Fantasy Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

In 1912 A Princess of Mars was first published in serial form in a publication called All Story, and the novel has been in print ever since. This was the first novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs who went on to enjoy a prolific career as a pulp writer. A Princess of Mars has long been considered a classic of science fiction and fantasy, and offers readers generations after its creation an epic story, an alien world, and John Carter, gentleman of Virginia who is the quintessential fast-punching, sword-slashing, gun-toting, and ship-flying hero.

The story opens on Earth where John Carter is gold prospecting in Arizona after the Civil War. He does not survive an altercation with Apache warriors, but death for John Carter transports him to Mars, where he awakens among the fearsome race of green men. The green men stand fifteen feet tall, have six limbs and tusks, and they value strength and violence. To be strong is everything and weakness soon perishes if it is allowed to be born at all.

This cruel, war-like, and nomadic race is the product of the severe environment of Mars, which is a dying planet. Its seas have dried up and the air is thin. In fact, the atmosphere is only maintained by colossal air-pumping technology.

While a prisoner of the green men, John Carter learns the language and strives to adapt to his strange surroundings. He survives only because of his superior strength that results from the lower gravity of Mars where his Earthling physique allows him to jump fifty feet and kill with a single punch.

As the title of the story indicates, a princess soon enters the plot. Her name is Dejah Thoris and she is from the race of red men, who are humanoid. She is brilliant and honorable, and these traits combined with her beauty quickly make her the object of John Carter’s devotion.

The romantic element of this novel gives the swashbuckling adventure emotional depth. Due to the period in which it was written, it does not have any overt sexual scenes, but the timeless qualities of lofty speeches declaring love and heroic deeds inspired by a beautiful woman satisfy romantic cravings.

The story does have a few shortcomings that stem from an obvious lack of careful planning of details necessary to moving the adventure along. The cast of characters tend to fall together into situations with tremendous convenience, and people will pop up at just the right moments and know just the right things, like where a secret passage is. But these flaws are trifling compared to the magnificent world building accomplished by the author. And the action never fails to deliver. Great battles with hundreds of thousands of warriors and massive fleets of airships are vividly portrayed, summoning visions for the reader akin to watching a Star Wars movie.

Together John Carter and Dejah Thoris make one of science fiction’s great power couples. Their high stakes adventures in which they face awful tortures by heartless warlords and whole cities fall beneath looting hordes will reward readers with wonderful entertainment.

Fantasy reader rating equals four swords and a kiss.

A Princess of Mars is available as an ebook in the Falbe Publishing Ebook Classics section.

Return to fantasy book reviews main page.