The Gods of Mars is another exciting installment in the John Carter/Barsoom series. This one picks up from the cliffhanger that ended the first book of the series. John Carter returns to Mars after being on Earth for 10 years. Eager to be reunited with his Martian princess (assuming she still lives and moreover hasn't moved on romantically), he unexpectedly finds himself transported to the Martian version of the Garden of Eden... a place from which there is no return. And there Carter immediately faces the proverbial "trouble in paradise." The action starts from the first chapter and the momentum builds chapter after chapter, never letting up.The ride is a lot of fun. Some of the action sequences epitomize the pulp genre; suspenseful, imaginative, and described with a flair for the dramatic ("my seething blade wove a net of death around me"). The same could be said for the book as a whole. Just when things are looking up for our hero John Carter, there's a twist and all seems lost. And just when all seems lost, by chance things begin to look up. It's not unpredictable, but it's fast-paced pulp-ish fun.I really enjoy Burroughs's world-building, with fleets of flying battleships floating above the alien Martian landscape ("under the glorious rays of the two moons we sped noiselessly across the dead sea," and, "Below us lay a typical Martian landscape. Rolling ochre sea bottom of long dead seas... with here and there the grim and silent cities of the dead past; great piles of mighty architecture tenanted only by age-old memories of a once powerful race"). In a few sentences Burroughs can paint an alien vista that's a feast for the imagination. Admittedly his prose is wordy, but then like other pulp authors he was being paid by the word.There may not be a lot of deep literary value here (Burroughs himself admitted as much) but the influence of the Barsoom series can't be disregarded. This book series launched an entire subgenre of fantasy/sci-fi that's popularly called "planetary romance" or "sword and planet", in which interplanetary romance, swashbuckling space-based action (lightsaber duels, anyone?), and battles between "sailing ships of the skies" became a mainstay. Barsoom inspired young readers like Bradbury, Clarke, and Heinlein, all to later become science fiction luminaries. Barsoom even has the dubious distinction of being one of the first sci-fi stories with its own alien language (i.e., "Klingonese" nearly five and a half decades before Star Trek of the late 1960's).And although the hallmarks of Barsoom -- like other pulp series -- may be action sequences and two-dimensional characters, it doesn't lack for social commentary. On Mars the races are divided into four classes: red Martians, white Martians, black Martians, and green Martians. The whites are the holy leaders that live in the Garden of Eden, the reds are the more ordinary folk (builders, scientists, craftsmen, soldiers), the greens are a four-armed "savage" tribal race, and the blacks are the pirates of the skies that "pride themselves upon their idleness" and prey on the lower orders "who live merely that [the black pirates] may enjoy long lives of luxury" and whose leader is feared throughout Mars as a vindictive goddess. Add to this bisexual, mindless, man-eating plant men and the giant white apes and you have a panoply of colorful races via which Burroughs is able to draw his analogies concerning skin color and racism. As an example, John Carter amasses a team of sidekicks of a variety of races, about whom he says, "In that little party there was not one who would desert another; yet we were of different countries, different colours, different races, different religions -- and one of us was of a different world." Furthermore, the "savage" green Martians turn out to have more heart and soul than they are originally given credit for by the other Martian races. These are some progressive ideas for 1913.Mars, as Burroughs defines it, is a dying world and its social fabric is shaped by the existence of very limited resources that rest in the hands of a very few. This of course lends itself to further socio-political commentary (although this occurs more overtly in the first book of the series, A Princess of Mars). As one example, the green Martians have set up a communal society in which everyone owns an equal share in everything, and concerning this Burroughs expresses (via the voice of his narrator) doubts about the efficacy of a Marxist system.More than anything else, however, this entire novel is a parable about the dangers of corruption within organized religion. Please do read the novel to see why, but here are a few quotes about the religion of Mars which obviously describe Burroughs's sentiments about religion in our own society. Speaking of the black Martians (the "idle elite") and white Martians (aka, the "Holy Therns"), one of John Carter's Martian companions has the realization that, "The whole fabric of our religion is based upon a superstitious belief in lies that have been foisted upon us for ages by those directly above us, to whose personal profit and aggrandizement it was to have us continue to believe as they wished us to believe." In regards to the Martians in general, John Carter observes: "I knew how strong a hold a creed, however ridiculous it may be, may gain upon an otherwise intelligent people," and, "it is very hard to accept a new religion for an old, no matter how alluring the promises of the new may be; but to reject the old as a tissue of falsehoods without being offered anything in its stead [as John Carter emplores the people of Mars to do] is indeed a most difficult thing to ask of any people."In summary, I enjoyed this book even more than the first in the series for its pacing, world-building, social commentary, and cliffhanger ending. I'm looking forward to reading the third in the John Carter trilogy.Finally, I should mention that this book, as well as those immediately preceding it and following it in the series, are available for free in electronic form on Amazon thanks to a team of volunteers that have transcribed it to ebook format for all of us to enjoy.
the further adventures of John Carter on Barsoom! John Carter returns to Mars after a mysterious 10-year absence! he appears in the vale of the Plant Men and the White Apes! you better run, John Carter, run! uh oh, John you are running right into the clifftop lair of the dreaded White Men of Mars! and then into the subterranean lair of the dreaded Black Men of Mars! think fast and carry a big sword, John Carter!John Carter wears an excited yet contemptuous expression while slaughtering his enemies! he's a man's man! he laughs at danger then runs right towards it! and yet he has no problem shedding tears at the thought of women and children in danger! awww! the White Men of Mars are cannibalistic theocrats who eat the Red and Green Men! they think they are better than everyone else and so they don't mind eating "lower life forms"! jerks! apparently their genetic heritage is so fucked that the men are all frail and can't even grow hair on their heads - so they have to wear wigs! ha, ha! ugly, wimpy cannibalistic White Men! John Carter spends some time with a princess of the White Men named Phaidor, but she turns out to be a bloodthirsty bitch!the Black Men of Mars are cannibalistic theocrats who eat the White Men and kidnap White Women to turn into slaves! they worship an old bat who calls herself the Goddess Issus! i think she is spelling that incorrectly! John Carter describes the Black Men as having features that are "handsome in the extreme" and says "their bodies are divine"! he practically swoons while gazing at the tableau of a bunch of them hanging around in nothing much except beautiful jeweled harnesses! he notes that it may seem odd for a Southerner to think that the Black Men's ebony skin "adds to rather than detracts from their marvellous beauty"! um, awkward comment! John Carter makes two new friends! Thuvia the Red Maid, who loves him so much she wants to be his slave! and Xodor the Black Pirate who is pure awesomeness and the best character!John Carter has a 10-year old son! his name is Cathoris! that name sounds like some kind of illness to me! yuck! bad name! Edgar Rice Burroughs got a little giddy while writing this one! a little over-the-top! it made me snicker a bit! purple pulp prose goes POP! POP! POP! but still, it was enjoyable!Edgar Rice Burroughs must have really hated organized religion! he makes a point of showing how the religion of the Red Men and the Green Men is an utter sham! Phaidor describes her White religion and it is totally repulsive and offensive and moronic! Xodor describes his Black religion and it is totally absurd and bizarre like out of some classic pulp scifi novel! the depiction of the complex and layered and fascinatingly intertwined faiths of Barsoom was the best part of the novel for me! Burroughs sure had an axe to grind and i loved watching him grind it! grind, Edgar, grind!
What do You think about The Gods Of Mars (1963)?
john carter is by far the most loathsome arrogant predictable hero I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFElike i dont know why people are whining OH DISNEY IS GOING TO RUIN IT because these books are fucking HAM HANDED PERFECT DISNEY MATERIALlike the book spends TWO CHAPTERS with a character who is OBVIOUSLY john carters son, he talks like him, he fights like him, he JUMPS WAYYYY HIGH like him etc etc, but carter is too busy talking about "if i knew what fear is like im sure i would be feeling it now' and how heroic he is, and how everyone on mars loves him, and his stupid princess, and his perfect plans that ALWAYS GO PERFECTLYit made a HUGE difference that me and ma'am read this book aloud to eachother in bed, funny voices and all because otherwise it would just be IMPOSSIBLE to deal withi give it two stars only becuase of the gore and ma'ams funny voicesi could deal with the first book, but since john carters son CARTHORIS is just a fucking CARBON COPY of john carters character it made the book TWICE AS BADi hope the family line ends with him, i cant deal with any more john carters
—poopdoggy ballsdotcom
If you don't like Soap Operas or don't seek bragging rights, just stop now and find something else.I tore through this book looking for some closure and satisfaction that never came.It's really not that bad and if you have absolutely nothing else to do or read, why not? Burroughs writes well and his characters are interesting.As for those that already read it;Carter will kill you with his bare hands for calling him a coward, a liar, or handling him a bit too roughly, but if you deceive and kidna
—Cleanfun
Ten years have passed since the events of A Princess of Mars. John Carter has finally found a way to return to Barsoom, and hopefully to his wife, Princess Dejah Thoris. As with the previous novel the exact method of this transportation is completely ignored - presumably because Burroughs couldn't think of a convincing way to achieve it. Again, the style of narration is unusual - there is an introduction from Carter's nephew that explains that the book is his presentation as a novel of Carter's memoirs which he found after his return to Barsoom. A third-person narrative, but one-person removed. To all intents and purposes though, the main body of the novel is third-person and the one-person removed facet doesn't distract at all.This novel delves into the Barsoomian religions, and how those religions are transposed over the planet's obvious racial tensions. The green and the red Barsoomians (who we were introduced to in the first novel) believe in a physical afterlife in another region of the planet. As they reach the end of their lives they take the pilgrimage to the Valley of Dor. Nobody returns from this place, and the few who have are killed as blasphemers upon their return. John Carter finds himself returned to Barsoom in the middle of this valley, and is immediately set upon by the two wild species that inhabit the valley. As John Carter tries to escape the valley we start to discover that the Barsoomian religion is not quite what it appears. Both white (the Holy Therns) and black (the Black Pirates) Barsoomian races are introduced to us - secretive species who control the religions of the lower colours to ensure a slave class for each of their own races. Of course, Carter reacts angrily to this injustice and determines to destroy the religious structures and ensure that the green and red Barsoomians are no longer subjugated by the 'higher' races. Interestingly, a fifth race of yellow Barsoomians is mentioned, but not introduced - I guess that's something for the next book.The novel uses lots of the same plot devices as the previous one. John Carter is always physically, intellectually and morally superior to the Barsoomians. He is again struggling to be united with the princess Dejah Thoris. The level of coincidence that operates of Barsoom is incredible - the right people always just happen to appear at the right time when John Carter needs them, or to have just departed the day before John Carter arrives to meet them. Again, John Carter repeatedly lets us know that he's not a ladies man, while multiple Barsoomian beauties repeatedly throw themselves at him. We are repeatedly witness to John Carter's reckless pursuit of freedom and fair play for the slightly backward species of the Barsoomians. He is, after all, destroying their religion 'for their own good' - there are elements which certainly seem to parallel western colonial history, as well as elements which attack religions which use their hierarchy to exploit those not in their inner circles. And, finally, he will of course bring the Barsoomians another step closer to a more civilised state and end up separated from his beloved Dejah Thoris in some way that will set up the cliff-hanger for the next novel. Phew.Ultimately though, The Gods of Mars is a riotously fun boys own adventure, told through pulp science fiction. Burroughs continues to sit at the top of that pulp category however, as the writing and characterisation is certainly better than the simplistic and repetitious plot devices might suggest.
—James
