NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Famed author and science fiction legend John Norman, author of the Gor series of books is suing EL James and her publisher for infringement of his patent to “produce works of fiction that portray BDSM and adult sexuality in a ridiculous, unrealistic, and potentially offensive manner.”
According to his attorney, David Krutchfield, Mr. Norman is troubled by the reaction to the Fifty Shades of Grey series and the fact that he is no longer considered the prime example of “everything that is wrong with BDSM fiction.”
In a written statement, Norman directly called out author James:
I have been writing the Gor series of books since 1966 and while there has been plenty of shitty BDSM fiction in the past 50 years, none of it has been as successful or as awful as Ms. James’s work. I want to be clear here. I own unrealistic fantasy, one dimensional characters, and grammatically unsound writing in the world of BDSM.
When asked about the quality of his own work in comparison to 50 Shades, Norman responded defensively. “I will put my 1978 book Beasts of Gor up against any other work of BDSM fiction in the realm of shallow plot construction, poor writing, and unrealistic action.”
Since 1966, Norman has produced 33 novels, the title of each combines a single word such as “Tarnsman” or “Slaves” with the words “of Gor.”
“I knew right away something was up when she stole my ‘of Gor’ idea but just changed it to ‘of Grey.'” Norman told The Daily Flogger.
Photo credit: John Barker CC: NC SA
