Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Read Book* *Different edition

A Princess of Mars

(Barsoom #1)

Edgar Rice Burroughs,

John Seelye (Introduction)

3.81 · Rating details · 52,319 ratings · 3,620 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

Get A Copy

Paperback, 186 pages

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

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about A Princess of Mars, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Best Science Fiction

3,039 books — 5,326 voters

Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

7,143 books — 21,917 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.81 ·

Rating details

· 52,319 ratings · 3,620 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)

Apr 02, 2012 Will Byrnes rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

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 60’s 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 Asimov ...more

flag 218 likes · Like · see review

Sep 07, 2008 Stephen rated it it was ok

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

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

flag 179 likes · Like · see review

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 t ...more

flag 119 likes · Like · see review

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. P ...more

flag 102 likes · Like · see review

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 - SQ

...more

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

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 planet ...more

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

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!

J ...more

flag 54 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2020 Lea rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, ebook, classic, sci-fi, fiction

Lately I've been in the mood for sci-fi novels and I've been meaning to read this cult classic, published in 1912. This is old, and certainly not the usual deep-minded sci-fi work, it has more adventure elements, mixing pulp fantasy and western genre, the progenitor to modern star wars. I have the impression that this book didn't age as ideally and is kinda outdated but still is an interesting reading experience. At the same time, it is kinda wacky and bizarre, but fun and will get you hooked.

I Lately I've been in the mood for sci-fi novels and I've been meaning to read this cult classic, published in 1912. This is old, and certainly not the usual deep-minded sci-fi work, it has more adventure elements, mixing pulp fantasy and western genre, the progenitor to modern star wars. I have the impression that this book didn't age as ideally and is kinda outdated but still is an interesting reading experience. At the same time, it is kinda wacky and bizarre, but fun and will get you hooked.

I would like this book better if I'd read it when I was younger, maybe around 12 years old, because then I was more in the mood for these kinds of adventures. Most of the narrative is focused on describing numerous ventures that the main character, John Carter has on Mars/ Barsoom. It is heavily action-packed and most of the plot focuses on combats, running away, plotting of running away and the circle seems to be going on and on forever, and at times it feels like this would be much better off as a comic or a movie. It has elements of colonial fiction - a white guy comes to Barbarian tribes and saves them. A part of the plot focuses on a cheesy romance between Dejah Thoris and John Carter. Characters as well as their relationship are kinda underdeveloped and somewhat shallow, but charming. John Carter is a mix of Chuck Norris/Indiana Jones/Superman, a humble-brag type of guy with an odd edge. Naturally excellent warrior, brave unbeatable alpha male with a number of special abilities due to his physicality functioning differently in the atmosphere and gravity on Mars which causes him to have kind of animal strength, being able to jump high in the air or punch someone to death with no sweat. A similar explanation as Superman's extraordinary strength will have decades after (with the same blind spots also). He always tries to do the right thing, basically does chivalry on Mars, and saves a damsel in distress from foul creatures, a tale as old as time. His unbeatability was somewhat annoying, but he does a good job of being the archetypal male hero, as he never ceases to dismiss the call for action. I liked some of his eccentric elements - a sense that he didn't even belong on Earth in the first place (I relate John) and being old and at the same time forever young. Dejah Thoris is the princess of Mars and most physically beautiful and attractive (and naked) woman ever and doesn't display many characteristics beside sparks of learned helplessness (hi passive role, not a woman hero we been hoping for but presumable for time) and she is part of most culturally advance tribe on Mars, red Martians.

Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper color, against which the crimson glow of her cheeks and the ruby of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.

My favorite characters were Sola and Tars Tarkas and their sad story. Sola and Tars' species, Green Martians or Tharks are savage, ignorant, with torture as greatest satisfaction, and they don't believe in the value of emotions with harsh genetic selection in which they breed species for war. That is the image of a dystopian society that disregards feminine values in the greatest extreme - connectedness, tenderness, empathy, friendship, love. They value only the power, strength and violence, worldview that leads to Hobbes's "war of all against all''. That makes them not more than bloodthirst animal-like creatures dependent on their instincts, repressing not only the soul but spirit quality also.

A people without written language, without art, without homes, without love; the victim of eons of the horrible community idea. Owning everything in common, even to your women and children, has resulted in your owning nothing in common. You hate each other as you hate all else except yourselves.

In a Jungian sense, this race is an example of a collective under the complex of Ares, the god of war, interestingly also called Mars, where all sentiments and passions convert to thirst for combat, power and destruction. Sola and then Tars transcended their nature by choosing to be loving and compassionate creatures building upon (view spoiler) In my opinion, this side story was better than the main one, more profound ideas were explored with the underlying lecture, that free will rules over predetermined qualities of species and not even eugenics breeding for war can diminish ideals. Feminine values can be heavily suppressed in the group, but never extinct. Take that civilization!

In a subtle way novel touches lightly on themes of the race (Green vs Red Martians, color if skin almost completely - but not quite - predetermines quality of character and moral code), the structure of society and legitimacy of authority, the futility of war, eugenics and lastly, being weird and different than the rest of your social group or tribe.

Mine own people do not care for me, John Carter;
I am too unlike them. It is a sad fate, since I must live my life amongst them, and I often wish that I were a true green Martian woman, without love and without hope; but I have known love and so I am lost.

The world that the author builds is quirky, imaginative and unique and if you are a psychoanalysis enthusiast as I am, you can look at the whole Barsdoom as a mirror of John unconscious, in which he cultivates and transforms different primordial parts of himself, and the whole adventure can be put in phases of the hero's journey cycle.

The ending of the book is really sad and even made me want to pick up other books in the series, and I later saw that there is ongoing readalong with Steve Donoghue of all Barsoomian novels which makes me want to read all of them, even though there is not enough time in my day. In the end, I do recommend this book to pulp fiction and star wars fans and kids, and don't recommend it to faint-hearted feminists, politically correct folks and readers that like only profound literature.
...more

flag 51 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: sf, audiobooks, fantasy

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: There ...more

flag 49 likes · Like · see review

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 Ma 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

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2020 Bradley rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, 2020-shelf

Way back in 1912, Burroughs of Tarzan fame make a big manly adventure on the desert-like Martian landscape with warriors like alien American Indians while saving buxom alien maidens.

Does this sound silly?

It should. It has been mimicked thousands of times over the years and found great fame and infamy during the later Golden Age of SF, cheesy TV dramas of all flavors, including SF, F, and especially Westerns.

HOWEVER... a special place should be set aside for this work. It DID transform the landsc ...more

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

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 righ ...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Matthew rated it really liked it

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

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.

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

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

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

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

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 wa ...more

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

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 tha ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

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 m ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

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 enforcement ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

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 abo ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

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 w '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

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

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 aplo ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2020 RJ from the LBC rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000-read

The plot sounds like that of a portal fantasy: man falls asleep in a desert cave and wakes up in a different world with strange customs and creatures (but, nevertheless, a cooperative ecosystem), quickly masters the local language and weapons, successfully woos a beautiful humanoid princess, and finally unites some warlike tribes to win a huge swashbuckling victory over the bad guys to the great joy and celebration of the masses. Except this story takes place on Mars (or "Barsoom" in the local p ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

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 if ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

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 I’ve 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, doesn’t it? What with Nooks and Kindles and iPads and the Internet being around for so long already, but I just haven’t warmed up to the idea of reading books electronically. I read ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

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. ...more

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2020 Jamie rated it liked it

Though indisputably an early seminal work in the genre I don't think most modern readers would find much compelling here. Given its generally juvenile nature it's unsurprising this was made into a movie by Disney. If you're familiar with Tarzan, you could think of this as Tarzan goes to Mars. On the plus side, it was maybe slightly less cornball than expected, though not by much. ...more

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

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 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 though 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

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Steve rated it liked it

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

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

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: [Poll Book Tally] A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs 3 stars	1	9	Apr 13, 2020 06:15PM
UPEP Reading Grou...: Book 3: Princess of Mars and Gods of Mars	1	1	Feb 20, 2020 09:28PM
The Ink to Film B...: John Carter DISCUSSION!	2	9	Jan 23, 2020 05:01PM
Goodreads Librari...: Please correct page count	5	24	Aug 20, 2018 06:45AM
need to read all 11?	27	189	Jun 26, 2018 10:21PM
Written Gems: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs	43	21	Apr 27, 2018 08:37AM
John Carter of Mars	63	214	Apr 18, 2018 05:19AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Science Fiction

1,823 users

Fantasy

1,009 users

Classics

700 users

Fiction

654 users

Adventure

315 users

Pulp

142 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

140 users

Romance

100 users

Audiobook

91 users

Novels

62 users

See top shelves…

About Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs

2,246 followers

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.