justgina93's review against another edition
Savagery imagery like whoa. II love it. It's kind of cool that the Thern has a stone in their head like Vision (Marvel). I bet that's where the idea came from.
The way Edgar wrote the characters are just so great. Loved Isis and being in love with john but he's like ah no sorry, Dejah is the only one for me. Very different worded than orginal. It sounded as of this one was before the first one the way he certain words. Makes no sense. Still really enjoyed the audiobook.
The way Edgar wrote the characters are just so great. Loved Isis and being in love with john but he's like ah no sorry, Dejah is the only one for me. Very different worded than orginal. It sounded as of this one was before the first one the way he certain words. Makes no sense. Still really enjoyed the audiobook.
mnakka9's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely amazing, and awesomely exhilarating action makes this sci-fi a worthwhile read.
Love you Edgar Rice Burroughs!!!!
Love you Edgar Rice Burroughs!!!!
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally published on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures. Please stop by to see more reviews!
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/01/12/gods-mars-edgar-rice-burroughs/
Ten years after A Princess of Mars, Confederate veteran John Carter is once again returned to Barsoom and finds himself in a completely unfamiliar setting.
When Martians are ready to die, they take a voluntary pilgrimage to the Valley of Dor and follow the River Iss, where a peaceful afterlife awaits. However, when John Carter finds himself there, he doesn’t see any evidence of peace. Instead, he sees vicious plant-men and the deadly great white apes. The further he delves into the region, the more evidence he uncovers that the religions of Barsoom are a lie designed to sustain another secret civilization. He rescues a young woman named Thuvia, and together they plan their escape.
I enjoy the fact that Thuvia isn’t completely helpless. Yes, she’s been held captive for many years, but as soon as John Carter rescues her, she becomes a necessary part of his team. Without her mastery over vicious beasts, their escape would have been impossible. Of course, there are times where she’s the damsel in distress, but that’s part of the whole sword-and-planet aesthetic.
This is pulp fiction at its best, although like most older pulp, it can be a little bit un-PC at times. John Carter encounters the only black people on Mars, who happen to be bloodthirsty pirates. They’re also described in an almost homoerotic way, so we’ve got incredibly sexy bloodthirsty pirates, which were a lot of fun to imagine. Despite the stereotypical descriptions, one of the major themes in this book is that people can be good friends and comrades no matter what their backgrounds. One of the pirates, Xodar, becomes a crucial member of John Carter’s group.
"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."
I’m actually a bit surprised at how progressive the themes are for 1913. In fact, I think that a lot of people in today’s world could stand to learn from them. Upon discovering empirical evidence that parts of the Martian religion were false, John Carter decides that it is his ethical duty to tell people about it, even though he knows that they might kill him for it.
"Only thus may we carry the truth to those without, and though the likelihood of our narrative being given credence is, I grant you, remote, so wedded are mortals to their stupid infatuation for impossible superstitions, we should be craven cowards indeed were we to shirk the plain duty which confronts us."
He doesn’t want any more people to be torn apart by the plant men and the great white apes and then eaten by cannibals, which seems like a pretty reasonable position. He realizes that even though people have believed in the sacred pilgrimage for thousands of years, the duration of a belief doesn’t make that belief true. John Carter’s resolve is further strengthened when he learns that his beloved Princess, Dejah Thoris, has recently taken the pilgrimage in his absence. He vows to save her, although it is a race against time, and he fears that he is too late.
The science in The Gods of Mars is a bit silly, which is to be expected. I’m still baffled that John Carter and Dejah Thoris have a kid, because even though Dejah Thoris is humanoid, she lays eggs. And as I mentioned in my review of A Princess of Mars, nobody on Mars wears clothes, even though Mars is a lot colder than Earth is at night.
Just as a warning, the book ends on a cliffhanger, so you may want to have the next book in the series ready to read when you finish The Gods of Mars. Luckily, the books are old enough to be in the public domain, and are all free online.
I would highly recommend reading Burroughs’ Barsoom novels. The Gods of Mars was just as enjoyable as A Princess of Mars, and I’m excited to read more of John Carter’s adventures.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/01/12/gods-mars-edgar-rice-burroughs/
Ten years after A Princess of Mars, Confederate veteran John Carter is once again returned to Barsoom and finds himself in a completely unfamiliar setting.
When Martians are ready to die, they take a voluntary pilgrimage to the Valley of Dor and follow the River Iss, where a peaceful afterlife awaits. However, when John Carter finds himself there, he doesn’t see any evidence of peace. Instead, he sees vicious plant-men and the deadly great white apes. The further he delves into the region, the more evidence he uncovers that the religions of Barsoom are a lie designed to sustain another secret civilization. He rescues a young woman named Thuvia, and together they plan their escape.
I enjoy the fact that Thuvia isn’t completely helpless. Yes, she’s been held captive for many years, but as soon as John Carter rescues her, she becomes a necessary part of his team. Without her mastery over vicious beasts, their escape would have been impossible. Of course, there are times where she’s the damsel in distress, but that’s part of the whole sword-and-planet aesthetic.
This is pulp fiction at its best, although like most older pulp, it can be a little bit un-PC at times. John Carter encounters the only black people on Mars, who happen to be bloodthirsty pirates. They’re also described in an almost homoerotic way, so we’ve got incredibly sexy bloodthirsty pirates, which were a lot of fun to imagine. Despite the stereotypical descriptions, one of the major themes in this book is that people can be good friends and comrades no matter what their backgrounds. One of the pirates, Xodar, becomes a crucial member of John Carter’s group.
"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."
I’m actually a bit surprised at how progressive the themes are for 1913. In fact, I think that a lot of people in today’s world could stand to learn from them. Upon discovering empirical evidence that parts of the Martian religion were false, John Carter decides that it is his ethical duty to tell people about it, even though he knows that they might kill him for it.
"Only thus may we carry the truth to those without, and though the likelihood of our narrative being given credence is, I grant you, remote, so wedded are mortals to their stupid infatuation for impossible superstitions, we should be craven cowards indeed were we to shirk the plain duty which confronts us."
He doesn’t want any more people to be torn apart by the plant men and the great white apes and then eaten by cannibals, which seems like a pretty reasonable position. He realizes that even though people have believed in the sacred pilgrimage for thousands of years, the duration of a belief doesn’t make that belief true. John Carter’s resolve is further strengthened when he learns that his beloved Princess, Dejah Thoris, has recently taken the pilgrimage in his absence. He vows to save her, although it is a race against time, and he fears that he is too late.
The science in The Gods of Mars is a bit silly, which is to be expected. I’m still baffled that John Carter and Dejah Thoris have a kid, because even though Dejah Thoris is humanoid, she lays eggs. And as I mentioned in my review of A Princess of Mars, nobody on Mars wears clothes, even though Mars is a lot colder than Earth is at night.
Just as a warning, the book ends on a cliffhanger, so you may want to have the next book in the series ready to read when you finish The Gods of Mars. Luckily, the books are old enough to be in the public domain, and are all free online.
I would highly recommend reading Burroughs’ Barsoom novels. The Gods of Mars was just as enjoyable as A Princess of Mars, and I’m excited to read more of John Carter’s adventures.
kylearnzen's review against another edition
4.0
These books are just plain fun. It definitely reads like a serial, which makes sense, because that's how it was originally published. I feel bad for the people back then who had to wait six years between the first novel and this one. It ended on as exciting of a cliffhanger as its predecessor, so I'm diving right into the third one.
meetmeinmalkovich's review against another edition
3.0
I am a bit upset right now. This is a suspenseful book - it kept me up two nights in a row just to leave me hanging at the end!!! (I'm not a huge fan of cliffhangars)
The second of the Barsoom series picks up where the first left off - John Carter is back on Earth longing to be back with Dejah Thoris. Finally, after ten Earth years, he finds his way back to Mars only to be prisoner in the Valley Dor - which is basically a living Hell on Mars that only one man in all of Martian history has escaped from. There he happens upon his faithful friend Tars Tarkas who took the sacred pilgrimage to his so-called death, only to learn that the whole basis of Martian religion has been a giant lie and a scheme to benefit the lives of the “Holy” Thern and of the First Born.
While Tars Tarkas was able to escape the clutches of the First Born, John Carter has been taken captive and brought deep down below the crust of the planet where he sets his eyes on the divine Issus, Goddess of Death and Life Eternal. But his ever-strong will to be joined with his long lost love pushes him to the very last page of this book.
The second of the Barsoom series picks up where the first left off - John Carter is back on Earth longing to be back with Dejah Thoris. Finally, after ten Earth years, he finds his way back to Mars only to be prisoner in the Valley Dor - which is basically a living Hell on Mars that only one man in all of Martian history has escaped from. There he happens upon his faithful friend Tars Tarkas who took the sacred pilgrimage to his so-called death, only to learn that the whole basis of Martian religion has been a giant lie and a scheme to benefit the lives of the “Holy” Thern and of the First Born.
While Tars Tarkas was able to escape the clutches of the First Born, John Carter has been taken captive and brought deep down below the crust of the planet where he sets his eyes on the divine Issus, Goddess of Death and Life Eternal. But his ever-strong will to be joined with his long lost love pushes him to the very last page of this book.
2000rebecca2000's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
tacanderson's review against another edition
3.0
This was written in a different time and it shows. If you can look past the inherent racism/sexism, the stories are simple but interesting. I wonder how something contemporary like this would fair today. I don't see a lot of "pulp" style fiction getting published. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.
catpingu's review against another edition
5.0
Edgar Rice Burroughs does nothing but impress! If the John Carter series was originally written like this, then what does his Tarzan sound like? #Interested to know*
A continuation from the first book, John Carter is back on Barsoom! (I won't give the date because of the time difference from Earth and Mars). He's attacked right off the bat by monsters, but is accompanied by his old ally Tars Tarkas.
He is intermittently told about the fate of Barsoom and his family during the years of his disappearance, and vows to return to his family.
*Events occur that I shall not mention at this time*
Bada-bing bada-boom, John Carter is back in the business of being the awesomest Earthling on Mars!
I hope I can get my hands on a copy of the third book!
A continuation from the first book, John Carter is back on Barsoom! (I won't give the date because of the time difference from Earth and Mars). He's attacked right off the bat by monsters, but is accompanied by his old ally Tars Tarkas.
He is intermittently told about the fate of Barsoom and his family during the years of his disappearance, and vows to return to his family.
*Events occur that I shall not mention at this time*
Bada-bing bada-boom, John Carter
Spoiler
has a son and 2 other Martians start hitting on him, Dejah Thoris is...uhm...((I don't really know)) nearly murdered by one of them...P.S., that was a little spoiler ;PI hope I can get my hands on a copy of the third book!
subnetzero's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5