The Gods of Mars

Rating:
Summary: Among the greatest adventure stories ever
Review: Although best known for his Tarzan adventures, the Martian books were perhaps Edgar Rice Burroughs best series. And this was the best of the series. The first book, A Princess of Mars, introduced the hero, John Carter. This book far surpassed it in pacing and plot. Although most suitable for boys ages 12-15, it can be enjoyed by all.

Rating:
Summary: John carter returns to Barsoom to find Dejah Thoris
Review: At the end of "A Princess of Mars," the first in the Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter got the factory that produced oxygen for Barsoom (the Martian name for Mars) working again, but had collapsed. When he revived he found himself back on Earth, separated from his beloved Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Helium. Originally published in 1913 as a serial in "All-Story Magazine," this story finds John Carter returning to Mars and setting off to find his woman. Knowing that it was originally published as a serial is useful because Burroughs loads on the cliffhangers throughout the novel. When Carter returns to Barsoom a decade has passed and he finds himself in that part of the planet that the natives consider to be "heaven," which proves to be a more ironic idea indeed. Carter first reunites with his friend the fierce green warrior Tars Tarkas, fights with the great white apes of Barsoom and plant men, violates some significant religious taboos, survives the affections of an evil goddess, helps with a slave revolt, fight in an arena, and stills manages to save Dejah Thoris in the middle of a giant air battle between the red, green, black and white people of Barsoom.

"The Gods of Mars" is an early Burroughs novel, which means it is high on action and low on details. ERB would set his adventures in strange worlds such as Barsoom, Venus, Pellucidar, etc., but beyond the basic idea of it being a strange world he was content for such places to be the settings for this stories. The writing is a bit stilted and ERB likes to mix cliches and ponderous phrases that make the narrative seem dated, but "The Gods of Mars" meets his basic criteria of providing a ripping pulp fiction yarn for his readers. The best thing you can say about this novel is that the action never stops from start to finish. The worst thing you can say about it is that Burroughs puts off reuniting our hero with his beloved, but if you have read many of ERB's novels, Tarzan or otherwise, you know that once his happy couple is back together the story is pretty much over. However, even at the end there is another cliffhanger that will make you track down "The Warlord of Mars," the next installment in what is clearly the best Burroughs series. ERB milked the Tarzan character dry and still produced another dozen novels in that series, while the Mars books (sorry, the Barsoom series) remained relatively fresh.

Rating:
Summary: John Carter returns to Barsoom to find Dejah Thoris
Review: At the end of "A Princess of Mars," the first in the Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter got the factory that produced oxygen for Barsoom (the Martian name for Mars) working again, but had collapsed. When he revived he found himself back on Earth, separated from his beloved Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Helium. Originally published in 1913 as a serial in "All-Story Magazine," this story finds John Carter returning to Mars and setting off to find his woman. Knowing that it was originally published as a serial is useful because Burroughs loads on the cliffhangers throughout the novel. When Carter returns to Barsoom a decade has passed and he finds himself in that part of the planet that the natives consider to be "heaven," which proves to be a more ironic idea indeed. Carter first reunites with his friend the fierce green warrior Tars Tarkas, fights with the great white apes of Barsoom and plant men, violates some significant religious taboos, survives the affections of an evil goddess, helps with a slave revolt, fight in an arena, and stills manages to save Dejah Thoris in the middle of a giant air battle between the red, green, black and white people of Barsoom.

"The Gods of Mars" is an early Burroughs novel, which means it is high on action and low on details. ERB would set his adventures in strange worlds such as Barsoom, Venus, Pellucidar, etc., but beyond the basic idea of it being a strange world he was content for such places to be the settings for this stories. The writing is a bit stilted and ERB likes to mix cliches and ponderous phrases that make the narrative seem dated, but "The Gods of Mars" meets his basic criteria of providing a ripping pulp fiction yarn for his readers. The best thing you can say about this novel is that the action never stops from start to finish. The worst thing you can say about it is that Burroughs puts off reuniting our hero with his beloved, but if you have read many of ERB's novels, Tarzan or otherwise, you know that once his happy couple is back together the story is pretty much over. However, even at the end there is another cliffhanger that will make you track down "The Warlord of Mars," the next installment in what is clearly the best Burroughs series. ERB milked the Tarzan character dry and still produced another dozen novels in that series, while the Mars books (sorry, the Barsoom series) remained relatively fresh.