Customer Reviews

The Outlaws of Mars

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The second of Kline's Martian Planetary Romances again sees a man with reasons to be happy to get the hell out of dodgy planet Earth. This time, Jerry Morgan, a falsely disgraced army officer ends up with his wealthy uncle.

Who just happens to be Richard Morgan (also writing something that just may be planetary romancesque, too, in The Steel Remains).

Richard Morgan happens to have hopefully perfected a way to transport a man to Mars, as opposed to doing the body inhabiting-mentality switching type trick employed elsewhere.

Once he makes it there, Jerry is propelled into sword swinging action, as he becomes embroiled in an interracial conflict and war - and is also caught between two space princesses and their various relatives who would like to see him lose a few vital body parts.

Some great monsters in here, flying beasties, sentient vegetable balls and more, including the trusty dalfs.

Not quite as good as the first, but certainly still up there with Burroughs best few Mars books, by way of comparison.

3.5 out of 5

I recently discovered the Planet Stories Series and I have been blown away with the richness and quality of the stories. These are fun, escapist, adventure stories. The Outlaws of Mars introduces you to Jerry Morgan and his travel to Mars in the early 20th century. It has all of the points of the genre, beautiful princesses, evil men trying to seize power and our hero, wrongly accused of a crime and turning his misfortune into astounding success. But the author makes it come alive, you can see the great cities and the endless deserts, smell the smoke and hear the clanging of the swords. I recommend this for anyone looking for a good time spent on another world being the hero. Just plain fun.

Outlaws of Mars is a semi-sequel to Kline's earlier Swordsman of Mars - there are some characters in common who make cameo appearances, and the setting is the same, but apart from that this is a new and different story of planetary romance, as the genre was then known.

Jerry Morgan is a man with no future on Earth - disgraced and heartbroken. He is offered a new life on Mars, and starts out on the wrong foot: imagine meeting a princess and delibrately killing her pet poodle! Of course, said "poodle" is a fearsome-looking Martian beast, but still, its not exactly the best way to make friends and influence people.

From there Morgan becomes trapped in the politics of the Byzantine Martian royal court, spurns the advances of a would-be lover (remember, he is bitter and heartbroken: this was a surprisingly well done touch), and must escape his hosts to avoid his chosen role as an expendable political pawn. Adventures of all sorts follow, with dazzling swordplay, feats of strength, and other standard trials, tribulations and treacheries being overcome.

There is something of a race-war element, potentially, to these stories, which is jarring to a modern reader. If you can leave that to one side, then this is a forgotten classic, a Martian romp as good as Burroughs.