If I’ve ever read Tarzan, I don’t remember, so I think this
is my first Edgar Rice Burroughs. But A Princess of Mars reminded me a lot of
works by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and H.P. Lovecraft. (“Here, let me show off
how imaginative I am by describing everything I’m making up in excruciating
detail.”)
Imaginative and full of adventure? Yes. Character growth?
Absolutely not. The most growth is shown by John Carter’s dog-like protector
and his two beasts of burden on Mars.
The way John Carter gets to Mars seems hilarious to me (he
goes into a mysterious cave and then he just – is on Mars), but I can’t take
John Carter himself seriously. He can do no wrong, there’s never any doubt that
he’ll win a battle, and he is never in any serious danger. And of course he
Gets the Girl!
The worst thing about this book for me as a reader is the
complete lack of humor. Still, I try to imagine myself reading this book in
1912, when no one had ever seen an adventure movie, and most people didn’t
travel. Obviously it was popular since he wrote 10 sequels. I’m not moving on
to book two but I’m glad to have read it.
The Galesburg Public Library's Tome Raiders book discussion group will have a virtual discussion of A Princess of Mars on 5/29 at 6:00 pm. The book is "always
available" through the library’s Overdrive collection.
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