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| Nelson Doubleday SFBC 1970, Frank Frazetta |
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| A. C. McClurg & Co. 1917-19, Frank E. Schoonover (1, 2), J. Allen St. John (3) |
A Princess of Mars (1912)
The first novel in Burroughs' Barsoom series, A Princess Of Mars, was initially published as the serial "Under the Moons of Mars" in All-Story Magazine (Feb-July 1912), and then appearing in slightly-expanded book form in 1917. Barsoom is the name given to the planet Mars by its inhabitants, and A Princess of Mars describes the exploits of a Confederate ex-soldier named John Carter after he finds himself mysteriously transported to the red planet. Although he arrives on the planet without weapons (or attire), he uses his wits and increased strength (due to Mars' lower gravity) to earn a place among the warrior races he encounters. Along the way, he also falls in love with a native Princess named Dejah Thoris and spends 10 fruitful years with her.
Barsoom
When Carter arrives on Barsoom, the red planet is in a state of technological decay. Once dominated by a culturally-advanced humanoid race, now thousands of years later the planet's only remaining traces of these ancient peoples are the gigantic dead cities scattered over its surface. However, some of the lost technology survives amongst the red Martians, humanoids who maintain the failing equipment of the ancients. Unfortunately, they also suffer tribal wars among themselves, and in this first Barsoom novel, a conflict between the nations of Helium and Zodanga stands in the background.
The red Martian nations also face the threat of the green Martians, a race of giant 4-armed creatures who worship savagery and live only to fight. Tribes of green Martians live in the dead ruins of the lost ancient race and roam about the land making war against rival tribes. When Carter first arrives on Barsoom, he initially earns himself a place among the Tharks (named after their capitol city), but he is later captured by the Warhoon, an even more bloodthirsty tribe of green Martians.
It may be interesting to note that the story begins (on Earth) with a soldier who has just emerged from a war waged by opposing territorial groups of Americans (the Civil War), and who is also hunted by a tribe of indigenous Americans (who, at least to European settlers of the time, were characterized primarily as "uncivilized savages") . Thus, the territorial conflicts between the tribes of Barsoom obviously evoke similar racial tensions on Earth.
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| Ballantine Books 1979, Michael Whelan |
In Brief
While searching for gold in the Arizona wilderness, an ex-Confederate soldier named John Carter discovers a strange cave which teleports him to the surface of "Barsoom" (Mars). Now with increased physical strength (due to the lower gravity of the planet), Carter fights his way into the ranks of the Tharks, a tribe of green Martians. When the Tharks capture Dejah Thoris (a Princess of the red Martians of Helium), Carter immediately falls in love with her. However, after escaping the Tharks with the Princess, Carter is captured by a tribe of green Martians named the Warhoon (rivals of the Tharks). After escaping the gladiatorial death pits of the Warhoon, Carter makes his way to the city of Zodanga where finds that Dejah Thoris is being forced into an unwanted marriage with the Zodangan Prince. Unable to free Dejah Thoris on his own, Carter eventually returns to the Tharks and forges an alliance among the green Martians in order to create an army to defeat Zodanga and free his beloved Princess.
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| IDW Publishing 2004, Michael Wm. Kaluta |
- Foreword: The author (Burroughs) describes his "Uncle Jack" as an eccentric war veteran who can sometimes be caught looking at the stars with deep longing. In 1885, Jack Carter wrote a mysterious manuscript describing his experiences after the American Civil War. In 1886, after being informed of Carter's strange death, the author follows Carter's final wishes and has his body stored in a ventilated tomb with a lock triggered from the inside. Now, 21 years later, Carter's manuscript will see the light of day as per the instructions in his will.
- On the Arizona Hills: Shortly after a former Confederate soldier named John Carter and his friend Powell discover gold in the mountains of Arizona, they run afoul of hostile native Americans. Powell is killed, but Carter finds refuge in a hidden cave.
- The Escape of the Dead: Carter succumbs to some form of paralysis and falls to the cave floor. The savages eventually find Carter's cave, but quickly back away in fear. Some time later, Carter wrenches himself free of the paralysis but, after standing up, sees his body still lying on the ground. Naked, he looks up at Mars and finds himself drawn up into the sky towards the red dot.
- My Advent On Mars: Waking up in a mossy basin on Mars, Carter discovers that he can leap great distances due to the planet's lower gravity. He soon comes across a glass-roofed mound holding small green creatures ("hatchlings"), just before a patrol of giant, four-armed monsters approach on mounts. Amazed at the Earth man's ability to leap, the leader of these Martians befriends Carter and leads him back towards his village.
- A Prisoner: The Martians' village appears to consist of ancient buildings left in a state of disrepair. Carter later learns that the city had originally been built by human-like inhabitants, but has since been taken over by the green Martians. The leader of the expedition, Tars Tarkas, brings Carter to an audience with other high-ranked Martians, where Carter displays his ability to leap great distances in the low-gravity. Challenged at one point by one of the more brutish Martians, Carter knocks it dead, greatly impressing the rest of his audience. Later, Carter is given over to a female Martian named Sola, who provides Carter with bedding.
- I Elude My Watch Dog: Carter decides to test his level of freedom in the city and leaps towards the city borders, but a many-legged "calot" (Martian watchdog) assigned to him follows with great speed. In order to lose his new friend, Carter leaps up to the window of a tall building, but suddenly finds himself pulled into the room beyond by a white ape-like creature.
"I turned to meet the charge of the infuriated bull ape." (Schoonover) - A Fight That Won Friends: When Carter is attacked by the giant four-armed ape and its mate, his calot guardian comes to his aid. Carter eventually manages to kill both apes, a feat which impresses the green Martians. Carter then has the Martians spare the injured calot (named Woola), earning its enduring loyalty.
- Child-Raising On Mars: Carter joins the green Martians in an expedition back to the egg incubator where he had been first discovered. The hatchlings are collected and distributed amongst the females of the tribe (with one assigned to Sola).
- A Fair Captive From the Sky: A few days after the hatchling ceremony, a fleet of airships approaches the green Martians' dead city. The Martians immediately open fire on the airships and one of them is shot down. When a beautiful, red-skinned humanoid girl (the only survivor of one of the crashed ships) is captured and imprisoned, Carter finds himself intrigued by her beautiful appearance.
- I Learn the Language: In the following days, Carter gets an education in the Martian language through Sola (later he also develops the ability to telepathically read their minds). He learns that the green Martians live in a state of near-constant warfare, although Sola, being an unusually compassionate member of her people, feels sympathy for the red woman.
- Champion and Chief: The red woman, Princess Dejah Thoris of Helium, is brought before an audience of Tharks (the name of this particular tribe of green Martians). She explains that her people are scientists who wish only for peace, but a young Thark strikes her down. Carter leaps to her defense and kills the Thark, and with this act earns the Tharks' respect as a "chief" among their ranks.
"She drew upon the marble floor the first map of Barsoomian territory I had ever seen." (Schoonover) - With Dejah Thoris: Under Carter's orders, Dejah Thoris is assigned to Sola's household. In private, the Princess tells Carter that Barsoom had once been occupied by a cultured, technologically-advanced people, but due to the drying of the seas and attacks from the green Martians, savagery had eventually consumed the planet. Since then, her people (the red Martians of Helium) have gradually been trying to bring science and culture back to the planet.
- A Prisoner With Power: Carter is called to a meeting with the Thark leader Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tarkas. He learns that a female Thark named Sarkoja (one of Sola's rivals) has reported on Carter's thoughts of escape, and is warned against such an action. Later, Tars Tarkas helps Carter find new lodgings and provides him with servants earned from slaying the Thark who attacked the Princess of Helium (as well as from the one slain during his first audience with the Tharks).
- Lovemaking On Mars: As Carter settles into his role as a Thark chieftain, he also makes time to get to know Dejah Thoris better, and soon realizes that he is falling in love with her. However, due to his ignorance of Martian customs, he accidentally offends her.
"I sought out Dejah Thoris in the throng of departing chariots." (Schoonover) - A Duel To the Death: The green Martians soon begin their journey to their home city of Thark. Along the way, they discover an incubator of the Warhoon, an enemy tribe of green Martians, and destroy it. At another point in the long journey, the malicious Sarkoja convinces a warrior named Zad to challenge Carter to a duel. During the fight, Sarkoja tries to blind Carter with reflected sunlight from a mirror, but her efforts are foiled by Dejah Thoris.
- Sola Tells Me Her Story: After Carter slays Zad, he falls unconscious from his wounds. Later while tending to Carter's recovery, Sola tells him the story of her birth, and reveals that Tars Tarkas is her father, although he himself does not know it.
- We Plan Escape: The convoy reaches Thark, the capitol of the green Martians, which is ruled by the brutal Tal Hajus. When Carter learns that he and Dejah Thoris are soon to be executed, he makes plans to escape with Dejah Thoris and Sola. However, the plan is exposed and Dejah Thoris and Sola are taken directly to Tal Hajus for punishment.
- A Costly Recapture: When Carter finds Tal Hajus alone with his captives, he rushes in and knocks him unconscious. The trio then flee the city in the hopes of reaching a waterway by which to escape to Helium. However, a Thark pursuit patrol spots them. As Sola escapes with Dejah Thoris, Carter holds off the Tharks, but is eventually overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
- Chained In Warhoon: Carter wakes to find himself a prisoner of the Warhoon, an even more warlike tribe of green Martians than the Tharks. Carter manages to kill one of his jailers but is still unable to free himself from the eerie Warhoon prison.
- Battling In the Arena: Later, Carter meets a red Martian from Helium named Kantos Kan who had been captured while searching for Dejah Thoris. When the two men end up in a Warhoon gladiator pit, Kantos Kan pretends to slay Carter, winning his freedom. Later in darkness, Carter rises from his faked death and escapes Warhoon as well.
"The old man sat and talked with me for hours." (Schoonover) - In the Atmosphere Factory: Carter heads northwest in search of Dejah Thoris, but runs afoul of a many-legged monster. Fortunately, Woola comes to his rescue, although Sola and Dejah Thoris are nowhere to be seen. Carter and Woola soon come across a massive structure manned by a single red Martian, who explains to Carter that the ancient facility converts sunlight into a breathable atmosphere for Mars (by way of the "ninth ray"). After Carter fills his stomach, he suspects treachery from the technician and departs. He eventually runs into a Zodanga village, peopled by red Martians who are at war with Helium. The friendly Zodangan farmers suggest that Carter pose as a Zodangan and seek work at the capitol.
- An Air Scout For Zodanga: In Zodanga, Carter runs into Kantos Kan who is there as a spy trying to save Dejah Thoris. Carter learns that Than Kosis, the "jeddak" (ruler) of Zodanga, is holding the Princess of Helium prisoner so that she can be wed to Sab Than, his son. Later, when Carter makes a daring rescue of the jeddak's cousin from some green Martians, he is made a personal guard of the jeddak.
I Find Dejah: Carter eventually finds Dejah Thoris (after slaying four Zodangan guards), but learns that he is too late: having assumed Carter dead, she has already pledged marriage to Sab Than in order to forge a peace between Helium and Zodanga. She also tells him that by tradition, she cannot marry the slayer of her fiance (i.e., Carter cannot simply kill Sab Than). The Zodangans soon learn of Carter's betrayal, and search the grounds for him.
(Michael Wm. Kaluta) - Lost In the Sky: Carter evades the Zodangan guards and makes his way to a hangar housing one-man flying craft. After he gives one of the fighters to Kantos Kan (so that he can kill Sab Than on Carter's behalf), he leaves Zodanga in another flier in the hopes of reaching Helium. However, after several hours' flight he becomes lost in the wilderness.
- Tars Tarkas Finds A Friend: When Carter spots a battle between Tharks and Warhoon beneath him, he lands in the middle of it. After saving Tars Tarkas' life he tells him that Sola is his daughter and that Sarkoja is his enemy. Later back at Thark, Carter goads the Thark jeddak Tal Hajus into a duel with Tars Tarkas. After Tars Tarkas slays Tal Hajus (and sends Sarkoja into exile), Carter convinces the Thark to help him attack Zodanga, promising them a chance to loot the city and the possibility of gaining Helium's friendship. After several days' journey, a massive Thark-led army of green Martians reaches Zodanga.
- The Looting of Zodanga: While the green Martians assault the Zodanga city walls, Carter seeks out the palace of Than Kosis on his own. There, he sees Sab Than about to marry Dejah Thoris and stops the ceremony. Carter then kills Than Kosis, while Tars Tarkas leads his forces into the chamber to deal with Sab Than and the other Zodangan warriors. After Carter frees Kantos Kan from a dungeon cell, he reunites with Dejah Thoris and they declare their mutual love for each other.
Through Carnage To Joy: While some green Martians continue to raze Zodanga, Carter and Tars Tarkas use Zodangan battleships to journey to Helium. There they discover the city to be surrounded by a massive Zodangan siege force. When the Thark-occupied battleships open fire on the Zodangan ships, a massive battle ensues. Additional aid from Helium's airforce helps Carter's fleet gain victory over the Zodangans. After a similar Zodangan force is defeated on the ground, Carter enters Helium as a great hero and Tars Tarkas forges an alliance with Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium.
(Frank Frazetta) - From Joy To Death: John Carter and Dejah Thoris soon marry and in the following ten years have many adventures together. One day, a messenger arrives in Helium with the news that the atmosphere factory is no longer functioning, and that there are only three more days' worth of oxygen left for Barsoom. Carter races to the atmosphere plant and, remembering some key mental gestures from his earlier visit, opens the vault door, allowing a technician to rush inside. However, before he finds out if his efforts have saved Barsoom, he falls unconscious from the lack of air.
- At the Arizona Cave: Carter wakes in the Arizona cave he'd departed from ten years ago. Using profits from a gold mine, he becomes very wealthy. Now, ten years after his return to Earth, he believes that he feels the heavens are set to allow him to return to Barsoom somehow.
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| Bison Books 2003, Scott Beachler |
ERBlist Summary
Wiki Entry
Ebook at Standard Ebooks
Frank E. Schoonover Site
Michael Whelan
In the second Barsoom novel, The Gods of Mars,
John Carter "lands" in the southern hemisphere of Mars where he ends up
having to fight his way through an entirely new duality of Martian
cultures, the white-skinned "therns" and the black-skinned "First Born"
(as opposed to the red and green Martians of the first novel).
Eventually, Carter also faces off against the most revered figure on
Barsoom, the "goddess" Issus, a legendary figure who rules over a
semi-mythical paradise. Along the way, Burroughs explores the "truth"
behind the religious beliefs of the Martians.
In Brief
Synopsis
Wiki Entry
Ebook at Standard Ebooks
Frank E. Schoonover Site
Michael Whelan
The Gods of Mars (1913)
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| Ballantine Books 1963, Bob Abbett |
The Therns
In A Princess of Mars, Carter learned that, if not slain in battle, red and green Martian pilgrims journey down the River Iss in their thousandth year of existence hoping to arrive in the Valley Dor, where they expect to find a peaceful "heaven". In the sequel novel, Carter wakes up in the Valley of Dor himself, and soon finds out that pilgrims are rewarded not with peace, but with horrible death or enslavement. It turns out that most visitors are eaten by plant-men and white apes, while a few of the more "desirable" are put into forced labor under the white-skinned therns who dwell in the surrounding Otz Mountains. In fact throughout history, the therns have been using their powers of disguise to roam the upper regions of Mars incognito, spreading the myth of paradise at the bottom of the Iss River in order to maintain a continuing flow of fresh victims.
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| Larry Ivie, 1962 |
The First Born
Ironically, the therns are in turn terrorized by the First Born, who live near an underground sea named the Omean. The First Born (also known as the Black Pirates) kidnap thern and red Martian females alike from the gardens of the Holy Thern to be slain (and eaten) by the Goddess Issus in her orgiastic sacrifice rituals. True to their name, the First Born are in fact one of the original races to appear on Barsoom, alongside the white apes, the plant men and a race of multi-limbed creatures. Over time, some of the white apes eventually evolved into the therns, the multi-legged creatures into the green Martians. Much later, crossbreeding between the black (First Born), white (therns) and yellow races of men on Barsoom resulted in the red Martians.
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| West-Friesland 1971, Burne Hogarth (1), Philippe Druillet (2, 3) |
After arriving in the Valley Dor, Carter saves Tars Tarkas from some plant-men and white apes, after which they penetrate the fortress of the white-skinned therns, who hold many northern Martians prisoner. While seeking escape from the complex, Carter is captured by the black-skinned First Born, who believe themselves the natural rulers of Barsoom under their Goddess Issus. After stirring up a slave revolt during a sacrifice ritual (and making the acquiantance of an unexpected relative), Carter escapes back north to discover that Dejah Thoris has been captured by the First Born. After overcoming dangers in his own court, Carter eventually leads a massive armada back to the south pole of Barsoom in order to rescue Dejah Thoris. After many battles, Carter's enemies are apparently defeated, but at great cost to his own domestic tranquility.
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| Canaveral Press 1962, Larry Ivie |
- Foreword: Twelve years after the conclusion of the previous novel, the author gets an invitation to meet with his supposedly-deceased uncle, John Carter, at a hotel in Richmond. After giving the author a new manuscript detailing his recent exploits, Carter returns to his mausoleum and seals the door behind him.
- The Plant Men: One night on Earth, Carter feels the familiar sensation of being pulled out of his body and is then drawn up towards the stars. He wakes up in a field of red grass near a large river and spots some giant, blue, one-eyed "plant men", notable for their snake-like arms (which end in hands with suction mouths). After the plant-men attack and kill some green Martians, Carter goes to the lone survivor's aid, and is surprised to be reunited with Tars Tarkas.
- A Forest Battle: When a mysterious figure urges more plant-men and white apes to attack them, the reunited friends fight their way to a giant tree and manage to enter the hollow of its massive trunk. There, they discover a ladder going up the inside of the tree leading to a cave in an adjacent cliff (part of the Mountain Otz). After gaining the cave entrance, they follow a tunnel going deeper into the mountain to find a chamber, only to be greeted by unseen, evil laughter.
- The Chamber of Mystery: In the room, Tars Tarkas tells Carter that he has been seeking the Earth-man at Mars' legendary "Heaven": the Valley Dor at the end of the River Iss. He now realizes that Heaven is actually a trap filled with plant monsters and white apes. The two are then attacked by a variety of dangerous animals which are let into the chamber from hidden trapdoors and passageways. Carter eventually penetrates one of these passageways and kills the two white figures inflicting these creatures on them.
- Thuvia:
Carter and Tars Tarkas then make the acquaintance of a red Martian
woman named Thuvia, a prisoner of the therns (the white-skinned men) for
the last year. After freeing her and several other red Martians, they
go deeper into the therns' labyrinthine fortress. When they come upon a
Holy Thern, Thuvia kills the priest and has Carter take the thern's
apparel (and wig) as a disguise.
- Corridors of Peril: When the party are spotted by some more therns, Carter uses his disguise to halt their fire (but not before most of the red Martian slaves have already been killed). In order to escape the therns' slave labyrinth, Thuvia summonses banths (10-legged Martian "lions") to escort them to the surface, after which she orders them to distract the guards positioned in the thern garden.
- The Black Pirates of Barsoom: At that moment the therns' fortress in the Mountain Otz is raided by the ebony-skinned Black Pirates, who proceed to abduct women intended for their sacrifice rituals. In the confusion, Thuvia and Tars Tarkas escape on one of the Pirates' two-man fliers, while Carter leaps onto the anchor chain of a larger Pirate flier.
- A Fair Goddess: After dispatching most of the crew, Carter meets a female captive named Phaidor, who turns out to be the daughter of the therns' leader, the Holy Thern Matai Shang. He then interrogates his lone hostage, a black man named Xodar, who explains that his people are the First Born, one of the first races to have developed on Barsoom, many millions of years ago.
- The Depths of Omean: Unfortunately, the First Born
ship is soon intercepted by a much larger battleship, and despite
Carter's ramming tactics, he and Phaidor are captured. They are then
flown back to the Valley Dor where the ship descends into a large
crater, the domain of the First Born. At the bottom, they are then taken
to a submarine which descends into the underground sea of Omean
(connected to the Sea of Korus above). During this time Phaidor tries to
seduce Carter, but Carter maintains his loyalty to Dejah Thoris,
infuriating the thern noblewoman.
Issus, Goddess of Life Eternal: Carter and Phaidor are eventually brought to the Temple of Issus, a fantastically-beautiful worship site. After a brief meeting with the Goddess Issus (who turns out to be a wrinkled, yellow-fanged husk of a woman), Phaidor is taken away to be her servant, while Carter is sentenced to captivity on the Isle of Shador. Additionally, the First Born Xodar is made Carter's slave for allowing himself to be defeated by the Earth man.
(Frank Frazetta) - The Prison Isle of Shador: After the audience with Issus, Carter is challenged by an arrogant First Born named Thurid, but easily defeats him in a humiliating encounter. Carter and Xodar are then taken to an open air prison where they meet a fellow prisoner, a young red Martian who had been captured while exploring the south. Carter soon convinces his former hostage Xodar to become an ally.
- When Hell Broke Loose: Later, Carter and the other prisoners are brought to an arena at the Temple of Issus, presided over by Issus. When the goddess unleashed three white apes on a crowd of defenseless maidens (as part of a sacrifice ritual), Carter leaps into the arena and defends them. The young red Martian soon joins the fray and a their courage causes a slave rebellion to erupt. After a heated battle, Carter and the boy make for Issus herself, but she escapes down a trapdoor.
- Doomed To Die: Carter and the boy follow but find themselves underneath the arena in a labyrinth. Fortunately, the boy is familiar with the underground tunnels, and leads Carter back to the submarine by which they then return to Omean. There they trick the guards into escorting them back to Shador (so that they can rescue Xodar).
- A Break For Liberty: When night falls, Carter, Xodar and the red Martian boy escape Shador and swim to Xodar's flying craft, anchored off-shore. After an alarm goes off, the ship is pursued vy First Born fighters, but Carter maneuvers the craft past his enemies and up the central shaft to the surface of Barsoom. Heading north, he soon finds out that the red boy is his son Carthoris.
- The Eyes In the Dark: The ship heads north but is eventually forced to land due to mechanical
failure. They next miraculously run into Thuvia, who tells them that
Tars Tarkas has been taken prisoner by the Warhoon. Carter goes alone
into the Warhoon city where he encounters some strange eyes glowing in
the dark. He is eventually knocked unconscious.
Lindqvist 1975, Jad - Flight And Pursuit: After waking up unharmed, he finds Tars Tarkas and they sneak out of the city to rejoin the others. When the Warhoon realize what has happened, they chase Carter and his friends north. Just before Carter's craft is surrounded, a Helium warship descends and fires on the Warhoon, scattering them.
- Under Arrest: Carter and his companions are soon reunited with his Helium comrade Kantos Kan, who tells his long-lost friend that Tardos Mors and his son Mors Kajak had both gone off in search of the missing Carthoris but never returned. Despondent over the losses of her lover, grandfather, father and son, Dejah Thoris had then embarked on a journey down the River Iss. Even worse, the current ruler of Helium is Zat Arras, a warlord of Zodanga and a rejected suitor of Dejah Thoris. Later, the red Martians learn that Carter and Carthoris have just returned from the Valley Dor, a place from which none may return. When Carter tries to expose the truth about the red Martians' false "hereafter", they feel even more disturbed and torn about his return. Additionally, Thuvia has been missing since the Warhoons' pursuit.
- The Death Sentence: Back in Helium, Zat Arras holds a public trial to condemn Carter, but after Carter makes his case, the people of Helium rally to his side. Later, Sola arrives from the wilderness on a thoat, and tells Carter that Dejah Thoris has been captured by the First Born.
- Sola's Story: Sola explains that while searching for Carter and Xodar, the Black Pirates had captured her and Dejah Thoris on their journey south (as well as Thuvia). Uninterested in green Martians, the First Born had abandoned Sola to the wilderness, after which she had made it back to Helium. Carter makes plans to build a secret fleet of water-borne warships to attack Omean and asks Tars Tarkas to return to Thark to gain aid from the green Martians. Unfortunately, just after making these plans Carter is kidnapped by Zat Arras.
Black Despair: For most of a year Carter is kept chained in a dark dungeon. Finally, by appealing to the pride of his young jailer, Carter gets a message to Carthoris, after which his son finds and frees him. Carter soon reunites with his friends and learns that his secret fleet is ready to sail. Unfortunately, some thern spies are found to have been listening to their conversations.
Ladislav Šotek 1928,
V. Čutta- The Air Battle: When Carter's forces arrive in the airspace above the Otz Mountains they engage in battle with the therns' air fleet. All seems to go well for Carter's forces until a new enemy in the form of Zat Arras' pursuing fleet arrives. Worse yet, a fleet of First Born battleships soon arrive from Omean as well. However, by careful maneuvering, Carter's forces lure the therns and the First Born into battling each other, while Carter leaps aboard Zat Arras' flagship and dispatches his rival to the ground far below.
- Through Flood And Flame: After many submarine trips to ferry his troops through the Sea of Omean, Carter leads a force of five thousand into the Temple of Issus. However, while evading the First Borns' flooding of the submarine port and their ignition of a chemical fire, Carter become separated from his men. Fortunately, he manages to swim underwater long enough to reach a corridor which leads him to a room containing Dejah Thoris.
- Victory and Defeat: After finding a hiding place for his long-lost Princess, Carter helps his men break through the First Born by surprising the ebony guards from the rear. After a great battle in the Temple, Carter takes Issus hostage. When the First Born ask their goddess to use her omnipotent powers to strike down the invaders, she reveals herself to be a fraud, after which Carter throws her to the angry, disillusioned crowd. However, before she disappears, she tells Carter that Dejah Thoris, Thuvia and Phaidor have all been put in the Temple of the Sun, whose entrance only revolves back to the outer world door once every Barsoomian year. Carter rushes to the Temple of the Sun and just as the door rotates closed he sees Phaidor attempt to kill Dejah Thoris, with Thuvia rushing to her Princess' aid. With the Temple of Issus on fire, Carter is dragged away to safety by his own men and loses consciousness.
The follow up to The Gods of Mars first appeared as a four-part serial in All-Story Magazine from December 1913 to March 1914 and is generally regarded as the finale of the first Barsoom "trilogy" (the next few novels concentrate on the exploits of Carter's friends and relatives).
The Okar
While A Princess of Mars explored the deserts of Barsoom (replete with green and red Martians warring amidst the ruins of a lost technological civilization) and The Gods of Mars revealed the truth behind the southernmost polar regions (dominated by a "religious war" between the white therns and the black First Born), The Warlord of Mars visits first the equatorial red Martian jungle nation of Kaol (guarded by giant hornets named "siths"), after which the action migrates to the north pole of Barsoom, where a dynastic conflict rages under the crystal-domed cities of the semi-technological yellow Martians. Driven north ages ago by the drying of the Martian seas and the rise of the green Martians, the people of Okar are protected by vicious "apts" (multi-legged hippos) and an icy barrier cliff surrounding their land which can only be reached through the foul Carrion Caves.
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| The All-Story, December 1913, F. W. Small |
When the outlaw First Born Thurid and the deposed Father of Therns Matai Shang abduct Dejah Thoris from the Temple of the Sun, John Carter pursues them to Kaol, a red Martian equatorial nation still subscribing to the false mythology created by the therns. When Matai Shang recognizes his arch-enemy, he and Thurid flee once again with their prisoners to the northern polar region of Okar, peopled by the legendary yellow Martians. With the leader of the Holy Therns, the fugitive First Born and the despotic Jeddak of Okar all conspiring against him, Carter must use all of his wits and his fighting skills to win back his wife.
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| Ballantine Books 1973, Gino D'Achille |
- On the River Iss: Half a year has passed since the defeat of the First Born at Omean. On the River Iss, Carter comes across a secret meeting between the First Born Thurid (humiliated by Carter in the previous novel) and the exiled Father of Therns Matai Shang. Thurid promises to show Matai Shang a way to penetrate the Temple of the Sun so that he can abduct Dejah Thoris and free his daughter Phaidor.
- Under the Mountains: Carter
and Woola follow Thurid and Matai Shang's boat down the River Iss but
eventually lose their trail. However, with Woola's help, he manages to
navigate the correct series of passageways underneath the surrounding cliffs, but then runs into a
couple of hostile thern guards.
- The Temple of the Sun: Carter dispatches the therns with the aid of Woola in a
heated battle. With
the further aid of his faithful calot, he eventually finds his way into
a lower chamber of the Temple of the Sun and solves the puzzle lock to enter it.
Eventually, he comes within sight of Dejah Thoris and the others, but
finds them separated from him by a crystal wall. When Thurid sees
that Carter has found them, he and Matai Shang urge their prisoners in the opposite direction through the labyrinth.
The Secret Tower: After several days of wandering through the crystal labyrinth, Carter and Woola emerge in the Valley of Lost Souls north of the Valley Dor along the River Iss, and track their quarry to Matai Shang's hidden thern base in the cliffs. When Matai Shang tries to send banths to attack Carter, Thuvia uses her unique communication skills with the creatures to calm them. Matai Shang, Thurid, and Phaidor then bring their prisoners to the top of a tower where they prepare to escape with them on a flier. Carter climbs the tower in pursuit but is kicked off the side of the wall by Thurid.
(Frank Frazetta) - On the Kaolian Road:
Carter and Woola pursue Matai Shang's craft towards the equatorial
jungle city of Kaol (populated by red Martians still loyal to the
therns). Unfortunately, Carter's flier is spotted and shot down by Thurid on the
outskirts of the city, forcing Carter and Woola to travel the Kaolian
Road on foot. On the way, they are attacked by a "sith" (giant hornet),
but a Kaolian named Torkar Bar comes to their aid. Disguising himself as a
red Martian, Carter heads into Kaol towards the capital fortress of
Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol.
- A Hero in Kaol: Outside
the jeddak's fortress, Carter intercepts an army of green Martians
intent on ambushing Kulan Tith's army, which is about to emerge on a mission. After a long and heated
battle the green Martians are forced to retreat and Kulan Tith welcomes
"Dotar Sojat" (the disguised Carter) into his palace as a savior. Carter is introduced to Matai
Shang and Thurid, but they are apparently fooled by Carter's disguise as a
red Martian.
- New Allies: The next day, Carter is
summoned to Kulan Tith's palace where Matai Shang accuses him of being the
"heretic" who had destroyed Issus (who Kaol still worships). Just before another battle erupts a
guest of the court, Thuvan Dinh (Jeddak of Ptarth and father to Thuvia), vouches for Carter's
honesty. When Carter then exposes Matai Shang as Thuvia's captor, Kulan Tith has Matai Shang promise to release his
prisoners the next day. However, the Father of the Therns disappears in the night with his captives.
NEL 1969-74, Bruce Pennington - Through the Carrion Caves: Carter
and Thuvan Dinh (and Woola) take a flier north in pursuit of Matai
Shang's ship but eventually run into a
massive, sky-high ice shield. On the ground, the two men fight off apts (vicious, 6-limbed, giant hippos), after which they
stumble across the Carrion Caves, a legendary passage filled with rotten refuse
which acts as a barrier against those who might seek the mythical yellow men
of Barsoom. After sending Woola back to Helium with a note to Carthoris,
Carter and Thuvan Dinh penetrate the 27 rotting caves and eventually emerge amidst
a struggle between some yellow Martians.
- With the Yellow Men:
In the yellow Martian land of Okar, Carter and Thuvan Dinh save Talu, a prince of
Marentina, from soldiers working for his despotic uncle Salensus Oll (and ruler of Okar). From Talu, Carter learns that Salensus Oll holds his friends prisoner, including Dejah Thoris' father and
grandfather. In return for saving his life, Talu helps the two
travelers disguise themselves as yellow Okar, after which they
soon infiltrate Kadabra, the capitol of Okar, protected from
the polar cold by a crystal dome. They also spot a giant magnetic shaft
spearing the sky just outside the capitol with which the Okar use to disable battleships
from the outside world (after which they enslave the helpless
crewmen).
(Japan Edition) - In Durance: Carter and Thuvan Dinh manage to pass
themselves as mercenaries looking for employment with Kadabra's guard.
However, when Carter catches Thurid threatening Dejah Thoris, he impulsively attacks the
First Born. Salensus Oll then appears and has Carter chained.
- The Pit of Plenty:
When Carter is later brought before Salensis Oll, Thurid unmasks Carter
to reveal his true identity. Overcome by sheer numbers, Carter is
imprisoned in the Pit of Plenty, a well in which prisoners are tempted
by food just out of reach behind a glass wall. However, a note from a
Marentina spy tells Carter to follow a rope.
- “Follow the Rope”: Carter
climbs up the rope and follows it to a chamber where he overhears
Thurid conspiring with an Okar technician named Solan against Salensis
Oll. After Thurid departs, Carter finds his way to a slave chamber where
he finds Tados Mors and Mors Kajak (Dejah Thoris' grandfather and
father).
- The Magnet Switch: After Carter defeats the guards
and frees the men of Helium, Okarian guards
break down the chamber door and a great battle ensues. The Heliumites eventually back
themselves up a spiral staircase in order to make a stand in the
watchtower at the top of the castle. There, they spot a ground force from
Helium and Thark enter Kadabra and attack the city, led by Carthoris
and Tars Tarkas. However, they also see an airfleet approach, unaware of
the danger from the magnetic Okarian spear of doom. Carter fights his
way down to Solan's control chamber and turns off the magnet, saving the Helium
fleet from destruction.
- The Tide of Battle: Carter
next comes across a chamber in which Salensis Oll is holding a ceremony
intended to make Dejah Thoris his wife. Carter leaps into the room and
runs the Jeddak of Okar through, after which he puts Dejah Thoris behind
him and then faces off against a roomful of armed Okarians. More
warriors from Helium enter (as well as more Okarian soldiers), and the
fortunes of battle sway back and forth. Carter eventually kills all of
the Okarians nearest him, but when he turns around, Dejah Thoris is
nowhere to be seen.
- Rewards: Carter immediately
realizes that Thurid has stolen Dejah Thoris away via a trap door and
follows his trail down a passageway which leads to the icy wilderness
outside the crystal dome of Kadabra. Below him, he spots Thurid
bringing Dejah Thoris aboard a flier, with Matai Shang and Phaidor boarding the craft as well. When the flier seems too overloaded to take off, Thurid throws
Matai Shang overboard to his death, while at the same time Carter manages to catch hold of a
rope trailing from the flier and begins climbing up it. Just before Thurid
cuts the rope to also send Carter to his doom in the chasm below, Phaidor stabs Thurid in the
heart. After Carter finally gets aboard the flier, Phaidor professes to
have changed from her evil ways and in remorse jumps to her death.
(Frank Frazetta) - The New Ruler: Carter and Dejah Thoris return to the domed city but are confronted in Solan's control room by some fleeing Okarian nobles. Outnumbering Carter 12 to 1, they move to slay the Earth man, but are soon convinced to surrender when Carter threatens to throw a nearby switch which would destroy the city by overloading its power source. With all of Salensis Oll's forces now taken prisoner, Talu, the exiled prince of Marentina is made the new Jeddak of the North. Several days later back in Helium, John Carter is given the title Warlord of all Barsoom by the combined red, green, white, black and yellow jeddaks of Barsoom.
ERBlist Summary
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| Dragon 1968 |
