CASCA, The Eternal Mercenary...a PROBLEMATIC Series???

An in-depth review of the action adventure novel series, Casca The Eternal Mercenary by Special Forces Green Beret, Barry Sadler. Along with an analysis of its problems, strong points, and influence.
00:00 Ballad of the Green Berets
00:34 Introduction
03:50 Problem areas
06:54 Strengths
08:42 Casca, Panzer Soldier
11:49 Influence
14:04 Death of Barry Sadler
18:00 Conclusion

[@sgtscot658]

When I was in the Navy back in the 80's, I saw the duty watch reading Casca books and he let me barrow it and I was instantly enthralled by SSG Sadlers books. I loved all of them all with my fav being Soldier of Fortune.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Awesome! They were all over the place. I talked to a marine years later who said the same thing. Thank you for your service shipmate!

[@johnwalsh4857]

and due to the US armed forces the casca books spread all over the world where the US armed forces were detailed. that was how I got several of the Casca books from US servicemen stationed in Clark Airbase and Subic naval base Philippines.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

@@johnwalsh4857 Excellent point!

[@abraxaszee8953]

@@GrammaticusBooksI’m a vet and author. I’d like to talk to you about MY book sometime.

[@wooddavid8293]

Yup. 1980s Navy here. Casca was a big deal on USS Barbey (FF1088) in the early 80s.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Awesome video! I rarely hear anyone talk about these anymore. This certainly is informative. And of course now you have to tell us all about your military experiences.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Thanks MKV! I worry about getting too far afield from booktube. But I'll drop in some stories. I'll definitely tell the blood wings and crazy-major story.

[@luiznogueira1579]

I read some half dozen Casca books back in the 80's. They were a fun read, for all their(many) faults. I don't think Panzer Soldier was among them; can't be sure because I gave them all away years ago. What I recall is that there was a problem in the first book where It seemed that Sadler mistook the Christian Era count as beginning with the crucifixion and not with the birth of Christ. Kind of a baffling mistake given the circumstances... Guatemala has always been a very dangerous place. My father worked there for a few months in the 70's and he needed armed security at all times, even slept with a submachinegun by his bed. Tough.

[@malgremor85]

Well, this is nostalgic. I read the whole series one by one as they came out. Some 40 yrs ago. So sad when Barry Sadler got killed. I wish some decent author would pick this up & continue it.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Ditto!

[@abraxaszee8953]

There’s a decent author writing them right now- his name is Tony Roberts.

[@nealbullington8301]

I agree that Panzer Soldier was the best of the lot and the only one I kept. Years ago I remember reading a short story that used the idea of a soldier who couldn't die. I think the title was something like "The Strange Fate of Corporal Cuckoo".. He was a medieval soldier who suffered a massive head wound, and an alchemist poured a lot of stuff into the wound. It saved his life and made him immortal, but the downside was that he could never improve mentally, thus always remaining a corporal in any army he joined.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Interesting Neal, that's one I've not heard of but it sounds like it could be a good premise for a story.

[@ericjohnson1289]

Your criticism while yours, could it be a bit misplaced given that Salder is showing us a character SET in different times where some of the issues you are harping on were commonplace and would be normal for the characters to have? So not sure why this would be an issue when an author uses set periods and things from, Would you complain if they didn't call a person from Perisa, Perisan in a novel set in ancient Greece where they were fighting the Persians?

[@GrammaticusBooks]

You make a good point. And if that's all Sadler did, I wouldn't have a complaint. But Sadler takes it farther than that. Using over simplified racial stereotypes (that aren't accurate). Not to mention his treatment of women. At one point in the first novel, Casca advises a husband to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb (rule of thumb). He does, then comes back and says beating her vastly improved his marriage. Which I'm sure was common in ancient Rome. But Sadler knew he was poking the bear. He liked pushing those boundaries a bit. And in today's day and age, I owe it to new (and younger) readers to give them a heads up. Don't get me wrong. I do very much enjoy these books. And hope they gain new readers.

[@ruprecht8520]

@@GrammaticusBooks Speaking of problematic I'd be interested in your opinion on John Norman's Gor.

[@Aratak711]

Really nice discussion. I was aware of the CASCA books but had never made the connection that Barry Sadler was the author! I appreciate your nuanced commentary on this and on your Robert Heinlein topics - You may take some heat, as the internet suffers from lack of nuance in dialogue, but I appreciate your well-considered points of view. Subscribed. Cheers!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Thank you Aratak! And thank you for checking out the video!

[@komfona_zyg7196]

I picked up Casca: The Pirate at a thrift store yesterday. I'm on a hunt to finish my reading goal by the end of the year, so I picked up a handful of short books. I didn't know anything about the series, but when I noticed it is the 15th edition in the series, I decided it could probably be read as a stand alone. I haven't read it yet, because I wanted some background information! This video was fantastic, and I had to subscribe.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Glad you liked the video! I'm pretty certain you can read that Casca novel as a stand alone too. Nice find!

[@sleepyreader666]

Pretty fascinating! Completely unfamiliar to me as i stopped sampling "Mens Adventure Fiction" circa 1977. I will keep an eye out at the paperback book exchange. Always loved the concept of the Eternal Warrior from the comics. And i feel there were similar characters in sci fi stories here and there.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Thanks SR. The original run of a dozen or so by Sadler are good novels. I'd especially recommend the first, Eternal Mercenary, Panzer Soldier, and The Legionnaire.

[@sleepyreader666]

@@GrammaticusBooks Cool, i'll keep an eye out for those three

[@chrisw6164]

I keep hearing about this series, I’ll have to try it sometime. Fair breakdown of the problems with the series. I’m old enough to remember trying Mack Bolan back in the 80s and I remember similar non-PC attitudes in those novels, even when I was a kid. Kinda stands out lol

[@GrammaticusBooks]

It's worth checking out. Especially the first novels written by Sadler himself. The best books for my money are the first, Panzer Soldier, and Legionnaire.

[@58singleman]

I have "Casca" books 1 - 22 and I agree that #4 "Panzer Soldier" is the best of the series. I also have 4 of his novels that are not part of the Casca series. 1. Cry Havoc. 2. Seppuku. 3.Phu Nham. 4. The Shooter. An extra Plus on Barry Sadler's books was his extensive research of military history that put the reader into war and battles that happened long ago.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Some of those old Casca's are real gems Singleman! And I didn't realize he wrote other materials. Thanks for that tip!

[@iancostigan5047]

My father worked at a book depository/distribution facility. They supplied books to libraries and schools. He strategicly took equipment/the books to an alternate location. Lol. He also hid on the roof of the building and read casca books as they came in on the delivery trucks. He worked the third shift and was usually the only employee at the warehouse.

[@iancostigan5047]

He was 18 at the time.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

That's a great strory!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Roger that

[@timothycrowne3193]

Great Video! I read these books while in the US Army. My favorite books from the Casca series were the German Panzer soldier and the time that Casca was in the French Foreign Legion. As I'm sure most of you know, German Soldiers joined the French Foreign Legion in droves, after World War II ended. Most of them were sent to Indochina or Vietnam under the French military. Casca fought at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in the books. Per the Books, Hitler & the Nazis started World War II to bring CASCA out of hiding, because he would be attracted to a major war, and be exposed to them.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Good stuff TC and thank you for your service! There's actually a book floating around out there called 'Devil's Guard' by Eric Myer. Which is about a bunch of Germans recruited into the French Foreign Legion and sent to Indochina. It's billed as non-fiction. But I suspect Myer created the details of the story out of his head based on reports of the Legion recruiting former Nazis....which they did indeed do!

[@1SciFiGeek508]

The only problem with the Casca series is that the books are so hard to find

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Hah! Too True!

[@slasher0630]

I want to check these out. I love the Bolan books, so since you compared them, I feel I must read them

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I highly recommend the first Casca, Legionnaire, Casca the Barbarian, and Panzer Soldier.

[@bizarrebraincomics7819]

Many of them are also available on audio too.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Thanks BBC! I did not know that.

[@davidk6269]

Thank you for your comments. I first came across the cursed eternal-warrior type of story through the excellent warrior-sorcerer Kane character written by Karl E. Wagner. I really wanted to like the Casca series of books, but after sampling a few, I found them to be quite disappointing on many levels.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I understand where you're coming from with Sadler. 100%...I'm going to have to do a Kane video sometime here soon. Great stuff.

[@davidk6269]

@@GrammaticusBooks Wow, I'm very excited to know that you will be uploading a Kane video sometime soon! Thank you!!!

[@HoosierDaddy2a]

I've never heard of them, but now I'm going to read them

[@GrammaticusBooks]

There a lot of fun. I'd love to hear what you think of them.

[@HoosierDaddy2a]

@@GrammaticusBooks maybe they'll push me to finish my book

[@leighganschow5652]

I remember seeing Casca novels in the Post Exchange when I was in Germany in the Army (1980)... but I was more enamored of the "Mack Bolan - The Executioner" series. They are both examples of what I would call "Men's Fiction", which is meant for light entertainment of military men. Women are not the market for these books; and expecting the writing to reflect any respect or consideration for women is a bridge to far considering the market and the times of these authors.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

No, they were not meant for women! But they were entertaining.

[@saintdonoghue]

Do you like any of the non-Sadler Casca books?

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Unfortunately, I have not read any Casca books that were not written by Sadler himself. The reviews on them tend to paint them as a cut below Sadler's work. Have you read them? If so, what did you think of them?

[@wildflowers5555]

Thanks for the informative Video! (If you are able , please write the exact order that Barry Sadler wrote them! I ONLY want to read those that Barry Sadler actually wrote himself. Thank you.)( P.S., there is a Fourth Hypothesis of why Barry Sadler was shot between the eyes. In real life Barry Sadler had shot his Lover's Rival between the eyes. He was put on Trial in the USA and convicted of Murder. However the Judge gave him 'Community Service' , due to his previous exemplary Service to the USA.)(However the murdered man's Family was furious over this!)( Right after Barry Sadler had finished the 'Community Service' , he then went down to Guatemala to try to write.)( The story goes, that the Cab Driver for no particular reason turned off the prescribed route, and then stopped in front of a Hotel. A Man calmly got in the front seat of the Cab, then turned quickly and shot Barry Sadler between the eyes. Then calmly got out. There was no Robbery. Barry Sadler did not die right away ,was transported back to the U.S.A., and though not reportedly ever to have gone into a Coma, did eventually after a few months die.)( Some believe, the Family of the man Barry Sadler had slain, had arranged this execution type killing, there in Guatemala. Reportedly an Assassin could easily be hired for just $25.00 American dollars, at that time in Guatemala.)( A Fifth Hypothesis is that Barry Sadler himself had hired the Assassin to kill him! Barry Sadler was suffering from extreme Depression over a painful Divorce, having then got back with an old Girlfriend in another State when she already had a Boyfriend, but she had broke it off with him, after she started seeing Barry Sadler. His Girlfriend's then recently jilted Boyfriend had started stalking Barry Sadler and threatening him, and Barry Sadler had been moderately intoxicated and on a moderate Opiate Pain Medication, and had felt threatened ,and angry and killed him,by shooting him between the eyes. (&) Yes, though convicted of Murder, then given only 'Community Service' by the presiding Jusge on this Murder Conviction, due to Barry Sadler's previous exemplary Service to The United States Of America ; Barry Sadler did not want to continue his life. Barry Sadler was also having severe Financial difficulties it is reported, as he had failed at a Movie Studio enterprise, and his Books , did not make him much revenue at the time.)(?)( No one knows though....only GOD.)( Many feel admiring his amazing Service to this Nation, is enough, and that is the Memory they will choose to focus on!)

[@GrammaticusBooks]

There's some controversy over exactly when and how much of the novels were being written by Sadler. But I'd say you're fairly safe with the first 10 or so: Eternal Mercenary, God of Death, Warlord, Panzer Soldier, The Barbarian, The Persian, The Damned, Soldier of Fortune, Conquistador, and Legionnaire. Of those, I would most highly recommend Eternal Mercenary, Panzer Soldier, and Legionnaire. Thanks for checking out the video Wild Flower!

[@wildflowers5555]

@@GrammaticusBooks I very much appreciate your Channel and response to my question. (I am Female, and had like most Females in America, back in the 1960's, etc., a strong admiration for this brave, confident Man.)( Now that I'm Retired, I have much more time to read the Books I always wanted to, and his are some of them.)

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Roger that Wildflowers. I would just caution that some of his books can ruffle feathers. Particularly, if you're a lady reading his works. I sometimes think he was purposefully trying to stir things up.

[@abhilashmaddali7158]

Will check out the Panzer Soldier at least, the series definitely sounds interesting.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

It is something new under the sun! The first several issues are definitely worth the read.

[@paxzin8501]

At one time, I had the first 18 books, and a couple in the 20s. It was clear that the later entries were only 'inspired' but not from Sadler himself. Where it comes to the 'racism' or 'sexism', I didn't see those aspects as politically incorrect. The character was an immortal. He wasn't going to have children (part of the curse), and was doomed to be a 'vagabond and a wanderer' of sorts. In his lifetime, people simply came and went. His relationship with humanity was a bit skewed. Here today, gone tomorrow, he wasn't meant to have any deep, close personal attachments. More than a few times, we see Casca fighting in Africa, and his ultimate opponent just happened to be the largest, wildest, darkest, beast of a man. Whether this was actually in Africa, or in the colosseum of Rome. And if there is any sense of character repeatability, it was clear. He usually palled up with a 'big bear of a man', then there was the smaller asian, usually a martial artist, then there was the 'slightly crazy' guy, but very effective at 'killing'. Barry would swap the names a bit, but these tropes of characters were usually in his squad, group, fellow 'slaves' or whatever. Where it came to 'women', you just knew the instant you saw 'her' come up in the story, that was who he was going to bang. Yeah, it was supposed to come across as a bit 'romantic', but seriously, it usually lasted about 3 paragraphs, and she'd end up dying, or something shortly afterward. You usually only had to deal with it, once per book, and maybe that was a 'hook' to get young readers, or guys that like that kind of stuff. What I appreciated most, was the 'first person' view, of different time periods, in a few pages, I could feel like I was walking around in South America, at the time of Cortez, or the streets of ancient Rome, or the wilds of Germany, during the time of the barbarians. A pirate ship, a tank commander, fighting in Vietnam first with the French, then with the Americans. The systematic, 'things start getting good, now its time to squash that'... So if Barry Sadler, might have come across as a bit 'racist' or 'sexist', I don't know if that was more about him, or Casca, a character that has seen a million faces, but has no eternal friendships. After a while, people become like yesterday's T-shirt, once it starts to smell, you don't put it back on... I never saw him really clinging to Rome, much after book one. Yes, the character was Italian, but how long did that last beyond that first book? Now, a slight change of topic, but Barry Sadler was my first experience with the 'Mandela Effect'. I remember watching the news, and seeing where he 'died' soon after an assassination attempt... Then, almost 3 years later, we read in the newspaper, where he recently died in a hospital, due to some medical complications. I remember finding it ironic, that the man who wrote about a man who could not die, how the author ended up 'dying twice'. Great vid, It's clear that you appreciate the series.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Great comments Pax! "you just knew the instant you saw 'her' come up..." Lol...and very true. There was a scene in the first novel where Casca advises a Roman citizen to go home and beat his misbehaving wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb (rule of thumb). A week later the guy comes back and thanks Casca for improving his marriage....yeeesh. It could get bad in spots. And Sadler knew he was poking the bear. But the absolute strength of the Casca books was Sadler's ability to get into the heads of all the different soldiers from different times and civilizations (as you aptly pointed out!).

[@paxzin8501]

@@GrammaticusBooks I 'think' I remember that 'rule of thumb' situation. It's been about 35-40 years ago, since I really was able to read the Casca series. There were a few other Sadler books that I read (outside of the Casca series), most of them revolved around the Vietnam conflict. Quite honestly, you could have slapped a cover on them that indicated they were part of the Casca series, and you probably wouldn't have noticed. I just remembered when I heard his passing, and felt like we had lost a decent story-teller... not the best, but a decent enough concept of an immortal and that 'group' that was always following him around. The '13th disciple' the ones waiting for the second coming... Anyway, great to see that the story hasn't died completely, and that there are still some old farts that remember.

[@johnwalsh4857]

I heard he was still serving in the US SOF unofficially and serving as a US adviser to the Guatamalan army which was fighting a Soviet Cuban backed insurgency. at hte time. So this was not a robbery but a assasination. and Im not surprised ,

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Sadly, we'll never know.

[@leonardkrol2600]

Howard had some sympathetic black characters. He had some stories staring a black detective. As for Casca, Roman centurions who have been around for centuries then to be set in their ways.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

All true Leonard!

[@johnwalsh4857]

yah big fan of the casca books, heck my first Casca books Panzer soldier and legionaire which I both consider his very best, were bought in a downtown Manila sidewalk vendor who bought it from US soldiers based in Clark Air base and Subic naval base Philippines. Yep good condition too both books were and bought for about 1 USD equivalent at the time, or 25 PHP in the late 80s.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I need to check out 'Legionnaire'.

[@jonathanbrown7250]

My dad, who had been in the army, collected and read these books like crazy in the 1980s. Since they were always around, I started reading them too. I enjoyed these and picked up a lot of my interest in history from these books. But I take your point. These books are fun, but a well-developed (not woke, realistic) female character, and other people who were more than stereotypes, now and then would have added some spice and taken them to another level. Instead of a 1980s artifact, these books might have made the cut to being classics. Let's take the movie "Zulu" as an example. Not woke, no girl-bosses, or black martyrs who have 28th century tech, or trans women. Made in 1964, it could have painted the Zulus as a bunch of bloodthirsty savages. Or dumb. Or cowardly. Or a lot of things. But instead, it worked hard to treat the Zulus with accuracy and respect. It shows a battle against a worthy foe, in which one side is just trying to survive. It's why that movie,, instead of being a forgettable 1960s artifact, is timeless, and just as watchable today as it was nearly 60 years ago.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Love that movie Zulu. And I like Casca...just need to understand what you're signing on for. But they are a lot of fun. And I appreciate your dad's service!

[@johnwalsh4857]

Interestingly Soldier of Fortune magazine paid for Barry Sadlers emergency medical flight back to the States but Sadler died midway there from Guatamala, so yah Sadler was probablyi a mercenary working for the CIA and Soldier of Fortune magazine was tight with teh CIA at the time. (or still is).

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I did not know that!

[@sailorbychoice1]

Most of the negatives regarding misspellings and punctuation is the job of any editor worth his/her salt to catch and fix before publication, or may have been caused due to poor edits in he publication process, so you can only half blame Sadler for those.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I got the distinct feeling the publisher Sadler used was one step up from a fly-by-night organization. And a lot of errors fell through the cracks.

[@libertycowboy2495]

Loved the Casca series. Guess im not woke enough to have so many issues with them.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Don't get me wrong, I love Casca and whole heartedly recommend the series. But readers (especially younger readers) should know what they're signing on for.

[@Toracube]

I loved them…. Now they are quite pricey…..a sham they are not reissued…

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Absolutely, crying out for a hardbound compilation! I'd certainly pick up reissues of the first 12 books.

[@johnalanwalker]

very thought provoking books. Fun series to read at least the Saddler ones

[@GrammaticusBooks]

A lot of fun!

[@fionam3554]

There are reports several may have been ghostwritten before that. I agree that Panzer was better than most, and I've seen that book attributed to Kenneth Bulmer (AKA Alan Burt Akers, of the Dray Prescot Kregen series) . He also supposedly wrote another one in the 20s. Could explain inconsistent quality at times...

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Very interesting! Am I understanding correctly, that Panzer Soldier may have been ghost written?

[@fionam3554]

that is what I have seen in a few places, and given the difference in the writing, it may be true. You can google the book and Bulmer @@GrammaticusBooks

[@sansdecorum4600]

I read all the Barry Sadler offerings as they became available some 40 odd years ago. I also caught some of the writing faux pas' here and there, but was enjoying the story and that's why people read books; they didn't buy them to critique grammer and spelling. As for the claims of racism and sexism: that's just the hypersensitive, if not outright neurotic, mentality of the present day culture demanding that history be sanitized and DEI compliant. As an elite soldier, Barry Sadler certainly worked closely with men of various races and ethnicity, so the claim is pretty hollow. As for the women in the stories, one should keep in mind the culture of the era illustrated. Today, there is a ridiculous mandate that insists that people of various races and sex be written into positions that simply would not be realistic in any way during thr various historical periods. All in all, a decent analysis save the DEI nonsense. People today need to exercise perspective and simply enjoy the ride.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I hear you Sans and you make some good points. And I hoped that the review brought home that I do enjoy and recommend the books. But there are some pretty eye opening passages. There's a passage in the first novel where Sadler has Casca instruct a fellow Roman to go home and beat his backtalking wife with a branch. He does. Returns. And thanks Casca for the advice. Telling him she's now compliant and submissive. There are spots (few and far between) that are pretty glaring in retrospect. I'd be negligent if I didn't at least mention this before new readers picked up these novels.

[@drlangattx3dotnet]

Thank you. I am a book junkie. I have about 700.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Glad you like the video Drlang!

[@louisduplessis2075]

Maybe the offensive part is Jesus cursing the main character...as far as I know ,He said "Father forgive them..."Sadler could have spun this differently....and still have a cursed soldier.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

That would have been a nice touch!

[@BUTCH0120]

Pearl status: clutched.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Hah! ... I do enjoy these books and recommend them. But people (the younger crowd especially) should realize what they're getting into beforehand.

[@wirebrushproductions1001]

Sexism and racism. In a character and situations which take place as far back as 2000 years ago? Anything else woudl be a gross rewriting of history. That Sadler probably didn't realze that he was being anything other than Barry Sadler does not mean that the novels aren't probably accurate in that regard, and probably understates the case. And story #4, which you avoid, is that he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the cab with the window down, fairly drunk. He pulled his pistol out and rested his right elbow on the window frame. His elbow slipped while his wrist was relaxes, the gun dropped and he accidentally pulled the trigger. That's a pretty messy, non-heroic way to die, but a perfectly reasonable explanation.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

You make a good point about morals being vastly different two thousand years ago. Point taken. And don't get me wrong, I do enjoy and recommend these books. But using racial stereotypes, that weren't true then or now, is mildly racist. And the sexism can go over the top at times. At one point Casca advises a Roman citizen to fix his marriage by beating his wife. Which he does. The man then comes back and thanks Casca for vastly improving his marriage. Beating your wife was somewhat acceptable in ancient Rome. But Sadler makes a point of it having a positive outcome. Sadler knew it was controversial (to say the least) when he wrote that. But to a certain extent he enjoyed poking the bear. Regarding death #4, a number of people he was closest to said he always loaded his guns with either explosive rounds. Or hot loaded hollow-points. Had he shot himself with his own ammo he wouldn't have had a head. And there are at least three other versions on top of that one including suicide. I picked the three most often cited and what I believed to be most probable. Another interesting story on the death is that the coroner's report describing the head wound was never released (not sure if that's true - solid information is hard to come by as you can imagine). But the coroner allegedly stated the wound was not consistent with bullet trauma. You can go down this rabbit hole for a long time. And I had to cut it off somewhere.

[@boomanh63]

Wow if you have issues with this series you best not ever open a John Norman Gor series. Both Sadler and Norman as well as any others of this type are pure escapism. The reader was never meant to but much thought into them, just enjoy them for what they are.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

That's true. Especially for the time they were written. And I certainly enjoyed them along those lines. But at the same time I would argue lacing your stories with mild racism is a bad idea. Especially for someone who served in an organization with a large mix of races and backgrounds. I have not read Gor. But I had a friend who loved those books when we were kids. Are they good?

[@boomanh63]

@@GrammaticusBooks they are good so long as you keep in mind when they were written as well as the fact they are pure escapism. If you are offended by slavery, both male and female, then don't even bother. Even though Norman does a fair bit of explaining in the early stories the conflicting thoughts, he does stop eventually. I will say his writing style can be a bit long winded. I have reread them many times over the years and found them just as good as the first time. Same goes for the Casca series. The same things can be also said about the Mack Bolan series as well as its spin offs.

[@fionam3554]

@@GrammaticusBooks also the earlier books are generally better. More sword and planet stuff, slavery is mentioned, but is not nearly as big a part of them as later books.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Understood on the earlier books. I'll have to check out a couple Gor books. Unfortunately, you don't see Gor books in the used book stores. Low print runs possibly?

[@fionam3554]

@@GrammaticusBooks I don't think they were that low, and Daw was a reasonable sized house. But very politically incorrect - John Norman swears he was selling, and getting contracts, but there is a small cabal of SF paperback publishers and they blacklisted him for his political views. I know I got the first in a UBS years ago. The others I might have gotten new. I think there are a number of ebooks. Though you likely prefer the feel of an actual book

[@58singleman]

Casca is sort of a takeoff of a line from the New Testmant where Jesus says to a group, ( not exact ) "Someone who is within the sound of my voice will be alive will be alive when I return. Creating the medievil story of the "Wandering Jew" who m,ust stay alive until Jesus returns.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Roger that!

[@vilstef6988]

I'd call the grammar and punctuation issues more the fault of editing than the author.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

A valid point Vilstef!

[@chamilton4577]

Look up the Wandering Jew. That's where this idea comes from.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

That and the tales of Longinus that began to propagate in the middle ages. But definitely influenced by the tale of the wandering jew as well.

[@coleparker]

I read the books when they first came out. While your review was generally pretty good, I found your problems with sexism, racism was somewhat problematic and reflect a contemporary woke viewpont. For instance, who cares if there are no women or how they are presented? The guy was writing a book for other guys in a military context or in a cultural situation, eg. the Middle East, or at a time, Ancient Rome, or periods when women were not exactly political equals. As far as Racism is concerned, I don't think so. He describes the Persians as Persians, and what the contemporaries of the period called them is anybody's guess. Also the rule of thumb bit, is somewhat obscured nowadays. Supposedly back then, Feminist equated it with the English Under Henry the VIII. It was never really proven to be such a case, but it made for a good story. As far as my favorite, I really liked Panzer Soldier. At times I got it mixed up with the Forgotten Soldier Guy Sajer.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

Panzer Soldier is an excellent book! The Legionnaire is good too. As for the racism that popped up it was generally mild. And consisted of Sadler using broad stereotypes for Asians and Blacks that aren't true now and weren't true then. It was more lazy writing on his part rather than overt racism. But still it's there. And if you're black or Asian and decide to pick up these books on my recommendation, I'd prefer you knew that going in. And there's just no getting around the sexism. At one point, Sadler has Casca recommend beating wives and shows it as having a positive outcome on marriage. To a certain extent, Sadler was poking the bear. But I do review books for all of my viewers which includes a fair number of women. If you're a woman (woke or not) and pick up these books, you're going to be pretty angry (and with cause) by the end of them.

[@coleparker]

@@GrammaticusBooks I was somewhat disappointed with Legionnaire. Since Sadler's practical experience was in South East Asian and probably Africa as a soldier dealing with peoples in harsh situations. I suspect that his viewpoints were based on those experiences, rather than those of a civilian scholar. As for women readers, So What? Given the current gender swapping, male insulting nature in todays movies and storylines,, accept it.

[@vilstef6988]

Jesus can really cast a curse!

[@GrammaticusBooks]

And Save! Jesus Saves..and takes half-damage (old gamer joke).

[@vilstef6988]

Jesus puts his money in the Chase-Manhattan Bank!