A Princess of Mars: John Carter of Mars, Book One by Edgar Rice Burroughs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
After seeing a couple of trailers for the new movie John Carter I was wondering what the heck I just saw… and decided to give the first book in the series I try.
It takes a hefty amount of suspension of disbelief to read a sci-fi adventure written a hundred years ago. There’s a lot that Burroughs clearly gets wrong about gravity, energy, and of course Mars. There are also some baffling elements such as the idea that human-like species could have evolved independently on multiple worlds, but the Barsoom series is hardly the only offender there.
Burroughs doesn’t offer much in the way of character development or even a very complex society. Really? Everyone on the planet speaks the same language and has the same telepathic capabilities?
The tale is also rather violent.
But you know what? It’s still a fun read. If there’s one thing Burroughs manages to do, it’s to grab your attention and keep you wondering what happens next.
I wasn’t sure at first whether I’d pick up the next book in the series, but after reading the last few pages I don’t think I have much choice.
Leave a Reply