Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs was first published in 1913. It was the third book in an eleven part series known as the Barsoom Chronicles which relate to a sequence of exciting adventure tales set on the fictional planet of Barsoom. In the Barsoom series, Mars, assumed to be older than Earth, is a dying planet. “Barsoom” is the native word for Mars in the Martian language. The stories first appeared in serialized form in various magazines like All-Story, Argosy, Amazing Stories and The Blue Book. They were later compiled into book form and were hugely popular in their day. Edgar Rice Burroughs, known more famously as the creator of the Lord of the Jungle, Tarzan, was an extremely prolific American writer who churned out potboilers by the hundreds. His work covered several genres including science fiction, adventure tales, historical sagas and Westerns. Though literary critics carped at what they called “pulp fiction” Burroughs’ influence on generations of young people in search of excitement and adventure is undeniable. He influenced “more serious” writers to explore the world of Sci-Fi writing. Burroughs was also extremely media savvy and far ahead of his time about marketing his work. Tarzan was converted into a bestselling comic strip, film rights were sold, Tarzan theme parks and merchandise were planned. The Barsoom series is based on the expedition of Earthmen to Mars by a mysterious method of transportation that involves astral projection. John Carter an American Civil War veteran travels to Mars, engages in fierce battles for supremacy with various denizens of the Red Planet and falls in love with and marries one of its lovely inhabitants. In Warlord of Mars, the hero, John Carter’s mission is to rescue his wife Princess Dejah Thoris who has been imprisoned by the evil Goddess Issus. Carter explores deeper and further into the planet’s far flung regions and discovers all manner of fantastic creatures who he has to vanquish to gain the title of Warlord of Mars. In the Barsoom series, Burroughs has created an entire fictional universe, complete with history, geography, politics, religion and people with their own set of values. He based much of his work on the scientific information available at the time and used it to create these fantasy worlds. For Sci-Fi fans, Warlord of Mars is indeed a gripping and entertaining read.