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Summary: Not just for guys!
Review: Princess of Mars is a fantastic, wild ride. I think everyone makes a mistake though of saying it's just a guys book. I'm a woman, and it was my mother who recommended Princess to me! I think any girl who's interested in science fiction or fantasy would really enjoy this book. Yeah, it was obviously written with adolescent boys in mind but I think anyone can enjoy this wildly imaginative page turner.The characters are all extremely likable. John Carter is the perfect southern gentleman. Honorable, loyal, incredibly brave, respectful to women, extremely handsome; a perfect hero who is never boorish or conceited. Then there's Sola, one of the few green Martians to show compassion and kindness, and Tars Tarkas(aren't these names so cool?)a ferocious green martian warrior with a tragic past who is also able to feel compassion and love. And I dare anybody to tell me that they wouldn't want a Woola of their very own! Dejah Thoris though is mainly for the guys. Carter's love and devotion for her was really sweet. I didn't even know that this was part of a book series until I read it on amazon and now I am really eager to read the other books of the series. And wasn't the end cool? I don't think I've ever read an ending quite like that before. What Carter found in the cave at the end was very creepy and intriguing. (I won't give out a spoiler) Although this is pulp fiction and sort of like a comic book in a way,(I can see mothers in 1912 scolding their kids, "That Edgar Rice Burroughs is going to rot your mind if you keep reading it!") it's still light science fiction at it's best! (I'll warn you right off though, please don't expect something deep and complex like Dune or Darkover and post a review whining about it. Princess is purely for fun.) And am I the only one that thinks Princess would make a really awesome movie?
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Summary: Imagination & Adventure!--WOW!..A must read!
Review: You want imagination?..adventure?..a few dabs of science(remember it was written in 1912)?..an ageless hero?..an absolutely beautiful damsel in distress?..a whole new world?..with a language all it's own?..inhabited with strange new creatures?.. friends and foes?..battles royal?..This book, and all 10 or 11 sequels, have it all! ER Burroughs was the early master of science fiction, adventure, and imagination; a man ahead of his time, and he gives the reader a roller-coaster ride of incredible adventures. Join with us now as John Carter meets, rescues,and captures the heart of the INCOMPARABLE Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars!, and eventually, along with his friend Tars Tarkas, follows suit with the entire red planet, Barsoom to its wild and whacky inhabitants. Is this intellectual literature?..of course not. Is it non-stop fun and enjoyment, the original page-turner novel?...You bet it is! Pick this book up, start reading, and I guarantee: you won't put it down until you're finished!..and then you'll run out the door and be hunting for the 2nd book in the series, The Gods of Mars, and then # 3, The Warlord of Mars, and on through the series. Be warned: make sure you have access to #'s 2 and 3 before you start The Princess...you'll be sorry if you don't! I first read the Burroughs Martian novels(there were 10 known to me then) as a graduate student studying Physics, some 40 years ago. They provided the perfect escape from the rigors of courses like Quantum Mechanics and E & M. Now I reread them,and I continue to enjoy. You will too.
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Summary: The First in the Series
Review: I first ran across Burroughs when I was about 11 or 12, back in
about '70. I think now it is the perfect age to encounter Burroughs, who is a workman-like but not stylish writer. He certainly knows how to tell an imaginative tale, that's for sure. But I think that for most people, if you read him too late, the magic isn't there. But at ll? All I can say: wow! The guy had an imagination. Great white Martian apes, red men and green men, sword battles, a dying planet...oh, it was good stuff! The first books in the series are the best; my favorite (because it's the first one I read) is "A Fighting Man of Mars," which was the fourth one. Still, they're all pretty good reads, but if you're going to read them, start with this one.
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Summary: GET THIS BOOK! Read the whole series!
Review: John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, they are all here!
This is the totally unbelievable story of a man who got transported to Mars basically, because he thought it would be cool to go, so he wished it, and POOF, he's there. Then, there's the fact that the planet itself and the life on it are also completely ridiculous. FORGET ALL THAT! Read it to be swept up in one of the greatest adventure series of all time. John Carter goes to Barsoom (Mars, to the Martians) rescues the most beautiful woman in the universe and (later in the series) conquers an entire world through the power of his will and the strength of his right arm. Handsome, powerful heroes, beautiful half naked captive princesses just panting to be rescued, Villians, so evil you want to go back in time to strangle their parents, Big ugly friends, (What are you laughing at, remember Chewbacca?) strange beasts, stranger aliens, wierd science, epic battles, betrayals, great reunions. This one's got it all. The best of Burroughs' body of work, the most action packed series from the true master of the action story. Edgar Rice Burroughs is the creator of Tarzan. Don't ever pick up his work expecting an intellectual workout. Just get in and hang on for the ride
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Summary: Adventure on a Mars that should have been
Review: This is one of those books that helped define science fiction and fantasy, back in the days when the genre didn't take itself so seriously as it does today. It isn't great literature, nor should it be read as such. Rather, "A Princess of Mars" sets down on the page a fantasy common to teenage boys (and no small number of adult men), that they may be whisked off to a world where moral choices are simple, fair maidens await rescue, and legendary battles are to be fought with nefarious foes. John Carter is a virtuous, passionate hero, and in the end he triumphs over all adversity, never admitting defeat. Improbable? No matter; his story is still entertaining and keeps you engaged. He makes Mars his own and brings us along for the ride. It's a new world, fresh for exploration. This latter thing was what really drew me and held me in this book, and despite all we know about Mars today still makes "A Princess of Mars" and its sequels worth reading. Over every red hill is a new adventure, a new, alien city, a fantastic machine or loyal pet that makes the world worth saving. The excitement this can engender is best testified by all the books like Burroughs' Mars series that came later, seeking to duplicate its magic; John Norman's efforts before he became controversial are an excellent example. So read "A Princess of Mars", and feel the excitement of being young again.
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Summary: A ripping good yarn
Review: I am yet another reviewer who first read the entire "Carter" series as a boy (in the 1960's). I rediscovered them recently after listening to a Coast to Coast radio interview where Richard Hoagland (ex NASA consultant) valiently defended his rather wild thesis that Mars indeed once hosted an incredible civilization, as evidenced by the infamous "face on mars", and the nearby pyramid and other ruins on the Cydonia Plains. Whether such assertions have any validity will be resolved eventually by science. Nonetheless,I realized with a moment of existentialist mirth that Edgar Rice Burroughs might be right! Out of the mouth of pulp fiction writers come revelations that will elude science for almost a century!?! Although there may be no glorious race of scantilly clad humans (for such prime and proper times as we assume 1912 to have been, Edgar relished describing the perfectly muscled and bronzed bodies of the martian warriers in their gleaming harnesses and the sumptous beauty of the semi-nude Martian maidens!) perhaps there was something similar, if you believe late night radio, eh? perhaps there are no barbaric 4 armed green warriers (is this where the proverbial "little green men from Mars originated?), but how about little Grey aliens, eh? Edgar Rice Burroughs was certainly an influence on many subsequent sci-fi classics in the 20th century, including the much more clinical and psychologically focused Martian Chronicles. Others have noted the legacy he gave to the Star Wars series. Now at the ripe age of 51, I have reread the series and find them still a ripping good yarn, even if the romantic undertones seem a bit quaint in this brutish "slam, bam, thank you maam" culture we have created since his time. A final shocking revelation for me: As others have noted, the major protagonist in this book is the beautiful Martian Princess Dejah. Was there some bizarre subconscious bleed through here? You see, I named my daughter (now 30 years old) "Desha". I haven't the heart to tell her that she may be named after a pulp fiction heroine from 1912! At least I changed the spelling of the name! Life can be banal and hard (like a Martian night outside the safety of city walls), so give yourself a break! Travel back in time to a Mars that might yet be found to be more real than we ever could have dreamed! A friend of mine has a 7 hour plane flight in a couple days. I am lending him the Mars books since they will make the time fly (no pun intended) in seconds.
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Summary: Welcome to Barsoom
Review: Retired confederate soldier and southern gentleman John Carter is pursued by Indians, and through unexplainable circumstances finds himself transported to Barsoom, also known as the planet Mars. There he finds a dying planet of brutal and untamed savagery, contrasted sharply with the rich cultures of ancient races. Arriving alone, naked and friendless, "A Princess of Mars" tells the tale of how John Carter, with the aid of his earthly strength and agility, sets forth on an incredible adventure against enormous odds to rescue the beautiful Dejah Thoris, the incomparable Princess of Helium. One of Edgar Rice Burrough's earliest works, the first chapter in the Martian series is also one of his finest. A page turning adventure with lots of action make John Carter one of Burrough's most beloved heroes. His imagination ran wild in creating the martian landscape, and this is a delight to read for all ages.
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Summary: ERB's first great hero
Review: John Carter, a Civil War veteran, finds himself mystically transported to a Mars which is populated by all sorts of peculiar beings. Enslaved by giant, green barbarians who also respect him for his physical prowess, which has been enhanced by Mars's weaker gravity, Carter manages to survive despite overwhelming odds and win the hand of a beautiful princess. Obviously, this is not "The Sound and the Fury." It is, however, a sterling example of escapist literature from a master of the "lost worlds" genre of fantasy.
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Summary: A Good Old Fashioned Adventure Story
Review: The Martian Tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs have a peculiar place in my memory alongside books like Conan the Barbarian and Elric of Melnibone. All of these books featured average men who possessed an attribute which made them extraordinary. Conan possessed great physical strength. Elric had his magic sword Stormbringer. For John Carter it was the atmosphere on Mars. The atmosphere of Mars, being different from Earth's, allowed John Carter the ability to leap fifty feet high through the air. Small and frail looking John Carter had an agility the large denizens of Mars could not possess. Of the three characters I mentioned and their unique traits, I've always liked John Carter best. Burroughs had a real gift for writing stories about men having to adapt to environments different from their own. Tarzan and so on. John Carter actually came before Tarzan. John Carter is a retired Confederate Civil War soldier. In the beginning of the novel he is pursued by Indians. After seeking shelter in a cave, Carter passes out. Upon waking Carter has found himself mysteriously whisked away to Mars where he must save a princess and fight off green behemoth barbarians. A hugely imaginative adventure novel, A Princess of Mars features a wildly eclectic mix of science, romance and historical fiction. Call it Gladiator Vs. the aliens. If a good old fashioned adventure story is what you're looking for A Princess Of Mars will not disappoint. Preston McClear, MalibuBooks.com
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Summary: E.R.B. lives forever
Review: Tarzan and John Carter were my heroes of adolescent summer. Edgar Rice-Burroughs has no better in literature. And check out the red-skinned hottie on the cover of this edition! She was my dream girl as a lad. I think maybe she still am.wa
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