Most of the novels in the series are action and sexual adventures, with many of the military engagements borrowing liberally from historic ones, such as the trireme battles of ancient Greece and the castle sieges of medieval Europe. The Gorean Kajira "kef" symbol Plotlines The word "Gor" itself means "home stone" in the Gorean language, the native language of the "northern civilized cities of known Gor" (which resemble ancient Greco-Roman city-states in many respects), and a widely spoken lingua franca in many other areas. There are also offshore islands in the ocean and some relatively sparsely settled plains to the east of the Voltai. The known geography of Gor consists mainly of the western seaboard of a continent that runs from the Arctic in the north to south of the equator, with the Thassa ocean to the west, and the Voltai mountain range forming an eastern boundary at many latitudes.
The planet Gor has lower gravity than the Earth (which allows for the existence of large flying creatures and tall towers connected by aerial bridges in the cities) and would have an even lower gravity if not for the technology of the Priest-Kings. The limitation of technology is imposed to ensure the safety of both the Priest-Kings and the other indigenous and transplanted beings on Gor, who would otherwise possibly come to harm due to the humans' belligerent tendencies. The most advanced form of transportation is the riding of large predatory birds called tarns by masterful men known as tarnsmen. The Gorean humans are permitted advanced architectural, agricultural and medical skills (including life extension), but are forced to remain primitive in the fields of transportation, communication and weaponry (at approximately the level of Classical Mediterranean civilization) due to restrictions on technology imposed by the Priest-Kings. In the novels, these various population groups are transplants from Earth brought there by spacecraft through the behind-the-scenes rulers of Gor, the Priest-Kings, an extraterrestrial species of insectoid appearance. Norman populates his planet with the equivalents of Roman, Greek, Native American, Viking, Inuit and other cultures. The flora, fauna and customs of Gor are intricately detailed. Gor is described as a habitable planet in the Solar System that shares the same orbit as Earth, but it is linearly opposed to Earth and consequently always hidden by the Sun, making direct observation of it from Earth impossible. In the same interview, he said "one of the pleasures of writing science fiction is the development of, and characterization of, alien life forms". Interestingly, however obvious this influence might be, few, if any, critics, commentators, or such, have called attention to it." "I think, pretty clearly, the three major influences on my work are Homer, Freud, and Nietzsche. One of the premises of the Gorean series is that a race of aliens, whom we might speak of as the Priest-Kings, have a technology at their disposal compared to which ours would be something like that in the Bronze Age." Speculation on such a world, you see, is ancient. "The Counter-Earth, or Antichthon, is from Greek cosmology. In an interview with the speculative fiction anthology Polygraff, John Norman spoke at length about the creation of the Gor universe and his influences. The series has been variously referred to by publishers with several names, including The Chronicles of Counter-Earth ( Ballantine Books), The Saga of Tarl Cabot ( DAW Books), Gorean Cycle ( Tandem Books), Gorean Chronicles (Masquerade Books), Gorean Saga (Open Road Media) and The Counter-Earth Saga (DAW Books, for novels with a protagonist other than Tarl Cabot). According to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Norman's "sexual philosophy" is "widely detested", but the books have inspired a Gorean subculture. The Gor series repeatedly depicts men abducting and physically and sexually brutalizing women, who grow to enjoy their submissive state. It also includes erotica and philosophy content. The series is inspired by science fantasy pulp fiction works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, such as the Barsoom series. The setting was first described in the 1966 novel Tarnsman of Gor. Gor ( / ˈ ɡ ɔːr/) is the fictional setting for a series of sword and planet novels written by philosophy professor John Lange, writing as John Norman.
First published in 1966, Tarnsman of Gor is shown here with 1976 artwork by Boris Vallejo.
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