22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a truly remarkable experience, January 31, 2007
This review is from: A Princess of Mars (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
In this--Edgar Rice Burroughs' first tale of life on Mars (Barsoom to its inhabitants)--we see a brilliantly conceived world featuring titanic green monsters and gorgeous red princesses battling forever across a dying landscape. From the opening set in the American southwest to the deserted cities on Mars to great battles between balkanized nations, this is brilliant adventure fiction. John Carter, the hero, is just standard enough in the pulp vein for readers to identify with him, even as his agelessness and ability to defy Death make him truly intriguing. Even though Dejah Thoris--the princess from whom the novel takes its title--really does very little, her beauty and intelligence are more than enough to convince any man to do as Carter does to make her love him. All this fantastic adventure in a wonderful dream-world leaves the reader panting for more after the last page has been turned. Fortunately Burroughs delivered. I can not recommend this work more highly.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So long as you ignore the introduction..., October 10, 2007
This review is from: A Princess of Mars (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
There's no question that "A Princess Of Mars"--the first in the eleven book series--is brilliant. In fact, the first three volumes of ERB's Mars are arguably the best. (By "Thuvia, Maid Of Mars" and "Chessmen Of Mars" the series starts to drag a little bit, but "Llana Of Gathol" and "Synthetic Men Of Mars" are superb!)
One piece of advice: Skip John Seelye's bitingly pretentious "introduction".
If this is your first ERB Mars experience, enjoy your sojourn on the Red Planet! Adventure and Romance await!
--Robert Carter
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Step of Carter's Martian Career., January 3, 2008
This review is from: A Princess of Mars (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
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, ecology, interaction between different races, monsters, 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 rather short text (for our standards); a high paced action story. Even if this book is more than 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.
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