The Master Mind of Mars (Barsoom, #6)

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

book data

443 ratings, 3.70 average rating, 11 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		21%
4		34%
3		37%
2		5%
1		0%

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published

December 12th 1985 by Ballantine Books (first published 1927)

details

Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages

characters

John Carter, Ras Thavas, Ulysses Paxton

setting

Barsoom

isbn

0345334248 (isbn13: 9780345334244)

description

Former Earthman Ulysses Paxton served Barsoom's greatest scientist, until his master's ghoulish trade in living bodies drove him to rebellion. Then, t…more

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100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books set on or about Mars

70 books | 46 voters

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Jun 29, 2009

Dave rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, speculative-fiction

Read in July, 2009

“The Master Mind of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the sixth book in the Barsoom series. Burroughs moves further away from John Carter by introducing a new hero, Ulysses Paxton, who uses his Martian name Vad Varo for most of the book. Ulysses is a much different hero than John Carter, or for that matter Cathoris or Thuvia from “Thuvia Maid of Mars” or Gahan of Gathol or Tara of Helium from “The Chessmen of Mars”. Ulysses’s connection with John Carter is that when on Earth he r...more “The Master Mind of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the sixth book in the Barsoom series. Burroughs moves further away from John Carter by introducing a new hero, Ulysses Paxton, who uses his Martian name Vad Varo for most of the book. Ulysses is a much different hero than John Carter, or for that matter Cathoris or Thuvia from “Thuvia Maid of Mars” or Gahan of Gathol or Tara of Helium from “The Chessmen of Mars”. Ulysses’s connection with John Carter is that when on Earth he read the stories of John Carter and believed them to be real. The difference is that unlike those who came before, Ulysses/Vlad does not have the skill in hand-to-hand combat that they possessed. This was a very smart move by Burroughs, for what would be the point of making yet another great warrior to repeat the epic adventures which already exist in the series? Instead, the story has a much different feel, smaller in scope, and yet just as absorbing.

Ulysses is a soldier in World War I, and when he becomes wounded and stranded on the battlefield, he uses the force of his mind to transport himself to Mars. Not surprisingly, though severely wounded as Ulysses on Earth, Vad finds his body whole and healthy on Mars. The first person Vad meets on Mars is Ras Thavas, a.k.a “The Master Mind”. When circumstances result in Vad’s saving Ras, he is taken on as a trusted servant and bodyguard. Ras shows Vad medical techniques far in advanced of those which exist on Earth, and Vad learns quickly. One key difference though is that Ras has no moral conscience, though he often does very good things, he is just as willing to do horrible things, and when one of the horrible things is to give the body of Valla Dia to the evil Xaxa, Vad realizes that he needs to do something.

Through the course of the adventure, Vad gains allies to work with, and he is resolved to capture Xaxa and force the return of Valla Dia’s body. Because of the help he has provided them in escaping from the sleeping storage of Ras’ lab, his allies are willing to help, and of course Vad is keen to help them achieve their goals as well. Unlike the previous adventures, there is no great evil in this story, though Xaxa is fairly close to it. Vad is not trying to kill those who oppose him, but rather set things right with the woman he has fallen in love with, as well as help his allies regain their lives. John Carter is referred to in the letter which opens the story, and he shows up in the last chapter, so Burroughs maintains the connection to the rest of the series well.

This book ranks fairly high in the series for me. I would consider “The Chessmen of Mars” which comes right before it to be superior, but this one would rank very close to “A Princess of Mars” which opens the series. Because of the key role “A Princess of Mars” plays in the series I would rank that one above “The Master Mind of Mars” as well, but only slightly, and I feel that this story is better than the rest. While “The Gods of Mars” and “The Warlord of Mars” are good, they do become a bit repetitious and neither one of them are complete in and of themselves. “The Master Mind of Mars” does not have that problem as it can stand on its own, as long as you are familiar with the setting of the series as a whole.
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Feb 07, 2008

Robert Saunders rated it:

These were considered "planetary romances" according to one source back when this series from the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was written. This series of about 10 books started in 1912 and culminated around 1948. There's an odd mention of a book in 1964, but the other had been dead for 14 years by then. Plus there are a few shorts published in some pulp periodicals of the 1940s (where many of these stories appeared in years prior).

Today we call this stuff sc...more

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Jan 17, 2009

Robb rated it:

recommends it for: Kids 13 and under

It's been so long since I've read these books that the details are lost in the mist of time. That said, I'm sure there are variations in the quality of story and prose throughout this series (it's Burroughs, after all), but I choose to remember the series as a whole, and rate it as I remember it through the eyes and mind of the child that read it for the first time...

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Feb 14, 2010

Bill Zodanga rated it:

bookshelves: science-fiction, want-to-read-again

Owns a copy

Please note, this 5 star rating is based on my long ago memories of this book - I may have read it greater than 20 years ago. I recall reading and really liking it, and even kept the book to read again in the future (something I only do with good, or otherwise significant books). The memories of an old man are sometimes faulty so this could really only warrant 3.5 to 4.5 stars, instead of the 5 I gave it. Once I re-read the book I will update this rating/review to more accurately reflect my thou...more

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Jan 21, 2009

Nathaniel rated it:

Read in July, 1996

I loved all of Burroughs' Mars books. Of course, I read the entire series when I was twelve, so my opinion might be different if I tried to read them now. That said, I do think Burroughs has a real gift for writing intense action and battles.

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Oct 22, 2008

Kristy rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I like Burroughs so much that I even like bad Burroughs, but this book (the 6th in the Mars series) is one of his best. Our hero, Ulysses Paxton, a dying soldier on a World War I battlefield, is mysteriously beamed up to Mars where he ends up serving as a laboratory assistant to a weird scientist who has discovered the secret of switching people from one body to another. Paxton falls in love with a beautiful young woman who is unfairly trapped in the old body of a mean empress, and vows to resto...more

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Apr 11, 2009

Adrian Colesberry rated it:

Read in June, 1981

I loved this whole series. It's pretty sexual and macho and they're all massive page-turners.

Same review for each.

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Jan 04, 2010

Jim rated it:

Can't get enough of Burroughs.

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Jul 18, 2008

Charles rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

This one has some horror elements in it that really make it sing. Sword & Planet as it should be done. However, it doesn't feature John Carter but Ulysses Paxton, an admirer of John Carter who also gets transported to Mars. I didn't think there was any letdown for going with a new character.

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Jan 25, 2008

Sally rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Like the other Mars books, this one includes intreguing concepts with non-stop adventure; some dated attitudes, but holds kids interest with its many cliff hangers.

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