Reader discussion: A Princess of Mars

Public reader discussion about A Princess of Mars in the WeRead Catalog by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

A Question about the end of A Princess of Mars

By lavenderPaper27

Just wrapped up *A Princess of Mars* and I’m really pumped to keep going with the rest of the series. One thing that’s bugging me a bit: when Carter wakes up on Earth, there’s that old mummy woman in the cave with him and those hanging bones. If future books explain it, cool—just tell me, no need to spell it all out for me. But if it never gets brought up again outside this book… then what was the point of her being there? Was she actually alive when he first went into the cave ten years earlier? And is that what he heard back before he left Earth? I enjoyed the book a lot, but that detail felt tiny yet way too confusing. I’m mostly commenting because it feels like we might not be on Earth much later, and I can’t stop wondering about it.

A princess of Mars - PDF novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

By Mouse_Shore

I’ve really liked the John Carter series so far. Also, if you want, the audio books are free on LibreVox.

If Lord of the Rings is the most influential fantasy book, what is the most influential science fiction book/series?

By VioletHeron15

People always say LOTR is where a lot of modern fantasy writing comes from. And yeah, for better or worse, a lot of fantasy books end up in pretty similar setups—usually some big adventure where you need a super important trinket/talisman to beat the main evil. Like, that kind of quest thing almost feels like what fantasy is. Science fiction feels different, though. It doesn’t usually run on the same template. Sure, you can find stories that sort of use the quest format, but swapped into space instead of medieval stuff. Still, I’m not sure what the biggest influence is in SF overall. I feel like a lot of stuff was shaped by the 1950s and earlier, and that carried through and kept showing up well into the 80s and 90s. After that, it seems like more recent decades got influenced by the stories/themes from that earlier era too—maybe through movies and TV more than anything. So what does everyone else think?

The John Carter trilogy(Barsoom) by Edgar Rice Burroughs is pulpy,madcap fun.

By ribbon-quiet19

Already liked Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan, so I figured I’d get to the John Carter stuff eventually. Ended up having a really good time reading it. If you’ve been holding back on classic pulps because of the period racism, I’d say this one (at least to my eye) feels pretty light. Barsoom is basically a science-fantasy western vibe, and besides those Native-American tribe analogies, I didn’t see anything that felt like it was trying to be dark or “serious” about it. Okay, now the complaints. From what I’ve read, ERB definitely uses some kind of formula in his stories, but this is maybe the most rigid I’ve run into. Lots of stuff like someone gets taken, Carter goes running after them, then suddenly everything clicks into place with absurd coincidences and convenient saves. Still, though, he’s really good at making it entertaining. The writing is simple but flows, and the pacing is quick, so the whole structure doesn’t bother me as much. And the world-building is honestly top-tier. It’s this gorgeous, broken-down Martian place with ruins, all kinds of monsters, and different tribes with their own culture. It’s fun to read, but there’s also this constant sadness sitting under it, especially when Carter starts thinking about how the planet is dying and how brutal the fighting is. The Green Martians especially—those more “critter-ish” guys—feel like they’ve got this tough warrior culture. The characters are a lot of fun too. The Dejah Thoris / John Carter romance is kind of goofy in the best way—very chivalric romance, super cheesy, but I actually find it cute and endearing. If I had to pick standouts from the first three, it’s Woola (the Martian dog). She’s adorable but also ferocious. And then Tars Tarkas, leader of the Green Martians. He’s got that mix of cool confidence and raw strength and brains—like Han Solo energy with Conan muscle, basically. There are plenty of characters I liked, but those two are my favorites. It’s also hard to ignore how much influence Barsoom has had over the years—stuff like Sword and Planet, science fantasy, space opera, and a bunch of later writers and thinkers. But even without all that history, it’s still a blast to read. I’m definitely going to keep going, just not right away. I think these older pulps are best when you don’t binge them—small doses make them hit better. And since it’s all out there for free in the public domain, it feels like a no-brainer to try.

A Princess of Mars is Still Blowing My Mind

By card-rapid

I just finished reading Edgar Rice Burroughs’ *A Princess of Mars* and, honestly, the writing felt kind of dry and the characters didn’t really have much depth. Still, I can’t deny the guy’s imagination is wild. Even if it’s not the best-written story, I walked away feeling like my brain got stretched a bit. What really blows my mind is that this stuff was published back in 1912. He was coming up with all this stuff I’m still impressed by today—over a hundred years ago.

Frazetta Girls John Carter has f Mars

By CanyonLavender1985

This looks awesome. I’m hoping they keep going with more Barsoom characters like Dejah Thoris. And I’d really like to see some Tarzan representation in the series too.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy might be the most realistic sci fi I've ever read - it almost feels like an instruction manual on how to terraform & colonize Mars

By BrownOrbit2004

These books are genuinely pretty special. I love how much they nerd out over the tech and what might actually be doable in the not-too-distant future. If you even vaguely like hard-ish sci fi, I think you should at least try the first one in the trilogy, *Red Mars*—it won the Nebula in 1993. It kicks off in 2027 with humanity starting to colonize Mars. A first group of 100 people (scientists, engineers, astronauts) heads over on the first colony ship, and *Red Mars* mostly sticks with ten of them while you get the first forty years or so of life on Mars through their eyes. There’s a lot of building stuff with automated equipment, seeding the planet with things that can handle the environment, and getting the whole “warming Mars” idea going—plus eventually more and more people arrive from Earth. *Green Mars* covers the next several decades and kind of tries to settle the big question of what Mars is supposed to be like and how it relates to Earth. Then *Blue Mars* follows the same crew after the events of *Green Mars* and, honestly, it’s more about how they end up living out the rest of their lives. Beyond the science/tech, I also liked the social side a lot. Early Mars sounds like this small, isolated world where everybody knows everybody, and when they’re trying to set up a government, it’s like everyone can just talk things through. As an American, it made the whole “dusty taverns + big political ideas” vibe feel almost like a peek at what the colonies might’ve felt like right before the Revolution. That said… I do feel like each book after *Red Mars* drops off. They keep getting longer (book three is like 748 pages), the conflicts don’t feel as focused as you go, and by *Blue Mars* there doesn’t seem to be much of a central conflict at all. Also, the stuff that made *Red Mars* feel tense and propulsive—like the foreshadowing and the flashbacks—kind of gets ditched for more straight timeline storytelling. If I had to do it again, I’d read *Red* and *Green* and skip *Blue*. Still, I’d strongly recommend the trilogy, and I’d definitely start with *Red Mars* at minimum. Kim Stanley Robinson at his best, I think.

Anyone know any good sword and planet books like Edgar Rice Burroughs's A Princess of Mars?

By ShelfCurious

I had a really good time with A Princess of Mars and the early sequels, and I’ve read a few of the same vibe books from Leigh Brackett and Otis Adelbert Kline too. Does anyone have recommendations for other science-fantasy stories set on another planet—where they still go at it with swords instead of guns—and where the main hero ends up having to rescue a princess? Ideally stuff from after 1970 or at least newer than those earlier classics.

"A Princess of Mars", Frank Frazetta, he painted it for the 1970 hardcover edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first John Carter of Mars novel.

By sunQuill

“A Princess of Mars” (1970) is probably one of Frank Frazetta’s best-known pieces. From what I’ve seen, he did it for the 1970 hardcover of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first John Carter of Mars story, and it sounds like he was actually worried the publisher wouldn’t give the original back, so he made his own copy. That personal version is usually considered better than the cover art. And it even reportedly sold at Heritage Auctions on Sep 10, 2020 for about $1.2 million.

"A Princess of Mars" Gets Referenced in "Lovecraft Country"

By bison-summer

I wasn’t really that into it at first, but now I’m kinda curious and want to look at it.

What's a good print edition of the classic Barsoom tales? Is there any collection that includes ALL tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs?

By WalletRed

Hey, I guess my question’s basically in the title. Ever since I was little, there’s this plush woola my mom gave me, and it’s still one of my favorite things ever. The weird part is I haven’t actually read the whole series. I’d really like to change that now, and I’d prefer to get it in print if I can. What’s the best way to go about it? Thanks! :)

Edgar Rice Burroughs on Women by Glee-chan

By oceanlost

This was a pretty interesting read. I wasn’t totally sure about jumping into Tarzan after I read and liked A Princess of Mars, mostly because I’ve stalled like halfway through the second Mars book. I do that a lot with series and authors—I'll go hot and cold depending on the day, and sometimes whole genres too. So yeah, I guess I’ll go ahead and download Tarzan.

John Carter of Mars: Vol. One: A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, The Warlord of Mars (John Carter of Mars Series) by Edgar Rice Burroughs on sale for Amazon Kindle for $1.99

By QuietStrange

Because it’s all out of copyright, I’m guessing the individual books are free on Project Gutenberg too.

Project Gutenburg. What are some of the hidden gems and timeless classics?

By focusDesk

I kinda want to read those.

Looking for bombastic fantasy or science-fantasy novels along the lines of John Carter of Mars

By PrologueRibbon

I was really into the big, purple, old-school high-fantasy vibe in the Barsoom stuff. The dialogue is super dramatic—people toss out lines like “I have spoken” or threaten you with some big, cinematic “hear me” moment. And yeah, you’ve got princesses who can kick ass, but they still seem like they’re always getting dragged into danger. The heroes are all lantern-jaw tough guys hacking through armies of nasty, ichor-dripping monsters, usually with a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. Also, “that would be dishonorable!” is treated like it’s an actual winning argument. I get a similar feel from Brust’s Khaavren books. The Taltos series has some of it too, but there’s this sly, quieter cynicism underneath everything. There’s also another series I can’t quite name that’s kind of the whole “America vs the Roman Empire” thing… except in space, which is basically “IIIIN SPAAAAACE” energy. That seemed to match the same general vibe. So yeah—basically loud, over-the-top action and adventure with a bit of romance, and not really a cynical worldview.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs feels like a classic isekai story

By juniperKettle68

Even though *A Princess of Mars* is over 100 years old, it somehow still feels like it could belong with a lot of the isekai stuff that’s been coming out in the last decade. A bunch of the same kinds of beats are there: the guy is basically overpowered with special abilities, there’s a pretty main heroine who ends up falling for him, the people in the new world practically worship him, and he has to push through a ton of setbacks just to pull everything together again and save the day. That said, I don’t think it’s bad just because it uses those things. It honestly comes across like a fast, fun adventure that handles the whole “isekai trappings” thing really well. Sure, it can feel dated sometimes, and I get why that would be a complaint now, but it still feels like a classic. Also, I’m not trying to dunk on isekai in general—there’s plenty I like too. I just found it kind of wild that two stories written so far apart can end up feeling so similar.

A Princess of Mars (Barsoom) by Edgar Rice Burroughs

By gathersStory

If you’re grabbing free ebooks on Amazon, don’t hit the “Read for Free” option. Use “Buy Now” instead since the Kindle price is showing $0.00. I think “Read for Free” is tied to Kindle Unlimited, which you end up paying for.

Reading Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy.

By BenLovesBooks

My go-to genres are sci-fi and fantasy, and I love them. The one snag is I can’t seem to get myself to read the “classic” stuff. I’ve never really read Tolkien, Asimov, Philip K. Dick, any of those, and I’m not sure why. Part of me feels like I’m just holding them back for later—maybe for when things are calmer? Or maybe I’m honestly a little scared I won’t like them. Anyone else feel the same way?

WARLORD OF MARS

By BraveWonder

I really liked the first couple of books, and this one feels just as wild and magical. John Carter is such a great main character—yeah, his ideas can be a little old-school and super romance-y, but honestly that’s kind of what makes him feel like a total badass. I know there are more stories after this, but this one still manages to tie up a bunch of loose stuff and make the first three books feel like a proper trilogy. It’s got that classic heroic vibe with a lot of dungeon-stuff and adventure. And one more thing: these Barsoom novels have spawned a ton of awesome artwork. Michael Whelan and Joe Jusko are still my go-to for it, but there’s a lot of really killer art out there—go look around.

TIL B'arzz O'oomm is an Allusion to Barsoom, a Fictional Planet Mars from the John Carter Series.

By DistantLamp96

Barsoom really does sound like some weird alien name—like “B’arzz O’oomm”—I didn’t clock it until I saw both written out. Also, I always forget that John Carter actually started as pulp stuff in old magazine issues in the early 1900s, not a movie first. I know it eventually got turned into a live-action film, but before that the stories were collected and published as A Princess of Mars. So yeah, that’s basically the whole Young Justice trivia piece.