WIJFR: A Princess of Mars

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Ex-confederate army captain John Carter finds himself unwittingly transported to Mars, while fleeing Apache Indians. This new world is populated by a race of monstrous Martians, whose culture is based on the ability to fight for their race. Fortunately for John, the gravitational difference between Mars and Earth has endowed him with the strength that he will need for survival on this hostile planet. John Carter battles ferocious Martian creatures, but gains the respect and friendship of the Barsoomians. He also encounters the beautiful Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and earns her everlasting devotion.

Technically I just finished listening to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “A Princess of Mars” thanks to a free download from audible.com. A neat feature of audio books (at least on my iPod) is the ability to change the speed of the playback. Thus, I was able to “read” the entire book in just a few commutes back and forth to work this week.

I knew, in the back of my mind, that this was classic science fiction, but I had no idea just how old it actually was. Burroughs wrote this first story in his Mars series in 1911, before “Tarzan of the Apes.” So it wasn’t exactly the classic SF I’m used to (like that of Asimov, Bradbury, or even Wells), but more of a pulp sci-fi novel (just check out some of the cover art to see what I mean).

It’s a tale of adventure, swashbuckling, and romance as Virginia gentleman John Carter is mysteriously transported to the red planet and fights to survive amidst the green and red “men” of Mars. He learns their language, their customs, and eventually, their loyalty (no more spoilers here).

While I enjoyed listening to this first of the series (again, it was a free download), I’m not sure I liked it enough to pursue the remaining books (at least, not now). Maybe some time, though, I’ll return to this classic series to see just what John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and the other Barsoomians get into.

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