Customer Reviews

A Princess of Mars

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*** NOTE: As mentioned below, this book is in the public domain. If you wish to read it as an ebook, get the free Kindle version here on Amazon or download it from Project Gutenberg. ***

"World Building" is the term for modern fantasy and sci fi writers who take great lengths to create fictional cultures and civilizations, and then immerse their readers in them.

They all learned it from such efforts as Edgar Rice Burroughs "Mars" series. As you read this book, you'll actually sort of wonder why the Mars Rovers didn't come across the peoples and civilizations described, and you'll feel a bit sad that they did not.

Burroughs describes two societies, one somewhat different than our own, and one completely different. He includes animals, races, social customs, and physiology that were far ahead of his time in terms of literary imagination. Of course, his books were written, self admitedly, as pulp. There are flaws in plotting and some cliche in character development, but these are quickly washed away by the compelling story and the struggles of the hero to survive, and to help those natives of Mars for whom he has come to care.

If you somehow missed these books before, they are good reads, for either older children or adults with a taste for the fanciful. The first few of the series have fallen into the public domain, and you can obtain them for free either here on Amazon for your Kindle, or from places like Project Gutenberg as text files.

The first three books comprise a trilogy: A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and Warlord of Mars. All three are public domain.

Read, enjoy, and be carried away into a world you'll bemoan the loss of when you are done with the books!

This is a nice Dover reprint of the first of Edgar Rice Burrough's Mars novel, which first appeared serialized in wide-circulation pulp magazines in the early years of the twentieth century.

Never quite as popular as Burrough's Tarzan books, the Mars series ranks right up there with the Pellucider (center of the earth) as fantasies dear to the hearts of boys of all ages. (Personally, I've always liked the Mars series better than Tarzan or Pellucider, but--as my wife notes--Burroughs does have a thing about apes, which appear on Mars as well as in the African jungle.)

The story is completely implausible, even for its time. Burrough's gee-whiz fascination with pseudo-science such as radon as a universal energy source, and mystical "rays" unknown on earth, ring particulalarly hollow.

Plopped down among the green hordes of war-like Mars, Virginia gentleman John Carter ex of the Confederate army unites the green Thark hordes to aid the Heliumite civilization of red Martians and win the hand of the incomparable Dejah Thoris in the first of the eleven Mars books.

The book is written in language that probably was intentionally pompous and archaic even for its own time, making it a great vocubulary expander for today's kids who some day will face the SATs. It's amazing that in the hundred years since it was first published, and the millions of copies sold, no one has gone through this book to fix the words spelled incorrectly and other typos.

The book conforms to todays PG rated movie standards: tons and tons of violence, and no sex. Well, Martians are hatched from eggs, anyhow.

I first read this book, and the other books in the Mars series, as a kid, far longer ago than I care to admit. Now, I'm reading them to my eight-year-old son, who loves them.

Flaws, weirdnesses, and bizarre language to the despite, I highly recommend the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books to anyone who has a taste for tales of fantastic adventures!

"I have never told this story nor shall mortal man see this manuscript until I have passed over for eternity. I know that the average human mind will not believe what it can not grasp......"

Written in 1912 this book is well written for its time and has intrigued countless generations of readers. I get the feeling that this story is being told over a campfire.

Captain Carter is telling the story form memory as an old man of his adventures here on earth and on the planet of Barsoom (Mars). There are encounters with many strange creatures, situations, and yes even a "Princess of Mars." The forward to the book alone will capture your imagination.

John Carpenter states "In one respect at least the Martians ae happy people; they have no lawers."

This is a part is a series by the writer that brought us "Tarzan." The intro to the book alone will capture your imagination.

The Great Book of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) was a prodigy of imagination. He started his writer career quite late; his first work was published in 1912. From that point on a ceaseless flow of imaginary worlds & heroes poured from his pen: John Carter of Mars, Carson Napier of Venus, David Innes and Abner Perry on Pellucidar at Earth's center and the most famous of them all Tarzan of the Apes.
As many reviewers of this and other ERB stories point out, do not expect "politically correct" tales, they are the product of a society still torn by racial prejudices.

"Princess of Mars" is an astounding piece of fantasy. First story of ERB to be published it contains the seeds of lots of sci-fi and Fantasy novels to come in the following years. Also we may detect some traits of Tarzan in John Carter character.
It's a pleasure to read so "fresh" adventures depicting a whole planet culture, interaction between different races, monsters, ecology, and inventions far ahead of ERB real world, as "rifles with explosive bullets guided by wireless sensors".

It amazes me how ERB can master in a not so extensive text (for our standards); a high paced action story. Even if this book is 90 years old, you will enjoy it from the first to the last page and possibly continue reading all Carter's series.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

this book i had to read for a book report i thought it was pretty good it was really hard to read cause the typing is written in like a 4.5 size but over all it was pretty good

A Princess of Mars is a Science Fiction classic for good reason. The exploration of new worlds and alien cultures, fierce battles in which our hero thrives, a lovely and courageous heroine, and wonderfully expressive writing combine to make this one of the best. That it is the first in a long series is even more amazing! I was late in coming to this author, but the timelessness of his tales make it a fantastic discovery. Looking forward to more!

This story is only readable if you recognize that it was written at the turn of the century. LAST century. The dialogue, the gender roles, the overly-successful hero, and the basic ideas about Mars are so very old-fashioned. But if you recognize the time period that it was written in, then it becomes palatable. Not the best story ever, but it did keep me reading.