Tarnsman of Gor
by John Norman
Published Del Rey 1966










 
This is the first book in the long series which John Norman has written about what he calls the 'Counter-Earth; the Twin planet of our own, which lies directly opposite ours, on the far side of the Sun, travelling on the same orbit at the same speed, impossible for us to see from here. And it is a planet populated by Humans, though with some considerable variations in the animals and plants – Tarnsmen are Warriors who ride gigantic Eagle-like birds, which exist in the wild but can be – to some extent – tamed and trained to respond to their rider's control. There are also Tharlarions, described as Lizards, but seeming more like Tyrannosaurus, walking on their two back legs, with two short front ones which do little. And other carnivorous beasts which occupy the swamps, while in the forests are huge spiders who can communicate with Humans and other 'rational' creatures.
     It is a strange world, ruled by mysterious Priest-Kings who seem to stand back and watch the follies of the Human race, and occasionally intervene – often at key moments, when the Hero is about to be defeated. The story rattles along, a bit like much of the Fantasy Fiction which used to be published in paperback pocket-sized format magazines, now collectors' items. Not SF but with passing references to advanced technology in the hands of the Priest-Kings, while the Human population employs some of the benefits – swords of steel, occasional light bulbs which do not require and electricity supply, combined compass/chronometers. The Priest-Kings have advanced spacecraft, while travel on Gor is on foot or using various animals – no horses, no mention of cattle.
     The hero, Tarl Cabot, is in New England, trying to find traces of his father, of the same name, who disappeared some time ago. He receives a mysterious message to go to a certain spot where he is met by a 'Flying Saucer' which takes him to Gor. There he meets his father and is inducted into the Caste of Warriors. Gorean Society is a rigorously set Caste System, with, at the bottom, different types of Slaves. Male Slaves are predominantly the manual labourers who do all the menial work, while Female Slaves can be used for a wide variety of tasks, although a principal one is as a personal Body Slave, for sex. She is Submitted to a named Free Man and is his property, to be used or disposed of, sold or given to another, or won in personal combat. The majority of non-Free Women are submissive and subservient being judged principally on their looks and their ability to flatter and please men. Naturally, here on Earth, the people who are fascinated by and wish to emulate in their own lives Gorean Culture, are, for the most part, particularly interested in the Master and Slave aspect and this has become something of a sub-culture, or sub-branch of BDSM together with similarities to Cos-Play. Clearly not for the faint-hearted, or those those tastes have not moved beyond Vanilla to Neapolitan or Raspberry Ripple. Yet!
     The plot is simple – Boy is sent on a Mission on behalf of his City (Gor is predominantly a number of City-States who either unite with, or fight with each other): Boy meets Girl, Girl dumps Boy, Boy rescues Girl and their relationship rises and falls with the perils they face; but in every crisis, with one bound Tarl is free: that's not a spoiler, for Tarl is telling the story in the first person and I've only read one book where that narrative ended with the Narrator's suicide.
     Escapist fun or an introduction to a whole new way of life, sex and the Universe. That's up to you!