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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took a a while to get going, but then I couldn't put it down. Very enjoyable fantasy.
I don't think you could write a story today about a man's man who smashes his enemies for the love of a beautiful alien woman without irony or cynicism. But it's still a really fun read, and you can see the influences it's had on fantasy and sci-fi heroes since then.
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.
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.
This book was far more engaging and comprehensible than the recent Disney film adaptation. John Carter is a blustering blockhead, yet Burroughs somehow makes him--and his story--likable and intriguing.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
More 3.8/5 stars than anything.
A blast from the past! A Princess of Mars is one of the oldest and most well-known sci-fi books! Science fantasy, planetary romance, sword and planet--whatever you want to call, Edgar Rice Burroughs' novella is one of the oldest classics of sci-fi and one of the famous examples of pulp fiction.
John Carter, a veteran of the Civil War, lives in Arizona trying to make a living. However, after a run-in with some Native Americans (this part of the story probably hasn't aged well) that results in the death of his friend, John finds himself dead, then resurrected or astrally displaced--I'm not sure which admittedly--and naked. And then, when he looks up in the night sky at the red plant of Mars he is suddenly transported there. John finds himself on world filled with various creatures, Martians of different colors and cultures, intense sword fights and battles, and beautiful princesses in distress. He has no choice, but to see it through.
I will be upfront. Yes, this is one of those really old sci-fi stories. It's macho, as you can tell by the cover, but not so macho that the main male character comes off like a dick. The main female character, the lovely Dejah Thoris, is a damsel in distress, an archetype that just really isn't that much present in the SFF world these days. Though, there's a few moments where she stands her ground and shows her own might, albeit briefly, and she's a smart cookie too. The whole story is one big, manly adventure of a swashbuckling yet, interestingly enough, naked or scantily clad hero fighting through the various threats of Mars, or Barsoom as the locals call it, to be with the woman he loves. And you know what? I wasn't hugely bothered by it; other readers may obviously feel different and that's understandable. In fact, it's kind of fun.
The pacing is actually pretty quick, though there are some moments where it slows down. Burroughs' prose is pretty readable, though there are some hiccups because of some run-on sentences and occasional archaic term (it was written in 1912, so it's forgivable) resulting in some strange syntax. For the most part, most of the scenes, especially the swords fights John has with some of the Martians, are described clearly and move swiftly; though sometimes too swiftly. However, the major warship battles of the book, and the scenes that describe John and the soldiers' moving to said battles with their equipment and all, can get clunky. Other than that, the writing is mostly solid. What you have to remember is that A Princess of Mars was serialized in parts in a magazine called All-Story Magazine way back in the day; a lot of early sci-fi stories started out that way. So, some of the issues I described may be the result of Burroughs' brevity or to make the wordcount. I am only hypothesizing on that though, nothing to prove it.
I think what impressed me the most about A Princess of Mars is John himself. As I said in my updates, John isn't a Gary Stu. Yes, he does get a lot of victories, but he has some failures too which result in his sense of failure at himself and his anguish at being distant from Dejah. It's not written with great psychological insight or anything, but it's still present and fleshes John out. But what impressed the most about John to me was the fact that he was an utter gentleman. Yes, he loves Dejah, but he doesn't lust after her like a pervert. He is respectful or her and her feelings. At one point he wants to tell her that he loves her, but he realizes that she's too upset and traumatized from being imprisoned by the Green Martians that he knows that she isn't in the proper headspace for a true answer. Of course some will say that this is the "bare minimum," but you know what? I don't care. I like John. He's nice, strong, and even treats the Martian men too with respect and dignity. That's another thing I liked about this book; there's this overarching notion about respecting one's decorum, word, and traditions, even towards your enemies you have to kill.
A modern reader or author will probably wonder why no one exploits this expectation of respect or would probably imagine that John is putting up a front or why is there no seemingly nice-acting character who is actually really cruel and evil underneath. That's not here though, and I'm happy for it. Like I said, I like John. I like a hero who's kind and a gentleman and I would like to see more of that in SFF heroes. The closest I can currently think of it Kelsier from Mistborn: The Final Empire and Jovis from The Bone Shard Daughter. Also, do you know how many male protagonists from both the modern era I've read who are just outright grumps or assholes? Also, there's male protagonists from the 70s to 80s era who just outright piggish (glares at Robert Heinlein) or are whiny brats. Please, more gentlemen like John Carter.
My uncle lent me the other books in the series (except the sixth) so who know, John's personality might change. But I like him for now.
Dejah admittedly doesn't get as much character development as John, but still I liked her. Also my edition comes with some interior artwork of her by the legendary Frank Frazetta. Yes, she's a sexy pin-up girl in a string bikini with golden pasties, but she ain't a dumb bimbo. Emotional sure, but she ain't dumb. I just liked how honest Dejah was. Whether she was happy, sad, or angry, Dejah was honest with her feelings and told everyone what's what. I do think her romance with John is a little rushed, but I'm glad he respected her and they are gorgeous together.
The real star of the show was Woola, John's calot; a lizard thing that acts like a noble dog. He cares for and defends John and Dejah like a good human friend would. I love the affection John shows him.
All-in-all, a good, short story from the olden days. Can't wait to read the rest.
A blast from the past! A Princess of Mars is one of the oldest and most well-known sci-fi books! Science fantasy, planetary romance, sword and planet--whatever you want to call, Edgar Rice Burroughs' novella is one of the oldest classics of sci-fi and one of the famous examples of pulp fiction.
John Carter, a veteran of the Civil War, lives in Arizona trying to make a living. However, after a run-in with some Native Americans (this part of the story probably hasn't aged well) that results in the death of his friend, John finds himself dead, then resurrected or astrally displaced--I'm not sure which admittedly--and naked. And then, when he looks up in the night sky at the red plant of Mars he is suddenly transported there. John finds himself on world filled with various creatures, Martians of different colors and cultures, intense sword fights and battles, and beautiful princesses in distress. He has no choice, but to see it through.
I will be upfront. Yes, this is one of those really old sci-fi stories. It's macho, as you can tell by the cover, but not so macho that the main male character comes off like a dick. The main female character, the lovely Dejah Thoris, is a damsel in distress, an archetype that just really isn't that much present in the SFF world these days. Though, there's a few moments where she stands her ground and shows her own might, albeit briefly, and she's a smart cookie too. The whole story is one big, manly adventure of a swashbuckling yet, interestingly enough, naked or scantily clad hero fighting through the various threats of Mars, or Barsoom as the locals call it, to be with the woman he loves. And you know what? I wasn't hugely bothered by it; other readers may obviously feel different and that's understandable. In fact, it's kind of fun.
The pacing is actually pretty quick, though there are some moments where it slows down. Burroughs' prose is pretty readable, though there are some hiccups because of some run-on sentences and occasional archaic term (it was written in 1912, so it's forgivable) resulting in some strange syntax. For the most part, most of the scenes, especially the swords fights John has with some of the Martians, are described clearly and move swiftly; though sometimes too swiftly. However, the major warship battles of the book, and the scenes that describe John and the soldiers' moving to said battles with their equipment and all, can get clunky. Other than that, the writing is mostly solid. What you have to remember is that A Princess of Mars was serialized in parts in a magazine called All-Story Magazine way back in the day; a lot of early sci-fi stories started out that way. So, some of the issues I described may be the result of Burroughs' brevity or to make the wordcount. I am only hypothesizing on that though, nothing to prove it.
I think what impressed me the most about A Princess of Mars is John himself. As I said in my updates, John isn't a Gary Stu. Yes, he does get a lot of victories, but he has some failures too which result in his sense of failure at himself and his anguish at being distant from Dejah. It's not written with great psychological insight or anything, but it's still present and fleshes John out. But what impressed the most about John to me was the fact that he was an utter gentleman. Yes, he loves Dejah, but he doesn't lust after her like a pervert. He is respectful or her and her feelings. At one point he wants to tell her that he loves her, but he realizes that she's too upset and traumatized from being imprisoned by the Green Martians that he knows that she isn't in the proper headspace for a true answer. Of course some will say that this is the "bare minimum," but you know what? I don't care. I like John. He's nice, strong, and even treats the Martian men too with respect and dignity. That's another thing I liked about this book; there's this overarching notion about respecting one's decorum, word, and traditions, even towards your enemies you have to kill.
A modern reader or author will probably wonder why no one exploits this expectation of respect or would probably imagine that John is putting up a front or why is there no seemingly nice-acting character who is actually really cruel and evil underneath. That's not here though, and I'm happy for it. Like I said, I like John. I like a hero who's kind and a gentleman and I would like to see more of that in SFF heroes. The closest I can currently think of it Kelsier from Mistborn: The Final Empire and Jovis from The Bone Shard Daughter. Also, do you know how many male protagonists from both the modern era I've read who are just outright grumps or assholes? Also, there's male protagonists from the 70s to 80s era who just outright piggish (glares at Robert Heinlein) or are whiny brats. Please, more gentlemen like John Carter.
My uncle lent me the other books in the series (except the sixth) so who know, John's personality might change. But I like him for now.
Dejah admittedly doesn't get as much character development as John, but still I liked her. Also my edition comes with some interior artwork of her by the legendary Frank Frazetta. Yes, she's a sexy pin-up girl in a string bikini with golden pasties, but she ain't a dumb bimbo. Emotional sure, but she ain't dumb. I just liked how honest Dejah was. Whether she was happy, sad, or angry, Dejah was honest with her feelings and told everyone what's what. I do think her romance with John is a little rushed, but I'm glad he respected her and they are gorgeous together.
The real star of the show was Woola, John's calot; a lizard thing that acts like a noble dog. He cares for and defends John and Dejah like a good human friend would. I love the affection John shows him.
All-in-all, a good, short story from the olden days. Can't wait to read the rest.
Pulp Sci-fi classic, and the building blocks for the future
Impossible to judge by modern standards, as it reads more like an outline than an actual novel (and a wee bit of a racist/sexist one at that), yet it's just as impossible to ignore how influential, imaginative, and downright fun the whole thing is.
A classic work of sci-fi, so really required reading if you want to call yourself a true sci-fi reader. That said, it's also one of the original works of pulp fiction, and in many ways has more resemblance to western and swashbuckling novels than sci-fi.
It can be hard to keep track of the aliens and animals mentioned, but it's a quick read full of action. It's not terribly deep, with lots of development, but you could read in all sorts of themes based on what was going on in the world at the time it was written and from Buroughs own life.
In short, I wasn't very impressed, but I'm glad I read it so I have a better grasp of where sci-fi has come.
It can be hard to keep track of the aliens and animals mentioned, but it's a quick read full of action. It's not terribly deep, with lots of development, but you could read in all sorts of themes based on what was going on in the world at the time it was written and from Buroughs own life.
In short, I wasn't very impressed, but I'm glad I read it so I have a better grasp of where sci-fi has come.