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4.0 out of 5 stars
John Carter Finally Catches Up, Jan 14 2009
"The Warlord of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs picks up where "The Gods of Mars" left off. This novel was published from December of 1913 to March of 1914 in "All-Story" as a serial, and then published as a novel in September of 1919. Unlike "A Princess of Mars", neither "The Gods of Mars" nor "The Warlord of Mars" can easily stand alone. The former volume ends in a cliff-hanger, and this novel relies on the reader knowing what is going on. Also, it is to the benefit of the reader to start with the first in the series to have a complete background for the entire story, though one could probably get by without it.
Unlike the first two books of the series, this one does not open with a forward in which the author presents the fantastic tale as true, but that undoubtedly is due to the fact that the story was left with a rather abrupt ending in the previous book. As with the previous installments of the series, there is plenty of action, and more than a few amazing coincidences, where John Carter just happens to be in the right spot at the right time to overhear a key piece of information, but in many ways that is what adds to the fun.
Burroughs continues to take the reader on a trek around the Red Planet. After covering the dead seas and meeting the Red and Green Martians in the first book, and then heading to the south pole in the second book to meet the White and Black Martians, it is not too big of surprise that in this book he heads to the polar north, and there we find yet another race, the Yellow Martians, and along with them a host of new enemies, and some new allies as well. There are also some new monsters to be faced in the north.
The story is basically one big chase seen, starting with John Carter following a Thurid, a black dator. Thurid had sworn fealty to Xodar, but John Carter knew that Thurid had a great deal of hatred for him and so was suspicious. His suspicions, prove to be well founded, as he learns that Thurid is conspiring with Matai Shang, the Father of the Therns, another enemy. From spying on them, he learns that there is a way to rescue his beloved Dejah Thoris who was imprisoned at the end of "The Gods of Mars." And so it goes, with John Carter always seemingly one step away from recovering his beloved, as he follows them from the south pole, to Kaol, to the frozen north, where the lands of the hidden Yellow Martians lie. It is there, where John Carter finally is able to face his foes, both in personal combat, as well as a battle of armies between his allies and those of his enemies.
As with the previous books in the series, there are times when the reader is far ahead of John Carter as to what is going on, but as with the amazing coincidences it is part of the fun of reading these stories. These books make for great light escapist reading, and are far better at what they do then so much of what has been written by others since. Burroughs simply has a knack for telling an entertaining tale, and it is oh so easy for the reader to simply sit back and enjoy the ride. This installment meets the expectations set in the first two books of the series.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes - a trilogy!, May 15 2003
By A Customer
Yes, the books (all 11!) are great works, despite the quaint narrative in use at that time.I would like to take (small) issue with the remarks of "_Vegas_" though. The first three books were indeed intended as a trilogy, and were marketed as such in the early part of the 20th cenury, in "THE ALL-STORY" magazine. The fact that the first three books cover a continuous story, with a definite conclusion in this third book, also points to it being written a true trilogy. Please do not allow yourself to be confused by the fact that 7 (or 8) more "John Carter" novels succeeded this one.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
AS THRILLING AS THEY COME, BUT..., Feb 11 2003
"The Warlord of Mars" (1914) is the 3rd of ll John Carter novels from the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is a direct continuation of the first two in the series--"A Princess of Mars" and "The Gods of Mars"--and a reading of those earlier titles is absolutely essential before going into this one. Here, Carter tries to rescue his princess, Dejah Thoris, from the clutches of some particularly nasty villains. In his relentless pursuit, one that makes Indiana Jones look like a slacker, Carter travels from the south pole of Mars to the forbidden lands of the north. He encounters many varieties of monster, such as the apt and the sith, and gets into more fights and cliffhanging situations than a reader would believe could be packed into a mere 160 pages. The pace of the book is furious, never pausing for breath, and the final battle in the north polar city of Kadabra, in which the combined armies of Barsoomian green, red and black men attack the yellow tribes of the north, is thrilling in the extreme. What amazing films these first three John Carter novels would make, if done faithfully and with the requisite ... million thrown into each one! So why the 3-star rating? Well, there are numerous problems with the book that prevent me from giving it top grades, despite the fun I had reading it. For one, there are countless inconsistencies and implausibilities. For example, it is difficult for the reader to accept that Carter's enemies cannot recognize him, just because he has smeared some red tint over his skin. Difficult to believe that Carter is able to scale the side of a tower in the pitch black of night. Difficult to believe that Carter (or any man) could live in a pit for nine days without food and especially water. Verrry hard to believe that Thurid, Carter's archenemy, could carry the struggling captive princess over a foot-wide ledge without toppling into the abyss beneath. Impossible to believe that Dejah Thoris couldn't recognize Carter by his voice alone, despite his yellow-man disguise. All these are hard to swallow in the extreme. As for the inconsistencies: It is stated that Carter saved Thuvia from the Warhoons in book 2, when in actuality it was Carthoris, Carter's son. The city of Kaol is said to be rendered invisible by the forest that surrounds and tops it, but later it is stated that this forest is cut back from the city. Huh? Worst of all is the aforementioned tower-scaling scene, in which dusk becomes early afternoon in a matter of minutes. Here's something that Ed Wood would have appreciated! This day/night confusion is straight out of "Plan 9," but for me is the hallmark of incredibly sloppy writing and even poorer copyediting. Further, Burroughs' descriptions of the Valley of the Therns, and its geographic proximity to the land of the First Born, are simply impossible to visualize. Throw in a bunch of misplaced modifiers and some awkward turns of phrase and you've got a real mess of a manuscript. So why did I have a tear in my eye by the book's end, when Carter gets his rewards and the entire city of Helium turns out to greet him? I guess that the power of storytelling can outweigh petty matters of consistency and grammar. And Burroughs WAS a great teller of tales, and this book IS as thrilling as they come.
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