Return of the Tarnsman

Publication of Tarnsman of Gor launched John Norman's fantasy world and its culture of male masters and female subservients. Twenty-five volumes later the series has gone from cult classic to, simply, classic. There is no science fiction universe remotely approaching Gor for action, adventure, an exotic culture, and eroticism. But the second book was in many ways even more critical than the first.

In Volume #2, Outlaw of Gor, Tarl Cabot finds himself transported back to Counter-Earth - another name for Gor - from the sedate life he has known as a history professor on Earth. He is glad to be back in his role as a dominant warrior and back in the arms of his true love. Yet, Tarl finds that his name on Gor has been tainted, his city defiled, and all those he loves have been made into outcasts. He is no longer in the position of a proud warrior, but an outlaw for whom the simplest answers must come at a high price. He wonders why the Priest Kings have called him back to Gor, and whether it is only to render him powerless.

This is the book on which Norman's series pivoted from a single title to an endlessly complex and entertaining skein of adventures. When Tarl Cabot's returns to Gor, his fate is sealed. Once you read it (after Tarnsman of course) it will be very hard to disconnect yourself from the rest of the books.

- Richard Curtis