Customer Reviews

The Swordsman of Mars

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I love ERB and REH and the like so when I read the blurb on this book, that the author was on a par with ERB I scoffed. I just didn't believe it. I don't know how many books I've read where the author was purported to be just that. The equal of Edgar Rice Burroughs! I guess it's become something of a challenge. To find an author I actually enjoy in that same genre, if not as well. But this was a very pleasant surprise. I finished in one session. Always interesting turns, nothing too melodramatic or expected. I really enjoyed it! And kept it! Usually I read them once and get rid of them! Right to the end there were unexpected little fillips. Lol, so I'm naive but it was good!

I didn't find Kline as addictive as I did Burroughs. I couldn't put the John Carter books down until I had read the last page. Kline was a little more tedious. The book combines the female characters of ERB's Barsoom books with villains from his Moon Maid. He even uses the same bisyllabic, vaguely-Chinese names that Burroughs favored. Kline's Kamud is identical to ERB's Kazars. But Thorne is a lot more one-dimensional and less compelling than Carter; he doesn't go through any of the adjustments Carter did, such as learning the language, culture shock, or the comedic gravity adjustments. And the juvenile editing was annoying. The publisher obviously used a computer to spellcheck. There were several times when a word was spelled correctly, but was clearly the WRONG word, such as the "truck of a tree" (an actual example). For a paperback of this price, I would think they could have exercised much more care.

I was actually shocked that it was so good. I enjoyed Harry Thorne and his exploits every bit as much as those of John Carter. Kline's mars is just as memorable, brutal and exciting. Fun read.

Otis Adelbert Kline's The Swordsman of Mars shares most of the common features of the "sword and planet" genre started by Edgar Rice Burroughs: an Earth-man suddenly transported to a Mars which has a mix of technology both ancient and futuristic; the Earth-man becomes involved in local intrigue and survives all manner of swashbuckling adventure through his quick wit and sharp swordplay; a beautiful native Mars maiden falls madly in love with him; and the hero realizes that Mars, and the life of adventure it promises, is far superior to his hum-drum life on Earth. However, Kline's writing is engaging, has some nice twists, and the story moves along quickly. There's a certain freshness and energy to The Swordsman of Mars that seemed lacking from Michael Moorcock's more jaded pastiches. Kline unfortunately died in middle-aged and so his production was cut short, but I'm looking forward to reading his other entry in the Planet Stories line, The Outlaws of Mars.

State of the art planetary adventure, circa 1933. Earthman Harry Thorne finds himself implausibly transported to Mars, where he becomes embroiled in the usual palace intrigues, swordfights, encounters with strange and dangerous flora and fauna, imprisonments and escapes, etc. and in the end finds himself ruling pretty much the whole darn planet. Kline (who was one of the original editors of Weird Tales magazine in the 20's and was also Robert E. Howard's literary agent) was considered the only real rival to Edgar Rice Burroughs. He wasn't quite the exotic world-inventor that Burroughs was (Kline's Mars is a trifle pale next to ERB's), but he had some strengths of his own - he didn't rely on coincidence as much as Burroughs did, and his female characters are more competent and independent than Burroughs' ever were, which was a pleasant surprise. Good clean fun. (With violence - that's the best kind!)

Swordsman of Mars is a 1930's sword and planet story by Otis Adelbert Kline, who wrote a lot of this stuff back in the day. His ouvre was primarily based on Venus - Planet of Peril, et al - in contrast to Burroughs' John Carter of Mars novels. So why is this set on Mars...and why did Burroughs write some stories set on Venus...who knows, but the rumors of a feud between the two were probably wrong, and a little publicity never hurt anyone. There is a good introduction by Micheal Moorcock giving us a useful look at Kline, and some background. So, for all that, is Swordsman of Mars any good? Yes.

Harry Thorne, penniless and broken hearted - or rather his consciousness - is sent to Mars by way of "thought-transference" developed by an American scientist, to exchange bodies with a young Prince of Mars. This attempt at "science" may seem laughable today, but really, how he gets to Mars is as relevant as Alice going through the looking glass, except that it explains why he can't jump like he's on a trampoline, and why people think he's someone else. Its what he does once he is there that is relevant.

His mission is to track down another Earthman sent to Mars, a criminal, and to defeat a tyrannical dictator that rules with an steely fist. From this the usual adventures follow - fleeing for one's life, pretty Martian girls (in fact, Thorne finds himself in something of a love triangle; luckily - if somewhat predictably - it is two girls and him) an antogonist to be defeated, strange Martain beasts, etc - and Thorne must use all his wit and strength to avoid death and disaster. There are sieges and battles, all proceeding at a gripping pace.

Kline writes with force, and this is as good as Burroughs' tales of Mars, if set in a distinctly different world. There is nothing "new" here, in one sense, but simply a story well told to sweep along the reader.

Kaor. I have to admit that O.A.K.'s "Swordsman of Mars" is almost as compelling as any one of Burroughs' Martian tales! E.R.B. is the Master, but O.A.K. is a very close second. If you like John Carter and his adventures on Barsoom, you will probably enjoy Harry Thorne. I'm a huge Burroughs fan and I enjoyed this book! Thank you "Planet Stories" for ressurecting Otis Adelbert Kline!