Customer Reviews

Captive of Gor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

'Captive' is my favorite book in the Gor series. I'm a female, I'm a serious Sub, and I love to be dominated. Although I'm very independent, very dominating in my personal business affairs, where sex is concerned I am into utter and complete submission. So now you know where I am coming from.

The Gor series is about dominance and submission, period. Of course there is the 'big' story. But the sexual philosophy is the core of the series IMHO. I love the series up until Captive, but after that I find it becomes far too brutal, (for me) leaning toward an ugly, mean-spirited sadism. The first seven books reveal the true beauty of sexual slavery, masters and slaves have a mutual need, whose end result is pleasure, pain, and an immense erotisism that only those who understand, can experience. For me, the series ends after this book.

I read 'Captive of Gor' some 20 years ago. I was so excited to read the story of a slave, rather than Tarl/Bosk adventures and POV. I love Elinors abduction, and induction into the world of the Kajira. As I read it I became her, Gor entered my dreams, both awake and asleep. I loved the majority of the 'minutae' of Gorean slave culture. On a few occasions it became excessive, but hey, that is what skimming is for, to get back to the good stuff. I wanted so badly to be whisked off to the counter earth, I could hardly stand it.

If you compare this book to 'Slave Girl of Gor' it is about the incredible joy of submission, while the latter is about pure sadism, humiliation, and punishment. I hated the books immediately after 'Captive' for their excessive punishment and cruelty, so much that I skipped ahead to 'Slave Girl'. I never made it through the first hundred pages. How noble is it for three hardened Gorean warriors to rape, and mercilessly beat, a frightened girl from Earth? Not very. Gone is any sense of pleasure, of rapturous joy. All that is left is brutality. In 'Captive of Gor' Miss Brintons journey is brutal to be sure, but the element of erotic joy between master and slave is what makes it wonderful for her in the end. If you are powerfully stirred by dominance and submission, I think you might really like it.

My issue with Mr. Norman is his insistance that the Master/Slave relationship must be built on intense physical abuse, punishment, psychological violence, and Sadism. No master need treat me that way. I am a good little slave, obedient, and ready to serve, I need no abuse. I am ready to please my Master, but I have my own demand, which is respect, kindness, protection, and to recieve pleasure myself. I should be cherished.

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.

"Captive of Gor," the 7th volume in John Norman's Chronicles of Counter-Earth, was the first book in the series that I did not really enjoy. The reason was not because this is the first volume to be devoted primarily to Norman's Gorean philosophy of slavery/submission as the natural condition of women, but simply because Tarl Cabot (or Bosk of Port Kar as he is currently known in the series) is not the main character in this novel. In "Captive of Gor" we are introduced to Elinor Brinton, who was a wealthy and powerful woman on Earth, but who is brought to Gor and made a pleasure slave in the service of the slave merchant Targo. In other words, we have a modern "liberated" woman put into a condition of slavery where she is forced to learn the arts of providing pleasure to any man who purchases her for the night for a few tarn disks.

The conflict between the Priest-Kings and the Others which is the major backstory of the Counter-Earth series is behind Elinor's abduction, but that is ultimately a minor point in this 1972 novel where the focus is on the nature of human sexuality. Norman tells essentially the same story in "Slave Girl of Gor" (1977) and "Kajira of Gor" (1983), but then for that matter the story of Elinor Brinton is not that much different from what happened to Elizabeth Caldwell, transformed into Vella of Gor in the fourth Gor book, "The Nomads of Gor." Consequently, there is really no surprise to what happens in this novel and the style is not enough this time around to overcome the lack of substance (i.e., Norman does not create any compelling supporting characters as he did in previous novels).

Gorean philosophy aside, "Captive of Gor" is a major break in the developing narrative. There is nothing wrong with that, but Norman continues to abandon the epic story arc he created in the first six volumes in the ones that followed this volume as well. Consequently, "Captive of Gor" becomes a pivotal novel in the series, representing the end of the great adventures and the beginning of the sociological textbooks.

"Captive of Gor," the 7th volume in John Norman's Chronicles of Counter-Earth, was the first book in the series that I did not really enjoy. The reason was not because this is the first volume to be devoted primarily to Norman's Gorean philosophy of slavery/submission as the natural condition of women, but simply because Tarl Cabot (or Bosk of Port Kar as he is currently known in the series) is not the main character in this novel. In "Captive of Gor" we are introduced to Elinor Brinton, who was a wealthy and powerful woman on Earth, but who is brought to Gor and made a pleasure slave in the service of the slave merchant Targo. In other words, we have a modern "liberated" woman put into a condition of slavery where she is forced to learn the arts of providing pleasure to any man who purchases her for the night for a few tarn disks. The conflict between the Priest-Kings and the Others which is the major backstory of the Counter-Earth series is behind Elinor's abduction, but that is ultimately a minor point in this 1972 novel where the focus is on the nature of human sexuality. Norman tells essentially the same story in "Slave Girl of Gor" (1977) and "Kajira of Gor" (1983), but then for that matter the story of Elinor Brinton is not that much different from what happened to Elizabeth Caldwell, transformed into Vella of Gor in the fourth Gor book, "The Nomads of Gor." Consequently, there is really no surprise to what happens in this novel and the style is not enough this time around to overcome the lack of substance (i.e., Norman does not create any compelling supporting characters as he did in previous novels). Gorean philosophy aside, "Captive of Gor" is a major break in the developing narrative. There is nothing wrong with that, but Norman continues to abandon the epic story arc he created in the first six volumes in the ones that followed this volume as well. Consequently, "Captive of Gor" becomes a pivotal novel in the series, representing the end of the great adventures and the beginning of the sociological textbooks.

If I could give this book 0 stars, I would. One of the worst books I have EVER read. Norman goes horribly wrong in this book with an endless stream of drivel about how women are really not women nor are they truly happy until they are raped repeatedly by big strong manly types who carry swords and spears. He goes on to suggest that us earthly man types are weak because we "allow" our women freedom instead of making them slaves, which leads to everyone on earth being unhappy. Avoid this book if at all possible. It adds only one minor plot point to the overall series which is revealed in the first few pages of the next book, so you will not miss anything by skipping this one.

The first 6 books in the Gor series were good-to-excellent action-adventure stories featuring the stalwart Tarl Cabot who appears in this one only in a cameo role at the end in his Bosk of Port Kar persona. In this volume the protagonist is Elinor Brinton, a classic spoiled rich girl, vain, selfish, and arrogant, who is abducted to Gor by the forces of the Kurii, the alien race that contends with the Priest-Kings for dominion over Gor and Earth. Upon arrival on Gor she displays further aspects of her character by petty theft, lying, deceit, and betrayal. Not a very likeable character! The first few chapters recount her kidnapping and transport to Gor. This is fast paced and suspenseful but there are far too many far-fetched events which seem to be present only to increase the suspense and are never adequately explained. Once on Gor the book slows down considerably. She falls in with a slaver and the rest of the book follows their wanderings over the Northern Forest area of Gor, Koroba, and finally Port Kar. The story is notable for the series' first close encounter with a Kur, an exciting aerial combat scene between the tarnsmen Rask of Treve and Haakon of Skjern, and the reappearance of Talena, Tarl Cabot's Free Companion from Volume 1. The latter sets up the motivation for the next volume (which can be readily understood without reading this one). The previous 6 novels were adventure stories with bondage material thrown in, sometimes obtrusively. This one seems to be written in order to delve into the minutia of slave life and to show Elinor Brinton's redemption through the joys of slavery(!)and what little action occurs is little more than an afterthought. If you are interested in Gorean slave culture, you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, I recommend that you skip it.

This is certainly not the best of the Gor series and its said that its after this point that it all goes downhill. I would argue that the signs are already apparent in both this book and the previous one.

Despite her characterisation, the main character is *hardly* a liberated woman from New York. She is hobbled by her lack of discernment and lack of respect for her fellow humans. She is chained by her inability to recognise her own flaws and her avoidance of responsibility. Since freedom, one's right to friendship, respect, peace and prosperity comes from the acceptance of responsibility - not its avoidance. As the Gorean men who kidnapped her pointed out, she was already a natural slave...

At times Elinor seems almost evil in the ways she manipulates and treats her fellow slaves on Gor but eventually it becomes apparent that she is simply stupid - almost beyond all measure. It takes some savage punishment (which she well earns and could easily have avoided if she wasn't so self centered) for her to recognise some of the salient, uncompromising facts about the world of Gor and about herself. The former is beyond her control and it is only the latter which she has any power to change. And thankfully, change she does. But this transformation is a long 350 pages in coming.

One could quite easily skip whole chapters of this book - not because of Norman's prose - but because the main character is essentially unlikeable.

Is Norman's work simply misogynistic? Anti-human? Not at this point in the series and besides, Norman's writing is, I feel, a little bit more complicated than that. So many reviewers seem to miss the point, seeing only the trees and not the forest.

Submission, whether its comfortable to admit or not, is an intrinsic part of our daily lives. Do you wear a slave collar (tie) at work? Do you bare your throat to the alpha male in your work place? Or can you earnestly stand up to your boss and tell him he's an idiot? Or perhaps you can stand tall and unfettered by the chains of modern life and trade safety and an ordinary existance for the risk of adventure and entrepreneurial endeavour?

No, I thought not. :)

On Gor, Submission is not so much an evil enacted upon the free but a caste obligation, a dharmic inheritance of the female sex. Women are either terribly alone (like Verna in Hunters of Gor) or submissive and fullfilled.

It seems to be a popular opinion that the Gor series went off the rails with this volume. As is almost always the case, popular opinion is dead wrong.

Stylistically, Norman becomes more compact and more repetitious beginning here, but in fact it only reads even better and faster than his previous work. While Norman's prose is surely not at the extremely high literary level of an Eddison or Dunsany, he is, after all, a professor of philosophy, and writes far better than 90 percent of genre writers.

Speaking of philosophy: there are no "lectures" in this book. Norman's philosophy, which is best described as Nietzschean or even Eddisonian (I again refer to E.R. Eddison, for those not familiar with the great pioneer of this genre), is expressed, by its very nature, in action and deeds of derring-do, not in dry speechifying. And there is plenty of that action here, as in the previous volumes in the Gorean canon. The use of a female protagonist keeps the series fresh; it does not diminish from its relentlessly masculine orientation.

As I have explored his work in greater detail, Norman has slowly crept up my list of great science fantasy writers. His courage, originality and depth of insight into human nature, the ability to see man as he really is, are almost unequalled in postwar fiction of any genre. This last quality alone qualifies him as one of the very few true greats, along with Jack Vance, Frank Herbert, H.P. Lovecraft, R. E. Howard and even Eddison himself. And, of course, the insight he possesses and the truths he tells, so far from the P.C. egalitarianism of today, is exactly why his works are supressed and deliberately distorted by the mass-minded arbiters of taste. My advice: get all his books. They are strong medicine for the disease of the modern world, and there is nothing else like them. (And if you can, get the edition of Captive of Gor with the Boris cover, for it is one of his best).

It takes my breath away that Norman's work got published in the first place.

The man cannot write. He uses the passive voice so much that you wonder how the plot manages to move forward AT ALL. For example:

The girl, she is kidnapped. Then the girl, she is punished. The plant, it is watered. The men, they are satisfied. Sometimes they are angered. Then the girl, she is punished again. And the men, they are satisfied again.

Years ago, someone recommended the Gor series to me. I picked this volume at random at a used bookstore, and found it comically bad.

If you love to read about reluctant slave-girls, and you don't want your fantasy interrupted by a complex sentence or the active voice, these may be the books for you.

But if you have any standards at all for the quality of the writing, skip these. You'll find better writing on random fan-fiction or fetish web sites. (Ok, I don't actually know that, but aside from spelling, there's no way the writing could be worse.)

First, let me provide some context:
- I have just discovered the Gorean novels
- I have been reading them in sequence
- I liked the first six novels, and I found them page-turners (not great, but good)
- I AM a fan of Domination and submission and practice it in my private life

But, just because I am into D/s doesn't mean my literary appreciation skills go out the window or my IQ drops.

This one is a complete waste. I am forcing myself to read this tripe. I quite honestly don't understand how this was published. The author, the editor, and the publisher had to be smoking something. It's not the subject matter, it's the writing! It is repetitive **to the extreme**. It is BORING beyond belief. This same story could be told MUCH better (I have a hard time seeing it told any worse).

The main character I just want to see shot and dumped in a ditch somewhere, complete waste of a woman. I have no problem with the story of a woman traversing a character development line. But this character, as written, is a complete loser. I had no vestment in her story except to see it end. I **seriously** found myself hoping that someone would put a crossbow bolt through her skull and that we'd then move to another character.

First, she's unhappy to be a slave, then she's happy to be one, then she's unhappy, then she's happy, then she's a devious little... 'slave', then sad again, then happy, sad, and finally, in the last 30 page she finds herself - we think. The woman is written as a schizophrenic.

I sure hope the rest of the series improves, because if not, this is the end for me.

I have no problem reading about a woman captured on Earth, brought to Gor and her path of self-discovery as she goes from 'free' woman on Earth to 'slave' on Gor. But, this story is just written badly. Nowhere near the quality of the first 6 novels. I give it a 1 star and consider that rating spot-on.

You can SKIP this book in the series as far as I can tell. The only thing that happens of note is that Tarl (Bosk) learns the general whereabouts of Talena.

My review may seem harsh, but the hours in my life are limited, and I begrudge that this book took any of them. If this book had stood alone, there is no way I would have read more than a third of it before chucking it. But because the first 6 were good, and because there are 21 more novels after it, I decided to trudge on.

If you read this in time - save yourself the $$ and the time, and move on to the next story, #8. I have not read it yet, but I know you can skip this one.