Edgar Rice Burroughs published The
Warlords of Mars in 1914. This novel concluded the first trilogy
in John Carter of Mars series. A century later, his works are
considered a crucial force that broadened the landscape of the modern
sci-fi and fantasy genre. At 179 pages, The Warlords of Mars
is a very short book, and it continues from the cliffhanger at the
end of the previous installment, The Gods of Mars. This also means,
The Warlords of Mars is definitely not a stand-alone novel. So if you
are planning to venture into this series, I would highly recommend
starting from the first book, A Princess of Mars.
In the meantime, allow me to share my
thoughts about this book in a review.
Synopsis:
John Carter battled across Mars in a search for his beloved wife, Dejah Thoris. During his adventure,
Carter exposed the horrible secret behind the gods of Mars. His dream
of reuniting with Dejah Thoris almost came true, when a twist of fate
entombed her in the perilous Temple of the Sun. John Carter's hope of
reuniting with Dejah Thoris lied in the next year, when the temple's door would re-open.
With a heavy heart, John Carter camped
outside Temple of the Sun, enduring an agonizing time in waiting,
while the fate of his beloved wife remained an unknown. 6 months
later, on a moon-lit night, John Carter spotted the apparition of
Thurid, an old enemy from Carter's adventerous past. He followed the
trace of Thurid, and uncovered a villianous plot where Thurid was
planning to sneak into the temple and abduct Dejah Thoris.
Upon discovering this plot, Carter was
both astonished and fearful. He was most intrigued by the fact that
Thurid knew a way to secure the early release of his wife, but
frightened by the prospect of her in the hand of this black-hearted
villain. So John Carter followed Thurid's footsteps in secret, hoping
to wrest Dejah Thoris from the clutch of Thurid at the right moment.
Thus begins another tale of high adventure, where Carter's quest
would carry him to Mars' north pole. In this mysterious, frozen
tundra, fate will finally decide Dejah Thoris and John Carter's
future...
My thoughts about this book:
The
Warlords of Mars doesn't feel like a full novel. Instead,
it feels more like the second part of the previous installment, The
Gods of Mars. This is mostly due to the fact that The Warlords
of Mars is a very short book, where the story began right after
the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book. This means, if you
have not read The Gods of Mars, and instead begin to read The
Warlods of Mars, then you will have no idea what is going on in
this story. In other words, a reader who is interested in tackling
John Carter of Mars series, should start from the first novel,
A Princess of Mars.
The pacing, and the structure of the
story in The Warlords of Mars is akin to the previous John
Carter novels. Frankly, the story in this novel is as cheesy as
lasagna, but entertaining and fun nevertheless. Swashbuckling actions
filled the pages in this book, as readers witness John Carter perform
impossible and daring feats. While the story is fun, but I was
wearied by the repetitiveness of it. What caused my weariness? In this book, John
Carter was "always" one step away from reaching his wife before
the evil villain took her away again.
The characterization in this novel
remained in the same caliber as the previous John Carter
novels. Burroughs' prose presented the characters in visually
striking manners, but they are mostly two dimensional characters.
Having said this, Burroughs' breathtaking imagination graced The
Warlords of Mars. In this novel, Burroughs envisioned a stunning
landscape, populated by fantastical creatures spawned from the well
of his creative imagination. I am impressed by Burroughs' creative
prowess, this is probably why Burroughs' works still charm legions of
readers a century later.
When I close the final page in The
Warlords of Mars, I was very glad to have read this
sci-fi/fantasy classic. By the modern day standard, stories in
John Carter of Mars novels are cheesy, but their real value lie
in the roles they played at shaping the modern sci-fi/fantasy genre.
Furthermore, I dare say the scope of creative imagination in John
Carter story is still one of the riches, and the grandest in the
genre. I would recommend these books to those who have an interest in
the history of sci-fi/fantasy fictions, or those readers who are
simply looking to read a fun, entertaining story.
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