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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Entertaining nonsense. There are four stories attempting to live together as a novel here, and it doesn't really work: each story is fine on its own but the idea that they create a narrative is silly. There's a faint throughline provided by a warlord attempting to seize the titular grand-daughter of John Carter of Mars and make her his eighth wife, but it's not enough. It would have been better if these had been individual stories, each with an intro and resolution of their own, instead of the ramshackle collection they form as published.
Still, there's fast action and some cleverness here, and I liked it. It's goofy to run into a 2nd colony of invisible Martians (especially when acting as if there had not been a first) but whatever. It's John Carter. You just read it and allow the ridiculousness to wash on over you and pass you by.
Still, there's fast action and some cleverness here, and I liked it. It's goofy to run into a 2nd colony of invisible Martians (especially when acting as if there had not been a first) but whatever. It's John Carter. You just read it and allow the ridiculousness to wash on over you and pass you by.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'M FINALLY FINISHED WITH THIS SERIES AND CAN GIVE THE BOOKS BACK TO MY UNCLE!
Yes, I know this isn't very last book in the series, but it's the last of which my uncle had and word on the streets is that John Carter of Mars ain't that great, so I am officially ending my reading of the Barsoom series with Llana of Gathol; something that took nearly a year to do, more than it should've, because of other books I read in between.
Alright, let's get into it!
So, at this point in time John has a granddaughter Llana, the daughter of his daughter Tara, but she's vanished. John seeking solitude from his current role as prince and warlord of Mars, seeks to think in solitude and comes upon the ruined city of Horz. There he encounters a group of White Martians after rescuing one of their members, Pan Dan Chee, and their jeddak condemns John and Pan Dan Chee to be imprisoned underground so no one outside of Horz learns about the people living there. Here, John finds his granddaughter Llana and learns that another Martian jeddak Hin Abtol tried for her hand, but she rejected him and he kidnapped her, then she fled. Llana warns John that Hin Abtol desires to conquer all of Barsoom, including her home of Gathol and Helium. John takes Llana and Pan Dan Chee on a series of adventures that lead them to a confrontation with Hin Abtol.
Off the bat, I have to say that, while this book--it's really a collection of related novellas--moved at a fairly fast pace, I feel that it is a bit weaker than the previous books. It feels like Edgar Rice Burroughs had run out of or just repeated the same ideas at this point. It's a very formulaic storyline: John finds a damsel and befriends members of other Martian races, fights ensue, John leaves etc. Except this formula was repeated a few times within Llana of Gathol. After reading so many of these books, I'm kind of tired of it. Which is a shame, because this series definitely could be fun and John can be an enjoyable main character, but I kind of wished Burroughs focused on other characters rather than John because being within the same POV for multiple books got tiring. Nonetheless, Burroughs delivered great fights scenes and the worldbuilding here was pretty interesting. For a series that began before we made major scientific discoveries and accomplishments, the science Burroughs utilized and baked into this world was commendable.
I will also comment that Burroughs' depiction of women had greatly improved by this point. Again, it's considered bare minimum to the women characters we have today from other authors and stories, but it really is charming to see Burroughs write women who actually can and want to fight. Llana is a littler bit of a damsel, but she has John's blood flowing through her, so she isn't totally passive. She's a sassy little thing, especially towards John and Pan Dan Chee's expressions of romantic interest in her. After John and Pan Dan Chee first find her in the beginning, she picks up a sword and is ready to do battle. In once scene, John finds an enemy trying to pushed her in submission, but she's fighting back and not screaming like a fragile maiden. Heck, she even assists John with the kill. Sadly, however, we got so little of her.
However, one big problem with Llana of Gathol is that it highlights some of the work aspects of Burroughs' racial beliefs. Let's jsut say there's a scene where John uses body cream to paint himself like a Black Martian and....yeah...it's not great. Race has always been a major issue for this series, but what's weird is that John always found a friend amongst the other Martians: Tars Tarkas, Xodar, etc. It made me think, "Hey, maybe Burroughs might be moving past some of his more bigoted beliefs," but then he would do a 180. Side note: I miss Tars and the other characters we haven't seen for ages, but alas it's not meant to be.
My overall thoughts: I am still glad that I read a foundational sci-fi series, even if parts of it weren't great. It's interesting to see how it's influenced the genre and how the genre's changed over time. Sword and planet is a subgenre that hasn't gotten a lot of love in these more recent times, though many John Carter comics abound. There's things to like here, so I hope that one day John Carter's world gets a revamp that retains the adventurous feeling of the stories while updating the more antiquated things; and if not that, the sword and planet subgenre gets a renewal.
So, so long for now, Burroughs and John, Dejah, and the rest. It's been swell, sometimes.
Yes, I know this isn't very last book in the series, but it's the last of which my uncle had and word on the streets is that John Carter of Mars ain't that great, so I am officially ending my reading of the Barsoom series with Llana of Gathol; something that took nearly a year to do, more than it should've, because of other books I read in between.
Alright, let's get into it!
So, at this point in time John has a granddaughter Llana, the daughter of his daughter Tara, but she's vanished. John seeking solitude from his current role as prince and warlord of Mars, seeks to think in solitude and comes upon the ruined city of Horz. There he encounters a group of White Martians after rescuing one of their members, Pan Dan Chee, and their jeddak condemns John and Pan Dan Chee to be imprisoned underground so no one outside of Horz learns about the people living there. Here, John finds his granddaughter Llana and learns that another Martian jeddak Hin Abtol tried for her hand, but she rejected him and he kidnapped her, then she fled. Llana warns John that Hin Abtol desires to conquer all of Barsoom, including her home of Gathol and Helium. John takes Llana and Pan Dan Chee on a series of adventures that lead them to a confrontation with Hin Abtol.
Off the bat, I have to say that, while this book--it's really a collection of related novellas--moved at a fairly fast pace, I feel that it is a bit weaker than the previous books. It feels like Edgar Rice Burroughs had run out of or just repeated the same ideas at this point. It's a very formulaic storyline: John finds a damsel and befriends members of other Martian races, fights ensue, John leaves etc. Except this formula was repeated a few times within Llana of Gathol. After reading so many of these books, I'm kind of tired of it. Which is a shame, because this series definitely could be fun and John can be an enjoyable main character, but I kind of wished Burroughs focused on other characters rather than John because being within the same POV for multiple books got tiring. Nonetheless, Burroughs delivered great fights scenes and the worldbuilding here was pretty interesting. For a series that began before we made major scientific discoveries and accomplishments, the science Burroughs utilized and baked into this world was commendable.
I will also comment that Burroughs' depiction of women had greatly improved by this point. Again, it's considered bare minimum to the women characters we have today from other authors and stories, but it really is charming to see Burroughs write women who actually can and want to fight. Llana is a littler bit of a damsel, but she has John's blood flowing through her, so she isn't totally passive. She's a sassy little thing, especially towards John and Pan Dan Chee's expressions of romantic interest in her. After John and Pan Dan Chee first find her in the beginning, she picks up a sword and is ready to do battle. In once scene, John finds an enemy trying to pushed her in submission, but she's fighting back and not screaming like a fragile maiden. Heck, she even assists John with the kill. Sadly, however, we got so little of her.
However, one big problem with Llana of Gathol is that it highlights some of the work aspects of Burroughs' racial beliefs. Let's jsut say there's a scene where John uses body cream to paint himself like a Black Martian and....yeah...it's not great. Race has always been a major issue for this series, but what's weird is that John always found a friend amongst the other Martians: Tars Tarkas, Xodar, etc. It made me think, "Hey, maybe Burroughs might be moving past some of his more bigoted beliefs," but then he would do a 180. Side note: I miss Tars and the other characters we haven't seen for ages, but alas it's not meant to be.
My overall thoughts: I am still glad that I read a foundational sci-fi series, even if parts of it weren't great. It's interesting to see how it's influenced the genre and how the genre's changed over time. Sword and planet is a subgenre that hasn't gotten a lot of love in these more recent times, though many John Carter comics abound. There's things to like here, so I hope that one day John Carter's world gets a revamp that retains the adventurous feeling of the stories while updating the more antiquated things; and if not that, the sword and planet subgenre gets a renewal.
So, so long for now, Burroughs and John, Dejah, and the rest. It's been swell, sometimes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have completely given up on reading Burrough's Mars books in order, and that really isn't much of a problem. In this one, the heroic John Carter wanders the dying planet of Mars in search of his grandaughter, Llana of Gathol, fighting off a legion of the ancient dead, an army of frozen and then thawed warriors, a city of invisible people (who can only be seen under special lights), and a host of other challenges. Like all the Barsoom books, this combines the best of classic science fiction with lots of sword-play, adventure, and space ships that are more like galleons. Thanks choo!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Behold! A microcosm of the Barsoom series, but repeated four times over. Each and every tired trope trotted out to have it's two pages in the sun - damosels in distress, heretofore undiscovered tribes and peoples, imprisonment and the inevitable singular friend from the hostile city. At least the new Audible narrator was pretty good.
Out of the whole Mars series, this is problem my least favorite. It's another good adventure story, with action and narrow escapes, but it's kind of the same thing that's happened in the previous nine books. It's still a good read and introduces yet even more interesting people in the land of Barsoom.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Marketed as a collection of novellas, but it's basically one connected story. Smoother than a lot of the predecessors, and for once the Picked-Up Foreign Girl is playing her own game.
Although this novel exasperated the level of unlikely chance occurring, it still featured John Carter of Mars in his finest as both a master swordsman and a cunning tactician. The author, looking on how to expand his stable of unique people on Mars tested the limit of credulity with the invisible people. They seemed so silly.