It is the first novel set on the fictional world of Tékumel – also featured in Barker's role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne (1974) – and tells the story of a priest of Thumis named Harsan, a scholar who becomes involved in the quest for the eponymous artefact of a past immensely ancient.

[2] The novel was generally well-received, with one contemporary reviewer favorably comparing Barker to the likes of Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance.

Harsan embarks a quest to recover the Man of Gold before it is too late, traversing much of Tsolyánu as he follows various leads and evades the machinations of extra-dimensional aliens and rival factions within the Tsolýani aristocracy.

"[1] The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry written by David Langford and Neal Tringham describes the novel as Barker's most successful; "a bildungsroman full of political intrigue and mysterious artefacts" that unfortunately suffers from "a somewhat disjointed plot."

[3] A retrospective review, originally published on RPGnet in 1999, awarded the novel high points for substance but less so for style, criticizing its clichéd, clumsily constructed narrative, MacGuffin-driven action, and unsatisfying finale.

[6] Another retrospective review, posted on the genre fiction blog Pornokitsch, describes The Man of Gold as "a curiously unadventurous adventure", noting Harsan's "naive but reckless" personality and his tendency to drift from one encounter to another without conscious agency.

Rather than "a stand-alone piece of entertainment," The Man of Gold should be approached "as a part of an educational process," offering an accessible introduction to Barker's fictional universe and inviting the reader to dream Tékumelani adventures of his or her own.

[7] Writing for the Black Gate website, John O'Neill described The Man of Gold and its sequels as "a series of well-received fantasy novels."