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jdhacker's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
Yes I read all of the Gor books as they came out, back when I was a teenager. My older brother and his friends who were in High School at the time passed them around and made a lot of Gor-related inside jokes among themselves. I really liked this first one, having already read quite a bit of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and found the plot similar. The first Gor books were pretty interesting for me, especially the political landscape that the author developed. Of course most people concentrate on the female bondage thing but that just didn't bother me much back then. I guess I just looked at it like another alien culture.
But later on, the series deteriorated significantly, the author choosing to devote more and more pages to his sexual philosophy and less to the action of the story and the world. I kept going though, hoping for a return to the better stuff, making it all the way through book 20 or so before giving up.
But later on, the series deteriorated significantly, the author choosing to devote more and more pages to his sexual philosophy and less to the action of the story and the world. I kept going though, hoping for a return to the better stuff, making it all the way through book 20 or so before giving up.
mysternightowl's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
austinweis's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Both fun and providing of a clear and interesting theme.
sarahdelaemery's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Horrible writing
songwind's review
2.0
Given the reputation this series had, I kind of read it on a whim. It was like The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, nothing that awful should go unseen.
It was actually not as horribly awful as I had been led to believe. More or less typical "man's man" fantasy adventure sci-fi from the 60s. Entertaining in its way, but nothing special.
It was actually not as horribly awful as I had been led to believe. More or less typical "man's man" fantasy adventure sci-fi from the 60s. Entertaining in its way, but nothing special.
authoraugust's review
3.0
Well that escalated...not at all.
Suffice to say I came to this book with expectations. They were not at all met. I was pretty puzzled when I'd made it most of the way through the book without a single sex scene, and when I hit the 80% mark I resigned myself to it being merely an adventure story with occasional female nudity. As that, it was pretty entertaining. The hero is not at all compelling, but the world has aspects that are startlingly fresh, like the talking spiders who will harm no rational creature. It's clear that Norman had a much grander vision for Gor than he could cover in this one book (I'd be curious to find out the circumstances around which it was written - and perhaps more interestingly, published), and I'm tempted to pick up a few of the later books to see if he delivers on the promise he's set up in Tarnsman.
Suffice to say I came to this book with expectations. They were not at all met. I was pretty puzzled when I'd made it most of the way through the book without a single sex scene, and when I hit the 80% mark I resigned myself to it being merely an adventure story with occasional female nudity. As that, it was pretty entertaining. The hero is not at all compelling, but the world has aspects that are startlingly fresh, like the talking spiders who will harm no rational creature. It's clear that Norman had a much grander vision for Gor than he could cover in this one book (I'd be curious to find out the circumstances around which it was written - and perhaps more interestingly, published), and I'm tempted to pick up a few of the later books to see if he delivers on the promise he's set up in Tarnsman.