Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
A Princess of Mars is the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, a sci-fi adventure set on the red planet. Burroughs is perhaps better known for his Tarzan books. Published in 1912 Princess is classic American adventure with a tough as nails cowboy protagonist named John Carter and a buxom naked princess named Dejah serving as the damsel in distress. The basic narrative is quite simple — a Civil War hero ends up on Mars, falls in love with the Martian princess, and then has to go through all sorts of battles and adventures to win her hand in marriage.
It’s a quick and easy read made more fun by all the cool Martian gadgets, aliens, and culture. The lore is really neat. It’s no wonder the series expanded into several additional books and various other media properties. It inspired and was inspired by a number of other early 20th century ‘weird fiction’ writers such as Robert Howard (Conan the Barbarian) and H. P. Lovecraft. Princess of Mars is not as well written as the works of either of those two authors, but it is still just a great yarn. It’s concise, action-packed, and full of enjoyable sci-fi wackiness. If you’re a fan of pulpy old-school sci-fi, you’ll love this one.
Grade: B+
