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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
More 3.5/5 stars.
Just after [b:The Gods of Mars|3147132|The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2)|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282720724l/3147132._SY75_.jpg|2816507], or at least 12 years after, John Carter is still searching for his wife Dejah Thoris and the Red Martian maiden Thuvia, along with the White Martian maiden Phaidor. They were last imprisoned in tomb, set by Phaidor's father Matai Shang, leader of the White Martian cult known as the therns. Xodar has assumed leadership of the Black Martians after John discredited the false goddess Issus. However, the Black Martian dator Thurid, dislikes John and Xodar and sets off in the middle of the night. John follows him and learns that he is in alliance with Matai Shang. Together with he faithful calot, Woola, John will traverse all of Mars once more to find his beloved wife. New allies and enemies will be made, including those of the once-thought-to-be-extinct Yellow Martians.
This was probably the best Barsoom book so far. While Edgar Rice Burroughs' typical run-on sentences are still there--which I'm not actually mad about--the prose is still pretty decent. If you've made it this far in the series, you can pretty much get around it.
John still continues to be the Virginian gentleman we've always known him to be; though he has a bit more edge in this book. He desperately wants to see Dejah again and will fight anyone and everyone who is willing to stand in his way. One thing that I did notice is that John gets injured more in this book, and has more defeats. He's in no way a weakling, but his physical defeats are more prominent here. I was fine with this as it gave him a bit of a balance to that added bit of edge. Other than that, there's obviously the damsel-in-distress stuff still going on with Dejah, but Thuvia and Phaidor show some mettle.
One thing I really did like about The Warlord of Mars, and something that has continually appeared throughout the series thus far much to my surprise, was the unity of all the Martians at the end. John makes friends and allies with all the Martians of different colors/races and unites them. This has always shocked me given that John used to be a Confederate soldier and the racial prejudices of Burroughs. Who knows? Maybe Burroughs was like H. P. Lovecraft and became slightly less prejudice as the years went on. Who knows?
Nonetheless, everything wrap-ups happily. John is finally reunited with Dejah and they kiss in a very sweet and romantic way.
Just after [b:The Gods of Mars|3147132|The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #2)|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282720724l/3147132._SY75_.jpg|2816507], or at least 12 years after, John Carter is still searching for his wife Dejah Thoris and the Red Martian maiden Thuvia, along with the White Martian maiden Phaidor. They were last imprisoned in tomb, set by Phaidor's father Matai Shang, leader of the White Martian cult known as the therns. Xodar has assumed leadership of the Black Martians after John discredited the false goddess Issus. However, the Black Martian dator Thurid, dislikes John and Xodar and sets off in the middle of the night. John follows him and learns that he is in alliance with Matai Shang. Together with he faithful calot, Woola, John will traverse all of Mars once more to find his beloved wife. New allies and enemies will be made, including those of the once-thought-to-be-extinct Yellow Martians.
This was probably the best Barsoom book so far. While Edgar Rice Burroughs' typical run-on sentences are still there--which I'm not actually mad about--the prose is still pretty decent. If you've made it this far in the series, you can pretty much get around it.
John still continues to be the Virginian gentleman we've always known him to be; though he has a bit more edge in this book. He desperately wants to see Dejah again and will fight anyone and everyone who is willing to stand in his way. One thing that I did notice is that John gets injured more in this book, and has more defeats. He's in no way a weakling, but his physical defeats are more prominent here. I was fine with this as it gave him a bit of a balance to that added bit of edge. Other than that, there's obviously the damsel-in-distress stuff still going on with Dejah, but Thuvia and Phaidor show some mettle.
One thing I really did like about The Warlord of Mars, and something that has continually appeared throughout the series thus far much to my surprise, was the unity of all the Martians at the end. John makes friends and allies with all the Martians of different colors/races and unites them. This has always shocked me given that John used to be a Confederate soldier and the racial prejudices of Burroughs. Who knows? Maybe Burroughs was like H. P. Lovecraft and became slightly less prejudice as the years went on. Who knows?
Nonetheless, everything wrap-ups happily. John is finally reunited with Dejah and they kiss in a very sweet and romantic way.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
I loved it and the ending was amazing, however it did drag a bit. Again we find ourselves on Mars with John Carter and he's on a mission to rescue his wife Deja Thoris. It requires a journey across the world and he encounters new races, new creatures and meets up with some old friends along the way. There are countless battles and near death experiences that John Carter escapes with unbelievable good luck, but that's par for the course for this series.
Unlike the previous book in this series, Gods of Mars, John Carter is journeying alone in this novel and I do think the pacing suffers slightly for it. John Carter isn't the most interesting character in his own series, so I missed the big cast of characters that supported him in the previous novel. Their minor appearances in this one just wasn't enough for me. However, all in all, it's a great, fun read.
Unlike the previous book in this series, Gods of Mars, John Carter is journeying alone in this novel and I do think the pacing suffers slightly for it. John Carter isn't the most interesting character in his own series, so I missed the big cast of characters that supported him in the previous novel. Their minor appearances in this one just wasn't enough for me. However, all in all, it's a great, fun read.
2.75 stars
I struggle with this series. There are things I love, mostly the descriptions of locations and creatures, and of course the sense of adventure and drive of John Carter is pretty compelling.
That said, it does seem like nothing can stop him (although that is the case with most adventure stories), but he's so overpowered with the whole human-on-mars thing. But with this one I got more concerned about potential problematic themes with regards to race. I am still sorting through it and how I feel about it to decide if I want to continue the series. The gender dynamics aren't great either, and I know it's an older work but it's still frustrating to read. I wll have a think on this series and we shall see if I continue it.
I struggle with this series. There are things I love, mostly the descriptions of locations and creatures, and of course the sense of adventure and drive of John Carter is pretty compelling.
That said, it does seem like nothing can stop him (although that is the case with most adventure stories), but he's so overpowered with the whole human-on-mars thing. But with this one I got more concerned about potential problematic themes with regards to race. I am still sorting through it and how I feel about it to decide if I want to continue the series. The gender dynamics aren't great either
Spoiler
the whole story revolves around 'save the princess', and I mean.... she's no wallflower so that's really frustrating
i listened to a Librivox recording of this book. It picks up where The Gods of Mars left us hanging.
Great story and some of the best sword fight scenes ever written.
Great story and some of the best sword fight scenes ever written.
This volume wraps up the story arc nicely that began in book two. We get some nice new characters, meet a new race and several new creatures, and get to explore a whole new section of Barsoom. The ending is fitting and happy; if you were to not read the entire series of eleven books, this would be a good place to stop.
Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Ludicrous, even, assuming that's a better word for the preposterous plot holes in Burroughs' Mars series. I like the first one, sure, but the stories devolved. Excruciating. And it all goes to show that you can't judge a book by its beautiful Frank Frazetta cover. Where to begin in describing this train wreck? At the end, I suppose, it's over, don't read it. Done.
Weakest of the trilogy by far, but still has a few fun moments and memorable fights.
Definitely think I did myself a disservice by having such a big break between reading this and the previous book; I’d forgotten so many of the returning characters and plot points.
Pretty stoked John Carter and Dejah Thoris finally get to spend some time together though. What a friggin’ romance. ❤️
Definitely think I did myself a disservice by having such a big break between reading this and the previous book; I’d forgotten so many of the returning characters and plot points.
Pretty stoked John Carter and Dejah Thoris finally get to spend some time together though. What a friggin’ romance. ❤️
Better than the second book, that's for sure. Still ridiculously over-the-top and cheesy, but not unpleasant. Plus, Woola's awesome.