Priest-Kings of Gor
by John Norman

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Book Reviews of Priest-Kings of Gor

Book Review: Tarl Cabot solves the mystery of the Priest-Kings
Summary: 4 Stars

The success of this novel comes down to one thing: how Norman answers the mysteries of the Priest-Kings. For me coming to this point in the saga is like "Apocalypse Now," when we finally come to the end of the trip up the river and about to meet Kurtz. In that film I am not sure there is anything that would have been a good enough payoff for the great set up that was provided, but that is not the case with this novel. I was speculating about a lot of different possibilities as Tarl Cabot made his way into the Sardar Mountains, but I guarantee you that I never expected what turns out to be the truth. Even better, Norman builds upon this revelation throughout the novel. Consequently, having said this, I will refrain from discussing the novel in more detail.

"Priest-Kings of Gor" is far and away the most traditional "science fiction" novel in the Gor series, which is another way of saying that it deals the least with the Gorean philosophy that has made this series notorious. This is not to say that it is not touched upon, for Cabot encounters Vika, a slave girl, inside the Sardar; but this is a minor sub-plot when it comes to the mystery of the titular beings. This 1968 novel is the most pivotal in the series because it redefines Tarl Cabot's mission on Gor for more than the next dozen novels. What follows are the two best of Norman's novels, "Nomads of Gor" and "Assassins of Gor" (my preference is for the latter, although I know that is a minority opinion among fans of these early books). For those who enjoy the adventures involving swords in the tradition of the Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter novels or Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, these first half-dozen Gor novels are worthy successors.

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