A Princess of Mars

I devoured Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan novels as a teenager, but I never read any of his other books. Now, at a very late age, I thought I'd at least give one of them a try. Burroughs's writing in this tale of an earthling transported somehow to Mars is both as good and as bad as in his Tarzan novels. While he clearly was getting paid by the word, Burroughs is a master at compelling the reader along, no matter how far-fetched or even ridiculous the events depicted seem. He is simply a genius at this sort of writing. It's scarcely literature as academics would evaluate it. Yet it propels the willing reader past all the obstacles of coincidence, unexplained impossible events (like hero John Carter going to sleep in a cave on Earth and show more waking up on Mars), and purple romantic prose into a vivid world of excitement. I didn't remotely enjoy A PRINCESS OF MARS as much as I enjoyed (and still enjoy) Burroughs's Tarzan books, and I'm not convinced I'll read any of the sequels (even to find out, one hopes, just how Carter made that sleepy leap from planet to planet). But it was fun, and I can imagine a 13-year-old boy getting a great deal of fun out of it, and I'm sure a whole lot of former 13-year-olds still do. show less

The version of "A Princess of Mars" that I first read (about 10 years ago) must have been a bawdlerized, abridged version that stripped Burrough's prose of its grandeur, because I wondered why *anyone* would get excited over John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Listening to an audiobook version, I was seized by the variety and precision of the wording ERB used to lift an otherwise pulp-worthy story into the realm of cult classics.

I've read the first four of these books, and they are ten tons of fun.

John Carter, superhuman Confederate gentleman, leaps astrally to Mars and fights and fights and fights big nude green men for the love of a small nude red woman. You wouldn't think it could go much further after that, but Burroughs got a lot of mileage out of this setup, partly because Mars had enough uncharted kingdoms and unknown races to keep him busy, but mostly because Burroughs was the king of the cliffhanger and, despite having the verbal grace of a sandbag, could paint a hell of a weird picture-- sort of a gung-ho H.P. Lovecraft.

I may be crazy but I think some of the aesthetic of the original Star Trek, not to mention at least one of its plots, was directly show more lifted from these books. But in both manly-manliness and sheer stupidity, John Carter puts Captain Kirk to shame! In one scene he spends two whole pages killing people in hand-to-hand combat, while talking to his wife, who he assumes is still standing right next to him... until he realizes that she's been kidnapped a page and a half ago. show less

This is another book (well the whole series, really) that I have difficulties in rating objectively: I grew up reading and rereading the adventures of John Carter, so not only do they transport me to the exotic world of Barsoom, but also to the more distant world of my adolescence.

So, foregoing any attempt at objectivity, A Princess of Mars is one of the greatest books of all time and is an undoubted classic of World Literature! OK, so that is putting it too strongly. What it really is, is a cracking adventure yarn that never stops driving forward. Burroughs introduces his characters and environments in clear, concise, but evocative, prose and then gets down to the action.

On Barsoom, everything is writ on a large scale: Carter is the show more bravest, handsomest, strongest and most courageous of heroes; Dejah Thoris the most incomparably beautiful and loyal woman imaginable; Woola is the most faithful and unfailing of pets; the villains (of which there are many) are all more evil and degraded than the last. No half-measures here! Yes, it's pulp-fiction; yes, it's melodrama; but let it sweep you away and it's likely that you'll be carrying a little piece of Mars with you forever.

Oh, and one of the best cliffhanger endings ever! You've just got to read [b:The Gods Of Mars|1679198|The Gods Of Mars|Edgar Rice Burroughs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1265330393s/1679198.jpg|2816507]. show less

Written in 1912 and centered around a Confederate soldier, this book has some problematic elements you have to overlook to enjoy it. John Carter, through unexplained magic / science, finds himself on Mars and immediately begins describing his disgust with the appearance and customs of the green martians he encounters. For the rest of the novel, we see an insta-love story play out and John Carter play the role of white savior for the entire planet of Mars (Barsoom).

All that being said, it's just a pulp fiction romp. There's enough plot to keep it entertaining and I especially loved the subplot of Tars Tarkas and Sola, two green martians. It's disappointing, but not at all surprising, that this subplot was removed from some editions, show more since it gives humanity to the "savage race." Princess of Mars is actually a great example of how minority races have been viewed in the past and present. The green martians are labeled ugly savage brutes and the red female martians of Helium are fetishized. The women are valued by how well they take care of their men and how beautiful they are. Typical sexist and racist shit you'd expect from a book written in 1912. show less

Let me be honest, I loved every awful minute of this entire series of books. It's ridiculous, and so cool that I shared the librivox recordings of them with my husband who also loved their awful goodness. I really did not care about the bits that would not have flown in today's culture. I noted them, sure, but it did not spoil the fun for me in the least, probably because I did not take it seriously. This is a book for people who like silly, over-the-top adventures in another world filled with every trope imaginable. If plot holes bother you, there are a few, but they struck me as funny, and part of the charm of the story. Did you know that someone made a tabletop role-play game based on these books? Did you know that these books are show more out of copyright and can be found for free online? Well, now you do. And, as a side note, I enjoyed the movie, but the books were better. show less

A Princess of Mars starts out with the discovery of a manuscript by the author himself, and his memories of “Uncle Jack”. Burroughs uses the device effectively to set up the mythology of John Carter, Confederate War veteran who is mysteriously transported to the planet Mars, captured by little green Martians, and eventually meets the lovely Princess Dejah Thoris of Helium.

The storytelling itself compared to today’s standards is kind of silly but this book was originally published in 1912. At the time it was written there was scientific speculation about the potential for life on Mars. It must have captured Burroughs attention because he came up with some wild ideas about the people and cultures who could be inhabiting Mars.

For show more the most part I really enjoyed the book. There was lots of adventure, interesting scenery and worldbuilding. I suspended my credulity and had an epic time on Mars.


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