Mercenaries of Gor

Gorean Saga, Book 21

By: John Norman

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Cities, even private individuals, may from time to time hire soldiers; either to supplement their indigenous forces, or to conduct particular ventures, perhaps of reprisal, perhaps even of acquisition. On Gor there are numerous mercenary companies, some larger, some smaller, whose services may be purchased, or bid upon, for given periods of time. The allegiance of these companies is to their pay, and their captains. The forces of Cos and Tyros, powerful maritime ubarates, and their allies, have now beached upon the mainland, and are utilizing the city of Torcodino as a repository for supplies, preparatory to marching on a nigh-undefended and unprepared Ar. Should Ar fall the disinterested tolerances and neutralities, and even the balance of power long sustained between Ar and the great maritime ubarates, things which made possible the existence of the independent companies, will vanish, a development threatening the very existence of the independent companies.

In a surprise attack a mercenary captain, Dietrich of Tarnburg, seizes Torcodino, intending to forestall the imminent march against Ar until she has time to arm and defend herself. Cabot, en route to Ar, has inadvertently been trapped in Torcodino when it was seized by Dietrich. He agrees to carry secret and urgent letters for Dietrich, now besieged in Torcodino, to the administration of Ar. Ar must act. But when Cabot arrives in Ar it is a city riven by doubt and dissension, and treason. To whom shall the letters be delivered, and whom can he trust?

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the first book of the Gorean Saga, Tarnsman of Gor, Audible is proud to release the very first complete collection of all Gor books by John Norman, in audiobook edition, including the long-awaited 26th novel in the saga, Witness of Gor. Many of the original Gor books have been out of print for years, but their popularity has endured. Each book of this release has been specially edited by the author and is a definitive text.

©1985 John Norman (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

I have been listening to 21 of the series

I see that there is allot of repetition from one book to another I love the story and the setting, just do not want to hear the same thing every book

Too much filler but an compelling plot

An introduction to a mulribook story arc in the rich, exciting, sometimes brutal world of Gor. Unfortunately only about 10% is actual story and adventure, the remainder being filler, but even that small amount is compelling, quite humorous, and adds to the detailed tapestry of Gor the counterearth. Be warned, it is a cliffhanger which leaves the reader wondering what happened to the rest of the book and hopeful that the sequel will be soon in coming.

awsome

I'm still enjoying this series. only had to skip past a few chapters due to being repetitive.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I don't know.

What was most disappointing about John Norman’s story?

This book wasn't about the mercenaries of gor. It is about holding and being a slave. There was more about Tarl's interaction with slaves and the subject of slavery than anything else. I was literally board and dreaded going through the book at certain points.
To make my point, Chapters 25 and 26 were entirely about slavery. Jeeeze, he covered this already. In previous books; and throughout the entire book, he kept going off on very long tangents about slavery. Any interaction between him and the story was slight. Enough already about slavery. Yes we understand it's a large part about Gorean life. But Tarl kept going on and on, every chance available about slavery.

Interestingly enough, he has Tarl raping a free woman. Really? You make the hero of the series, a rapist?

What about Ralph Lister’s performance did you like?

His characters are crisp and diverse. You sometimes forget that its only him speaking.

What character would you cut from Mercenaries of Gor?

The free woman he raped. The free woman he drugged. The free arlar woman.

Any additional comments?

I've spoken to people about the gor books. Many haven't read them all. Nor have they reached the amount of boos I've gone through. Why? Perhaps willingness or the motivation to read them. What should be bothersome to John Norman, is that one person, this past week, actually said she stopped at book 26. Why? That person was obviously disappointed by something. I am quickly becoming this way as well. Not only was Mercenaries of Gor was HORRIBLE. Players of Gor was less than par.

Now I have to deal with Dancer of Gor. If this doesn't turn around, I am quickly going to stop reading these books.

I know it's too late. 30 books have been written so far. But this S&M trip Norman is/was on, is killing me.