-dozen Gor novels create a unique barbaric world and his characterization of supporting characters improves with every outing If you start the series, at least make it through "Assassins of Gor," which I consider the apex of the series.

Rating:
Summary: "Outlaw" Tarl Cabot encounters a city ruled by women
Review: The first novel in John Norman's Counter-Earth Series, "Tarnsman of Gor," owed a debt to "A Princess of Mars," the first John Carter novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Both of the second novels in these series begin the same way, with the hero finally able to return to the distant planet where they can begin to search for the great love of their life. But after the beginning of "Outlaw of Gor" Norman abandons the parallels to Burroughs and starts to build on the elements introduced in the first novel to create his own unique world.

"Outlaw of Gor" offers a radical reintroduction to the world of Gor. Tarl Cabot is returned to the Counter-Earth seven long years after he left, only to discover that his City-State of Ko-ro-ba has been ordered destroyed by the mysterious Priest-Kings. Just as no two stones of the city are allowed to stand together neither can two citizens of the city. An Initiate, one of those who serves the Priest-Kings, orders Cabot to submit to their will, but he refuses, and heads off across Gor for the Sardar Mountains, the legendary home of the Priest-Kings. Along the way he walks into Tharna, a town ruled by women. The head woman is called the Tatrix and the ruling class of women wear silver masks. The society is sterile and unproductive and although they try to break Cabot to their will, they are not going to have any more success than the Priest-Kings.

For me "Outlaw of Gor" is the weakest of the early Counter-Earth novels, mainly because Cabot's adventures in Tharna are a detour on his war to the Sardar Mountains. My best advice is to have the third novel, "The Priest-Kings of Gor" on hand so that as soon as you finish this one you can start the next book, especially since this is one of the rare times in the Gor series that the next novel pretty much picks up right where the previous one leaves off. For me these second and third novels are essentially one giant story.

However, from the perspective of the Gorean philosophy (i.e., way of life) developed by Norman (the pseudonym of philosophy professor John Lange), "Outlaw of Gor" is clearly the most important of the early novels. The novel was written in 1967, a time when the feminist movement was beginning to take shape, and it is easy to read "Outlaw of Gor" as something of a response to the times that were a-changin'. A city run by women is seen as being unnatural, and Norman begins to expand on some of the key elements of the Gorean philosophy: the concept of honor and the importance of the Home Stone, the dangers of technology versus respect for the environment, and the independence of men and the "truth" of female slavery. At this point in the series Norman is clearly courting controversy.

Of course, for many potential readers of this series, this is a make-or-break proposition. I preferred the adventure aspects of the Gor novels and abandoned the series in the early 1980s when I found myself flipping through the long discussions on "slavery" that were becoming omni-present in the books. I was also dismayed that other characters besides Tarl Cabot were becoming the focus of the book and the giant story arc regarding the Priest-Kings was becoming increasingly prolonged (and often ignored). But in terms of sword and sorcery novels, Norman's first half-dozen Gor novels create a unique barbaric world and his characterization of supporting characters improves with every outing If you start the series, at least make it through "Assassins of Gor," which I consider the apex of the series.