Not the quite the impact on me that the first novel had, but a good Golden Age yarn of action and romance on Mars. It takes up the story of John Carter 10 years after the previous novel, as he travels again to Mars to rejoin Dejah Thoris, but alas, it is not so easy for him. Carter wakes up in a nightmarish setting which turns out to be the Martians' version of the afterlife. This turns out to be ruse perpetrated on the Martians by the Therns. Carter has to battle his way out of this Martian hell to rejoin his friends and family. Lots of action and colorful settings. Carter always seems to get lucky, but I can't imagine anyone can fight hordes of enemies for hours on end without food or sleep! There is a subplot about the identity of a mysterious young stranger that Carter meets early on, but it won't be a mystery to any reader. I liked how much fun Burroughs had with poking holes at the Martian religion. Some of the concepts related here, specifically the civilization under a dome at the world's end, reminded me of Marvel Comics the Savage Land (perhaps this was the source material for that concept). The novel ends on a bittersweet cliffhanger, which means I have to read The Warlord of Mars (Barsoom, #3) right now!