'A Princess of Mars' is the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs 'Barsoom' books, set on a mythical Mars, and the first introduction of the character of John Carter, 'Warlord of Mars', 'the greatest Swordsman of two worlds', and something a demigod of war himself. It is a giant in the history of science fiction, fantasy, and modern superhero stories, and a rollicking good adventure story filled with wonder and imagination. Modern 'Swords and Sorcery' and 'Space Opera' are both deeply indebted to this work.

At its heart, if you peal away all the lovely trappings, 'A Princess of Mars' is boy's literature written to instuct young boys in the ways of manhood. And, like the best boy's literature, it is both wonderfully orthodox and didactic and wonderfully subversive and thought provoking at the same time.

Much is made from certain self-important critics of Burroughs supposed racism or sexism or general unfitness to be intructing young boys. Certainly there is nothing at all politically correct in this tale fraught with violence and barbarism. Superficially, there might seem to be something politically correct for its time, and if this is so it was certainly written at a time when racism and chauvanism was politically correct. But dig a little, and you find that Burroughs is sneaking in well aimed criticism at the accepted standards of Burrough's time.

Among other things, his characters dress casually - indeed wear almost nothing at all - and Burroughs bemoans female dress that is confining - not just because it conceals the figure - but because it prevents women from being active. We get the idea he hates high heels, and that he would have loved women's atheletic shoes and modern standards of dress in general. He detests false modesty and prudishness. He detests unquestioning religious fervor. Burroughs detests race based snobbery, and his most noble characters openly assert that there is no apparant racial defect which is not do to want of culture rather than racial destiny. The characters of his story bear out these themes. Indeed, the character of John Carter is successful, not just because of his superior ability with the sword, but because of his heroic ability to see through the skin of his alien acquaintances and to accept and judge them on the basis of the content of their character. This skill, acquired in part because he is an earthman and thus not indoctrinated into the racial prejudices of the martians nor subject to them himself, serves him just as well as his sword or sidearm. Though white skinned himself, as the series progresses, John Carter's staunchest allies and most noble friends are black, yellow, red, and green and the one nation of people where he ultimately finds no one of virtue is the white martians. So, no, despite his reputation and at times its very political incorrect ways this is no simple tale of easily dismissable racism or chauvinism.

It is both interesting and entertaining, and while not every book that follows is of the same high standard of imagination, this one is well worth the small amount of time it will take you to race through its pages.