From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On Tue, 22 Jul 2025 13:04:06 +0000, James Nicoll wrote:

Tarnsman of Gor (Gor, volume 1) by John Norman

In this ERB pastiche, unremarkable academic Tarl Cabot reinvents himself
as a man of action on the counter-Earth, Gor. There's much less BDSM
than the series reputation would lead one to expect.

I was so desperate for more ERB-like reading that I waded through the
first three volumes in the series before giving up on the basis that it
was never going to get any better.

The first book actually seemed like it had the potential to be real
adventure science fiction.

As for BDSM... there was a recent multi-book series which, although less seriously morally flawed, that at least in the beginning was heavy on
BDSM. The protagonist, as the series progressed, seemed to have as his
plan for fighting the evil menace he opposed gathering more and more power into his hands, which presumably was meant to have him viewed as an
antihero.

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series,
roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

John Savard
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025 03:41:34 +0000, John Savard wrote:

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series, roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

I got the name of the series confused with the better one by an author
with a greater reputation which came out in red and blue covers without illustrations... A Song of Ice and Fire.

John Savard
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John Savard wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025 03:41:34 +0000, John Savard wrote:

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series,
roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

I thought, based on comments here, that the BDSM was in Goodkind's multi-ology. Whatever that is called.

I've not read either series. And based on the aforementioned comments,
never will.

But still feel the weird need to be pedantic about it.


William Hyde


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On 9/28/25 14:05, William Hyde wrote:

John Savard wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025 03:41:34 +0000, John Savard wrote:

Tarnman series was patriarchal bondage of women and discipline of women with men in control. I did a few volumes and figured out that I did not
care
for that theme.

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series,
roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

Perhaps by some reckoning. I did not find it so. I did find the conclusion
of the story to be disappointing. The lead in in many volumes to that conclusion though was very interesting and the original author might have
made many more volumes from it.
One culture invading the continent of Rand al'Thor adventures was
into BDSM with slaves and all. Very visious punishments and castes that
would be quite alien to modern thought.

The plot is gung Enaq vf gur ervapneagvba bs gur zna jub qverpgrq gur bevtvany frnyvat bs gur rivy njnl sebz gur jbeyq ohg gur frnyvat vf
qrcraqrag
ba negvsnpgf gung pna or nggnpxrq ol crbcyr be perngherf vasyhraprq ol
gur Rivy bar. Riraghnyyl Enaq pbzrf gb n shyy ernyvmngvba bs uvf cbjre
gb qrsrng naq qryrgr gur Rivy. Gur qvfnccbvagzrag ng gur raqvat ba zl
cneg vf gung Enaq orpbzrf gbb cbjreshy

I thought, based on comments here, that the BDSM was in Goodkind's multi-ology.-a Whatever that is called.

I've not read either series.-a And based on the aforementioned comments, never will.

But still feel the weird need to be pedantic about it.

William Hyde

The strange thing is that you feel it weird to be pedantic
about these stories which you admit you have not read. Many
people in the current day are happy to be pedantic about matters
less recondite than a couple of speculative fiction series, which
they know absolutely nothing about.

bliss


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William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> writes:

John Savard wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025 03:41:34 +0000, John Savard wrote:

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series,
roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

I thought, based on comments here, that the BDSM was in Goodkind's >multi-ology. Whatever that is called.

There is no BDSM in Wheel Of Time. Some corporal punishment a al
english boarding school in one of the 14 volumes.

Overall, the series is quite good - I prefer it over Tolkien, myself.
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Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> writes:

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series, >>>> roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

Perhaps by some reckoning. I did not find it so. I did find the conclusion
of the story to be disappointing.

In certain respects, I agree that Brandon Sanderson didn't
quite match the tone of Jordan's story. For the most part
the concusion wasn't _bad_, although I think BS didn't get
Matrim's voice and manner at all correct.

The lead in in many volumes to that
conclusion though was very interesting and the original author might have >made many more volumes from it.

Jordan played with storytelling in a couple volumes, _Crossroads of Twilight_ was an experiment where he had sub-stories looking at the same event from various perspectives. He wasn't happy, IIRC, with the result, and the readers weren't particuarly enamoured either.
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On 30/09/25 06:24, Scott Lurndal wrote:

Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> writes:

I thought his name was Rand al'Thor, but I see that's the name of a
character in The Wheel of Time, and I thought this was another series, >>>>> roughly contemporaneous with and competing with it.

The Wheel of Time was the BDSM one.

Perhaps by some reckoning. I did not find it so. I did find the conclusion
of the story to be disappointing.

In certain respects, I agree that Brandon Sanderson didn't
quite match the tone of Jordan's story. For the most part
the concusion wasn't _bad_, although I think BS didn't get
Matrim's voice and manner at all correct.

The lead in in many volumes to that
conclusion though was very interesting and the original author might have
made many more volumes from it.

Jordan played with storytelling in a couple volumes, _Crossroads of Twilight_ was an experiment where he had sub-stories looking at the same event from various perspectives. He wasn't happy, IIRC, with the result, and the readers
weren't particuarly enamoured either.

That's a pity because I find it a fascinating technique. William Hyde
referred to An Instance of the Fingerpost (Iain Pears) recently. A
brilliant surface read with four unreliable narrators.

I inherited about a dozen Wheel of Time books but have never opened one
and am thinking of starting. There is a book 0 written long after book 1
so, as most people would have read book 1 first, I plan to do the same.
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From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:05:20 -0400, William Hyde wrote:

I thought, based on comments here, that the BDSM was in Goodkind's multi-ology. Whatever that is called.

You are right. So I was further confused. It was called "The Sword of
Truth".

John Savard
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