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kristykay22's review against another edition
4.0
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!
blockonthenewkid's review against another edition
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
2.0
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.
kb_208's review against another edition
3.0
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.
loki728's review
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
3.75
valhecka's review against another edition
4.0
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.
jvan's review
3.0
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.
michaeldrakich's review
5.0
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.
clockless's review
3.0
It's possible that letting a somewhat random process choose which book I read has done me a disservice in this instance. Normally, I'd put aside books from a series until I have read the previous ones, but sometimes I get a sense that the story is less serialized, and that letting myself skip ahead a little won't be a big deal. Starting the Barsoom series at #10 couldn't be so bad, right?
Well. Reading through other reviewers who described this as a satire has fixed a lot of problems I had with the stories here. For one, they are all exactly the same. If ERB was consciously parodying himself, that would explain it. Coming in without knowing his style whatsoever makes it difficult to enjoy a parody the way it was intended. With this in mind, I'll refrain from overanalyzing the text. I still can't give it a higher rating, as I really can't say that I enjoyed it, but I dug this pit, the least I can do is stand in it.
It may be that by reading this I have made it impossible to ever enjoy another book from this series. That would be a shame. One thing I did appreciate was Burroughs commitment to world-building, and it would be nice to someday go back and get a good sense of the rest of this world.
Well. Reading through other reviewers who described this as a satire has fixed a lot of problems I had with the stories here. For one, they are all exactly the same. If ERB was consciously parodying himself, that would explain it. Coming in without knowing his style whatsoever makes it difficult to enjoy a parody the way it was intended. With this in mind, I'll refrain from overanalyzing the text. I still can't give it a higher rating, as I really can't say that I enjoyed it, but I dug this pit, the least I can do is stand in it.
It may be that by reading this I have made it impossible to ever enjoy another book from this series. That would be a shame. One thing I did appreciate was Burroughs commitment to world-building, and it would be nice to someday go back and get a good sense of the rest of this world.
ayajkhan's review
After a long long time finally had the opportunity to get back to Barsoom. And i enjoyed every moment of it. Llana of Gathol is a collection of four novellas with a bit parody. Though there isn't any genuine John carter all out navy warfare but a brief glimse, there are great duels. The four novellas are interconnected and the main theme is making impossible escapes with a intact ass. ;) It'll be a great short read for ERB fans but for others i'm not so sure. Though it's named after the granddaughter of John carter, she has absolutely no part but being a chained dummy most of the time. :D