Customer Reviews (60)

Gor
This is the first in a series and is great! After reading it you can't wait to start the next book. Gor was made into a movie that didn't do justice to the series. A must read series by John Norman.

Interesting revelation about Tarnsman of Gor (Book 1)
I've been a follower of John Norman's Gor series for some time. While I'm thrilled to see them in print again I have to admit when I read the description provided it appeared whoever had written it hadn't actually read the book.

" When Tarnsman of Gor was first published in 1966, author John Norman introduced the world to Tarl Cabot, a man ripped from his homeland and cast across space into the savage world of Gor. A world of magic and mystery, where the kidnapped prisoners numbering in the thousands were slaves, and power was wielded by a jealous few known as the Priest-Kings, their will enforced amongst men and women through torture, bondage and often brutal sexual rites."

Which series and/or book was that? Certainly not this one.
If that's what the readers are looking for their sure to be sadly disappointed. The book description is misleading at best.

Not Free SF Reader
Fantasy bondage fantasy.With Robert E. Howard style fade to black no sex, so basically completely pointless.Unless you were looking for something racy in 1928 perhaps. Tarl Cabot is a man from earth, and ends up on another world.

Here, men are manly men, women are tools to be used, and quite often they enjoy it.

Tarnsman of Gor 1966
Book 1 of the Gor series.

Plot Kernel - Tarl Cabot, a young professor of English history from a small American college, is abducted in a spaceship while camping in the wilderness. He awakens on the planet Gor, where he unaccountably meets his long-lost father, and is instructed in Gorean language, culture, and politics.

Gor is a caste structured, slave owning society comprised of independent city-states; and the elder Cabot is a high ranking civil official of the City of Ko-ro-ba. This city has a hereditary enemy, the City of Ar, controlled by Marlenus, who intends to subdue and rule all of Gor. Tarl Cabot is trained to fight with bow and arrow, blade and spear, then placed within the High Caste of Warriors and sent on a mission: to ride upon a tarn - a gigantic bird trained for warfighting - and steal the highly symbolic Home Stone of Ar and bring it to Ko-ro-ba.

The theft of the Home Stone of Ar throws the city into chaos and anarchy; but in his escape from Ar, Tarl Cabot is knocked from his tarn by Talena, the High Caste daughter of Marlenus, and the Home Stone of Ar is carried away in the saddle pack as the bird flies off with Talena on its back. Later, Talena shows up on foot without the Stone, and for her own safety, she poses as Tarl's collared slave as he travels back, he supposes, to Ko-ro-ba.

Note: The Gor series (25 volumes in the original series, ending in 1988) is famous for its submissive, enslaved females. There are few, and only brief, references to that aspect of the Gorean world in this, the first book of the series.

fun read
it was a fun, fast read.if you are into gorean role play, such as on second life, you are likely to feel almost like you are in your second life when you read the book. ... Read more

Book Description
Modern firefighting is a continually evolving science. New technologies are constantly being applied to the fire service, both from within and without. In the latest edition of this perennial favorite, author John Norman examines these new technologies and how they affect fireground tactics. He also details the new role firefighters play in homeland security. What is offered here is a guide for the firefighter and the fire officer who, having learned the basic mechanics of the trade, are now looking for specific methods for handling specific situations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A CLASSIC
THIS BOOK HAS TO BE A CLASSIC AS FAR AS FIREFIGHTING IS CONCERNED. IF YOU ARE A FIREFIGHTER, THIS BOOK SHOULD BE IN YOUR LIBRARY. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT.

Practical and worthwhile, even if you aren't a member of the FDNY
It is widely discussed in fire service circles that this text is an amalgom of FDNY tactical bulletins and other internal documents, such as Ladders 3 and Ladders 4.If so, it offers useful information for fire problems most of us routinely encounter.The 3rd edition has hideously tiny print and is over run by wordiness, but does have additional chapters on WMD issues as well as townhouse/garden apartment fires.There is new text intersprised all through out the book.Norman is a tough read - passive voice, run on sentences and double negatives -but the material is still worth digging through.And hey, the bulding classification codes from the 1st and 2nd editions got corrected.
A must for any working firefighter.

Very informative!
I found this book to be very informative. It helps answer the "what if this happens" questions that every firefighter ponders when they have time to reflect. I definitely recommend picking up this book whether you are an actual officer or firefighter.

Good Book for Rook or Vet
I bought this as a text for a class but I'm finding it very thorough and easy to follow with tons of good info.

excellent resource
This book is full of valuable information, and has helped to fill in some gaps in my understanding of certain firefighting tactics that I simply have not learned in my five years in the fire service.This book simply has more valuable, pertinent information than any other fire/rescue text I have ever read.Incredible!

The books only flaw is the photos are of very poor quality.

It is full of a great wealth of knowledge and insight.Awesome text, very easy, interesting read.

I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description
Learning a valuable lesson in gender roles, Jason Marshall, an Earthman enslaved by the Goreans, must prove himself on the planet Gor. Determined to find the beautiful Earthwoman who was kidnapped with him, Jason is caught in the middle of a devastating war between Ar and the Salerians. Jason must prove himself a real man and survive the war in hopes of finally finding the girl of his dreams. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the first book of the Gorean Saga, TARNSMAN OF GOR, E-Reads is proud to release the very first complete publication of all Gor books by John Norman, in both print and ebook editions, including the long-awaited 26th novel in the saga, WITNESS OF GOR. Many of the original Gor books have been out of print for years, but their popularity has endured. Each book of this release has been specially edited by the author and is a definitive text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Is Gor for you?
Simply put, each of Norman's books about Gor is a solid adventure tale that incorporates the BDSM lifestyle into it. I own the entire collection (many 1st editions) and have to say that for a series, Norman kept to the original idea he had in book one thru nearly the entire set. The latest, and newest of the series, I found Norman had become a bit "long winded" in some of his descriptions and that made it a difficult read for me. Otherwise it was an very exciting story, even when the main characters changed. Norman's writing style was one that I could not put down until there was no more story to read. Enjoy.

The middle volume in the Jason Marshall trilogy
By the time we get to "Guardsman of Gor," the 15th of John Norman's Counter-Earth novels, we are clearly in a transitional period.I did not like the idea that instead of Tarl Cabot we were now telling the story of a different Earth man who ends up on Gor, although the Jason Marshall trilogy was more interesting to me than the story of Judy Thornton, a woman brought to Gor as a captive in "Slave Girl of Gor." In the first volume of the trilogy, "Fighting Slave of Gor," Marshall ends up on Gor when he tries to save Beverly Henderson from a Gorean slave trap.The next thing the civilized Earth man knows he is a slave on Gor.Starting out as the silk slave of the Lady Florence of Vonda, Marshall then becomes a Gorean gladiator, which gives him the opportunity to become free so that he can find Beverly, who now also a slave on Gor.

"Rogue of Gor" is the middle volume in the trilogy and the novel and has Marshall searching for Beverly.But since this is a trilogy you know that he is not going to find her until the final volume, "Guardsman of Gor."Instead, Marshall travels along the River Vosk to the port city of Victoria, north of Port Kar, and finds himself in the middle of a war between Glorious Ar and the Salerian Confederation as the pirate fleet seeks to control the waterways of Gor on which the cities are so dependent.In terms of providing more action than sex, this is the one volume of the trilogy that delivers on that score and if you are waiting for Jason and Beverly to consummate their relationship in Gorean terms you have the last half of the next novel for all of that to play out (after a giant naval battle).In this one he finds her on the slaver's block, buys her, and sets her free even though she insists she is a true slave and therefore does not desire freedom.

There is a sense in which Norman is trying to get back to the basics, since the fight between Ar and the Salerian Confederation is not, at face value, part of the gigantic struggle between the Priest-Kings and the Kurii.But the sexual philosophy of Gor is now becoming the dominant theme of Norman's stories.The back of the original paperback declares, "Jason Marshall learned the meaning of manhood and the power of women, both dominant and submissive" on Gor, but clearly he has yet to fully accept his role in this society.This time around Norman is educating a male rather than a female, which is usually the case in the Gor novels, and I think that you have to take such instruction at face value.

The obvious assumption might be that most men would not need to be persuaded to live a life being a master, but when you consider the discussion that Jason and Beverly were having at the start of the trilogy before they ended up on Gor you have to admit that it is not exactly the sort of lifestyle to which a "civilized" man would aspire.Clearly Norman is arguing men have to be carefully taught such beliefs almost as much as women, although you will never convince me the male of the species would require as much persuasion.Consequently, whether you judge "Rogue of Gor" by the standard of either the best Gor adventures ("Nomads of Gor" and "Assassins of Gor") or the main testaments of Gorean sexuality ("Slave Girl of Gor," "Kajira of Gor," and "Dancing Girl of Gor"), it falls short.For the most part only true believers are going to proceed beyond this trilogy to complete the series.

Schmuck of Gor
Rogue of Gor is the 2nd volume in the Jason Marshall trilogy. This one finds him searching for his long lost love, Miss Beverly Henderson. The trail leads him to Victoria, a town on the Vosk river preyed upon by pirates, where he buys her off of a slaver's block and sets her free despite her protestations that she is a true slave and does not want to be freed. Jason will hear none of it and takes her home to put her on a pedestal and adore her from a distance (which is totally out of character with the way he treats other women including those who, like Beverly, have been abducted from Earth and enslaved). She then proceeds to rebuke and abuse him at every opportunity. Funny thing, every time Jason acts like an idiot it gives John Norman an excuse to launch into yet another tirade espousing his views on the domination of females. Amazing coincidence, that! It seems that no one on Gor has sex without it being preceded by, interspersed with, and followed by lengthy discussions of Mr. Norman's philosophy. These digressions from the story are repetitive, tedious, and boring, boring, boring. If they were cut out, this trilogy would easily fit into 2 volumes. I don't know where the title of this book came from as there is certainly nothing roguish about Jason Marshall. The title to this review seems more appropriate (but, of course, would not sell as many books). Another hundred pages or so and Jason finally wises up. The book then gets more interesting as Jason devises a plan to deal with the river pirates and convinces the forces of Port Cos and Ar's Station to join in (their war with each other having conveniently fizzled out). Be forewarned: Those who like their trilogy segments to at least partially resolve the issues in the volume will be sorely disappointed.... ... Read more

Book Description
As World War II rages, love and war are waged on an equal footing. Whether in the pine forests of eastern Texas or the Japanese occupied South Pacific jungles, John Peak Sims must fight for survival on both fronts.

Often relying on his self-deprecating wit and wisdom, Sims spent the years before Pearl Harbor playing college football for Southern Methodist University in Dallas and fending off sexy co-eds while trying to stay true to his girlfriend back home. But in June of 1942, Sims enters the U.S. Naval Reserve and becomes a member of the elite Sundowner Squadron.

As a fighter pilot in the Pacific, he discovers that overcoming the atrocities of a cruel enemy requires a similar fortitude to surviving the vicissitudes of a love triangle. But as the war draws to a close, Sims will face the ultimate test of his loyalty-and his heart.

Goodbye Sims Goodbye Takeo artfully blends honest fact and earnest fiction around the life of real-life hero and collegiate-football-star-turned-fighter pilot, John Peak Sims. John Anderson Norman pens a powerful World War II novel that brilliantly captures the harsh reality of warfare with the intensity of human emotion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Should end war for all time
What a ride. From war to romance to war and back again.
Clash and reconcilliation of cultures. Bravo ... Read more

Book Description
The long-awaited 26th novel in the bestselling Gorean saga.

Deep within the cells of Treve, a glorious and mysterious city at the center of Gor's struggle for supremacy, awakens a nameless slave girl who will witness events about which others will only dare to whisper. Witness of Gor takes us on a whirlwind ride from political plots to tarn raids, epic love stories to relentless Assassins, our witness experiences all the beauty, spender, mystery, brutality, honor and intrigue of the awesome world of Gor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Disappointment, with a caveat
To any long-time reader of the Gor series who expected something new, fresh and mature after all the years the author was out of print, this book is a huge disappointment.

Why a caveat? What many do not know, however, is that this is NOT a NEW Gor book. Most of this book was written many years ago, right after his last book, Magicians. This then accounts for the same stale, heavy-handed prose and narrow ("Oh! Look at me! I am struggling with my slavery! Whatever shall I do?") focus that plagued the last third of the series.

Yeah, Dr. Lange. We get it. Woman. Slavery. Struggle. Submission.

Now, in the next book (if there is one) can we get back to the story?

Note that this book was "published" originally a few years ago by some fly-by-night print on demand outfit and was a spectacular failure, causing that company to go out of business. That company promised author "updated" versions of *all* the Gor books, however, their idea of "updating" in the first reprints consisted of simply cleaning up syntax and spelling and hiking the price of a simple paperback to $15-20. Here we go again, as another company is offering for @$16 what basically can be had in a used bookstore for $1. Never underestimate the ability of some to try to cash in on gullibility of the Gor fans.

Complete piece of trash
I loved the early Gor books and had hoped, based on a few reader reviews, that this was indeed a "return to adventure" as one of the reviews said.It was nothing but a repetitive ode to female bondage.There could not have been more than 10 or 15 pages of intrigue and action; the remainder is a bunch of slave girl garbage.

My problem isn't that it is politically incorrect; my problem is that it is profoundly boring. Norman must be living out his fantasies by writing the same repetitive thoughts ... he is clearly not thinking of entertaining his readers.I had hopes that this novel would capture at least some of the action of his earlier novels, but it never came close.

There's understanding, and there's underSTANDing a book...
Most people only see what they are looking for in books, so I suppose it isn't all that strange that some of the previous reviewers did not find the story in 'Witness' to be all they wanted it to be.

John Norman isn't writing about BDSM - he isn't writing Erotica (anyone notice just how little he dwells on the sexual events in the stories?) - he isn't advocating slavery for all women - in short he isn't writing about any of the usual suspects thrown back at him and Gor aficionados.

John Norman, learned in both classical history and philosophy, has written an entire series responding to the outlandish claims and demands of the more strident radical feminists dating back to the 1960's, throwing each of their often nonsensical claims back in their teeth by having his characters take diametrically opposed viewpoints. For instance, a claim that every time a woman has an orgasm during sex she is being oppressed (yes, that is but one viewpoint that really has been published!) is answered by having women surrendering to the oppression of slavery and begging for orgasms. He does the job better than I am able to explain it in so short a review though.

I won't go into long-winded detail on the other points - the information is available to anyone who cares to search for it, those who are prepared to look beyond their own preconceived ideas, that is - but there is plenty more there.

John Norman has taken an ERB-like theme and made it his own. But his stories have depth and multiple layers of meaning that are entirely within keeping of his academic background, with no single one of his earlier books demonstrating this more than this one, Witness of Gor. Above and beyond this though, the information found in this one book just about the basic storyline for the series - something that holds many of his reader's total attention I might add - is phenomenal, the story taking place at the time of the combined Cosian/Tyros invasion force's initial landing when they decide to take the war to their bitter enemy, Ar. The failure of Ar to respond against this invasion, the failure of Marlenus, Ar's charismatic and militarily brilliant leader, to take to the field against a strong foe that are, never the less, island warriors rather than land forces. Politics within the city of Ar, special interests of the religious authorities that had lost influence under the rule of the now missing Marlenus, Talena - the one time only love of the once naive central story character Tarl Cabot - dispossessed and disowned by her father Marlenus, now exacting her revenge.

As has already been mentioned, the main theme that underpins this book is one of honour - even in opposition to the political decisions of superiors. The fact that it is told by a slavegirl only enhances the reader's gradual understanding of the issue of honour, and yes, pride - the reader coming to understand as the initially bewildered slavegirl reveals each step along the way. Even the story's switching back and forth in time is important in this respect; much as many, even ardent Gor fans have voiced their dislike of the grammatical artifice.

I have read the book several times, as I have all of the rest. As I will Prize of Gor when it comes out, and any other tales that John Norman is supposed to have written during the long wait after Magicians of Gor. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure. I would highly recommend it to anyone with knowledge of classical history. I would highly recommend it to anyone able to differentiate between extremist rhetoric and philosophical satire.

Overlong? Possibly. Worth it? Absolutely!

Alas...the tragedy of things
Nicely bound hardcover, an acceptable cover illustration, and expedited shipping (paid for of course). I finally had it in my hands after all these years! Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends.

What a disappointment on a grand scale! Vintage Gor? Hardly. Norman has gone in a direction that only his most ardent critics would readily accept, and that too with glee. 15 years after `Magicians' and this is what he gives us? Over 700 pages of which more than 70% are devoted to his warped, inaccurate, downright false view of human relations. A male fantasy gone horribly wrong? From an initially marginal (and appealing) presence of scantily clad females to a progressively deepening obsession with female slavery, Norman has brought this series to a tragic demise through his now obsessive focus on his bizarre 'female dominance' philosophy that I don't know how he can believe so fervently. Has he become delusional after all these years? What has he been doing since 1988? Doesn't he realize that what he now so feverishly promulgates is not only absurd but is just plain factually, biologically, and socially in the wrong?

What do we do? BDSM cheers, feminist outcry, publication mainstream ostracism, true sci-fi lover groans...this is the way I see it. What happened to the Gor I love? Where is the absolute masterful adventure writing that made Norman famous? From a world so exacting in its detail, so exotic yet realistic, so alive you could almost taste it with longing... from an immensely appealing cultural presentation to the overwhelming thrill of some of the best action writing I have ever read, Norman's characters were alive with a depth and vitality that one rarely sees elsewhere. The thrill, the adventure, the imagery, it was neurotic to an extreme; warring city states, political intrigue, tall towers, exquisite swordplay, screaming tarns, exciting beautiful women, thrilling and bold warriors. From the rolling hills of Ko-ro-ba to a dusty side lane in Ar, from the deck of a galley on green Thassa to standing outside the walls of lofty Turia. I wanted to be everywhere. Honor, masculinity, action, combat, beauty, it was absolutely awesome. Along with that a digestible amount of fantasy in the form of luscious women, all of whom were initially or eventually, willing. Exciting...I just never told my Dad about it, that's all.

To my mind, this decline began to take serious shape from the 14th novel onwards I think, getting progressively worse as we went on (and as Norman got older by the way) it seems. Luckily though, even the 25th novel, `Magicians' had a lot to keep one going, temporarily climaxing (i.e., for 15 years) the heightening global war for political dominance with Tarl's meeting with Talena in Ar...what a culmination of a drama begun long years back in the `Tarnsman'!

What 'Witness' gives us is precious little of the above. Page after page of monotonous and nauseating slave gibberish. It became insulting, boring, even laughable. Seemingly every effort is being made by the author to desperately force this nonsense down our throats, as if his impending mortality at the age of 72 (sorry no stabilization serums here) is staring him in the face. I was left (as a lover of Gor's essence), confused and frustrated. I actually began skipping pages (in a new Gor Book...aaargh!!!) to try and find some morsel, some semblance of the old magic. There are a few glimpses, of underground adventure and previous character reunion, which I desperately clung to, but even they are a shadow of the classic Norman as seen in `Nomads', `Raiders', or `Hunters'.

He has faded, and with him, in his spiraling descent into the abnormal and delusional world of female dominance, he has taken what was truly a jewel in the world of science fiction.

The Best Tale Yet in the Gor Saga
After the long, meandering detour through Magicians of Gor, Witness of Gor is the best Gor book to date. It constitutes a return to Norman's early adventure style of writing (which, to me, is lost in the middle chapters of Magicians of Gor). In addition, Witness of Gor offers a more clearheaded and judicious representation of Norman's own philosophy of human nature, as well as the introduction of both a new setting (the Fortress Capital of Rask of Treve), and a new slate of characters. At the same time, Witness of Gor brings back earlier characters and lets the reader know of their fates.

The treatment of the protagonist, an earth woman brought to Gor as a slave girl, as having no name, and for all practical purposes, no earth identity, accomplishes a stroke of genius. That is, this device lets even the male reader see through her eyes as the "witness of Gor". The reader shares her naïveté in this new world precisely because he or she lacks her history and is thus unable to see her from a distance, critically. Instead, the reader must view things and learn things as she sees them and learns them.

Further, Norman goes beyond the usual philosophic discourses on dominance-submission as the paradigm, which governs male-female relationships, and uses instead a critical ethical dilemma to present honor as an ethical issue. And indeed, the story itself turns upon this ethical issue, in a day when soft politicians, diplomats, public servants and the philosophical ethicists who advise them renounce the very concept of honor, precisely because honor is not negotiable. In this book, Norman emerges not only as a first-rate storyteller-once again-but as the deeply insightful philosopher of human nature and morality that he is.

This latest offering in the Gor series has several further features that make it exquisite. First, Norman sets the story in the Voltai Range, in the impregnable city of the robber-Ubar, Rask of Treve, a part of Gor of which readers have heard, but never experienced. Second, he pulls the series out of the morass that was "Magicians of Gor", and sets it once again on the road of heightened suspense and adventure to an epic climax in the struggle for dominance of the great city of Ar by the Island Ubarates, Tyros and Cos. Setting the story against that backdrop itself ties up a major loose end from Magicians of Gor and brings the series back to life for those who suffered through the loss of Ar's legions in the delta of the Vosk, the disappearance of its mighty Ubar, Marlenus, and the crass and treacherous rule of his daughter, Talena, as the proxy of Cos. Third, Norman shows here the best character development of any of the books. The figure of "The Tarsk"-the "depth warden" or pit master, he who governs Treve's deep and cavernous prisons-is the deepest, most thoughtful, and most sensitively developed character of the entire series. This massive twisted figure, deformed from birth, but of high intelligence and great cunning and strength, a master of the board game Kaissa as well, becomes the most sympathetic character of the story. Thus the reader suffers with the depth warden when he violates his oath of honor to preserve his integrity in another matter of honor. One actually finds oneself hoping long before the possibility arises in the plot that this great and grave figure does not commit suicide over his actions in the midst of this dilemma. And I note: only someone who himself has a profound sense of honor recognizes that violations of honor necessarily result in one's death, even if that means at one's own hand. Fourth, only an exciting and improbable twist of fate brings the heroine (and the reader) from the dank and dangerous depths of Treve's fortress prison to a surprise, nail-biting conclusion far from that setting. I cannot wait for Prize of Gor, the finale, or at least the sequel.

To sum up, this Gorean tale contains the greatest depth of character development and philosophic thought to which the author has yet risen. He also tells a great story, one that I could barely put down.
... Read more

Book Description
Taken as a possession, Judy Thornton, an Earth resident, is found meandering in the wilderness of the Earthlike planet of Gor. In keeping with the uncivilized culture of the Goreans, she is trained and used as a slave. What her masters don't know is that Judy is more than just a beautiful chattel. She has the power to obliterate Gor and all that is related to it. Determined to seize control of her, Priest Kings and Kur-Monster enter combat, neglecting the fact that the fate of Gor rests in the hands of the ethereal Judy. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the first book of the Gorean Saga, TARNSMAN OF GOR, E-Reads is proud to release the very first complete publication of all Gor books by John Norman, in both print and ebook editions, including the long-awaited 26th novel in the saga, WITNESS OF GOR. Many of the original Gor books have been out of print for years, but their popularity has endured. Each book of this release has been specially edited by the author and is a definitive text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Please somebody teach him grammar!
Ok, I have to say that this is the most horrible book ever. I was getting so frustrated trying to find out where I was at in the book, because it would say the same thing every other paragraph!. To say that this book is actually literature would be the biggest lie ever. The whole first chapter accounts for about 2 minutes of just struggling and crying, then talking about how the sky is soooo blue, and then some more crying. It sounds as if the character has ADD because she keeps "realizing" or "remembering" the same things every other paragraph. Please, somebody tell the author to consult an editor before writing a book.

Love it or hate it, Gor is Gor
Someday a literary study of sex slave books is going to be written, and this one is going to stand out as a milestone. This is not to say that "Slave Girl of Gor" is great literature, because it isn't. The writing alternates between tight and clumsy, often wandering into misogynist philosophical rants, and some of these can be downright irrational. But it is one of a group of books that have become both a part of the social canon of BDSM and perhaps the most reviled series in the history of science fiction and fantasy fandom. Yes, it's John Norman's "Gor", and "Slave Girl of Gor" might well be its most sexual and most provocative title.

Getting past the rhetoric surrounding the series, this book is actually not that different from a traditional erotic romance novel, except for the more intense bondage elements and the philosophical ramblings that sometimes get in the way of the story. The sex scenes are not extremely explicit but are hot nonetheless: young, beautiful Judy Thorton wakes up one morning to find herself naked and chained on the planet Gor, and she has a variety of erotic and not-so-erotic adventures as she is trained as a pleasure slave and discovers her love for her "true master" and he gets it through his thick skull that he loves her too. It's all rich material for sex slave fantasies, as the widespread internet subculture based on the Gor books testifies. The extent that this series has influenced newer sex slave science fiction books like Susan Wright's "Slave Trade" or Karen Anne Mitchell's "The Usahar" remains to be seen, but it would be hard to imagine that such an influence isn't there, since Gorean words like "kajira" (slave girl) have become normal parts of the fetish community's vocabulary.

But be warned as well: "Slave Girl of Gor" is at times appalling in its misguided assumptions about men, women, and human nature, which it reduces to a simplistic sociobiology that even with (or perhaps especially with) recent advances in the field, is completely untenable. This would be a stronger book without such asides, but Norman must be given some credit for at least tackling a subject that even today makes so many people uncomfortable.

In short, if male dominant/female submissive sexual fantasies are your thing, this is a book to own.

Love Story, a la Gor
If you ever wondered what a love story set on the planet Gor would be like, here's your answer. If you were expecting hearts and flowers and violin music, you just don't know Gor! Try instead whips, chains, cages, humiliation, degradation, brutality, and rape. Nevertheless, as hard as he tries,... Clitus Vitellius is unable to suppress his tender feelings, so unbecoming to a Master of the Warrior Caste, toward pretty little Judy. This is the second of the Gor novels to be told from the perspective of an abducted Earth girl enslaved on Gor. Judy aka Dina aka Yata is nowhere near the nasty piece of work that Elinor Brinton of Captive of Gor was. Also, she accepts her slavery much more readily than EB so you would think that her experiences on Gor would not be as harsh. Wrong! This book differs from Captive in several other ways. For one thing it actually has a plot. Unbeknownst to Judy she carries an implanted message to a Cosian agent of the Kurii that has bearing on the interplanetary struggle for control of both Gor and Earth.Of course, after an initial taste of this plot it stops for the next 300 pages or so in order to give the reader a look at what life is like for a slave girl on Gor. If your interest is Gorean lifestyle, you'll like this part. Otherwise, it can be slow going. Another difference from Captive is that there is a fair amount of action especially in the last 150 pages when Tarl Cabot again shows up as Bosk of Port Kar. (Rask of Treve briefly shows up again as well.) The revelation of Judy's hidden message sets up the next novel; however, there is nothing here that seems crucial to understanding subsequent volumes in the series. This is clearly a better novel than Captives but not as good as the action-oriented books.

The Gor Ethos--Not just a Male Trip
I began reading the Gor series about six months ago and have so far collected 22 of the orginal 27 books. The bondage and S/M themes that gain strength in each book made me wonder as a male if Norman were simplypresenting a kinky and overly masculine perspective.

So I began toexamine female writers beginning with Janet E. Morris' Silistra. Andwhaddayaknow? Norman has talented female counterparts praising bondage froma female standpoint! Amazing! So women do want sex as badly asmen!

"Slavegirl of Gor" is the most provocative of Gor's novelsup to this point, and is the first to be devoted to the experience ofbondage per se from a woman's point ov view. I actually found thedepictions of a woman "in her need" unbelievable until comparedthe same experiences as related by female writers. They described the verysame things, down to scratching their nails in the dirt or against wallswhen their sexual needs could not be fulfilled!

While I am not preparedto follow Norman down the road of male-doiminance/female-submission andS/M, he is able to bring alive every violent, sweating, bleeding, painfulsensual moment of the narrative in a way that no other writer does.

Norman also has first-rate character-development, even if hispunctuation needs correction. The wealth of historical, cultural andlinguistic research that stands behind these books is fantastic, and I saythis as a published scholar of ancient and biblical history and languages.It's a shame that the later books in the series are so hard to get.

A good addition to the Gorean Saga
This book details the experiences of an intelligent college girl who is taken from earth to the planet gor and there transformed into a gorean slave girl. The book for the most part is written from her perspective. Asa submissive female myself, I was able to understand her fears and then joyat finding her personnal freedom in being allowed for the first time to betotally female. John Norman brings depth and understanding in this book ashe explores the feelings of many women world wide who feel that todayssociety does not allow us to be the total creatures we were created to be.It is one of the better Gorean novels. ... Read more

Product Description
Set includes the first eight Gor titles. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Perhaps one of our few chances left...
Growing up in the sixties, I guess I took Norman Mailer for granted.
Boy, I'll never do that, again.
After all, there was a time when people like Mailer, Joan Didion and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, actually had a regular column, each month, in places like Esquire magazine. And, people such as myself could count on brilliant, independent minds, capable of executing a great novel, providing periodic commentary on the times we were living in (through?). And, the books they wrote were still events: much read, much discussed, and looking back, they were actually what kept us, sane- at least those of us for whom sanity was a virtue.
But, tragically, those days are officially gone.
We now have any number of empty, babbling, pundits; essentially employees of General Electric, Westinghouse, Disney, News Corp and/or TimeWarner, whom we allow to define the day's agenda. What's left of the "culture", is divided up among television, movies, the Internet, and radio... probably in that order.
We actually have nothing left that can be referred to, with any seriousness, as a "culture". We just have different corporate entities using different means of entertainment with which they focus our attention on anything other than what it mean to be "alive" or truly "human". It's a very extraordinary, and extraordinarly dangerous period of history to be living in.
I remember someone on some talk show way back in the early 70's saying that "we're the last ones [that generation, not this] who will remember what it was "like".
Well, here is someone who not only remembers what it was like, but can still, at the age of 83, compare "it" to how it is now, and leave one grateful, shell-shocked, aching for a change of guard, and thanking one's lucky stars for the privilege.
Plus, apart from the conversation bewteen Mailer and his son, there is also an essay inserted right in the middle of the book which alone is worth the price. It is called "Myth Versus Hypothesis", and despite the pretentious title, it is one of the best pieces of political writing I've ever seen in my life. It was apparently delivered as the Keynote Address during Harvard's Commencement Ceremony in 2004. I have not been able to find it anywhere on the Internet, so I do not believe it was ever published elsewhere. I challenge anyone to produce anything comparable, which has appeared in recent years in any magazine, newspaper, etc.
Mailer has lived and learned quite a bit in his time. And I can not exaggerate the value of this gem for those of us who can still appreciate the "Real McCoy", or for those who who would genuinely like to briefly step out of their "Orgasmatron" and actually visit what was once the late, great planet Earth.
I once read that the great French novelist and mystic Romain Rolland carried a copy of Goethe's "Faust" with him at all times ("my constant companion") for his entire adult life. I'm not comparing this book to "Faust", or Mailer to Goethe, or suggesting to anyone that they do the same with it. But, I did recall that statement of Rolland's while reading "The Big Empty". Because it reminded me of how there a just a few rare indivifuals in any epoch that can really help make their age TRULY intelligible to their fellow travellors.
Norman Mailer proves that here... in spades.
... Read more

Book Description
Every day John Patrick Norman McHennessy sets off along the road to learn, and every day strange and improbable happenings make him late.  To make things worse, his teacher, Sir, never believes his stories.  One day, John Patrick Norman McHennessy is able to make it on time and finds that an improbable and strange thing has happened to Sir.  Just how the tables are turned provides a twist every child will relish.

A Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
An IRA Children's Choice
A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

My all-time favorite children's book
As a child, my dad read this book to me almost every night.I loved the illustrations and the story.And it taught me the important lesson that children are sometimes much more intelligent and insightful than adults.Maybe some would consider the next lesson to be anything but a lesson, but as a child, this book taught me to question authority and to have faith in my own judgment.I think that is the most important lesson this book teaches children.

great for school children
I'm not sure if preschoolers would get this, but primary grade children enjoy this story where the child triumphs over the teacher in the end!Even groups who are restless find the humor in this situation!

If You Want an Honest Answer, Ask a Child
We live in Japan.My boys, who, unlike most Japanese children, have a middle name, are tickled when I read off this boy`s FOUR.John Patrick Norman McHennessy not only has an amazingly long name, but he is always late. (Definitely something they can identify with.)It is not his fault, but because of the myriad of fantastic occurrances which befall him "on the road to learn."He perseverantly keeps on going, everyday.He is always truthful, even when it would be easier to lie and avoid chastisement from Sir, who always accuses him of prevarication and metes out some dreadful punishments.In fact, Sir gets bigger and scarier-looking with each appearance, until the tables are turned in a most satisfying denoument.He may be too frightening for wee ones, but my five- and seven-year old boys love it.

Only the pictures are nice:Not recommended.
With its stunningly original illustrations and long-named hero, I expected a real find. Instead I discovered a tedious one-joke story featuring a sadistic teacher.Oh, I know, it's all meant as fun, but there was nothingamusing about a boy forced to repeat 400 times "I must not tell liesabout lions and I must not tear my trousers," and who is threatenedwith a beating.

The book is neither very funny nor wise.There are somany outstanding children's books; this is not one of them.

Great Lessons
In this book about a boy who is so eager to learn, children will learn too.John is somehow always made tote to school, be it by alligators or other beasts.This teacher who does not believe John's excuses fortardiness, soon learns his lesson about these wild animals running aroundtown. ... Read more

Book Description
In their contentions with Priest-Kings, Kurii, savage denizens of the Steel Worlds, concealed within the asteroid belt, have frequently had recourse to human allies, and subversion. In accord with such projects, Kurii have occasionally sought to place and support congenial administrations in key cities. One such city is Corcyrus. Corcyrus is ruled by a beautiful woman, the cruel, arrogant, much-hated Sheila, an agent of Kurii. It is thought advisable to find a double for Sheila, who, in case of military or political disaster, may serve as her proxy, or substitute. For this role an unwitting young Earth girl, Tiffany Collins, is chosen and brought to Gor. She is introduced into her role and led to believe that she, somehow, she unaware of the true Sheila, is the Tatrix, or female administrator, of Corcyrus. Defeat in war, and revolution, occur, and the blood of Sheila is sought by the victors. Tiffany, fleeing for her life, finds herself alone, frightened, and unbefriended, a vulnerable Earth female, no more than a lovely, defenseless barbarian, on the beautiful, perilous world of Gor. She is a girl without a Home Stone, and such may be taken in hand, and claimed, as might be any stray animal, to be collared and owned, to be put to the pleasure of masters. The expression 'Kajira' is the most common expression in Gorean for a female slave. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the first book of the Gorean Saga, TARNSMAN OF GOR, E-Reads is proud to release the very first complete publication of all Gor books by John Norman, in both print and ebook editions, including the long-awaited 26th novel in the saga, WITNESS OF GOR. Many of the original Gor books have been out of print for years, but their popularity has endured. Each book of this release has been specially edited by the author and is a definitive text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Cream of the Gor Crop
This is one of the best of the Gor series, if you happen to like the kajira characters. Some think John Norman goes over the top with his descriptions and plot, but if you're into BDSM and particularly service-oriented play, you'll really enjoy this book.

a little overdone
At this point I am reading the rest of the Gor novels simply to be able to say that I finished the series.Don't get me wrong, the eroticism of submission has been well (and HEAVILY) illustrated, but if I see one more woman tricked into slavery, saying she was a slave all along masquerading as a free woman, another comment on how ALL women are slaves and not truely happy unless at the feet of a man, I would happily throw these books all out.Norman is certainly entitled to his philosophy, and I have much respect for the women who chose to model a lifestyle after him (with submissive tendencies myself), but isn't there a point where you are just beating the proverbial dead horse to an even bloodier pulp?

Also, please tell me how many people have actually read the portions of the story where he describes a game of Kaissa or the measurements of the war ships.I've been able to skip several sections of these books without losing out on any of the story.

Kajira of Gor
John Normans Counter-Earth of Gor is nearly as detailed, maybe more detailed, than Middle-Earth. But you can't really compare them, because they're not even quite in the same genre.

Like Middle-Earth, Gor is full of strange creatures and unique yet Earth-like landscape, but unlike Middle-Earth, it's not the animals that are interesting, it's the humans.

Kajira of Gor is told from the point of view of an Earth "Barbarian" named Tiffany Collins. An ordinary woman of unusual beauty ('Slave curves' is a term often used in the book) who finds herself first treated like a slave bu strangers in her oun appartment, and the next minute Tatrix of Corcius, or Queen of a city on Gor.

SPOILER ALERT! Don't read any further if you don't want me to spoil it!

Although she has authority over life and death in the city and even has a slavegirl under her oun direct command, she is treated like a slave by a han who I gather is like her Visere.
And Susan who serves her, herself a Barbarian, is actually ouned by that man, and has simply been told to serve the Tatrix and instruct her to be more Gorean.

But all this is just part of a conspiracy. courcius is at war with Ar, aparantly courcius is loseing the war and, if the true Tatrix were found, she would be taken to Ar like a slave and then impaled. so they found some stupid Earth purfume counder sales girl who looks a bit like the Tatrix and made her parade around the city without a veil (Freewomen on Gor wear veils, and for a Tyraness being recognizeable is particularly dangerous.)

tiffany only saw the true Tatrix momentarially, she was veiled but otherwize disguised as a slave, and Tiffany was basically left there as a decoy as Ar stormed the tower while the true Tatrix escapes as a slave.


That's only the first fiew chapters.

I would reccomend the works of John Norman to men and women.

it's a very erotic book about submission and arousal, and the connection thereof. on Gor, the 60's never happened. The American civil war never happened. Hell, the Industrial Revolution never happened. The result is that Gorean men are true men and Gorean women are true women (except for Freewomen, who are just cloaked bitches who treat slavegirls badly just because they're jealous.)

I think I could learn a thing or two from gorean men. I don't think I could be as rude as them, and I would hesitate to harm let alone whip a girl (unless she told me she was a masachist) but I could definitely be as strong as them and I could stand and walk like them, i liked the way Tiffany described the Visere, "Asif a lion had assumed human form".

I think women could learn a thing or two from Kajira, too. not so much just to submit to men. It's not just about pleaseing men, it's about fullfilling your oun desires.
slavegirls also tend to actually say exactly what they mean litterally "I beg for love" for example. Women are much better mind readers than men, but the one thing they can't read for themselves is that we aren't.
One point in the story personally struck home for me. at one point she figured out that there's two ways to please a man; one is to do stuff for him, the other is to simply let him do stuff to you. And I think she figured out, also, that her involuntary reaction to what he was doing was partly what pleased him the most. it's the latter that's more important, I think. Women could also learn from Gorean Slavegirls how to articulate their desires to their husbands/boyfreinds. If after reading a Gor book you still can't tell him what your turnons are, just hand him the book and let him read it.

For Gor lovers, juicy slavery scenes
Having read all of the Gor books, this is one of my favorites.For those who are into the slavery angle, this has the delicious forced submission of Judy Thornton to her former rival, Elicia Nevins, who makes Judy her abjectslave.Turn about is fair play when Elicia is forced to submit as well. ... Read more