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91-404: The series has been variously referred to by publishers with several names, including The Chronicles of Counter-Earth ( Ballantine Books ), The Saga of Tarl Cabot ( DAW Books ), Gorean Cycle ( Tandem Books ), Gorean Chronicles (Masquerade Books), Gorean Saga (Open Road Media) and The Counter-Earth Saga (DAW Books, for novels with a protagonist other than Tarl Cabot). In an interview with

182-636: A "treasure" consisting of pretty stones, sea shells , etc. In addition to the naturally occurring races of Barsoom, Burroughs described the Hormads, artificial men created by the scientist Ras Thavas as slaves, workers, warriors, etc. in giant vats at his laboratory in the Toonolian Marsh in Synthetic Men of Mars and "John Carter and the Giant of Mars". Although the Hormads were generally recognizable as humanoid,

273-466: A 67 percent sell-through . The second, The Captain , had a 91 percent sell-through, which is the sort of thing that would make Stephen King rush over to shake your hand... Brian Thomsen, my Warner editor for the Telnarian series... was replaced by an editor from one of the blacklisting presses, one that explicitly informed my agent they would not consider anything by John Norman. That new editor canceled

364-674: A code of honor and have a strong sense of fairness. Their culture is governed by law and is technologically advanced. They are capable of love and have families. The Green Martians are 15 feet (4.6 m) tall (males) and 12 feet (3.7 m) tall (females), have two arms, two legs and two intermediary limbs that can be used as either arms or legs at will. Their eyes are mounted at the side of their heads and can move independently of each other in order to see in two directions at once. They are nomadic, warlike and barbaric, do not form families, have little concept of friendship or love and enjoy inflicting torture upon their victims. Their social structure

455-407: A founder of Bantam Books , announced that he would "offer trade publishers a plan for simultaneous publishing of original titles in two editions, a hardcover 'regular' edition for bookstore sale, and a paper-cover, 'newsstand' size, low-priced edition for mass market sale." When the first Ballantine Book, Cameron Hawley 's Executive Suite , was published in 1952, the publishing industry saw that

546-550: A gathered cabal pledged to secrecy. It is an understanding that a certain individual is to be ostracized, excluded, methodologically overlooked or such. Starting in 2001, John Norman's books were published by E-Reads as ebooks and print copies. According to their website, "they are among E-Reads' biggest sellers". Open Road Integrated Media acquired E-Reads in 2014. Two films have been made, Gor in 1987 and Outlaw of Gor in 1989 (also known as Outlaw ). While not officially connected to John Norman's work, Fencer of Minerva

637-432: A number of elements with westerns in that they feature desert landscapes, women taken captive and a final confrontation with the antagonist. Burroughs' Barsoom stories are considered seminal planetary romances. While examples existed prior to the publication of his works, they are the principal influence on the many works of this type that followed. His style of planetary romance has ceased to be written and published in

728-603: A seafaring race, but when the oceans began to dry up they began to cooperate with the Yellow and Black Martians to breed the Red Martians, foreseeing the need for hardy stock to cope with the emerging harsher environment. They became decadent and 'overcivilized'. At the beginning of the series they are believed to be extinct, but three remaining populations - the Orovars, Therns and Lotharians – are still living in secret and are discovered as

819-410: A widely spoken lingua franca in many other areas. Most of the novels in the series are action and sexual adventures, with many of the military engagements borrowing liberally from historic ones, such as the trireme battles of ancient Greece and the castle sieges of medieval Europe. Ar, the largest city in known Gor, has resemblances to the ancient city of Rome , and its land empire is opposed by

910-496: A worldwide system of canals , controlled by quarreling city-states at the junctures thereof. The idea of Martian "canals" stems from telescopic observations by 19th century astronomers who, beginning with Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877, believed they saw networks of lines on the planet. Schiaparelli called them canali , meaning "channels" but mistranslated in English as "canals". During the time Burroughs wrote his first Barsoom stories,

1001-461: Is 24 hours and 37 minutes long. (Burroughs presumably derived this from the figures published by Lowell, but erroneously substituted the number of 24-hour Earth days in the Martian year, rather than the number of 24.6-hour Martian days , which is only 669.) The days are hot (again known to be false) and the nights are cold, and there appears to be little variation in climate across the planet except at

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1092-512: Is a Japanese animated series containing many of the elements and ideas discussed in Gorean philosophy. During the mid-1990s, an attempt was made to publish an authorized graphic novel adaptation of the Gor series under Vision Entertainment . The project collapsed under a combination of financial issues and the nature of the imagery, which violated Canadian law , where the printer was located. A Gor region

1183-602: Is also introduced as a minor character in The Gods of Mars , as is Thuvia. Three other books focus on their descendants: Carthoris, in Thuvia, Maid of Mars , his sister, Tara of Helium, in The Chessmen of Mars , and Tara's daughter, Llana of Gathol, in Llana of Gathol . Ulysses Paxton , another Earth man transported to Mars, is the focus of The Master Mind of Mars , and the rest of

1274-464: Is an unusual exception from the typical ruthless Green Martian, due to having known the love of his own mate and daughter. In the novels, the Green Martians are often referred to by the names of their hordes, which in turn take their names from the abandoned cities they inhabit. Thus the followers of Tars Tarkas, based in the ruined ancient city of Thark, are known as " Tharks ". Other hordes bear

1365-621: Is composed of the Martian name for planet, "soom", and the Martian word for eight, "bar". This reflects counting Mars as the eighth body in the inner solar system, by counting not just planets, but the Sun and the satellites of Earth and of Mars. A Princess of Mars , the first novel in the Barsoom series, with its sequels The Gods of Mars and The Warlord of Mars , form a trilogy centered upon protagonist John Carter and damsel in distress Dejah Thoris . John Carter's and Dejah Thoris's son Carthoris

1456-614: Is composed of two novellas. Most are first-person narratives. John Carter narrates A Princess of Mars , The Gods of Mars , The Warlord of Mars , Swords of Mars , the four novellas in Llana of Gathol , and "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" in John Carter of Mars . Ulysses Paxton narrates one, The Master Mind of Mars . Martian guardsman Vor Daj narrates Synthetic Men of Mars , and Martian navy officer Tan Hadron narrates A Fighting Man of Mars . Two other novels, Thuvia, Maid of Mars and The Chessmen of Mars , are written in

1547-474: Is described as Burroughs' great-uncle. Collectively, this series of novels has been referred to as the Martian Series . Burroughs frequently invented words of the languages spoken by the people in his novels, and used these extensively in the narrative. In Thuvia, Maid of Mars he included a glossary of Barsoomian words used in the first four novels. The word "Barsoom", the native Martian word for Mars,

1638-526: Is described as a habitable planet in the Solar System that shares the same orbit as Earth , but it is linearly opposed to Earth and consequently always hidden by the Sun , making direct observation of it from Earth impossible. The flora, fauna and customs of Gor are intricately detailed. Norman populates his planet with the equivalents of Roman , Greek , Native American , Viking , Inuit and other cultures. In

1729-426: Is highly communal and rigidly hierarchical, consisting of various levels of chiefs, with the highest office of Jeddak obtained by mortal combat. The Green Men are primitive, intellectually unadvanced, do not have any kind of art and are without a written language. While they manufacture edged weapons, any advanced technology they possess, such as 'radium pistols', is stolen from raids upon the Red Martians. They inhabit

1820-606: Is narrated by an unknown Kur, but features Tarl Cabot. Book 30 and parts of 32 are narrated by three Gorean men: a mariner, a scribe and a merchant/slaver. The series features several sentient alien races. The most important to the books are the insectoid Priest-Kings and the huge, sharp-clawed, predatory Kurii, both spacefarers from foreign star systems. The Priest-Kings rule Gor as disinterested custodians, leaving humans to their own affairs as long as they abide by certain restrictions on technology. The Kurii are an aggressive, invasive race with advanced technology (but less so than that of

1911-596: Is no such thing. They frequently raid the White Martian Therns, who maintain the false Martian religion, carrying off people as slaves. John Carter defeats their navy in The Gods of Mars . The Chessmen of Mars introduces the Kaldanes of the region Bantoom , whose form is almost all head but for six spiderlike legs and a pair of chelae , and whose racial goal is to evolve even further towards pure intellect and away from bodily existence. In order to function in

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2002-580: Is the right thing to do. Qualities of compassion, loyalty, and bravery are celebrated, while callousness, deception, and cowardice are deprecated. Typically the novels include descriptions of aspects of the Martian world such as the architecture, and the presence of desolate landscapes punctuated by abandoned cities, technological achievements, advanced medicine, cultural elements such as religious practices and eating habits, breeding practices, and methods of population control. Many lost cities and civilizations and journeys into forgotten underworlds appear across

2093-488: The Gor novels should be placed on the top shelves of bookstores, saying, "I’m not for censorship but I am for strategies which marginalize stuff that works to objectify women and suggests women enjoy being beaten." A fandom has developed based on the series. Gorean subculture developed independently of Norman's involvement, particularly starting as a fan network after the publishing houses ceased printing new paperback editions of

2184-582: The Star Trek Logs , a ten-volume series of Alan Dean Foster adaptations of the animated Star Trek . In 1968, Ballantine published a non-fiction book related to Star Trek , The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry . In 1976, Ballantine published the novelization of a forthcoming science fiction film, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas ( ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster ). The book, like

2275-592: The Zacherley anthologies, the paperback of Hunter Thompson 's Hell's Angels , Harvey Kurtzman 's The Mad Reader and other early Mad paperbacks. He made four contributions to Mad and other magazines edited by Kurtzman. In 1956, Shir-Cliff edited a humor anthology, The Wild Reader , for Ballantine, including essays, poems and satirical pieces by Robert Benchley , Art Buchwald , Tom Lehrer , John Lardner, Shepherd Mead , Ogden Nash , S. J. Perelman , Frank Sullivan, James Thurber and others. The 154-page paperback

2366-559: The catchphrase "I had one grunch, but the eggplant over there." The nonsense non sequitur was immediately adopted by science fiction fandom, appearing occasionally in fanzines, as noted in Fancyclopedia II (1959). Ballantine has also been the publisher of books featuring Jim Davis ' comic strip Garfield since 1980. Barsoom Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs . The first Barsoom tale

2457-511: The speculative fiction anthology Polygraff , John Norman spoke at length about the creation of the Gor universe and his influences. The Counter-Earth , or Antichthon , is from Greek cosmology. Speculation on such a world, you see, is ancient. One of the premises of the Gorean series is that a race of aliens, whom we might speak of as the Priest-Kings, have a technology at their disposal compared to which ours would be something like that in

2548-559: The third person , as is "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" in John Carter of Mars . Beginning with A Princess of Mars , Burroughs established a practice which continued in the four sequels of introducing the novel as if a factual account passed on to him personally, wherein John Carter appears as an avuncular figure known to his family for years. The same device appears in several sequels: The Gods of Mars ; The Chessmen of Mars ; Swords of Mars ; and Llana of Gathol . All

2639-430: The 1990s, the Gorean subculture has become attractive to a number of male teenagers through role-playing in chat rooms. The teenage role-playing Goreans who concealed many of their personal aspects such as age or lack of experience, thanks to anonymity, managed to appeal to a considerable number of married and middle-aged women as kajirae in role-playing contexts. Such notoriety caused by this profile and related practices in

2730-473: The Barsoom tales were published under the name of Edgar Rice Burroughs, except Under the Moons of Mars , the first publication of A Princess of Mars , which was published under the pseudonym "Norman Bean". Burroughs had actually typed "Normal Bean" (meaning not insane ) on his submitted manuscript; but his publisher's typesetter changed it to "Norman". The first novella in John Carter of Mars , "John Carter and

2821-590: The Black Men of Mars in an analogous deception to that the Therns practice on other Martians. They are also the repeated target of raids by the Black Martians to capture their females as slaves. They are white-skinned (of a skin tone close enough to human Caucasians that John Carter was able to easily pose as one) and the males are bald but wear blond wigs. Legend suggests that the Black Martians are inhabitants of one of

Gor - Misplaced Pages Continue

2912-459: The Bronze Age. I think, pretty clearly, the three major influences on my work are Homer , Freud , and Nietzsche . Interestingly, however obvious this influence might be, few, if any, critics, commentators, or such, have called attention to it. In the same interview, he said "one of the pleasures of writing science fiction is the development of, and characterization of, alien life forms". Gor

3003-597: The Giant of Mars", is thought to have been penned by Burroughs' son John "Jack" Coleman Burroughs, although allegedly revised by his father. It was recognized by fans, upon publication, as unlikely of being Burroughs' work, as the writing is of a juvenile quality compared with that of Burroughs' other stories. The stories are science fantasy , belonging to the subgenre planetary romance , which has strong elements of both science fiction and fantasy . Planetary romance stories are similar to sword and sorcery tales, but include scientific aspects. They mostly take place on

3094-589: The Gorean culture and gender roles in their daily lives and some followers of an unofficial splinter group known as Kaotians who adhered to this approach were prosecuted for leading coercive sex cults. As opposed to literalists, the role players, divided into real-life sexual roleplayers (engaged or not engaged in BDSM practices) and online role-playing gamers (present particularly in Second Life ) are not necessarily committed to Gorean philosophy and ideals. Starting from

3185-468: The Green Martians are much taller, have four arms, tusks, and antennae like ears. The traditional Martian lifespan of 1,000 is based on the customary pilgrimage down the River Iss, which is taken by virtually all Martians by that age, or those who feel tired of their long lives and expect to find a paradise at the end of their journey. None return from this pilgrimage, because it leads to almost certain death at

3276-567: The Kaldane merely climbs upon another as an earthling might change a horse. A lesser people of Barsoom are the Kangaroo Men of Gooli, so called due to their large, kangaroo -like tails, ability to hop large distances and the rearing of their eggs in pouches. They are presented as a race of boastful, cowardly individuals. Their moral character is not highly developed; they are devout cowards and petty thieves, who value (aside from their lives) only

3367-526: The Land (#7), Al Capp 's The World of Li'l Abner (#8, with Farrar, Straus & Young) and LaSelle Gilman's The Red Gate (#9). During the early 1950s, Ballantine attracted attention as one of the leading publishers of paperback science fiction and fantasy , beginning with The Space Merchants (#21). The Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth novel had first appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction under

3458-455: The Priest-Kings) who wish to colonize both Gor and Earth. The power of the Priest-Kings is diminished after the "Nest War" described in the third book and the Priest-Kings and Kurii struggle against each other via their respective human agents and spies. Early entries in the series were plot-driven space opera adventures, but later entries grew more philosophical and sexual. Many subplots run

3549-504: The Tarids in Swords of Mars . While Burroughs' Barsoom tales never aspired to anything other than escapism , his vision of Mars was loosely inspired by astronomical speculation of the time, especially that of Percival Lowell , that saw the planet as a formerly Earthlike world now becoming less hospitable to life due to its advanced age. Living on an aging planet, with dwindling resources,

3640-492: The Therns to cannibalize, only excepting those whom the directing Therns choose instead to enslave. They consider themselves a unique creation, different from other Martians. They maintain the Martian religion through a network of collaborators and spies across the planet. When they reach the age of 1000 years they make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Issus, unaware that they have been manipulated into doing so in order to be slaughtered by

3731-407: The ancient ruined cities left behind by civilizations which lived on Barsoom during a more advanced and hospitable era in the planet's history. They apparently arose from a biological experiment which went awry and as with all other Martians, they are an egg-laying species, concealing their eggs in incubators until hatching. Tars Tarkas , who befriends John Carter when he first arrives on Barsoom,

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3822-463: The books focus on John Carter's later adventures ( Swords of Mars and John Carter of Mars ), or on native Martian characters ( A Fighting Man of Mars and Synthetic Men of Mars ). Most of the Barsoom books are novels, but two are collections of shorter works: Llana of Gathol has four linked novelettes, originally published in Amazing Stories during 1941, and John Carter of Mars

3913-411: The books progress. The Lotharians are a remnant population of the original White Martians, which appear only in Thuvia, Maid of Mars . There are only 1000 of them remaining, all of them male. They are skilled in telepathy, able to project images that can kill, or provide sustenance. They live a reclusive existence in a remote area of Barsoom, debating philosophy amongst themselves. Descendants of

4004-477: The community's diverse nature, continue. BDSM writer Michael Makai nevertheless asserts that Gorean fiction may be found responsible for shaping or otherwise popularizing many of today's established BDSM protocols and tenets. Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann . Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine . Ballantine

4095-460: The course of several books and tie back to the main plot in later books. Some of these plots begin in the first book, but most are underway in the first 10 books. DAW Books , which published the Gor series from the 8th volume ( Hunters of Gor ) through the 25th volume ( Magicians of Gor ), subsequently decided to cease publication of the books, citing low sales; Norman attributes the decision to feminist influences, saying in 1996: Tarnsman of Gor

4186-457: The cultures are dynasties or theocracies. The Red Martians are the dominant culture on Barsoom. They are organized into a system of imperial city-states including Helium, Ptarth, and Zodanga, controlling the planetary canal system, as well as other more-isolated city-states in the hinterlands. The Red Martians are the interbred descendants of the ancient Yellow Martians, White Martians and Black Martians, remnants of which exist in isolated areas of

4277-578: The entire planet, but a variety of writing systems. All Martians are telepathic among one another, and also with domestic animals. Other telepathic abilities are demonstrated across the books. The Lotharians in Thuvia, Maid of Mars , are able to project images of warfare that can kill by suggestion. In The Warlord of Mars , the nations are described as bellicose and self-sufficient; but in The Gods of Mars inter-city state merchants are mentioned, and in Thuvia, Maid of Mars , towering staging posts for inter-city liners are also described. Most of

4368-546: The equator, with the Thassa ocean to the west, and the Voltai mountain range forming an eastern boundary at many latitudes. There are also offshore islands in the ocean and some relatively sparsely settled plains to the east of the Voltai. The word "Gor" itself means "home stone" in the Gorean language, the native language of the "northern civilized cities of known Gor" (which resemble ancient Greco-Roman city-states in many respects), and

4459-442: The film Star Wars released the following year, was an enormous success and sold out its initial print run. In the first three months, Ballantine sold 3.5 million copies. After publishing The World of Li'l Abner , Ballantine introduced Shel Silverstein in 1956 with his Grab Your Socks! collection of cartoons from Pacific Stars and Stripes . As an editor at Ballantine during the 1950s and 1960s, Bernard Shir-Cliff handled

4550-594: The formats of both magazines and paperbacks. In the early 1960s, the company engaged in a well-known rivalry with Ace Books for the rights to reprint the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Edgar Rice Burroughs in paperback form. Ballantine prevailed in the struggle for the Tolkien work, with their editions of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including a message on the back cover from Tolkien himself urging consumers to buy Ballantine's version and boycott "unauthorized editions" (i.e.

4641-407: The hands of ferocious creatures. While the Martian females are egg-laying, Martians have inexplicably mammalian characteristics such as a navel and breasts. While they have skins of various colors, and their bodies differ in some cases from traditional humans, they are very similar to varieties of Earth humans and there is little examination of difference. There is only one spoken language across

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4732-419: The hero; who himself fights a variety of enemies and deposes petty rulers of severely repressed populations, usually with the assistance of a native. The world of Barsoom is morally unambiguous: characters are either good or evil; there is no sense of moral relativity. A sense of honor transcends race or political affiliation, and characters fight alongside one another and against their adversaries because it

4823-516: The humans' belligerent tendencies. The planet Gor has lower gravity than the Earth (which allows for the existence of large flying creatures and tall towers connected by aerial bridges in the cities) and would have an even lower gravity if not for the technology of the Priest-Kings. The known geography of Gor consists mainly of the western seaboard of a continent that runs from the Arctic in the north to south of

4914-546: The inhabitants of Barsoom have become hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive. Once a wet world with continents and oceans, Barsoom's seas gradually dried up, leaving it a dry planet of highlands interspersed with moss-covered dead sea bottoms. Abandoned cities line the former coasts. The last remnants of the former bodies of water are the Great Toonolian Marshes and the antarctic Lost Sea of Korus. Barsoomians distribute their scarce water supplies via

5005-424: The latter often in positions of slavery. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy has stated that the first several books are "passable exercises" of Edgar Rice Burroughs -style fiction while "later volumes degenerate into extremely sexist, sadomasochistic pornography involving the ritual humiliation of women, and as a result have caused widespread offence". Science fiction/fantasy author Michael Moorcock has suggested that

5096-438: The level of Classical Mediterranean civilization) due to restrictions on technology imposed by the Priest-Kings. The most advanced form of transportation is the riding of large predatory birds called tarns by masterful men known as tarnsmen . The limitation of technology is imposed to ensure the safety of both the Priest-Kings and the other indigenous and transplanted beings on Gor, who would otherwise possibly come to harm due to

5187-564: The mainstream, though his books remain in print. Like most of Burroughs' fiction, the novels in the series are mostly travelogues , feature copious violence, and often depict civilized heroes captured by uncivilized cultures and mimicking their captors to survive. Most Barsoom novels follow a familiar plot structure wherein a hero is forced to a far-off location in search of a woman kidnapped by an odious but powerful villain. Female characters are likely to be virtuous and fight off amorous advances and other dangers until able to connect with

5278-496: The moons of Mars , when in fact they live in an underground stronghold near the south pole of the planet, around the submartian Sea of Omean, below the Lost Sea of Korus, where they keep a large aerial navy. They call themselves the 'First-Born', believing themselves to be a unique creation among Martian races, and worship Issus, a woman who styles herself as the God of the Martian religion but

5369-699: The name suggests. Air travel over the barrier is discouraged through the use of a great magnetic pillar called "The Guardian of the North," which draws fliers of all sizes inexorably to their doom as they collide with the massive structure. Their cities are domed hothouses which keep out the cold, but outdoors they favor orluk furs and boots. Physically they are large and strong, and the men usually wear bristling black beards. The White Martians, known as 'Orovars', were rulers of Mars for 500,000 years, with an empire of sophisticated cities with advanced technology. They were white-skinned, with blond or auburn hair. They were once

5460-630: The names of Warhoon, Torquas, and Thurd. Yellow Martians are supposedly extinct, but in The Warlord of Mars they are found hiding in secret domed cities at the North Pole of Mars. At the time John Carter arrives on Barsoom, the Yellow Race is known only in old wives' tales and campfire stories. The only means of entrance to the Okarians' city is through The Carrion Caves, which are every bit as unpleasant as

5551-489: The narrative. Most villains in the Barsoom series are implacably evil or are rulers or despots of major empires or of hidden fiefdoms. They are usually hated by their subjects and possess a voracious sexual appetite, usually directed towards the heroine. The pattern is established by Tharkian Jeddak Tal Hajus in the first novel, A Princess of Mars . Further examples include Salensus Oll of The Warlord of Mars , Nutus of Dusar in Thuvia, Maid of Mars , and Ul Vas, Jeddak of

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5642-404: The next three decades, further extending his vision of Barsoom and adding other characters. The Barsoom series, particularly the first novel, is considered a major influence on early science fiction . Burroughs began writing the Barsoom books in the second half of 1911 and produced one volume a year between 1911 and 1914; seven more were produced between 1921 and 1941. The first Barsoom tale

5733-445: The novels, these various population groups are transplants from Earth brought there by spacecraft through the behind-the-scenes rulers of Gor, the Priest-Kings, an extraterrestrial species of insectoid appearance. The Gorean humans are permitted advanced architectural, agricultural and medical skills (including life extension), but are forced to remain primitive in the fields of transportation, communication and weaponry (at approximately

5824-495: The novels. Fans allege that due to the controversy and pressure from feminist circles, the Gor books went out of print in the late 1980s (trade paperback and e-book sequel novels were subsequently published from 2001 to 2016). It does not have a uniform following but encompasses different groups of varying views and practices. The Gorean subculture particularly focuses on the master-and-slave dynamic in sexual relationships and associated forms of female submission as portrayed in

5915-432: The novels. Therefore, although they are estimated to comprise less than 5% of the total female population on Gor, training and keeping a female slave (often known as a kajira ) is central to Gorean subculture. Formal slave training, slave positions, and commands, as well as slave attire and beautification, are practices central to the Gorean subculture. Literalists, otherwise known as lifestylers, incorporate elements from

6006-482: The original White Martians who live in a complex of caves and passages in the cliffs above the Valley Dor. This is the destination of the River Iss, on whose currents most Martians eventually travel, on a pilgrimage seeking final paradise, once tired of life or reaching 1000 years of age. The valley is actually populated by monsters who, overseen by Therns, attack all who enter the valley, killing and exsanguinating them for

6097-616: The paperback edition instead gave the book more publicity. After the film rights were sold to MGM , Robert Wise directed the 1954 film , nominated for four Academy Awards. On the heels of that kind of sales and publicity, other Ballantine titles were seen in spinner racks across the country. Executive Suite was followed by Hal Ellson 's The Golden Spike (#2), Stanley Baron's All My Enemies (#3), Luke Short 's Saddle by Starlight (#4, also with Houghton Mifflin), Ruth Park's The Witch's Thorn (#5, also with Houghton Mifflin), Emile Danoen's Tides of Tide (#6), Frank Bonham 's Blood on

6188-502: The physical realm, they have bred the Rykors , a complementary species composed of a body similar to that of a perfect specimen of Red Martian but lacking a head; when the Kaldane places itself upon the shoulders of the Rykor, a bundle of tentacles connects with the Rykor's spinal cord , allowing the brain of the Kaldane to interface with the body of the Rykor. Should the Rykor become damaged or die,

6279-409: The planet, particularly the poles. The Red Martians are said in A Princess of Mars to have been bred when the seas of Barsoom began to dry up, in hopes of creating a hardy race to survive in the new environment. They are, like all the humanoid races of Mars, oviparous , i.e., their newborn hatch from eggs. The Red Martians are highly civilized, respect the idea of private property, adhere to

6370-472: The poles. Burroughs explained his ideas about the Martian environment in an article "A Dispatch on Mars" published in the London Daily Express in 1926. He assumed that Mars was formerly identical to the Earth; therefore a similar evolutionary development of fauna would have taken place. He referenced winds, snows, and marshes supposedly observed by astronomers, as evidence of an atmosphere, and that

6461-401: The principal example, although another plays a prominent role in A Fighting Man of Mars . Instances of the use of superstition by religious cults to control and manipulate others are also common. A Princess of Mars was possibly the first fiction of the 20th century to feature a constructed language ; although Barsoomian was not particularly developed, it did add verisimilitude to

6552-622: The process was far from perfect, and generated monstrosities ranging from the occasional misplaced nose or eyeball to " a great mass of living flesh with an eye somewhere and a single hand. " When Burroughs wrote the first volume of the Barsoom series, aviation and radio technology was in its infancy and radioactivity was a fledgling science. Despite this, the series includes a range of technological developments including radium munitions, battles between fleets of aircraft, devices similar to faxes and televisions, genetic manipulation, elements of terraforming and other ideas. One notable device mentioned

6643-454: The sea-power of the island of Cos. The series is an overlapping of planetary romance and sword and planet . The first book, Tarnsman of Gor , opens with scenes reminiscent of scenes in the first book of the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs ; both feature the protagonist narrating his adventures after being transported to another world. These parallels end after the first few books, when

6734-447: The series despite its success and without waiting to see how the third book, The King , would do. That way things are made nicely clear... Unfortunately for me, only about seven or eight publishing houses maintain a mass-market paperback line in science fiction and fantasy; this small, closely-knit group effectively controls the market. With such a group, a blacklist need not be an explicit, formal written or oral agreement subscribed to by

6825-412: The series, and the environment beyond the cities is populated by a variety of ferocious beasts, many roughly equivalent with Earth creatures and most bearing multiple sets of limbs. There are numerous examples of striking coincidences and dei ex machina usually to the benefit of the protagonists. Mad scientists also appear, Ras Thavas from The Master Mind of Mars and Synthetic Men of Mars being

6916-447: The simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions were obvious successes. Houghton Mifflin published the $ 3.00 hardcover at the same time Ballantine distributed its 35¢ paperback. By February 1953, Ballantine had sold 375,000 copies and was preparing to print 100,000 more. Houghton Mifflin sold 22,000 hardback copies in its first printing. Ballantine's sales soon totaled 470,000 copies. Instead of hurting hardback sales as some predicted,

7007-765: The stories of the books begin to be structured along a loose story arc involving the struggles of the city-state of Ar and the island of Cos to control the Vosk river area, as well as the struggles at a higher level between the non-human Priest-Kings and the Kurii (another alien race) to control Gor and Earth. Most of the books are narrated by transplanted British professor Tarl Cabot, master swordsman, as he engages in adventures involving Priest-Kings, Kurii, and humans. Books 7, 11, 19, 22, 26, 27, 31, 34 and parts of 32 are narrated by abducted Earth women who are made into slaves. Books 14, 15, and 16 are narrated by male abductee Jason Marshall. Book 28

7098-543: The surface of an alien world, frequently include sword fighting, monsters, supernatural elements such as telepathic abilities, and civilizations similar to Earth in pre-technological eras, particularly with the inclusion of dynastic or religious social structures. Spacecraft appear in the stories, but are not central to the story. The series can also be classified as the closely related genre sword and planet , which consists of what are essentially sword and sorcery stories that take place on another planet. The stories also share

7189-443: The theory was put forward by a number of prominent scientists, notably Lowell , that these were huge engineering works constructed by an intelligent race. This view, though utterly false as is now known, inspired much science fiction. The thinning Barsoomian atmosphere is artificially replenished by an "atmosphere plant" on whose function all life on the planet is dependent. The Martian year comprises 687 Martian days, each of which

7280-503: The title Gravy Planet . Kauffman scored when he acquired and edited Ray Bradbury 's Fahrenheit 451 (originally in Galaxy as a shorter version, "The Firemen"). Ballantine's science fiction line also included the unusual Star Science Fiction Stories . With cover paintings by Richard Powers , this innovative anthology series offered new fiction rather than reprints. Edited by Frederik Pohl , it attracted readers by successfully combining

7371-472: The use of symbolic substitutes, such as the sound of claps as a substitute for whippings and other physical punishments. Patrick Califia asserts that Norman was critical of the psychological and physical harm that non-stop BDSM slavery and corporal punishment might inflict. However, such views of Norman are not part of the Gorean canon and debate on Gorean practices' relationship to BDSM, focusing on aspects such as Total Power Exchange and further complicated by

7462-461: The version from Ace Books). A separate Canadian edition of the books was published with different front cover art work. Tolkien asked for (and received) permission to add the back cover message. Betty Ballantine recalled: "And we did put a little statement on the back covers saying that Ace was not paying royalties to Professor Tolkien, and everybody who admired Lord of the Rings should only buy our paperback edition. Well, everybody got behind us. There

7553-575: The virtual Gorean community succeeded in creating disdain among both feminists and the BDSM community. Nevertheless, scholars have discussed the way that Gorean subculture groups on media such as Second Life and Internet Relay Chat have influenced the development of online role-playing and even the MMORPG genre. Norman's non-fictional sex manual Imaginative Sex presents a series of elaborate fantasy scenarios to be acted out in isolated scenes. He also recommends

7644-403: The wastes of the planet had been irrigated (probably referencing Lowell's "canals"), which suggested that an advanced civilization existed on the planet. All Barsoomian races resemble Homo sapiens in most respects, except for being oviparous (making them classified as monotremes instead) and having lifespans in excess of 1,000 years (though actual life expectancy is far shorter.) However,

7735-550: Was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains part of that company. Ballantine's original logo was a pair of mirrored letter Bs back to back, later changing to two Bs stacked to form an elaborate gate. The firm's early editors were Stanley Kauffmann and Bernard Shir-Cliff . Following Fawcett Publications ' controversial 1950 introduction of Gold Medal paperback originals rather than reprints, Lion Books, Avon and Ace also decided to publish originals. In 1952, Ian Ballantine,

7826-612: Was established in the virtual world of Second Life in 2005, where users roleplay as characters based on the novels. In it, characters interact in standard Middle Age scenarios, combat, and sexual situations. By mid-2024, many more regions had been added, and there is a body of fans who continue to roleplay in the Gorean settings. The Gor novels have inspired short fan fiction parodies freely available online, including "Houseplants of Gor" and "Gay, Bejeweled, Nazi Bikers of Gor". The Gor novels have been criticized for their focus on relationships between dominant men and submissive women ,

7917-516: Was illustrated with cartoons by Kelly Freas who also did the front cover. Another contributor to both Ballantine and the Kurtzman magazines was the cartoonist-author Roger Price . He did two humor books for Ballantine. I'm for Me First (1954) details Herman Clabbercutt's plan to launch a revolutionary political party known as the "I'm for Me First" Party. In One Head and Out the Other (1954) popularized

8008-527: Was literally no publication that did not carry some kind of outraged article. And of course, the whole science fiction fraternity got behind the book; this was their meat and drink." In 1969, Lin Carter edited the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series , which brought a number of rare titles back into print, as well as launching Katherine Kurtz 's Deryni series . During the mid-1970s, Ballantine published

8099-512: Was published in late 1966. It has been reprinted 22 times... I have recently signed contracts for fresh French and German sales, and have recently been published for the first time in Czechoslovakia. There have been recent Spanish and Italian sales. There's no evidence that my books no longer sell... After DAW refused to buy any more Gor books, I sold a three-part Telnarian series to Brian Thomsen of Warner Books. The first book, The Chieftain , had

8190-423: Was serialized as Under the Moons of Mars in pulp magazine The All-Story from February to July 1912 and published compiled as a novel as A Princess of Mars in 1917. It features John Carter , a late-19th-century American Confederate veteran who is mysteriously transported from Earth to the dying world of Mars where he meets and romances the beautiful Martian princess Dejah Thoris . Ten sequels followed over

8281-632: Was serialized in The All-Story magazine as Under the Moons of Mars (1911), and then published in hardcover as the complete novel A Princess of Mars (1917). The final Barsoom tale was a novella, Skeleton Men of Jupiter , published in Amazing Stories in February 1943. The novel editions of A Princess of Mars , The Gods of Mars and Llana of Gathol contain newly written forewords describing Edgar Rice Burroughs' interactions with John Carter, who

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