Reading Order
Gorseries.seoTitleShort
Start with Tarnsman of Gor and continue through all 37 books in the listed reading order.
About This Series
The Gor series, penned by John Norman, is a captivating collection of fantasy novels that plunge readers into an intricate world of adventure, philosophy, and societal exploration. Set on the fictional planet Gor, the series intricately weaves together themes of power, dominance, and the natural order, all wrapped in a narrative that blends science fiction and fantasy elements. With its unique tone and richly developed universe, the Gor series has garnered a dedicated readership since its inception in 1967.
What makes the Gor series particularly compelling is its unapologetic exploration of complex themes like gender dynamics, societal structures, and personal freedom. Norman's vivid storytelling invites readers to engage with thought-provoking questions about morality and human nature. Ideal for fans of speculative fiction who appreciate deep philosophical inquiries alongside their adventures, this series offers a unique lens through which to examine human relationships and societal constructs.
When embarking on this literary journey, it's essential to start with the first book, "Tarnsman of Gor." Each installment builds upon the last, enriching the overarching narrative and character development. While there are no prequels or spin-offs that deviate from the main series, understanding the context from the beginning will enhance your reading experience.
Although no thought leaders currently endorse the Gor series on GurusReads, it is a treasure trove for readers who are passionate about immersive world-building and the exploration of complex themes. Fans of fantasy and science fiction who enjoy a blend of adventure and philosophical depth will find themselves captivated by the tales of Gor, making it a worthy addition to any book lover's collection.
Start Here
Start with Tarnsman of Gor
Book 1 by John Norman • Published 1967
History professor Tarl Cabot is torn from Earth and carried to the counter-Earth world of Gor, where he trains as a warrior riding giant tarns. Sent to steal a city's sacred Home Stone, he faces war, honor, and first...
Complete List
Gor reading order
Ends with Warriors of Gor
- 1
Book 1:Tarnsman of Gor
John Norman • 1967
History professor Tarl Cabot is torn from Earth and carried to the counter-Earth world of Gor, where he trains as a warrior riding giant tarns. Sent to steal a city's sacred Home Stone, he faces war, honor, and first...
- 2
Book 2:Outlaw of Gor
John Norman • 1967
Back on Gor, Tarl Cabot is caught in the politics of the mighty city of Ar. Framed for the death of a powerful ruler, he becomes an outlaw and must survive betrayal, regain honor, and fight for Talena's future.
- 3
Book 3:Priest-Kings of Gor
John Norman • 1968
Tarl journeys into the forbidden Sardar Mountains to confront the mysterious Priest-Kings who secretly rule Gor. Among alien beings and deadly tests, he learns the truth about Gor's hidden masters and the threat of th...
- 4
Book 4:Nomads of Gor
John Norman • 1969
Tarl rides the vast plains of Gor among the nomadic wagon peoples, drawn into tribal rivalries and looming war against the city-dwellers. Honor, vengeance, and shifting alliances drive a brutal conflict fought from th...
- 5
Book 5:Assassin of Gor
John Norman • 1970
Disguised as an assassin in the city of Ar, Tarl Cabot is sent into a maze of plots, rival factions, and deadly duels. To survive, he must choose sides in a struggle that will reshape Gor's greatest city.
- 6
Book 6:Raiders of Gor
John Norman • 1971
Tarl takes to the marshes and waterways of the Vosk Delta, joining raiders and pirates who live beyond city law. In a world of shifting loyalty and stolen treasure, he faces Kurii schemes and his own divided loyalties.
- 7
Book 7:Captive of Gor
John Norman • 1972
An arrogant young woman from Earth is kidnapped and taken to Gor, where she is stripped of status and sold as a slave. Told from her viewpoint, the story tracks her resistance, fear, and awakening to Gorean customs.
- 8
Book 8:Hunters of Gor
John Norman • 1974
The hunt begins in Gor's northern forests, where escaped slaves, ruthless warriors, and secret agents of alien powers cross paths. Tarl must track dangerous quarry through wild country, confronting enemies and uncomfo...
- 9
Book 9:Marauders of Gor
John Norman • 1975
Far in the cold north, Tarl lives among Gorean sea-raiders whose culture echoes the sagas of Vikings. When war erupts between rival jarls and distant powers, he must choose where his loyalty lies on icy seas and storm...
- 10
Book 10:Tribesmen of Gor
John Norman • 1976
Sent to the great Tahari desert, Tarl moves between proud nomad tribes and the walled cities that trade with them. Plots, raids, and a hidden conspiracy pull him into a harsh landscape of sandstorms, honor debts, and...
- 11
Book 11:Slave Girl of Gor
John Norman • 1977
Another young woman from Earth is seized and taken to Gor, where she is trained and sold as a slave. Her first-person account follows humiliation, punishment, and reluctant fascination as she learns what it means to b...
- 12
Book 12:Beasts of Gor
John Norman • 1978
On Gor's polar reaches, Tarl encounters the Kurii, savage, bear-like aliens whose secret plans threaten both Gor and Earth. Among ice, snow, and hidden strongholds, he uncovers brutal experiments and the scale of the...
- 13
Book 13:Explorers of Gor
John Norman • 1979
Tarl joins an expedition into Gor's unexplored equatorial jungles, seeking riches, lost cities, and signs of Kurii interference. The trek brings disease, treachery, and strange peoples, testing every bond of command,...
- 14
Book 14:Fighting Slave of Gor
John Norman • 1980
An Earthman finds himself enslaved on Gor and forced into the brutal life of a fighting slave. In the arenas and training yards he struggles to stay alive, make sense of Gorean customs, and decide where his loyalties...
- 15
Book 15:Rogue of Gor
John Norman • 1981
Continuing the story of a captured Earthman on Gor, this novel follows his attempts to outwit masters, rivals, and political factions. As he moves from city to countryside, he risks everything to shape his own fate wi...
- 16
Book 16:Guardsman of Gor
John Norman • 1981
A loyal guardsman becomes entangled in coups and counter-coups in one of Gor's great cities. Torn between sworn oaths, personal affection, and the shifting orders of his superiors, he must navigate streets where honor...
- 17
Book 17:Savages of Gor
John Norman • 1982
Beyond the familiar cities, Tarl travels to frontier lands where tribal peoples, echoing Earth's Plains cultures, clash with imperial expansion. Caught between competing codes of honor, he faces Kurii plots and the br...
- 18
Book 18:Blood Brothers of Gor
John Norman • 1982
This companion to Savages of Gor continues in the lands of the so-called Red Savages. Tarl is drawn deeper into tribal politics, blood feuds, and Kurii intrigue, where oaths of brotherhood can matter more than any cit...
- 19
Book 19:Kajira of Gor
John Norman • 1983
A modern woman from Earth is brought to Gor and sold as a kajira at a great fair. Through her eyes, readers see merchant intrigues, high-stakes wagers, and the subtle ways power, beauty, and obedience play out in Gore...
- 20
Book 20:Players of Gor
John Norman • 1984
War grips Gor as rival city-states vie for power, and the complex board game of kaissa becomes a metaphor for strategy and betrayal. Tarl moves among spies, athletes, and rulers where every move can decide the fate of...
- 21
Book 21:Mercenaries of Gor
John Norman • 1985
Hired blades and shifting contracts define this tale of war between mighty powers on Gor. Serving as a mercenary, Tarl encounters divided loyalties, secret missions, and the grim arithmetic of battles fought for coin...
- 22
Book 22:Dancer of Gor
John Norman • 1985
A struggling dancer from Earth is abducted and remade as a slave on Gor. Her training, performances, and shifting sense of self unfold against a backdrop of markets, intrigues, and the stark contrast between her old l...
- 23
Book 23:Renegades of Gor
John Norman • 1986
On a Gor shaken by invasion and revolt, Tarl must deal with rebels, traitors, and double agents. City walls, river forts, and countryside strongholds become stages for shifting alliances as the great war between Ar an...
- 24
Book 24:Vagabonds of Gor
John Norman • 1987
War scatters refugees, deserters, and wanderers across Gor, and Tarl travels among them in disguise. Moving through markets, camps, and back alleys, he witnesses the cost of empire and discovers plots that reach far b...
- 25
Book 25:Magicians of Gor
John Norman • 1988
Rumors of sorcery swirl as hidden powers manipulate the war between great city-states. Tarl probes conspiracies involving mysterious "magicians," uncovering secret cabals, forbidden technologies, and a plan that could...
- 26
Book 26:Witness of Gor
John Norman • 2001
An Earth woman taken as a slave on Gor becomes a key witness to unfolding political upheavals. Her long, detailed narrative tracks legal rituals, city life, and personal transformation as she is forced to watch, and s...
- 27
Book 27:Prize of Gor
John Norman • 2008
A young woman from Earth is treated as coveted cargo and "prize" within Gorean society. Passed between captors, she sees the marketplace of power, desire, and ownership up close, while discovering what survival and id...
- 28
Book 28:Kur of Gor
John Norman • 2009
This massive novel dives deep into the world of the Kurii, the savage alien foes of the Priest-Kings. Through ventures into frozen wastes, hidden bases, and shifting alliances, Tarl confronts what the coming Kurii war...
- 29
Book 29:Swordsmen of Gor
John Norman • 2010
Soldiers, swordsmen, and captains clash as campaigns along rivers and marshes shape Gor's future. Tarl finds himself among hard-bitten fighters, navigating raids, ambushes, and bitter rivalries while larger powers use...
- 30
Book 30:Mariners of Gor
John Norman • 2011
Taking to the open sea, Tarl joins a voyage that pushes beyond the known coasts of Gor. Storms, strange islands, and whispered legends of the world's edge test the crew as political plots still reach them across the w...
- 31
Book 31:Conspirators of Gor
John Norman • 2012
A network of conspirators schemes in the shadows while cities pretend at peace. Tarl infiltrates secret councils and hidden meeting places, pulling at threads of intrigue that connect merchants, warriors, and even dis...
- 32
Book 32:Smugglers of Gor
John Norman • 2012
Among coastal coves and marsh-hidden channels, smugglers defy Gorean tariffs and patrols. Tarl moves through their rough society of secret cargoes and coded oaths, uncovering how these small-time operations tie into f...
- 33
Book 33:Rebels of Gor
John Norman • 2013
Open rebellion erupts against established rulers, forcing Tarl to choose between competing visions of order on Gor. City by city, battle lines are drawn, and covert Kurii interests lurk behind uprisings that may resha...
- 34
Book 34:Plunder of Gor
John Norman • 2016
Sea-raiders and opportunists race to seize plunder in the chaos of war. Sailing along contested coasts and striking at weakened cities, Tarl must decide when he is a liberator, when he is a pirate, and what price he'l...
- 35
Book 35:Quarry of Gor
John Norman • 2019
A dangerous quarry is loosed on Gor, and Tarl joins the hunt. Pursuing a resourceful fugitive across cities and wilderness, he confronts questions of justice, vengeance, and ownership that cut to the heart of Gorean l...
- 36
Book 36:Avengers of Gor
John Norman • 2021
Old enemies and long-standing grievances return in this late entry in the saga. As alliances shift yet again, Tarl and his companions embark on missions of vengeance and restitution that force them to reckon with deca...
- 37
Book 37:Warriors of Gor
John Norman • 2022
Bringing together many strands of the long-running series, this novel focuses on warriors facing one of Gor's greatest tests. Battles, oaths, and reckonings converge as Tarl confronts choices that may define the futur...
Quick Answers
Gor FAQ
What is the best order to read the Gor series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Tarnsman of Gor.
How many books are in the Gor series?
There are 37 books currently listed in the Gor series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Gor series?
New readers should start with Tarnsman of Gor, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Gor series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1967 to 2022.