A Princess of Mars

Rating:
Summary: A hero, a princess, and the stuff of dreams...
Review: When most people think of Edgar Rice Burroughs, if they are at all cognizant of their familiarity with his works, it is the legendary Tarzan that comes immediately to mind. Yet few beyond a handful of ERB enthusiasts are aware of the equally memorable characters in his "Mars" series--a universe, indeed, that is perhaps even more engaging, fully-developed, and praiseworthy than that perpetrating his tales of the Ape-man. This first chronicle of the adventures on Barsoom introduces the reader to John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and the Green Men of Thark--principal figures of the saga to unfold over ten more volumes. However formulaic the story might be, and while the stalwart hero must always rescue the beautiful princess in the end, one thing is to be remembered: this is pulp fiction, and pulp fiction at its best. Yet his cardboard characters do show surprising growth throughout the series, developing certain three-dimensional aspects to their personalities, and therefore they continue to be engaging personas even amidst the inconsequential read of their adventures. Clean, articulate, and startlingly titillating for the time it was written, ERB brought forth a world of wonder, mystery, and enchantment peopled with men as beautiful as the women, and women as debonair as the men, who battle savage beasts and befriend strange creatures of fancy. Considering the lack of true story-telling ability in many of the writers today who churn out novels overnight, "A Princess of Mars" is a refreshing romp into the imagination, and a smashing fun one at that.

Rating:
Summary: Imaginative, escapist sci-fi adventure
Review: I finally read A Princess of Mars last month, after years of reading Burroughs' Tarzan books, sometimes several times over. Although this book shows shows the potential greatness that Burroughs was to achieve with the better Tarzan books, it's not really in the same league. The Tarzan novels at their best are complex, involving,and profound (at their worst, they're silly and repetitious, but, you know...)

A Princess of Mars is certainly imaginative, but it's not really thought-provoking. It's clear that Burroughs was strongly inspired by Jules Verne's novels, and it's clear that he's having a great time inventing the green Martians, their hover bikes, the giant atmosphere generator, the beautiful (and not really clothed) Princess Dejah Thoris, and the countless other denizens of the war-torn planet Mars. But the story is linear, there are no subplots, and some of the Martian inventions just seem silly (the egg incubators unguarded in the middle of the desert?)

Still, it's hard not to enjoy the story at a comic-book level. There may not be much subtlety to this book, but Burroughs was a born storyteller, and his straight-ahead, urgent narrative style is hard to resist. And although Burroughs' characters are justifiably criticized as being one-dimensional, it's exactly this simplicity that somehow makes them so appealing, and draws the reader into concern for their fates.

As some of the other reviewers here have said, younger readers would probably enjoy this book more. But I enjoyed it enough to want to read some of the other John Carter books. For a very good Burroughs book, read the original "Tarzan of the Apes." For sheer escapism, though, A Princess of Mars will do fine.


Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Series
Review: Call it a guilty pleasure, but I love these types of books - the type of pulp fiction where the heroes are heroic and villains dastardly, and the women are beautiful. Its also great to be able to read a great piece of science fiction/fantasy that is fast paced and not 700 pages long. A Princess of Mars is one of the greatest books I've ever read. I first read it a age 15 and have just finished reading it again. The imagination that went into creating the world of Barsoom is truely a work of art. The only books of this type that come close to the Barsoom series are Robert E. Howards Conan books and The Lord of the Rings. You owe it to yourself to pick up this book and read a masterpiece.