I hadn't read more than a few
Tarzan books before I happened to notice a Ballantine paperback titled "A Princess
of Mars" on the shelf.
Already mesmerized by Tarzan of the Apes, I purchased this book immediately, and was that day introduced to one of the most imaginative and wondrous series of books in the history of science fiction/fantasy.
Barsoom is a planet of unparallelled adventure, and wondrously imaginative creatures, peoples, and places. In 1911 ERB created a world where navies of flying ships warred in the sky; where honor was revered, and a woman's honor revered above all things.
I believe the Boris Vallejo painting to the right is intended to portray Barsoom, though this image, however dramatic and powerful, isn't consistent with my own intrepretations of the creatures presented. However, this man could certainly be a brave Barsoomian warrior; and were it not for the creatures in the background, the girl could be Tara of Helium. It is presumably John Carter and Dejah Thoris. This painting does capture the brutal savagery which would exist on such a warlike world.
Their story, in pulp form, was the first published work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story was titled "Under the Moons of Mars".
John Carter is an earthman, a fighting man from Virginia, who is mysteriously transported to the planet Mars. He arrives naked and unarmed on a strange and wonderful world, where he encounters the savage and cruel green men; multi-armed warriors who laugh when they witness the sufferings of others.
Though naked and unarmed, John Carter wins a place in the ranks of this fierce race; and in their midst meets a member of the "red" race of Barsoom, as the inhabitants of Mars call their world. Her name is Dejah Thoris, and she is a Princess of Helium, one of the most famous and powerful of Barsoomian nations. Her beauty is so wondrous that John Carter forever after describes her as the "most beautiful woman of two worlds.
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Copyright 1998 by Robert A. Woodley. All rights reserved worldwide.
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