Five Book TitlesBook 1: A Princess of Mars Book 2: The Gods of Mars Book 3: The Warlord of Mars Book 4: Thuvia, Maid of MarsBook 5: The Chessmen of MarsThe first page of Chapter 3 from Book 1 will give you an idea of how the books read. I am still a great fan of the Tarzan series, so had fun reading these.Book 1, Chapter 2 - My Advent On Mars "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. I found myself lying prone upon a bed of yellowish, mosslike vegetation which stretched around me in all directions for interminable miles. I seemed to be lying in a deep, circular basin, along the outer verge of which I could distinguish the irregularities of low hills. 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. Springing to my feet I received my first Martian surprise, for the effort, which on Earth would have brought me standing upright, carried me into the Martian air to the height of about three yards. I alighted softly upon the ground, however, without appreciable shock or jar. Now commenced a series of evolutions which even then seemed ludicrous in the extreme. I found that I must learn to walk all over again, as the muscular exertion which carried me easily easily and safely upon Earth played strange antics with me upon Mars."Burroughs, Edgar Rice (2011-05-09). John Carter: Adventures on Mars Collection (Five "John Carter of Mars" novels in one volume!) (Kindle Locations 274-287). ePulp Adventures (TM) fallen leaves press (TM) and ignacio hills press (TM). Kindle Edition.
Meh. Much of this will come down to personal preference, and I have only been able to get through two of the 5 books so far, so keep that in mind:The world building is fantastic. The history, culture, flora and fauna of Barsoom (Mars) are all very well done. The technology descriptions, while quaint by our standards, are very novel for the time. The themes of using religion to control a population and putting aside the differences of various races are well implemented.That said, these books are entirely to pulp-y for me. John Carter is Superman, Don Juan, and George S. Patton all rolled into one. Due to the lower gravity on Mars, he has super strength, except when he doesn't (usually when the plot calls for ignoring his strength). He is self described as no ladies man, but the women of Mars throw themselves at him repeatedly. He is the smartest and most brilliant tactician on Mars who inspires such loyalty that soldiers he just met would die for him, but his only strategy is pretty much to run in and smash things without thinking, and if that doesn't work, he runs a different way and smashes things. And everything also works out for him in the end, in that oh so convenient way of the genre.If I were reviewing this just on how I liked the books, I would give it 2 stars. But taking into account the time period it was written as well as the characteristics of the genre, it is well executed for what it is, and it gets an extra star from me for that. I can't give it anything higher though as I found myself struggling to want to finish the second book or read the other three, and that is something I NEVER do.
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When I picked this one up, I was expecting the first three books in the series. It turned out to be five, so technically it isn't finished yet. I read the three I intended, and will follow up with the rest later on. After three novels, and the movie which I watched last week, I am John Cartered out for the moment! I won't mention the movie again in my review, other than to say I liked it, despite what the critics say. The novels were very compelling and fun to read, in the vein of Conan, Solomon Kane, and Tarzan (yes, I know the latter was written by Burroughs). Overall, I would recommend them to any fan of those characters mentioned, and you can't beat the price; I paid .99 for this edition!
—Wayne
Whatever you do, do not read all three books one after the other without pause. I did and by the end had developed an overwhelming urge to punch a certain Virginian gentleman in the face.Yes, the writing is from a different time when attitudes were substantially different to what they are now. Yes, these novels are an early example of the sci-fi genre so we can expect them to be a bit formulaic.But after a while the whole "supremacy of man" schtick, (particularly white anglo-saxon man) gets a little bit tiresome. And it's made worse by the complete and utter lack of suspense. It becomes remarkably apparent very early on that Messr Carter and his friends are all but invulnerable while those who play the role of the villains will meet a messy, and terminal, end.
—Felix Marwick
Firs of all this book consists of five books under one cover - 929 pages. Each story is different and it tells the adventures of John Carter and his family. I enjoyed this book even though I found myself in a reading slump and it took me quite awhile to get through it. I bought this at Barnes and Noble because it was in the bargain bin. It was a great price and with exceptional value. If you don't read this book I would suggest you find them separately and read them in order because each builds upon the world and characters of Barsoom. I highly recommend this book and other stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
—Joe Cochran
