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From: red@ukma.UUCP (Red Varth)
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Re: "Gor" by John Norman
Message-ID: <638@ukma.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Feb-85 18:18:25 EST
Article-I.D.: ukma.638
Posted: Tue Feb  5 18:18:25 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Feb-85 05:39:14 EST
References: <543@ukma.UUCP> <3542@ucla-cs.ARPA>, <395@wxlvax.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of KY Mathematical Sciences
Lines: 35


Well, it ain't Gor, but it is most CERTAINLY John Norman.

I refer to "Time Slave". To all those who've flamed me publically and
privately, if you think Gor was bad, try this.

The plot (or facsimilie thereof) concerns a crazy scientist who
sends a female mathematician back to the Stone Age. I think it's the
Stone Age, at least. It's right when Cro-magnan was first developing.

What the crazy guy does is hire the mathematician (Brenda Hamilton) under
the pretext of needed a computer operator/programmer. He essentially 
kidnaps her (by keeping her out in the African bush and returning all 
her mail). Then he and his fellow crazies put her through essentially a
mind-conditioning routine -- "Do this, or I'll beat you bloody because I'm
a male and you have to obey me." Ad infinitum. What they think they're doing
is outfitting her for survival in the Stone Age. I would rather have a course
in tracking game or archery or general survival.

Among other things, her "training" includes:
	Having to kneel in the presence of any male.
	Wearing whatever clothing a male sees fit to give her
	Wearing cosmetics (which she didn't)
	Obeying any male immediately.

Then they dump her in the middle of a forest buck-naked and expect her
to survive. She does, but I think she's damned lucky. She eventually
gets captured by a cave-man and immediately raped repeatedly. Sigh. At
least Norman doesn't have her ENJOY it. 

I don't want to give away the remainder of the story; it gives a reasonably
accurate guess as to what life was like back then. That part of it is pretty
good. 

			Red