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Gor #18
Blood Brothers of Gor
On the run from a death squad, General Half-Ear lures his pursuers into the land of the Red Savages on the planet of Gor.
Half-Ear, or Zarendargar, a Kur general fallen from favor in the Steel Worlds, now sought by a death squad of his savage compeers, has determined to lure his pursuers into the Barrens, the vast prairies to the east of known Gor, populated by warring tribes known to Goreans as the Red Savages. He has arranged matters in such a way that he will be abetted in his stand against the death squad and its human allies by a human ally of his own—his former foe, Tarl Cabot. The ancestors of the Red Savages, like those of many other Goreans, were brought to Gor long ago in Voyages of Acquisition by the Priest-Kings. The Red Savages were settled in an area not unlike that of their former home, a sweeping, almost endless grassland, where they tend to continue their former ways of life—and war.
Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.
Blood Brothers of Gor is the 18th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Half-Ear, or Zarendargar, a Kur general fallen from favor in the Steel Worlds, now sought by a death squad of his savage compeers, has determined to lure his pursuers into the Barrens, the vast prairies to the east of known Gor, populated by warring tribes known to Goreans as the Red Savages. He has arranged matters in such a way that he will be abetted in his stand against the death squad and its human allies by a human ally of his own—his former foe, Tarl Cabot. The ancestors of the Red Savages, like those of many other Goreans, were brought to Gor long ago in Voyages of Acquisition by the Priest-Kings. The Red Savages were settled in an area not unlike that of their former home, a sweeping, almost endless grassland, where they tend to continue their former ways of life—and war.
Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.
Blood Brothers of Gor is the 18th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
572 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
John Norman
125 books344 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John Norman, real name John Lange, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1931. His best known works, the Gor series, currently span 36 books written 1966 (Tarnsman of Gor) to 2021 (Avengers of Gor). Three installments of the Telnarian Histories, plus three other fiction works and a non-fiction paperback. Mr. Norman is married and has three children.
John Norman, real name John Lange, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1931. His best known works, the Gor series, currently span 36 books written 1966 (Tarnsman of Gor) to 2021 (Avengers of Gor). Three installments of the Telnarian Histories, plus three other fiction works and a non-fiction paperback. Mr. Norman is married and has three children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 24, 2017
BLOOD BROTHERS OF GOR, preceded by SAVAGES, actually form a single work comprising Tarl Cabot's last major adventure. These two books are among author John Norman's better mid-stage Counter-Earth novels (books 11-21); the others are BEASTS and PLAYERS. BLOOD BROTHERS is almost as good as the powerhouses of the Gorean saga: PRIEST-KINGS, NOMADS, ASSASSIN, HUNTERS, MARAUDERS, TRIBESMEN. If one only wanted to read the best of the Gor novels I'd recommend all of the above. Norman demonstrates his mastery of plotting, character creation and world-building throughout the ten volumes; everything this writer does well can be found here. If one wanted to read the top twelve, I'd add RENEGADES and MAGICIANS to the list. These are all Tarl Cabot POV adventures by the way.
Combined with SAVAGES OF GOR, this is an 800-page tale, almost 300,000 words originally (with over 20,000 more added years later in newer editions), the last time Norman transports a culture from Earth to Gor until Cabot encounters the Pani a quarter of a century later. This epic adventure in an arid land among warring native American tribes even has familiar names from the past cropping up, like Kamchak and Ivar Forkbeard. Norman obviously researched American Indians extensively to bring authenticity to the story. SAVAGES and BLOOD BROTHERS aren't his only works on the subject, one of his non-Gor books GHOST DANCE deals with the culture as well. It also deals with a captive woman. In a John Norman book, that's no coincidence.
Combined with SAVAGES OF GOR, this is an 800-page tale, almost 300,000 words originally (with over 20,000 more added years later in newer editions), the last time Norman transports a culture from Earth to Gor until Cabot encounters the Pani a quarter of a century later. This epic adventure in an arid land among warring native American tribes even has familiar names from the past cropping up, like Kamchak and Ivar Forkbeard. Norman obviously researched American Indians extensively to bring authenticity to the story. SAVAGES and BLOOD BROTHERS aren't his only works on the subject, one of his non-Gor books GHOST DANCE deals with the culture as well. It also deals with a captive woman. In a John Norman book, that's no coincidence.
March 19, 2014
This brief reconnection with Tarl Cabot's timeline concludes, and we meet a couple of old friends - Zarendargar, the whole reason for this journey (a rather unnecessary one, as it turns out!) and Cabot's faithful mount who serves, yet again, as a deus ex machina in the final battle.
And then, for the next book, we leave this timeline and, once again, take up with a solo character and dark political intrigue.
And then, for the next book, we leave this timeline and, once again, take up with a solo character and dark political intrigue.
May 8, 2009
I liked the idea that Norman was going to write a book about transplanted Indians, but the slavery stuff just really slowed it to a glacial pace.
May 20, 2026
"To share the kettle of a friend, is to dine with a Ubar."
That's how I felt reading Norman's eighteenth Gor novel, having dinner with an old friend and listening to his tales of savage adventure pulp. Sure, he would expound upon his views of the natural state of male superiority and female slavery; but never in an overbearing manner. And I put up with his occasional explanations of certain situations and systems because they never interfered with his well-told story. And I do love his sense of humor.
Tarl Cabot is searching for the Kur war general Half-Ear (who survived the climax of Beast of Gor), but has been captured and enslaved by the red savages of the grassy plains of The Barrens. He is beset on on all sides by the warring factions of red savages and must find a way to defend their way of life with the aid of his small band of friends.
Blood Brothers is an unusual Gor novel in a few ways. First, it is a direct sequel to Gor #17 (Savages of Gor.) It is the second part of what is a massive 900-page adventure and ranks as one of his best. Second, it is the first Gor novel to bring in scenes from previous Gor outings without any explanation.
Norman has crafted a fantasy plains-style nomadic setting based on North American Indian culture and mythology (complete with a giant protective "thunderbird") that is immensely engrossing and immersive for the reader. The "blood brother" label is a European invention for the various blood rituals of the Indian culture, but it is effective. It's just another example of the extraordinary world-building of Norman.
Tarl Cabot as a character is not particuly interesting, but the supporting cast certainly is. Hci, a malcontent from the Tushui tribe, is a well-developed character and his journey is vital to the book. As is Cuwignaka, a disgraced savage warrior who still remains loyal to his people. Best of all are the people of the Waniyanpi Eleventh Garden commune who have been conditioned from birth to follow the Teaching of "sameness" and are ripe for an awakening into what it means to be Gorean.
What seemed like corny, stilted dialog in early Gor novels has turned into a consistent, refined language used by Goreans (complete sentences, no use of contractions, roundabout answers that are actually a form of socratic dialog). And since these adventures are presented as manuscripts delivered to Norman by Cabot, in narration as well. This, along with Nomads of Gor, is a standout in the Gor series.
I'm glad that I took the time to share this round of paga with John Norman.
That's how I felt reading Norman's eighteenth Gor novel, having dinner with an old friend and listening to his tales of savage adventure pulp. Sure, he would expound upon his views of the natural state of male superiority and female slavery; but never in an overbearing manner. And I put up with his occasional explanations of certain situations and systems because they never interfered with his well-told story. And I do love his sense of humor.
Tarl Cabot is searching for the Kur war general Half-Ear (who survived the climax of Beast of Gor), but has been captured and enslaved by the red savages of the grassy plains of The Barrens. He is beset on on all sides by the warring factions of red savages and must find a way to defend their way of life with the aid of his small band of friends.
Blood Brothers is an unusual Gor novel in a few ways. First, it is a direct sequel to Gor #17 (Savages of Gor.) It is the second part of what is a massive 900-page adventure and ranks as one of his best. Second, it is the first Gor novel to bring in scenes from previous Gor outings without any explanation.
Norman has crafted a fantasy plains-style nomadic setting based on North American Indian culture and mythology (complete with a giant protective "thunderbird") that is immensely engrossing and immersive for the reader. The "blood brother" label is a European invention for the various blood rituals of the Indian culture, but it is effective. It's just another example of the extraordinary world-building of Norman.
Tarl Cabot as a character is not particuly interesting, but the supporting cast certainly is. Hci, a malcontent from the Tushui tribe, is a well-developed character and his journey is vital to the book. As is Cuwignaka, a disgraced savage warrior who still remains loyal to his people. Best of all are the people of the Waniyanpi Eleventh Garden commune who have been conditioned from birth to follow the Teaching of "sameness" and are ripe for an awakening into what it means to be Gorean.
What seemed like corny, stilted dialog in early Gor novels has turned into a consistent, refined language used by Goreans (complete sentences, no use of contractions, roundabout answers that are actually a form of socratic dialog). And since these adventures are presented as manuscripts delivered to Norman by Cabot, in narration as well. This, along with Nomads of Gor, is a standout in the Gor series.
I'm glad that I took the time to share this round of paga with John Norman.
January 31, 2020
One of the most misspelled worded books I have ever read. If you took out all of the repetitive conversations and repetitive slave information from all the previous books, the actual story would be 1/3 a shorter read. I enjoyed the main story-line regarding Tarl Cabot but tired of the same repetition of his books. Oh wait, looks like I'm being repetitious in this review regarding the repetition of this Gor book series.
May 6, 2026
Language and Vocabulary The language used in this book is formal and demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary. The sentences are well-constructed and follow standard grammatical rules. This makes the reading process smooth and professional. You can view the full glossary of terms at the following link. >>> https://script.google.com/macros/s/AK...
January 16, 2024
#18 in the Gor series. Despite the overdone BDSM elements the Gor series remains a master class in world-building.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews