Beasts of Gor

Gorean Saga, Book 12

By: John Norman

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

In this, the 12th book in the famous Gor series, the fight for survival on the primitive, Earthlike world, Gor, continues with a ferocity that matches the rest of the series.

On Gor, there are three different kinds of beings that are labeled beasts: There are the Kurii, a monster alien race that is preparing to invade Gor from space; the Gorean warriors, who fight with viciousness almost primitive in its blood lust' and then there are the slave girls of Gor, lowly beasts for men to do with as they see fit, be it as objects of labor or desire. Now all three come together as the Kurii fight to take over Gor with its first beachhead on the planet's polar ice cap.

As all three kinds of beasts struggle together, an incredible adventure is told, one that begins in lands of burning heat and ends up in the bitter cold of the polar north among the savage red hunters of the polar ice pack.

©1978 John Norman (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

once again

loved it! can't wait to get started on the next one. I'm downloading it now.

Great next chapter, excellent world building, but

Loved it. Enjoying hearing about the nuances of Gorean life, like the deeper dive into the "others". I feel the story of Earth girls brought to Gor has become repetitive. I could do one per book, even the deeper dives and more rounded out stories like Captive and Slavegirl were great from the female perspective. But (minor spoiler) when it becomes 4 girls in one book, it's excessive and ceases to be of interest. Still, great saga, great narration, looking forward to diving into the next one.

Finally! An Enjoyable Gor Book!

On a quest to read them all, I've slogged through the super long discussions of slave chains, enough details of Gorean ships to build one in my backyard, and the most b-o-r-i-n-g explanations of women + slavery = better women you'll ever encounter. Then after the worst book so far - the vomitously repetitive "Slave Girl of Gor" (I'm the prettiest girl from my women's college on earth and now I'm a slave!") - I finally found it - a Gor book I enjoy.

Beasts features one of my least favorite plot lines - the ridiculous Kurii vs Priest Kings (who know everything and do nothing) and it still managed to captivate my attention. Instead of a viking drinking tale, Tarl goes North not full of warrior bravado but as a student to the "Red Hunters" (ripped straight the Inuit of Alaska). A Tarl who is inquisitive not just "know-it-all" Tarl is rather delightful. Instead of 30 minute side quests to make a slave, Tarl gets caught up in the dating ritual of shy Imnak and the mouthy Paolu. It's hysterically funny (one of the only humorous sides in the whole saga), and endearing.

By the end of these books I usually don't care about the women (who are all the same) and think Tarl's a pig but I'm glad he saved the day. In Beasts, I cared about Imnak and the women he captured. I wanted to know what happened to villian "Half Ear" and I was completely enthralled with "the people" of the North. Even the snow sleen were more interesting.

GOR SAGA TIP: If a chapter title is just a woman's name - you can skip it. It's just a long "what does it mean to be a slave belonging to a "Strong Gorean Man" (registered trademark). Neither chapter in this with women's names advance the story.

So, the Kurii beast saga is still silly and the men are still manly but if you only read one of the mid-range books -- choose Beasts of Gor. The conversations between Imnak and "Tarl Who Hunts With Me" are worth everything.

One of his best

Imagination of the author is only matched by his keen sense of of adventure in the ongoing war between priest-kings and kuri.

In which Tarl fights foes and loves women.

Tarl Cabot will tell you more then you ever want to know about his Earth Born, Gorean Transported ideology. He thinks out loud, he reminds me of Anne Rice's Louis the Vampire in this constant self analysis. The books are written in "Translation" and Narrator Lister brings the first person inner dialog to life. He is the perfect voice for Tarl. Cabot will repeat himself and share details that make me want to grab him by the red hair and shake him, and then an arrow will fly over his shoulder and swords will be drawn. If you are OK with the subject matter by now, there is a great deal more adventure, and introspection, musing, self-analysis, "Kajira Psychology," and "Arrows Over the Shoulder" to come. Keep going. If you have a problem with the subject matter, you are a masochist for having read this far. I was thrilled to see he is going all the way through the series and I'm excited to catch up with what happens to him after "Magicians." I thought that was the end of the series for a number of reason, but I'm glad to see it is not. I believe that these are the original versions of Norman's novels, some parts are new to me, but I have not gone back to check. They do state that they were all the versions that he approved. It would not surprise me if some of the novels were edited against his will. In any event, I clearly missed important plot details when I read them year by year as they came out in paperback. I'm very pleased to see that they are now available to be loved and/or hated by readers once more.

Learn of the relationship of slave and master!

Do you think it is easier being a slave or a master? This book in the series gives you a clue.

helpful and entertaining

was intertwining with story and similar culture from human and kurii. enjoyed the story. good job

same

i wanted to try to get through all of these books. the first few were interesting but now it is all repetitive only with differant slaves. I cannot do it anymore I have stopped listening