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blockonthenewkid's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
More pulpy nonsense. Little bit less problematic than the first one, but made up for its improvements with some annoyances via formulaic story and a narrator whose pronunciation (gibber with a hard g, amplitheatre instead of amphitheatre and met instead of mete to name but a few).
kb_208's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty sweet adventure story. I like it a little better than the first in the series. It starts by putting John Carter right into the thick of it and it doesn't let up; not even at the end. It ends on a cliffhanger, so you gotta read the third book in the series for sure. Good stuff.
mxmlln's review against another edition
5.0
Be aware that this book does not end.
Nevertheless, it is thoroughly enjoyable. A bit more action than the first book, but still emotional and insightful. Here the Atheism is quite apparent as the truth behind the Therns and Issus are revealed. Hopefully the rest of the series is as good.
Nevertheless, it is thoroughly enjoyable. A bit more action than the first book, but still emotional and insightful. Here the Atheism is quite apparent as the truth behind the Therns and Issus are revealed. Hopefully the rest of the series is as good.
exile's review against another edition
3.0
Not half bad. As my critiques of older authors normally go, Burroughs is definitely still a new author when he penned this one, and his style is antiquated with my modern eye (i.e. it takes a bit of getting used to). The worst part is the cliffhanger ending, but unlike in 1918,I can go and download the next installment and carry-on.
angelarenea's review against another edition
2.0
This review is now posted on Reading with AngelaRenea
I know I said that I probably wouldn't read any more of these books, but I can't just leave a series hanging.
The Gods of Mars was interesting. I thought that the religious aspect of traveling down the river to what the people of Mars/Barsoom consider to be Heaven only to find hatred and corruption was interesting. I think that this speaks to a deeper fear that we all have- fear of the unknown. More specifically, fear that we have incorrectly placed our faith in an unknown and it turns out to be entirely wrong.
However yet again, I found the idea of this main character setting himself above the entire world. He finds a race of black Martians who are either evil, or ignorant and need to be educated by the Virginian slave owner. It is starting to stand out that Burroughs is more than a little racist. As I've said in a previous review, I do understand that this book was written in a different time, and there is a completely different historic context to it, but it is entirely out of control. Not only that, but I found the portrayal of women thus-far to be quite offensive. I think that there was a good idea under all of the ignorance, but found it hard to enjoy the book, and impossible to feel for the main character.But that's just me, there are many people who love these books and they have obviously stayed popular through out the years.
I would really only recommend this book to someone who enjoyed the first one. There are so many better science fiction books out there, you would be much better off picking one of those.
I know I said that I probably wouldn't read any more of these books, but I can't just leave a series hanging.
The Gods of Mars was interesting. I thought that the religious aspect of traveling down the river to what the people of Mars/Barsoom consider to be Heaven only to find hatred and corruption was interesting. I think that this speaks to a deeper fear that we all have- fear of the unknown. More specifically, fear that we have incorrectly placed our faith in an unknown and it turns out to be entirely wrong.
However yet again, I found the idea of this main character setting himself above the entire world. He finds a race of black Martians who are either evil, or ignorant and need to be educated by the Virginian slave owner. It is starting to stand out that Burroughs is more than a little racist. As I've said in a previous review, I do understand that this book was written in a different time, and there is a completely different historic context to it, but it is entirely out of control. Not only that, but I found the portrayal of women thus-far to be quite offensive. I think that there was a good idea under all of the ignorance, but found it hard to enjoy the book, and impossible to feel for the main character.But that's just me, there are many people who love these books and they have obviously stayed popular through out the years.
I would really only recommend this book to someone who enjoyed the first one. There are so many better science fiction books out there, you would be much better off picking one of those.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
2.0
I decided to read the first three John Carter books as part of a 'sci-fi classics' reading list I've put together for 2012. I will say this one was a little better than Princess of Mars, but not much. The books are terribly violent, and the protagonist is still a self-inflated white imperialist. It's fun to read the books to see what Americans thought of themselves around the time of the Great War, and to see the legacy Burroughs left on science fiction. But reading these alongside the Dune series makes it pretty hard to get excited about these antiquated tales.
kb_208's review
4.0
This was a pretty sweet adventure story. I like it a little better than the first in the series. It starts by putting John Carter right into the thick of it and it doesn't let up; not even at the end. It ends on a cliffhanger, so you gotta read the third book in the series for sure. Good stuff.
dannybailey's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75