Review Tuesday: The Gods Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Book two of the Barsoom Series (aka The John Carter of Mars series) by Edgar Rice Burroughs is THE GODS OF MARS. It picks up where the first book left off, Carter is transported back to Mars from New York after well over a decade of trying to find his way back.

This time he's dropped off in a part of the planet he doesn't recognize with even stranger looking creatures abound. The book gets right into the thick of it. Thark leader Tars Tarkas and a group of pilgrims have decided to take their final journey down the Iss so they may be embraced by the Goddess Issus. They happen to be near where John Carter has appeared on the Red Planet and the pilgrims are attacked and slaughtered, but the fierce Tarkas, by the strange creatures that Carter saw upon arrival. From that point on it's a nonstop action ride of fighting for their lives. Along their way they find another beautiful Red Martian Princess named Thuvia, who is a prisoner of the cruel Holy Therns. Of course, she falls in love with him.

Carter then falls into the hands of the Black Pirates of Mars, who are also known as the First Born. That's when he meets his son with Deja Thoris  - Carthoris. The First Born are the vicious and cruel keepers of the vile Goddess Issus.

The book is really a series of captures and escapes. And it ramps the suspense for an explosive ending that will make you want to pull your hair out!

This book was definitely fun to read but other than the action and suspense, there are other reasons to read it. There's definitely a very interesting parallel with turn the of the century Earth and Mars drawn up with the very segregated populations based on skin color. Green Martians are savages. Red martians are beneath the white Martians, the Therns. The whites are below the Black Martians, aka, the Black Pirates or the First Born. While they have all sorts of advancements, they never figured out how to live together, and forget peace. Everyone wants everyone else dead. It's intriguing to read about. I wouldn't suggest reading it without first reading A PRINCESS OF MARS though. Do so.

 

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