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A Princess of Mars

(Barsoom #1)

Edgar Rice Burroughs,

John Seelye (Introduction)

3.81 · Rating details · 49,452 ratings · 3,477 reviews

A Princess of Mars is the first of eleven thrilling novels that comprise Edgar Rice Burroughs' most exciting saga, known as The Martian Series. It's the beginning of an incredible odyssey in which John Carter, a gentleman from Virginia and a Civil War veteran, unexpectedly finds himself on to the red planet, scene of continuing combat among rival tribes. Captured by a band ...more

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Paperback, 186 pages

Published January 30th 2007 by Penguin Books (first published February 7th 1912)

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Sep 07, 2008 Stephen rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fantasy, ebooks, easton-press, audiobook, pulpy, the-worlds-the-thing, 1900-1929, alien-cultures

2.5 stars. I know, I know. I can hear you out there saying 2.5 stars for one of the ALL TIME PULP SF CLASSICS" and looking at me like I just made a mess on the floor.

Rest assured, I'm not trying to drop gastronomical "leftovers" in the PULP SF punch bowl and my rating does not indicate a dislike for the book. As mentioned below, I was probably between 3 and 4 stars on the book EXCEPT FOR ONE THING THAT DROVE ME BAT SHIT NUTSO. So please let me explain my rating before you begin planning to ...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Will Byrnes rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

Some years back David Bowie asked the musical question, "Is there life on Mars?" Had he read A Princess of Mars he might have known the answer.

Back in the early 60s I fell in love. Not with a girl, (well, there were one or two cracks opened in that young heart, but we do not speak of that now) but with reading. And the brazen hussy that led me down that path was none other than Edgar Rice Burroughs. Of course there were others, all vying for my immature attention, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac ...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Lyn rated it liked it

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs was not the book that transformed Burroughs into a publishing success, that honor belongs to Tarzan of the Apes.

However, this was the book, published in 1912 that effectively began a career that would change the face of American literature in various genres from then on. The stamp of Burroughs influence can be seen in the works of Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury and countless others as well as film and television. Flash Gordon used the Barsoom series as a ...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Evgeny rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The books is full of familiar cliches: it created most of them. I am also having a great trouble between classifying this book between fantasy and scifi. As I am not the only one with such problem a new genre was created dubbed "sword and planet".
Mars

Coming back to the plot, an American Civil War veteran and a perfect southern gentleman (he calls himself thus, so who am I to call him differently?) John Carter ended up on Mars, of all places - straight from an Arizona desert, minus all his cloths. ...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Nataliya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-also-saw-the-film

Old-school pulpy goodness. Fun classic full of manly adventures and good cheesy romance between an awesomely manly man John Carter (did I mention manly?) and a scantily-clad beautiful (and at necessary times appropriately helpless) princess Dejah Thoris among the red landscapes of ~~Mars~~ Barsoom.

And let's not forget John Carter's favorite Barsoomian "dog" Woola. Who in my head, thanks to the otherwise forgettable movie, will always look like this insanely adorable menacing monster-cutie -

...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi

I'm not saying I didn't like it, but what in the hell was that?!

Okay, I kinda am saying I didn't like it, but I didn't HATE it either.

A Princess of Mars is a forerunner in the sci-fi genre and as many of them suffer from ignorant science, so suffers this one. Modes of transportation are silly, alien races are simplistic at best, etc etc...(I know I'm nitpicking).

On the other hand, one has to be impressed with the guesswork a fictional novelist made regarding living conditions on another ...more

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Jul 02, 2012 mark monday rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-classic, rain-man-reviews

A SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK A PRINCESS OF MARS!

John Carter travels to Barsoom to live, love, and fight amongst the Green Men, the Red Men, and the White Apes! his Earthman physique combined with Barsoomian gravity means he's incredibly strong and can jump like a giant-sized super-grasshopper!

John Carter arrives there nekkid! everyone is nekkid! they only wear weapons and ornaments! the Red Race knows what Earthers look like and they think all the clothing we wear is apalling and disgusting! i agree!

...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Bryan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, fantasy, audiobooks

Transcript from the John Carter sessions
(from the files of Dr. Wm (Bill) Loney, Doctor of Psychiatry)

Carter: So where were we last time, doc?

Doctor: We were talking about representations of things that are ideals for you, and how they are expressed in imaginative fantasies.

Carter: What was that?

Doctor: (sighs) You were telling me about Barsoom and your adventures there.

Carter: Yeah... that's right. I traveled there, you know? It's Mars, actually.

Doctor: How did you know it was Mars?

Carter: ...more

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Mar 20, 2008 Werner rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of action-oriented science-fiction

Shelves: classics, science-fiction

It can be said at the outset that Burroughs was not a very deep nor a very disciplined writer. His disdain for research often shows in his work, and it does here; and in his science fiction (he would write voluminously in this genre --this novel sparked a series, and he produced two other popular sci-fi series as well) consistent and well-thought world building wasn't his strength. For instance, his Martian children incubate in eggs and hatch only when they're able to eat solid food --but his It can be said at the outset that Burroughs was not a very deep nor a very disciplined writer. His disdain for research often shows in his work, and it does here; and in his science fiction (he would write voluminously in this genre --this novel sparked a series, and he produced two other popular sci-fi series as well) consistent and well-thought world building wasn't his strength. For instance, his Martian children incubate in eggs and hatch only when they're able to eat solid food --but his Martian women have physiques like those of human women, busts and all. If there were ever a writer who overused coincidence in plotting, it would be Burroughs, and his plot developments and devices can strain credibility; science fiction writers of that day were quite taken with astral projection, but John Carter's ability to, in effect, simply will himself to the Red Planet, as a means of space travel, is definitely a stretch.

For all that, though, his work continues to fascinate readers. Partly, this is because of the enduring appeal of his theme of "primitivism" or "feralism," of which Tarzan, of course, is the archetypal example, but which constantly reappears in his work: the saga of a scion of modern high- tech, regimented civilization, transported to a primitive, dangerous world where he can be free to be his own boss, but must meet physical challenges in order to survive. And his heroes earn our respect, because they're not egoistic brutes who revel in a chance to be predators in a jungle; rather, John Carter and the others are instinctively moral men who model what Burrough's generation thought of as "masculine virtues" (which actually aren't gender-specific!) --courage, loyalty, a sense of honor, determination, generosity of spirit. (Of course, they're also larger-than-life heroes with strength, ingenuity, and competence.) This gives his work a dimension of meaning, both as an implicit criticism of a stultifying and constraining social order that tries to reduce us to cogs in a constantly smooth-running machine and as a positive endorsement of qualities we recognize as worth honoring and imitating, that still resonates with readers today, and I think always will. He's also a master of pacing, and of exciting adventure that can keep you turning the pages; and the broad canvas of his picture of Mars --an arid, dying world balkanized among a plethora of warring tribes and kingdoms, violently struggling for survival-- has an undeniable imaginative power that grips the reader. ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Owlseyes rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, us-lit

He died at 75, with a wish-list for the afterlife: I want to travel through the space to visit other planets.

Edgar Rice Burroughs outsold the combination of Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Faulkner, at his time. He ventured far (and wide) in the realm of imagination. Maybe he "caught" kids and teens first, then adults, definitely. I was one of the "caught-ups" in this vast world imagined, when I was a teen; I read Tarzan whenever possible and all the pulp fiction I could grab.

Ray Bradbury was right ...more

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Apr 28, 2018 Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, 20th-century, fantasy, fiction

This reminded me of 'Flash Gordon conquers the universe' and similar shows that I used to watch on TV on Saturday mornings as a child, presumably the people who made such films grew up reading stories like this. In the same way as those shows, although they had rocket ships (apparently powered by sparklers),they also featured magic amulets and spells. This isn't so much science fiction as fantastic fiction which is sciency in that the action takes place on Mars but the hero gets there and back This reminded me of 'Flash Gordon conquers the universe' and similar shows that I used to watch on TV on Saturday mornings as a child, presumably the people who made such films grew up reading stories like this. In the same way as those shows, although they had rocket ships (apparently powered by sparklers),they also featured magic amulets and spells. This isn't so much science fiction as fantastic fiction which is sciency in that the action takes place on Mars but the hero gets there and back apparently by magic rather than by some ostensibly rational means.

The plot is essentially Androcles and the lion, repeated with many variations, with the hero, Confederate veteran Captain John Carter of Virginia as Androcles and various creatures taking the part of the lion.

Finding himself naked and on Mars John Carter finds he has superhuman powers in the lower gravity of Mars, he can jump great heights and a blow from his fist can have fatal effects. I wondered at first if this was some kind of 'Lost Cause' parable - you know, the South was only beaten by the North in the American Civil War because it was an unfair fight - why in the lower gravity conditions of Mars it would have been an entirely different story. But as the pages slipped by I abandoned that theory, this book instead is a fruit of that cultural period when the Civil war had been resolved in favour of the cultural victory of the South, the south is genteel, it is chivalric and honourable, it's heroes are knights. Burroughs' John Carter is essentially Ivanhoe on Mars but with access to rifles with effective ranges of hundreds of miles and exploding radium bullets (though sadly these don't make much impact plot-wise(view spoiler)) and of course the ability to jump over any foe or low building, deadly fists and telepathy. All Martians apparently are telepathic and John Carter gains this ability but Martians can't read his thoughts (conveniently) Burroughs isn't the kind of writer to trouble to take this entirely seriously (view spoiler) but luckily he can always overhear that bad guys are planning on ambushing him in case he has turned off the reception of telepathic thoughts for the afternoon (to get some peace and quiet), and he never uses his telepathic abilities on the Martian Princess he falls in love with - but of course, he's a Southern gentleman from Virginia, how vile of me even to imagine he might do such a thing, naturally he prefers interplanetary cultural misunderstandings to cloud their relationship instead.

The storyline is full of bizarre holes, but sadly one doesn't sense enough tongue in cheek for this to be consistently funny though I was amused that telepathy works on dead people too and so when John Carter murders in a sword fight four of his fellow guardsmen in a convoluted attempt to rescue the above Princess, a psychologist is sent to investigate the crime and profiles the killer from the minds of the victims - a handy skill.

It is the sciency elements which I found most interesting, Burroughs' Mars is Earth like but dying - it is drying out and losing it's atmosphere, agriculture of a kind is possible along the infamous canals, and in another H.G.Wells touch Burroughs is interested in evolution and long periods of history - his Martians are mostly inhabiting the ruins of some long vanished civilisation from the good old days when the planet was far wetter. Of modern Martians there are two types, green and red, the latter are humanish , the former are physically alien but behave a bit like plains Indians but with radium bullets and long ranged rifles to allow them to offset the fighting power of the Red Martians in their airships (which don't explode when hit by explosive radium bullets, but never mind). In addition to all Martians being telepathic and oviparous, the green Martians have lost through evolution kindness and any gentle or merciful feelings. John Carter then is a double throwback, a knight of the South with genteel manners who helps those weaker than himself (except when he kills them) and this gives him an advantage, repeatedly, as I said Androcles and the Lion. Ideologically the story shows the triumph of very old fashioned values, coupled with pure fighting ability over the whole of Mars despite it's flying machines, hyper violence, long range rifles and factory to manufacture an atmosphere. Implicitly one doesn't need technology or factories or democracy (view spoiler) just pure emotion, a powerful punch and to do the right thing. First Spain, next the universe, the American century has begun.

In terms of science fiction this is a beautiful exemplar of the tendency for that genre to be historical fiction in space - the Fall of the Roman empire (with spaceships) in Foundation or space Feudalism in Dune coupled with interest in hereditary and evolution, the twist here is that apparently you can become too evolved rather like Wells' Morlocks and Eloi - the ancestor is a perfect balance of both tendencies, the over specialisation of the descendants can become a weakness leading to vulnerability in the face of John Carter's avenging fist. We might also see here a stage in the development of a peculiar stage in popular heroism, thoughtlessness married with violence that we as consumers accept as good because of the self-image of the hero as essentially chivalric and a 'gentleman', from a critical view point we might see this as the off duty KKK man out of his bed sheets who is kind to animals, or the morality of a Nathan Bedford Forrest - superheroes all seem to me to be of the same type. The implicit message is that someone else will sort out the mess the 'collateral damage' that they have caused in pursuit of their own interests. So such Realpolitik, the victory of the stronger over the strong. ...more

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Sep 07, 2013 Richard Derus rated it liked it

Rating: 3* of five

The Book Review: No one ever nominated Burroughs for the Nobel Prize.

The Movie Review: Seriously, what was all the butt-hurt over this movie about? Yeah, the title stank. Shoulda called it Barsoom and had done with it. The hunky young actor who played John Carter wasn't likely to get an Academy nod. Dejah-Thoris was mildly pretty. The f/x were just fine, and that leaves the script, which was every bit as finely crafted as the book.

It was perfectly acceptable summer-afternoon ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Markus rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, classics

It's hard to classify this book, both in terms of genre and quality. There is no doubt that Burroughs is an important, influential and remarkably talented writer (the writing itself is extraordinarily good sometimes), and overall, this is a book that I am very glad that I read.

On the other hand, it has not aged well. While it contains many fun and interesting elements, it has been so widely surpassed in almost every single area by all the brilliant masterpieces of fantasy and science fiction ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Matthew rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, sci-fi, classic, library, audio

Maybe even 4.5 - I really enjoyed this and I plan to read the rest of the series. This must have been very creative for the time it was written.

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Jun 08, 2012 Megan Baxter rated it liked it

I came to this having enjoyed the terribly-named movie version much more than I had expected. Not deep, but pulpy fun. (Seriously, John Carter? "A Princess of Mars" was too girly? "John Carter of Mars" might have, what, given the impression it takes place on Mars?!?) I didn't know how much of the book had made it into the movie, but I was hoping for some of the same kind of pulpy fun from this.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and ...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Joseph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of those books I can't even pretend to be objective about. I know it's flawed -- it was Burroughs' first novel, and it's occasionally a bit sloppy, entirely too reliant on coincidence, and (remembering that it was first published in 1912) has a couple of, shall we say, uncomfortable ethnic depictions (relatively mild, but they're there). But.

I.

Don't.

Care.

Barsoom is my absolute favorite imaginary world -- a world of giant, four-armed savage green hordes, noble warriors and beautiful ...more

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May 13, 2013 Alex rated it did not like it

Shelves: science-fiction, wank, boobies

Let's not try and pretend that Princess of Mars is some kind of unique trailblazing original that Science fiction and fantasy writing owes some huge debt to. Authors had been writing about Sci-fi concepts involving other worlds and other cultures for a long time, and as early as the 17th Century we have an example (The Blazing World) of a writer imagining another world full of beasts and bird-men, whose entrance is located at the North Pole. Popular Victorian author Edgar Bulwer Lytton wrote ...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, or comic books. Boys. Girls who like boys.

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

'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 '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. ...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: theclassics, science-fiction, book-club

Some thoughts on A PRINCESS OF MARS:

I really want a Woola.

Tars Tarkas is a total badass.

Saddest ending to a sci fi book? Quite possibly!

The JOHN CARTER movie was a remarkably faithful adaptation.

John Carter, the character, is less of a Mary Sue than I thought he would be.

This book is an amazing combination of really awesome science fiction and Victorian novel.

No, really.

John Carter is very much a 19th century gentlemen, and yet he deals with the four-armed, green-skinned Martians with great ...more

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Mar 15, 2016 Leonard Mokos rated it it was amazing

The first three books of the series are in fact a complete trilogy. One that has endured for a century, and rightfully so, but if action and adventure novels are common enough, what is the lasting appeal of these books? Simple: Honour & loyalty. Essential qualities of character. I am finding in the home brood that the internet generation are missing, and lacking, these seeds. Books like these, themes like these, have shaped me. Read them. Put them into your kid's hands and no, they won't die ...more

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Apr 07, 2018 Galadrielė rated it really liked it · review of another edition

☆4.5/5☆

▪Plot 5/5
▪Details 3/5
▪Characters 5/5
▪World building 4.5/5
▪Logic 4/5
▪Writing style 5/5
▪Enjoyment 4.5/5

Really interesting and enjoyable read. I'm sure that I'm going to continue this series in english.

The thing is why it didn't reach 5 stars is because it wasn't so detailed as I wanted it to be. And I had some issues with logic, but I guess everything will sum up in other books of the series.

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Feb 17, 2009 Elijah Meeks rated it it was amazing

The Mars series of Burroughs are classic adventure novels and their setting on the dying Red Planet allows Burroughs to move away from the racialist dogma found in the Tarzan series. While falling into a classic paradigm of the great hero who overawes and out-competes the "natives", it contains such moments of great humanity, even for people who have four arms and tusks, that I always find it uplifting. The style of Burroughs' adventure writing has always appealed to me and his stories create a ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Charles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is the one that started it all for me. The first in the Barsoom series by Burroughs. John Carter gets to Mars and has his first adventures. I loved it so much that from the moment I read it I began making up my own stories about this kind of character and world. Eventually, the Talera cycle resulted. I owe ERB so much for the joy he gave me and the inspiration he was for me with these books.

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Jul 21, 2014 Petergiaquinta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars marks a milestone in my career as a reader. Like Scout Finch, I cannot remember not being able to read, so Ive got a lifetime of reading under my belt, but for the first time now, with A Princess of Mars, I have read a book in an electronic format.

It seems rather late for me, doesnt it? What with Nooks and Kindles and iPads and the Internet being around for so long already, but I just havent warmed up to the idea of reading books electronically. I read ...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Lynne King rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi-romance, abandoned

There were very good reviews of this book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and, as it looked to be such an interesting subject, I couldnt wait to read the book. My expectations were high.

Ive always been interested in space, planets and the stars, and purchased a rather splendid telescope about six months ago so that I could enjoy this hobby of mine even more. Nothing just gives me greater pleasure than looking out over the foothills and distant mountains, and at the stars. Its magical. I then thought There were very good reviews of this book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and, as it looked to be such an interesting subject, I couldn’t wait to read the book. My expectations were high.

I’ve always been interested in space, planets and the stars, and purchased a rather splendid telescope about six months ago so that I could enjoy this “hobby” of mine even more. Nothing just gives me greater pleasure than looking out over the foothills and distant mountains, and at the stars. It’s magical. I then thought Mars and began to wonder how an author would go about writing a book about this planet. I soon found out.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Foreword in which the manuscript of Captain John Carter is found. Everything was fine in the book until John arrived on Mars. The fact that he was naked, and could leap to great heights all over the place, began to rather annoy me after a while. Too much of a good thing isn't good. The green Martians and the white hairless apes, “except for an enormous shock of bristly hair upon its head” all seemed rather stiff in the dialogue.

Sola was, however, excellently portrayed and also Woola, the guard dog and what a wonderful description: “It waddled in on its ten short legs, and squatted down before the girl like an obedient puppy. The thing was about the size of a Shetland pony, but its head bore a slight resemblance to that of a frog, except that the jaws were equipped with three rows of long, sharp tusks.” I could just visualize it. This creature was, “As I was to learn, this is the fleetest animal on Mars, and owing to its intelligence, loyalty, and ferocity is used in hunting, in war, and as the protector of the Martian man.” Woola was soon to be a friend of John, as was Sola.

I confess that I began to “skim read” after this, looking for something interesting to read; found some very descriptive sections, continued on to the end. But basically I had abandoned the book soon after Woola and the white apes came into the picture.

When I think about this book, I try to analyze why I didn’t like it. Basically, it comes down to one thing. A book should make the dramatic statement “Read me, read me” and not “Leave me, leave me” which I soon did unfortunately and the book is now in the “cloud”. Perhaps the book about the manuscript of John Carter has already returned to Mars? Who knows?
...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Steve rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy, pulp, e-books

This is a good pulp novel from the Golden Era. For the first half of the book, I was totally hooked. John Carter, a former Confederate soldier and prospector, falls into weird dream that has him waking up on Mars -- without a stitch on. Burroughs loves his primitives. Carter soon discovers he can jump extreme distances, and knock out 12 foot giant insects and apes with a one punch. It's an atmosphere thing, but one that he me wondering if Carter was some sort of early Earth version of Superman. ...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Ron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, ebook, gutenberg

A surprisingly good read. Solidly space opera.

As an adventure, it works just fine.

Others have documented Burroughs' shoddy research, but cut the guy some slack--he lived before the invention of modern physics. That said, he commits several gaffs which are perplexing for their crudeness. For example, after he identifies Mars' year as twice as long as an Earth year, he has his hero staying on Mars ten years and returning to Earth with only ten years elapsed. He doesn't even try to explain how John ...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Melissa McShane rated it liked it

Shelves: own, science-fiction, classics, action-adventure

I couldn't believe how much I liked this book. I thought it would be your typical early-20th-century Anglocentric sexist thinly-veiled allegory of Western cultural dominance. Then I got over myself. Like H. Rider Haggard (a near-contemporary of Burroughs, and probably a more direct influence on the Barsoom novels than Jules Verne or H.G. Wells) Edgar Rice Burroughs has some attitudes that modern readers find uncomfortable, but in the context of his time, he's a remarkably liberal thinker.

John I couldn't believe how much I liked this book. I thought it would be your typical early-20th-century Anglocentric sexist thinly-veiled allegory of Western cultural dominance. Then I got over myself. Like H. Rider Haggard (a near-contemporary of Burroughs, and probably a more direct influence on the Barsoom novels than Jules Verne or H.G. Wells) Edgar Rice Burroughs has some attitudes that modern readers find uncomfortable, but in the context of his time, he's a remarkably liberal thinker.

John Carter is strong but generous of spirit, a powerful warrior but respectful of women, a staunch defender of what he believes to be right, and completely aware of his weaknesses instead of pretending they don't exist. I think his personality is best defined by how he becomes a "chieftain" among the green Martians totally by accident. Among the Martians, status is gained by killing other warriors, usually only for that purpose; John Carter kills to defend himself and then others, completely unaware of how green Martian society works, but doesn't change his behavior once he learns the truth--even though gaining status would help both him and Dejah Thoris, the titular princess. His falling in love with her is so sweet--there's something very touching about a strong man who's completely at a loss before the woman he loves.

Burroughs's world building is at times inconsistent, but since this novel was originally published serially, it's not surprising that he changed his mind about stuff between issues. It was incredibly easy to lose myself in the story, and the only thing I couldn't quite believe was that John Carter was able to control his physical urges even though he and Dejah Thoris were naked the whole time. Seriously? I could buy Dejah Thoris being unaffected on the grounds that it's how her people live, but a red-blooded Virginia boy? Who came from a time when women showed almost no skin below the neckline? Maybe that makes Burroughs even more of a liberal thinker than I thought. ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi, fantasy, action, 3series, 1paper

My paperback cost $1.25, an expensive replacement back in the 1970's. My original was only 35¢ when my father bought it. This was one of my first ERB novels & is possibly my favorite series of his, but it hasn't aged as well as I thought it would have. He's not as racist or sexist in this as some, the action is nonstop, & the overall plot is pretty good, but there are just too many coincidences.

It's not really SF as much as a fantasy. The science is pretty magical. Radium, specific rays ...more

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Sep 03, 2019 Ivana Books Are Magic rated it liked it

A Princess of Mars is not a great work of literature, but it is a genre classic and one that has a cult following. The first book in the legendary Burroughs' Barsoom (i.e. Mars) series is a lovely introduction to the series. It is worth remembering that the Barsoom series inspired many authors and even some scientists. It is a fairly influential book and one worth reading even if just to see what the fuss is about. However, if you're a politically correct type, than this is NOT a book for you. A Princess of Mars is not a great work of literature, but it is a genre classic and one that has a cult following. The first book in the legendary Burroughs' Barsoom (i.e. Mars) series is a lovely introduction to the series. It is worth remembering that the Barsoom series inspired many authors and even some scientists. It is a fairly influential book and one worth reading even if just to see what the fuss is about. However, if you're a politically correct type, than this is NOT a book for you. First serialized in a pulp magazine in 1912, this science fiction novel falls into a subgenre of planetary romance. It is a pulp writing for sure and a hundred years old at that, but it has its qualities. As long as you don't mind reading a story narrated by a guy who tells you how awesome he is and praises himself every step of the way, you should be fine. Not recommended to feminists and hipsters.

The hero of this novel, Captain John Carter tells this story in his own words, but not before he is introduced in a foreword: ...In submitting Captain Carter's strange manuscript to you in book form, I believe that a few words relative to this remarkable personality will be of interest. My first recollection of Captain Carter is of the few months he spent at my father's home in Virginia, just prior to the opening of the civil war. I was then a child of but five years, yet I well remember the tall, dark, smooth-faced, athletic man whom I called Uncle Jack.

Naturally, the protagonist is handsome and perfect, as a pulp hero must be. That much is clear from the start and if you have a problem with that, you might as well skip this book.
...He seemed always to be laughing; and he entered into the sports of the children with the same hearty good fellowship he displayed toward those pastimes in which the men and women of his own age indulged; or he would sit for an hour at a time entertaining my old grandmother with stories of his strange, wild life in all parts of the world. We all loved him, and our slaves fairly worshiped the ground he trod. He was a splendid specimen of manhood, standing a good two inches over six feet, broad of shoulder and narrow of hip, with the carriage of the trained fighting man. His features were regular and clear cut, his hair black and closely cropped, while his eyes were of a steel gray, reflecting a strong and loyal character, filled with fire and initiative. His manners were perfect, and his courtliness was that of a typical southern gentleman of the highest type.
His horsemanship, especially after hounds, was a marvel and delight even in that country of magnificent horsemen. I have often heard my father caution him against his wild recklessness, but he would only laugh....

After this introduction, the reader learns something else about Cartier, as his wistful gazing off into the space is mentioned. This foreshadows what is to come a bit (planetary romance), but still doesn't tell us that much about the protagonist.
...When the war broke out he left us, nor did I see him again for some fifteen or sixteen years. When he returned it was without warning, and I was much surprised to note that he had not aged apparently a moment, nor had he changed in any other outward way. He was, when others were with him, the same genial, happy fellow we had known of old, but when he thought himself alone I have seen him sit for hours gazing off into space, his face set in a look of wistful longing and hopeless misery; and at night he would sit thus looking up into the heavens, at what I did not know until I read his manuscript years afterward.

The first chapter opens with John Carter telling his story that starts of as a western of some sorts. There are Indians but after a clash in a cave, John is paralyzed and the fierce Indian warriors flee before some unknown terror. John manages to move after many horrible hours and finds himself naked. Seeing his clothed body next to him, Cartier is unsure whether he is alive or dead.
....The transition had been so sudden and so unexpected that it left me for a moment forgetful of aught else than my strange metamorphosis. My first thought was, is this then death! Have I indeed passed over forever into that other life! But I could not well believe this, as I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs from the exertion of my efforts to release myself from the anaesthesis which had held me. My breath was coming in quick, short gasps, cold sweat stood out from every pore of my body, and the ancient experiment of pinching revealed the fact that I was anything other than a wraith. Again was I suddenly recalled to my immediate surroundings by a repetition of the weird moan from the depths of the cave. Naked and unarmed as I was, I had no desire to face the unseen thing which menaced me. My revolvers were strapped to my lifeless body which, for some unfathomable
reason, I could not bring myself to touch. My carbine was in its boot, strapped to my saddle, and as my horse had wandered off I was left without means of defense. My only alternative seemed to lie in flight and my decision was crystallized by a recurrence of the rustling sound from the thing which now seemed, in the darkness of the cave and to my distorted imagination, to be creeping stealthily upon me...

The story really gets started once Cartier gets transported to Mars after he glances upon the planet of War with a desire in his heart. As you might have already noticed, the writing style is a bit old fashioned and quite wordy. This novel definitely feels overwritten and in many ways it hasn't aged that well. However, there is a wonderful imagination in it, if you can look pass the fact that it is a pulp work, you will be able to see that it is not as shallow at it might seem at first.
...I opened my eyes upon a strange and weird landscape. I knew that I was on Mars; not once did I question either my sanity or my wakefulness. I was not asleep, no need for pinching here; my inner consciousness told me as plainly that I was upon Mars as your conscious mind tells you that you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact; neither did I....It was midday, the sun was shining full upon me and the heat of it was rather intense upon my naked body, yet no greater than would have been true under similar conditions on an Arizona desert. Here and there were slight outcroppings of quartz-bearing rock which glistened in the sunlight; and a little to my left, perhaps a hundred yards, appeared a low, walled enclosure about four feet in height. No water, and no other vegetation than the moss was in evidence, and as I was somewhat thirsty I determined to do a little exploring.

On Mars, John is a superman of some kind ( I wonder was he the inspiration for the Superman) as his Earth muscles make him stronger than others. Naturally, there is a damsel to save (as the title would promise) and all sorts of fights and adventures to happen. The protagonist will fall in love instantly and so will she undoubtedly. This book is quite predictable, I'm afraid...and I would lie if I said that it didn't make me roll my eyes now and then. It annoyed me quite a few times. Nevertheless, I quite liked A Princess of Mars. There is a reason why it has such a cult following and it is not just because it was one of the first of its kind. There is something to said about this book, there really is. A bit of magic that allows you to see beyond its shortcomings. ...more

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About Edgar Rice Burroughs

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Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.

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