Karg

by Pat Powers

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Pat Powers may not be the most interesting man in the world, but when he writes about himself in the third person, he tries to make people think so.

A former sex droid designer and professional cyclist, he had an epiphany after winning the Tour de France for the third time. He realized that writing erotica was a lot easier than bicycling up mountains. (Riding down mountains is actually easier than writing erotica, but much more physically dangerous.) Powers decided to write erotica for his own comfort and safety and the enjoyment of his many thoroughly satisfied readers.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Powers has become the most famous unknown author in his genre, and has amassed a fortune in words.

Reviews

[Crevele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan is part of an interstellar survey team that recovers lost colony worlds for the Empire of Earth. She finds herself stranded on Karg: a world that has reverted to an extreme form of patriarchal domination as a result of its many centuries of isolation. Susan is soon captured and enslaved by the men of Karg herself. For the rest of the story, she must suffer through the confinements, commercial appraisals, regimes of use, which naturally attend her new status. But Susan must also try to understand the natives, even learn from them, in her bid to regain her freedom. The story, inasmuch as this is possible, is ultimately humanistic. Susan returns to the ‘real world’ wiser from her experiences, with a reaffirmed commitment to her own autonomy, but also an eroticized recognition of its dark and recessive limitations.

The cover art gives an impression of overall shoddiness. But Powers is in fact a highly skilled narrative storyteller—more skilled than a number of popular genre fiction writers that I could readily name. Susan moves through a succession of erotic scenarios that are all plausible, diverse, not too hard or too soft. An interesting and suspenseful balance is consistently maintained between Susan’s own intelligence and technical capabilities—through frequent resort to a complex nano-implant that always gives her escape options—and the brute strength and numbers of the men of Kargian society.

The setting and the style of the book is inimitable enough for it to stand in its own right; but it also pays a direct tribute to the World of Gor in many ways: with similar technology, similar kinds of traditions, similarly outlandish animals, etc. Powers’ commitment to a similar level of world-building—the greatest strength in Norman’s books—lends a seriousness and internal consistency to Susan’s erotic travails. This elevates the narrative: facilitating semi-sociological defamiliarization of norms between Earth society and Karg society that is dramatized in the running monologues Susan has with herself. This genre device was very popular in 1970s sci-fi (Ursula LeGuin), and was arguably recapitulated in Norman’s own books. The (re-)use of this device allows Powers to enter with some seriousness into the imaginative life of a different society: in this case of the Kargian men and women for whom TPE/BDSM constitutes a not just acceptable but deeply meaningful basis of social order. This is not the easiest or simplest idea to render in an at once seductive and plausible way and Powers deserves some credit for this accomplishment.

Powers differs from Norman most significantly by being far less weirdly, philosophically, earnest about the complicated fantasy world—with its half-plausible, half-fetishistic worldview—that he has created. Susan is regularly overpowered and overawed by the Kargian masters she constantly runs into; but she never truly internalizes their values; she is never wholly conquered or overcome by them. If this sort of playful semi-seriousness—typical of Powers—is on your wavelength, then you will find Karg a very enjoyable read.

As I am writing this, however—I see that Karg has recently been removed/has expired from publication. Hopefully it will be renewed!

[Shannon Mudd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how I came to find this book (Kindle version). Searched for something SciFi and erotica and this came up. Discovered it to be wholly SBDM (did I get that right). Given all the talk about Fifty Shades, thought I would see what it is about. After the first chapter, put it down quickly. Serious female degradation. I even purged it from my library on Amazon. However, two months later, discovered it on a different kindle and decided to see if there was anything in it of worth.

What I discovered was that SBDM is not my cup of tea. Didn't find it particularly exciting and would largely skim (who cares about the minute details of different modes of bondage. I guess someone does).

There was one redeeming aspect of the novel. The main character was from another world and so this society and its total male dominance and female bondage/submission were viewed from her mostly detached point of view. What was interesting was her description of sexual intimacy in her world and its implications. In her world, when a couple decides to have sex, they do a mindmeld and so experience everything from both bodies at the same time. And by everything, I mean physical sensation, emotional response, and mental experience. According to her, this completely broke down residual prejudices of race, gender, etc. It also ended abusive relations. Interesting concept and intriguing both for the experience of bonding with another person and how it might impact. Still, I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

(Spoiler) I should note that the main character came to appreciate the erotic of submission (as opposed to abuse/degradation), and when returned to her world, tracked down a subculture that worked with it so she could continue to experience what she found to be its delightful.