Explorers Of Gor Book

This is a relatively good entry in the series, if you dissect out the obligatory, repetitive, formulaic female slavery fetishizing. The plot centers around the ongoing battle between the alien Priest-Kings and the Kurii, in whose hands (paws, appendages?) the fate of both Gor and Earth hang. There is a certain invisibility ring that played an important role a few sagas back, and its theft launches Tarl into another travelogue-like episode, this time exploring the equatorial jungles of Gor. He pursues Shaba, a master geographer/scientist whose grand plan is to map the equatorial rivers and lakes and then create a vast canal opening up these regions to trade with the rest of Gor. Other colorful characters, along with the usual horde of submissive females show up, making for a relatively readable adventure (though the river journey seems to go on forever). I'll make one comment about the female slavery aspect. Buried in the middle of the book there are hints that Tarl's cruelty towards women may have been triggered by his own rejection by one of them. Looking back at the series, the first few books make mention of slavery, but much as an historical novel of Rome might so make mention. Tarl pursues his lost love in much the same manner that John Carter would do so in Burroughs' Mars books. But there is betrayal, and he evolves into the sexist monster which he is today. Probably I'm reading too much into this, but giving Tarl some motivations for his awfulness makes the long stretches of slave talk a little more bearable.

Tarl seems to have explored most of Gor by now. Where will he go next?