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A review by alyssaacula
Tarnsman of Gor by John Norman
2.0
This was really a disappointment. Aside from the fact that it wasn't exactly the fantasy I thought it was going to be, it also didn't satisfy the "set in a primitive world" setting that I was craving for after reading the translations of 'Chronicles of Primordial Wars'.
My main problem was mostly the characters, and the author's writing style-- it was bland and lacklustre. Maybe it's because I just prefer longer books with more vivid and flowery descriptions rather than this journal-esque report of what happened to the main character, Tarl Cabot, while he was in the planet Gor, or Counter-Earth. Primarily because of this, it was honestly a chore to plough through this even though it's a short book. It took me two days to finish it when it would normally take me three or so hours with a book as thin as this.
And the characters, they're flatter than cardboard. Other than Tarl himself and the female ones, the other characters' (the one from his side) personalities were like imitations of themselves, only with the slightest of variations, their positions or their "parts" in the novel the only thing setting them apart from each other. Tarl's father, Kazrak, Marlenus seemed to me one and the same.
The female characters and the way they're treated-- as slaves and objects of pleasure, mostly-- is quite problematic. Obviously. They also seemed to portray only the qualities that men seemed to see them as, either gentle or hysterical. I also find it weird how the author seemed to be obsessed with putting women under their power and only with reading some of the reviews for this book have I realized why. I honestly thought that the story was basically a wish-fulfillment and really reminded me of 'Re: Monster' in that sense.
The main reason why I didn't like this book though, is the main character himself Tarl Cabot. He really seems to me like a disgustingly spineless guy who is quite indecisive with what he actually wants and it's annoying how he constantly dilly-dally and shilly-shally with his thoughts and decisions. Yes, it's admirable how he didn't let himself be swallowed by the Gorean mindset from the get-go, even rejecting some of the customs and habits that he didn't quite agree with, but it's also quite obvious that he's actually not as resistant to them as he seems ti think so himself.
The insta-relationships-- from instant acknowledgement of a father he hasn't seen from when he's practically a baby, to "falling in love" with a two-faced woman just because she's beautiful and has a great body, to instant best friends with a guy he's crossed swords with just BECAUSE-- was irritating as heck. He's even embracing with someone who's had him tortured, humiliated him, and just about killed him only a few pages before. It's ridiculous.
Other than that, I gotta say that he's a lucky bastard. Coincidences after coincidences save him over and over, getting him out of predicament after predicament with hardly any difficulty. It's basically like pie falling from the sky for him, or just the protagonist-halo working. His OP-ness (overpowered) was so eye-roll worthy-- I mean he's just learned weapon play, swordsmanship (*scoff*), but he can already *overpower* someone who's clearly experienced in fighting than him. I mean, if I want that kind of sillyness, I'd go read some wuxia and xianxia or any other Chinese novel with martial arts and fighting, or some semblance of it, instead.
This book probably has its own merits that I just couldn't see right now but I gotta admit that it's still interesting enough to continue with the next book. My curiosity was triggered by the reviews of the whole series that I've read. I'm quite intrigued with how it goes.
Also, I didn't realize that this is a pretty long series, I mean, 34 BOOKS?!
Also, my favorite character is Tarl's tarn, a giant bird mount of warriors in Gor.
My main problem was mostly the characters, and the author's writing style-- it was bland and lacklustre. Maybe it's because I just prefer longer books with more vivid and flowery descriptions rather than this journal-esque report of what happened to the main character, Tarl Cabot, while he was in the planet Gor, or Counter-Earth. Primarily because of this, it was honestly a chore to plough through this even though it's a short book. It took me two days to finish it when it would normally take me three or so hours with a book as thin as this.
And the characters, they're flatter than cardboard. Other than Tarl himself and the female ones, the other characters' (the one from his side) personalities were like imitations of themselves, only with the slightest of variations, their positions or their "parts" in the novel the only thing setting them apart from each other. Tarl's father, Kazrak, Marlenus seemed to me one and the same.
The female characters and the way they're treated-- as slaves and objects of pleasure, mostly-- is quite problematic. Obviously. They also seemed to portray only the qualities that men seemed to see them as, either gentle or hysterical. I also find it weird how the author seemed to be obsessed with putting women under their power and only with reading some of the reviews for this book have I realized why. I honestly thought that the story was basically a wish-fulfillment and really reminded me of 'Re: Monster' in that sense.
The main reason why I didn't like this book though, is the main character himself Tarl Cabot. He really seems to me like a disgustingly spineless guy who is quite indecisive with what he actually wants and it's annoying how he constantly dilly-dally and shilly-shally with his thoughts and decisions. Yes, it's admirable how he didn't let himself be swallowed by the Gorean mindset from the get-go, even rejecting some of the customs and habits that he didn't quite agree with, but it's also quite obvious that he's actually not as resistant to them as he seems ti think so himself.
The insta-relationships-- from instant acknowledgement of a father he hasn't seen from when he's practically a baby, to "falling in love" with a two-faced woman just because she's beautiful and has a great body, to instant best friends with a guy he's crossed swords with just BECAUSE-- was irritating as heck. He's even embracing with someone who's had him tortured, humiliated him, and just about killed him only a few pages before. It's ridiculous.
Other than that, I gotta say that he's a lucky bastard. Coincidences after coincidences save him over and over, getting him out of predicament after predicament with hardly any difficulty. It's basically like pie falling from the sky for him, or just the protagonist-halo working. His OP-ness (overpowered) was so eye-roll worthy-- I mean he's just learned weapon play, swordsmanship (*scoff*), but he can already *overpower* someone who's clearly experienced in fighting than him. I mean, if I want that kind of sillyness, I'd go read some wuxia and xianxia or any other Chinese novel with martial arts and fighting, or some semblance of it, instead.
This book probably has its own merits that I just couldn't see right now but I gotta admit that it's still interesting enough to continue with the next book. My curiosity was triggered by the reviews of the whole series that I've read. I'm quite intrigued with how it goes.
Also, I didn't realize that this is a pretty long series, I mean, 34 BOOKS?!
Also, my favorite character is Tarl's tarn, a giant bird mount of warriors in Gor.