Customer Reviews

The Warrior Within

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I remember combing used book stores for copies of her work; I'm thrilled to see it reprinted. Sharon Green's work is not for everyone, that much is obvious. However, she has developed a huge fan base over the years, and not without good reason.
Her newer books, while certainly more PC, just don't have that same thrill for me that her older books, this series in particular, has for me. I've seen the complaints and arguements about how her books are sexist and how her female characters are abused...I don't agree with them. Yes the men are very strong and they get what they want, but this is not exactly a case of raping and beating the poor defensless woman.
The lead female character in this novel, Terri, is very powerful and had numerous chances to overcome her oppressor and escape; she didn't. Her reactions to his sexual advances were not fakes; those are not the reactions of a woman being raped. I speak from experience.
I've also seen the comments that her books are like John Norman's...I also don't agree with those. The only similarities the series' share is that the women are, usually, submissive. That puts them in the same genre together- but barely. Sharon's characters are full of life; her settings are incredibly vivid, and her books are well-written. They don't fall flat like the Gor books. (Search the Houseplants of Gor on the web for a very funny parody of Gor)
When all is said and done the Terrilian series is a wonderful body of work. It is second only to the Diana Santee series, which was picked up by mainstream publishers for only the first two books, and has since been published by Cf Publications. It's up to about 10 novels now. If you like these books look for them on the web!

Though, as the person who panned it above notes (without realizing it) it's important to read the whole series. Sharon Green has a habit of leaving mid-series books with a pretty serious downturn at the end, and if you don't see where it goes after that, it can be fairly disturbing. This series in particular starts with the main character as spoiled brat and victim (though she, of course, doesn't think of herself that way) and breaks her in several ways before she finds her own true strength.

That aside, this set of five is one that I reread every few months; as you can imagine, my set is getting pretty dog-eared. And it's a must for good powerplay based fiction. I've read nothing else that beats it.

See review of Book 5 for more details. Basically, this story starts off as a selfish female who is more interested in punishing others because she "can". It outlines the role she has in her society, wherein she's subject to unquestioned authority on how she lives her life when "active" and virtually no restraints when "disabled". Deals with some of the same feminist ethics that the Jalav series touches on, but starts out in a much more American culture-specific fashion so that the woman reader is more likely to have some level of empathy and identification with the character in order to compel her to finish the story. By the end of the series, the character is much stronger, more in control of her moralistic viewpoint, and a much more 3-dimensional character whom we care about. Interesting and fun.

I recently purchased the book in preparation for a long, boring business trip. Unfortunately, I finished it before I left.

This is a story that despite unsophisticated writing, keeps you involved. I had a very hard time putting it down and oftened giggled outloud while reading. Actually, there were times that I could certainly relate to some of the stupid things the heroine gets herself into.

My only problem was the continued whipping of the heroine with a switch. After the first couple of times, I found myself skipping over it. Oh well.

A fun book to inhale at an airport or bus terminal. Or better yet, in a motel room where nobody can hear your snickering.

Sharon Green has been compared to John Norman but her numerous books are not all female submissive and male dominant. While the Terrilian series leans toward the Mf style of relationship the female characters are strong and, at least in this book, keep fighting for dignity and freedom. I wish more time had been spent on the mindset and emotions of Tammad the barbarian who takes Terrilian as his diplomatic gift from Earth.

I recently started reading Sharon Green and she has a real penchant for alternately weak/strong female leads and somewhat overbearing male characters. In this particular book the female lead is in a "sex-slave" type situation and there are repeated beatings and rapes. Before you stop reading this in astonished horror there are some mitigating circumstances. This psuedo-slavery takes place on a planet where the civilization is pre-Middle ages and quite literally "might makes right" creating an extreme patriarchal society. Although the protaganist winds up enjoying her psuedo-slavery position and this is FRUSTRATING as I personally felt rather repulsed by her situation despite the many justifications for it... it's interesting to get inside the minds of a submissive/dominant pair. The chance to vicarously see another sexual/lifestyle viewpoint within a sci-fi setting is the only redeeming quality of this book. Don't take it too personal, accept that everyone has the right to choose their lifestyle and it will be a fairly decent read.

I highly recommend this book, this series, and this author to any guy who thinks all militant feminists should be sold into slavery in Afghanistan. You'll love it but I'll warn you upfront, Green will play with your head in ways you probably won't know how to deal with. She's from Brooklyn, she's studied Tai Kwon do, and she's a mother. Women who are extremely insecure feminists will go into book burning hysteria trying to deal with Green so they should probably wimp out. Women who have been in real life abusive relationships with men and had the emotional strength to survive that unfortunate experience tend to be among Green's most admiring fans. Love her or hate her, Sharon Green is in my opinion one of the most unique and interesting authors of the 20th Century.

Firstly, this novel should not be under the "Erotica" genre, because while the subject matter can be distinctly erotic for some, it won't be for the majority. What I mean to state is that "erotica" is too vague a description to describe this novel; like John Norman's Gor series, this novel should be filed under "Erotica: BDSM and/or D/s." Also, lovers of sci-fi should be forewarned: the sci-fi setting acts as a backdrop to the overall theme of the story.

This book is in the same league as John Norman's Gor series...except, it's better. John Norman's vast, yet beautiful description can be lost in repetition...Sharon Green lacks this trait, and as such, is able to focus on description. Also, the Gor series tend to focus on sci-fi stuff..life on Gor...Gorean men, the hunt. This book is more D/s oriented and it's interesting to read about it from a woman's point of view.

Overall, I'd give this book a 4.5...It's not quite a 5 because the ending was too unresolved for me.

I jsut bought Haught Spirit by Sharon Green, and apparently the Terrilian Series is going to be reprinted in Spring of 2000 by Greenery Press. So for those of you who want to buy a copy or read it and can't because it's out of print, just wait for the reprint.

A great series of 5 books. The saga of a female empath that is taken as the property of a barbarian warrior. Love eventually ensues, but not before she is taken prisoner on multiple occaisions and forced to become a sex slave to her captors. The scenes are highly erotic but not graphic