Read-Along-A-Gor: ‘Fighting Slave of Gor’ by John Norman

 

 

So, what’s this, you say, with the probing insight I have long come to expect from my lovely readers? Well, it’s a sort of book club, or ‘read-along-a-Gor’ in which I, your humble narrator, re-read, chapter by chapter, one of the earliest Gor novels I bought as a precocious teenager, and discuss the stylistic flourishes, tropes and things that make the book work (or not). Along the way I’ll point out what Mr Norman does that is good, and what he does that isn’t necessarily so good, and you’ll get an idea how I craft my style into a sort of pastiche of his works, but also how I subvert some of the central concepts.

Companions of Gor: Chapter Ten

 

 

I woke at dawn as the first rays of bright sunlight came through the loft space window and into my face. I groaned, turned on the makeshift straw bedding, and heard the clink of chain as I moved. My hands reached out and grasped the chain links that ran from my collar ring through the straw, across the wooden decking and terminated at an iron slave ring. 

 

Of course. I was chained. I lifted my head and felt the chain move with me, slithering along the surface of the floor boards. Mikos had chained me before he had descended the ladder. He said it was so no one could steal me during the night while I slept. Gorean men tend to take that precaution with their slaves, at least. It is not unknown for a thief to enter through a window and abduct a girl while the man of the household sleeps in another room. And this was, as he had pointed out, a rough neighbourhood.

Companions of Gor: Chapter Nine

 

 

I ran in the darkness as fast as I could. I had no concept of where I was going, or where these narrow streets led to, but I was committed to putting as much distance between myself and that monster before she could pursue. 

 

I blindly turned down an alleyway to the left and then slipped quietly into a space between buildings that was barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. I waited there, trying to steady my breathing for fear it could be heard. The night was warm, but still it felt strange to feel air on my exposed skin. The light hairs on my arms stood up, not used to the touch of the breeze.

Companions of Gor: Chapter Eight

 

 

I cycled through feelings of shock, disbelief and rage in a matter of ihn, and then my emotions changed to that of fear and abandonment. Simon had dressed himself and then left me here, alone! I tried to think of a motive, why he could possibly have done this to me. 

 

“Well?” said the huge woman as she stood behind me.

 

“There was a man…”

 

“Your Master?” she asked.

Companions of Gor: Chapter Seven

 

  

Cassandra Assante

 

I paused for a moment on the darkened landing and gazed down the stairwell to the floor below where the café room was dimly illuminated by dimmed lamps. With the door to my bedroom now shut, the landing was quiet, save for the steady beating of my heart and my breathing which sounded pronounced and obvious to me. 

 

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

 

And then I took another deep breath.

 

And then I tried to make sense of my feelings. 

 

Always assess the facts, Lady Donna had once said to me. Unless you have the facts, solutions will not become apparent. 

Chloe’s Guide to Slave Paces – Part 2 : From Nadu to Sula

 

Greetings masters and gentle mistresses. Here on the Sardar estate we have been hunkering down over winter. Snow has fallen and the kajirae have been issued with warm clothing including cute fur lined booties and insulated jackets to wear over their tunics when they have to work outside. My Taharian girls hate this time of year and they don’t like the cold. Like cats they prefer to remain close to the fireplaces. I can’t say I blame them. 

 

All the girls on the estate have been trying extra hard during winter to share the furs of the men during the cold months. We all have small iron stoves in our pens, of course, and every morning a fresh ration of firewood is delivered, but even so, nothing beats snuggling up to a man in the furs to keep warm. 

Companions of Gor: Chapter Six

 

 

Cassandra was a little unsteady on her feet at first. As is often the case, you don’t realise how much you have had to drink until the first time you try to stand up. 

 

“Oh!” 

 

I caught hold of her arm as she nearly fell. 

 

“Careful, beloved. The wine has really gone to your head.”

 

“I could use some water,” she said as she steadied herself with the palm of one hand against a wall. 

 

The kajira who had been serving our table stood close by, watching keenly. She gave Cassandra a strange look, but I couldn’t imagine why.