The Books

Book No.

Book Title

Publishing Information

Snore Meter
Rating

1

Tarnsman of Gor

First printing December 1966;
Ballantine
Second printing January 1970;
Ballantine

2

Here is the magnificent world of Gor, known also as Counter-Earth, a planet as strangely populated, as threatening, a beautiful as any you are like to encounter in the great works of fiction. We predict that one day the name of John Norman will be counted among the top writers of sword and sorcery. This is the beginning. Don't miss it.

Baby steps into the world of Gor, it gives you a taste for more than what this short book provides. Although this first book could also easily sway the reader not to pursue any others in the series, most look forward to the next in hopes the author can write just a bit richer. — Ed.

2

Outlaw of Gor

First printing December 1967;
Ballantine
Eleventh printing February 1977
Ballantine

3

Tarl Cabot's long exile was over. Agen 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 not declared an outlaw, with all men ordered to kill him on sight. His only chance was to find the strange Priest-Kings who ruled Gor and to submit himself to them. But Tarl Cabot was not about to submit!

So, you don't get to see a couple living happily ever after. Cool! Better written, the book takes us deeper into the world known as Gor and peaks a bit more interest. — Ed.

3

Priest Kings of Gor

First printing December 1968;
Ballantine
Second printing January 1970
Ballantine

4

The Priest-Kings of Gor… In which Tarl Cabot, Tarnsman of Gor, sets out to discover the true nature of the Priest-Kings who rule Gor with an iron and absolute discipline. No one knows what the Priest-Kings are — whether alien or supermen. None have ever returned from the Mountains of Sardar, traditional stronghold of the merciless rulers of Gor. Now Tarl himself is on the verge of entering Sardar.

The Beatles are Gods! Er, I mean. Beetles. Sorry. Had something John Lennon once said in my mind. This is a whimsical tale of life among the Priest-Kings. It has its great moments and is definitely a book not to miss. — Ed.

4

Nomads of Gor

First printing November 1969;
Ballantine Books

5

Far south of the Sardar Mountains Tarl Cabot pursues his mission for the Priest-Kings of Gor. He must find their last precious link to survival. All Tarl knows is that it is hidden somewhere among the teeming hordes of the savage Wagon People and that he might well be inviting death to ask for it directly.

Who can resist the story of Tarl and Harold escaping Turia on stolen tarns? One of the best in the series, although John Norman starts his incessant rotes as early as this book. But it's easy to get past. — Ed.

5

Assassin of Gor

First printing December 1969;
Ballantine
Tenth printing July 1977
Ballantine

5

Kuurus was one of the dread caste of assassins on the hidden world of Counter-Earth. He was hired for twenty pieces of gold to avenge the death of a warrior. Now he was on his way to the great city of Ar, where he was forbidden by ancient sentence of death ever to appear again.He knew nothing of his intended victim, save that the man had taken part in the savage tarn races at the Arena of Ar. And all he knew of the man he was to avenge was a name.The name of that of Tarl Cabot, the great warrior and servant of the all-powerful Pirest-Kings. And that was strange. Because the true name of Kuurus was Tarl Cabot!

One of the top five favorites of mine; we are described so much of this fantastic world and are left craving more. — Ed.

6

Raiders of Gor

First printing December 1971;
Ballantine
Fifthteenth printing September 1984
Ballantine

4

Tarl Cabot was a warrior of Gor — the world that Earth could never see. Normally, he was a proud and mighty warrior. But now he was bound for Port Kar, the one city with no home stone to give it a heart. It was a city of reavers and looters… of outcasts without allegiance. Merchants and pirates staled its quays beside the beautiful Sea of Thassa. Tarl Cabot was headed for the sinkhole of the planet, a teeming den of iniquity. And that was no place for an honest warrior of Ko-ro-ba. But he was no longer Tarl Cabot, the warrior. Now he was only Bosk… a miserable slave!

While most of the book is quite good, once Tarl Cabot chooses a coward's way out, not a warrior's way, and falls from grace in my eyes. This story can knock the air out of your gut with its twist. — Ed.

7

Captive of Gor

First printing December 1972;
Ballantine
3rd printing December 1972
Ballantine

5

Elinor Brinton of New York City — beautiful, rich, spoiled, used to having her way with the men of Earth — is hunted down and abducted by alien beings to find herself captive on Gor, where men are absolute masters, and women their complete slaves.

I admit to loving the lying, manipulative she-dog from Earth! We also learn what "rask" really means too. :) — Ed.

8

Hunters of Gor

First printing March 1974;
Daw Books

4

Three lovely women were keys to Tarl Cabot's career on Gor, Earth's orbital counterpart. They were: Talena, daughter of Gor's greatest ruler and once Tarl's queens; Elizabeth Cardwell, who had been Tar'ls comrade in two of his greatest exploits; Verna, haughty chief of hte untamed panther women of the Northern forests. Hunters of Gor finally reveals the fate of these three—as Tarl Cabot ventures into the wilderness to pit his skill and his life against the brutal cunning of Gorean outlaws and enemy warriors.

Another favorite of mine, we see the softer side of Marlenus, a great Ubar that often gave the impression of being unfeeling. Oh, and then when Tarl single-handedly takes on a lair of panther girls — and not only survives but wins? Yes, Virigina, there is a Superman after all! — Ed.

9

Marauders of Gor

First printing March 1975;
Daw Books

5

Tarl Cabot's efforts to free himself from the directive of the mysterious priest-kings of Earth's orbital counterpart were confronted by frightening reality when horror from the northland finally struck directly at him. Somewhere in the harsh lands of transplanted Norsemen was the first foothold of the alien Others. Somewhere up there was Tarl's confrontation with his real destiny — was he to remain a rich merchant-slaver of Port Kar or become again a defender of two worlds against cosmic enslavement. Marauders of Gor is one of the truly great adventures of the Gorean saga. It brings in barbaric peoples, vivid adventure, fierce aliens, and the clas of male-female emotions stripped of civilized pretension that has made John Norman the bestselling writer of high fantasy adventure.

If you love the Vikings, you'll enjoy this book. The storyline is richer than most, with lots of action for those who desire such in a book. John Norman, bestselling writer of high fantasy adventure? Not quite, but he's learning. — Ed.

10

Tribesmen of Gor

First printing March 1976;
Daw Books

5

The Others were on the move! The Priest-Kings had received a message: "Surrender Gor". The date had been set for conquest or destruction. Tarl Cabot could no longer linger in Port Kar — now he must act on behalf of the Priest-Kings, on behalf of Gor, and on behalf of Gor's feeming, unsuspecting twin wold known as Earth. Evidence pointed to the great wasteline of the Tahari, the desert known only to the clannish, militant tribes of desert-wanderers. There must Cabot go. There among the fueds, along the trails of slavers, beyond the forbidding salt mines to a rendezvous with treachery, with a woman warlord, with a bandit thief, and with the monster intelligences from the worlds of steel. John Norman at his best!

We learn that even Kur have a heart. This is "Lawrence of Arabia meets Gor." Definitely one of the best in the series. — Ed.

11

Slave Girl of Gor

First printing March 1977;
Daw Books

4

Tarl Cabot had resumed his allegiance to the Priest-Kings, the non-human but benevolent rules of Earth's orbital twin planet, Gor. And accordingly Tarl knew that the battle for the possession of the planet was under way — the Kurii, the beastlike invaders, had made their plans. There was a girl, once Judy Thornton of Earth, found in the wilderness of Gor. Captured, as such lovely strangers were on that ruthless world, she was to undergo the training that would make her a slave girl of great value. But unknown to her captors was the fact that she was a tool of the Kurii, that she carried a programmed message that imperilled the future of Gor. It was for possession of her mind and body that Priest-King and Kur-monster battled, while a planet went its way unsuspecting that its very fate was also locked with the slave collar that graced her neck.

How wicked and smart these beasts, the Kurii, could be. We learn a lot more of this savage alien race. Too bad Norman tosses in those annoying incessant rotes, however. It would have been a 5. — Ed.

12

Beasts of Gor

First printing March 1978;
Daw Books

4

On Gor, the other world in Earth's orbit, the term beast can mean any of three things: First, there are the Kurii, the monsters from space who are about to invade that world. Second, there are the Gorean warriors, men whose fighting ferocity is incomparable. Third, there are the slave girls, who are both beasts of burden and objects of desire. All three beasts come into action in this thrilling novel as the Kurii establish their first beachhead on Gor's polar cap. Here is a John Norman epic that takes Tarl Cabot from the canals of Port Kar to the taverns of Lydius, the tents of the Sardar Fair, and to a grand climax among the red hunters of the Arctic ice pack.

If it weren't for the colorful Innuit, this book would have rated a 2. — Ed.

13

Explorers of Gor

First printing March 1979;
Daw Books

4

All the glorious panorama of Earth's planetary twin, barbaric Gor, is present in John Norman's latest novel.
          When the shield ring of the much feared Kurii falls into the possession of a mysterious black explorer, it becomes vital to the Priest-Kings that Tarl Cabot himself regain that ancient product of an alien science. His quest brings him to the unmapped interior of the great equatorial rain-forests and into new dangers without parallel. Here are jungle kingdoms and tropical trade cities, fierce beasts and fiercer men. And at the heart of this full-bodied Gorean novel is a lost city — and a linkage of the loveliest enemy agents ever lured from the cities of far-off Terra.

"Indiana Jones Comes to Gor" is the theme here, the rich story of the jungles gives us even more insight that the whole of Gor isn't all the same. — Ed.

14

Fighting Slave of Gor

First printing March 1980;
Daw Books

2

Attempting to save his girlfriend from a Gorean slave trap, Jason Marshall found himself kidnapped to that legendary counter-Earth planet. And as such found himself the first "civilized" Earth male to become enslaved in the ruthless chains of Gorean society. Jason Marshall's startling adventures make constantly fascinating reading as he is made to be the slave of a haughty woman, then into her fighting champion, and finally amid the turmoil of primitive warfare to seek his liberty in order to search for his lost love amid the slave marts of that alien and turbulent planet.

YES! We get a break from Tarl Cabot! Then we find out that Jason is even lamer than Tarl; and a whiner to boot. — Ed.

15

Rogue of Gor

First printing March 1981;
Daw Books

2

Jason Marshall learned the meaning of manhood and the power of women, both dominant and submissive, when he was kidnapped from Earth to the Counter-Earth, called Gor. Winning his freedom, Jason set out single-handed to win his own place on that gloriously barbaric world on the other side of the sun. His intent was to find the girl who had been enslaved with him. But that quest thrust him smack in the middle of the war that raged between Imperial Ar and the Salerian Confederation — and the secret schemes of the pirate armada that sought control of the mighty trading artery of the fighting cities.

In this story, Jason matures and learns to say the word "slut" without suffering an emotional crisis. — Ed.

16

Guardsman of Gor

First printing November 1981;
Daw Books

2

From kidnapped colleagian to a woman's slave, from landless fugitive to warrior-captain, the life of Jason Marshall on Earth's orbital twin was a constant struggle against the naked power and barbaric traditions of glorious Gor. Now, in the heat of a desperate naval battle against overwhelming odds, Jason faced the pivotal hours of his Gorean career. For him victory would mean a homeland, a warrior's honors, and the lovely Earth girl who was the prize he had long sought. Defeat would mean degradation worse than the chains he had once escaped. Guardsman of Gor is the blazing climax of this saga of one man against an entire world.

For every book stating how barbarians of Earth do not get the benefit of caste or class on Gor, somehow Jason does just that. Tarl, we saw, was an exception, as his father was Gorean, his mother of Earth, and his fate a machination of the Priest-Kings. Jason was not even supposed to be on Gor, but his annoying and cloying behavior put him in the wrong place at the wrong time; on Gor, he remains annoying, was a pretty-boy-silkie-fighting-slave-turned-heroic-warrior-without-any-real-training! Hm. — Ed.

17

Savages of Gor

First printing March 1982;
Daw Books

3

The Kur came to Port Kar! Two of the terrible space beasts came to make Tarl Cabot an offer. They, a death-squad, sought the renegade Kur commander, the great Half-Ear, whom Tarl had once battled in the Far North. But Tarl refused their offer, for Half-Ear was more valuable to the Priest-Kings alive than to the Kur dead. And now he knew it was imperative for him to save that monster from the doom that would fast overtake him. This meant venturing into the forbidden Barrens of Gor — a vast land of plains and prairies whose cruel masters were tribes of savage red riders and where civilized men were always prey and their women mere trophies of the hunt! Tarl Cabot returns in one of his greatest adventures.

So much the author could have done with this storyline. It's all that page-after-page of those incessant rotes that kill it. — Ed.

18

Blood Brothers of Gor

First printing November 1982;
Daw Books

3

Tarl Cabot, seeking the monsters from the Steel Worlds, found himself among the cruel savages who ruled the vast Barrens. Though himself enslaved, he stood with his comrades and masters against a coming onslaught. For the Kur had united the enemies of the tribe that held Cabot, and death and destruction were unleashed. Out of the plains came riding hordes of feud-driven braves, from the skies came a host of maddened tarn-riders, and even among the slave girls held by the blood brothers there was devilish treason. Blood Brothers of Gor is one of the great John Norman epics. It is a long novel of constant action, told in depth and detail, of a struggle foought for the fate of the world where strong men clash and beautiful women await their victors.

The sad continuation of the prior release. "… told in depth and detail…" means, yes, those painful long diatribes. — Ed.

19

Kajira of Gor

First printing March 1983;
Daw Books

4

Kajira means slave-girl in Gorean. But when Tiffany Collins was kidnapped from Earth and brought to that orbital counter-world, she found herself on the throne of a mighty city as its "queen." Power seemingly was hers, and she did not realize that her true role was that of a slave puppet of a conniving woman agent of the monstrous Kurii. But a chained slave she was destined to be, and in the course of the complex, visible and invisible, struggles between warriors and cities, between Kurii and Priest-Kings, she would play a pivotal role. Kajira of Gor is one of the most excitingly vivid novels John Norman has written. Here is all the color and terror of Gor. Here, between crown and fetters, between adulation and total submission, is the full-scale panaroma of that wonderful, barbaric world as only Tarl Cabot knew it.

Political intrigue and females to boot being involved in such high matters! The incessant rotes we can live with for the most part; again those take this down from a sure 5. — Ed.

20

Players of Gor

First printing March 1984;
Daw Books

3

During the holiday revels of Port Kar, an attempt is made on the life of Tarl Cabot. And Tarl discovers that the Priest-Kings have turned against him! To clear himself of their charge of treason, he must follow the assassin's trail. The way to achieve that was to join, in disguise, a troupe of traveling Players, a sort of Gorean carnival, which would give him entry to enemy cities and hostile territories. But life in such a carnival is always a risk in itself. There are monsters in form and monsters in mind among them — and there may be spies of the alien Kurs and the omnipotent Priest-Kings. Players of Gor is a rich and full adventure on that wondrous world where free men must fight and slave girls must yield, where life and liberty may depend on the chance moves of a game-board or the edged passions of the duelling ground. And where Tarl's destiny must bring him face to face with a conspiracy of superhuman powers.

A closer look at the lesser peoples of Gor, the story is woven well enough, but John Norman babbles and repeats things too much. — Ed.

21

Mercenaries of Gor

First printing March 1985;
Daw Books

5

War on Gor is a rousing and fearful affair — and when the armada of Cos landed and began its sweeping arch against the mighty city of Ar, Tarl Cabot was swept up in their drive. Outcast from Port Kar, rejected by the Priest-Kings, Tarl fought now for his own redemption. With comrades at his side, barbarian warriors and daring women, free and slave, his plans went forward — until the mercenaries of Dietrich of Tarnburg disrupted the struggle as a mysterious third force. Mercenaries of Gor brings into action all the magic and conflict of that counter-Earth, as Tarl became the center of intrigue and treachery in the city of his greatest enemies.

And you thought the wagon peoples were strange? Wait until you meet the Alars! One of the best of John Norman's attempts at humor. This book had me laughing so hard at times, the pages are stained with tiny splashes. :) — Ed.

22

Dancer of Gor

First printing November 1985;
Daw Books

5

Doreen Williamson appeared to be a quiet shy librarian, but in the dark of the library, after hours, she would practice, semi-nude, her secret studies in belly-dancing. Until, one fateful night, the slavers from Gor kidnapped her. On that barbarically splendid counter-Earth, Doreen drew a high price as a dancer in taverns, in slave collar and ankle bells. Until each of her owners became aware that their prize dancer was the target of powerful forces — that in the tense climate of the ongoing war between Ar and Cos, two mighty empires, Doreen was too dangerous to keep. Dancer of Gor is a John Norman bonus novel — an erotic fever-pitched novel of an alien world where men were all-powerful and women were living jewels of desire.

Indeed one of my favorite of all of the novels, a better look at the life of a slave girl of Gor, especially that of a dancer in the taverns — Ed. .

23

Renegades of Gor

First printing March 1986;
Daw Books

4

As the bloody tide of war spread over Gor, Tarl Cabot, outcast by the Priest-Kings, became deeply enmeshed in the military combat between the empire of Ar and the invaders from Cos. His fate would depend upon which proved victorious in the coming confrontation at Ar's besieged river port. And it looked like Tarl himself might prove the deciding factor that would tip the scales of destiny for one side or the other… With Renegades of Gor, all the complexity and intrigue of John Noman's saga comes together to create an adventure replete with danger, excitement, and romance in teh unforgettable realm of Gor — where courage remains meaningful, and pride and honor have never been forgotten.

Tarl becomes a hero again. Do you feel he's redeemed himself after his cowardice and fall to slavery? Maybe… — Ed.

24

Vagabonds of Gor

First printing March 1987;
Daw Books

4

As treachery and betrayal become the prime weapons in the war between Ar and Cos, Tarl Cabot is trapped in the siege of Ar's Station. And when Ar's Station falls to the warriors of Cos, it is only with the aid of the loyal Vosk League, that Tarl and other survivors make their escape from the defeated port. But with the forces of Cos now readying to continue on their devastating march of conquest, Tarl must go undercover as a spy within the enemy camp, hoping to discover their plans and send word to Ar's army before it is too late… In Vagabonds of Gor Tarl Cabot faces perhaps his greatest challenge of all, as he is caught up in the myriad dangers and intrigue of two mighty powers at war!

Good political intrigue despite that single sentence diatribe that lasts an eternity of pages that you've come to hate. — Ed.

25

Magicians of Gor

First printing June 1988;
Daw Books

3

With the capital city of Ar under the sway of the beautiful traitress Talena, a ruler placed in power by the Cosian invaders, Tarl Cabot and the Delta Brigade, the members of the underground force sworn to defeat Cos, must call upon the unique talents of master magician Boots Tarsk-Bit to recapture the precious Home Stone of vanquished Ar's Station. For snatching the Home Stone from the enemy's grasp may prove the vital ingredient in Tarl's desperate and dangerous campaign to rouse the people of Ar to fight on to regain their freedom from the hated foe… In Magicians of Gor Tarl Cabot and his allies must work a unique magic with illusions and swordblades to root out the treachery at the heart of a mighty empire.

Unfortunately, John Norman tries to give the books a different flavor, but he becomes too wordy and dry. Though, by now, you really despise Talena, and you just hope you get to see Tarl give her what she deserves. — Ed.

26

Witness of Gor

First printing 2002;
New World Publishers

1

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 other 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.

John Norman again brings forth an exciting continuation of the Gorean saga. His new novel, Witness of Gor teases the senses of readers with a combination of the profound effects of slavery and mastery known so well upon the planet of Gor. The story is told through the eyes of an earth girl who realizes how important, or unimportant, she truly is upon this world. Our slave girl finds herself struggling on this planet not only with the predicaments she encounters but also with her inner feelings concerning the culture. Though quite different from her own, she realizes that the culture fits into the nature of things. Upon completion of her training she is transported to an unknown city high in the snow capped mountains; brought before an unnamed officer to learn of her duties.

Witness of Gor brings the reader back to previous novels giving new descriptions and the chance to renew acquaintances with favorite characters. The novel moves between past and present, adding to the excitement of this new creation. With the movement of Cos and Ar, political intrigue, and the surrender of our Witness it makes for a perfect combination to capture the attention of old and new Goreans alike.

Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. A whirlwind ride is right. The first fifteen-sixteenths (15/16ths) of this book is simply a repeat of the prior 25 books, thrown together in 700 some odd pages in such a way you are flip-flopping from past to present, and good grief John! We KNOW what paga is by now! Ah, and just as you are dozing off, you reach those final two chapters, and now you have to wonder about that prisoner. Oh yes, indeed we know WHO he is… — Ed.

27

Prize of Gor

Unknown

Although "Witness of Gor" was a waste of money in my opinion, I would like to see the next chapter unfold in the Chronicles of Gor. We may never know… The book was due out by 2004, however, John Norman faces the battle with small-time publishing companies that either become disinterested because they didn't make millions like the assumed, or, disappear without a trace. "World of Gor" — the "official" site, has pretty much been abandoned.