The Gods of Mars
Encyclopedia
The Gods of Mars is a 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs
science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom
series. It was first published in All-Story as a five-part serial in the issues for January-May 1913. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg
in September, 1918.
Throughout his novels, Burroughs uses the classic device of a fictional Foreword or Preface that suggests that the contents of the following story reflect true events.
, John Carter
is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten-year separation from his wife Dejah Thoris
, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian afterlife.
. The lone survivor is his friend Tars Tarkas
, the Jeddak of Thark, who has taken the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor to find Carter.
Carter and Tars Tarkas discover that the Therns, rulers of Valley Dor, a white-skinned race of self-proclaimed gods, have for eons deceived the Barsoomians of the outer world by disseminating the myth that the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor is a journey to paradise
. Most arrivals are killed by the beasts of Valley, the survivors enslaved by Therns.
Carter and Tars Tarkas rescue Thuvia, a slave girl, and attempt to escape, capitalizing on the confusion caused by an attack by the Black Pirates of Barsoom upon the Therns. They are separated during the attack: Tars Tarkas and Thuvia hijack a Black Pirate flier, while Carter fights his way aboard another, killing all but one of the Pirates, and rescuing a captive Thern princess.
Carter, talking with the captured Pirate Xodar, discovers that the Black Pirates, called the "First Born", also think of themselves as gods, and prey upon the Therns as the Therns prey upon others. He also discovers that the captive Thern is Phaidor, daughter of the "Holy Hekkador" (high priest) of the Therns. When their flier is recaptured by the First Born, they are taken to their land, built around the underground sea of Omean, below the lost sea of Korus and the Valley Dor. Both are located at the South Pole of Barsoom.
Once there, Carter is taken before Issus, the goddess of Barsoom; an ancient, evil woman who has manipulated her own people and the rest of Barsoom into maintaining an hierarchy with the First Born on top. Issus dictates the policies of the Therns through secret communications with them. The Therns, thinking they are receiving divine communications, do not realize that they are duped by their enemies.
Issus takes Phaidor into her service as a handmaiden for one Martian year. Carter is imprisoned, with Xodar as his slave as punishment for being defeated by Carter. Thereafter Carter treats him with honor, and thus gains in him a friend. In prison, they meet a young Red Martian captive from Carter’s home country of Helium. Soon thereafter, Carter and the youth are taken to the monthly games of Issus.
In the games, the handmaidens of a year before are sacrificed, and their bodies will be eaten by Issus and her nobles. Carter leads a revolt of the prisoners, killing many of the First Born. Carter and the youth almost kill Issus before the First Born suppress the revolt. Carter and the youth escape via underground tunnels, and give themselves up to guards unacquainted with the revolt to be returned to their prison island. Upon hearing the story of the revolt, Xodar rejects the notion of Issus’ divinity.
Carter, Xodar and the youth hijack a flier and escape. Soon after, Carter discovers that the youth is his son, Carthoris. The flier is damaged and must be abandoned in unknown territory. They encounter Thuvia, who describes the capture of Tars Tarkas by the green warriors of Warhoon (a clan rival to his own). Carter goes alone to rescue Tars Tarkas, but is discovered. After a chase, Thuvia is sent on alone mounted while the men attempt a last stand against the Warhoons. They are rescued by the Heliumetic navy; but do not find Thuvia.
Commanding one of the warships is Carter’s friend Kantos Kan; but the fleet is commanded by Zat Arras, a Jed (chieftain) of the hostile client state of Zodanga, and Carter is suspected of returning from Valley Dor, which is punishable by death. Tardos Mors, the Jeddak of Helium, and Mors Kajak, the Jed of Hastor (the grandfather and father, respectively, of Dejah Thoris, and thus Carter’s in-laws) are absent from Helium, having led fleets in search of Carter. Later, Carter discovers that Dejah Thoris
is missing, believed to have taken the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor to find him.
Upon returning to Helium, Carter is tried for heresy by the Zodangans; but the people of Helium do not tolerate this. To avoid civil war, Carter's judgment is deferred for a year. Sola, the daughter of Tars Tarkas, arrives, having escaped the First Born.
Carter realizes that Dejah Thoris will be selected as a handmaiden of Issus, and thus will have only a year to live; wherefore he and his comrades go to rescue her. They uncover evidence that Thern spies are monitoring them, and Carter is kidnapped by the Zodangans. Carter refuses Zat Arras’ offer of freedom in exchange for endorsing Zat Arras as Jeddak of Helium, and is imprisoned. After half a year in a dungeon, Carter wins his freedom through a ruse, and the mission to the land of the First Born is launched, with secretly raised troop levies, ships, and many troops lent by Tars Tarkas.
Upon approaching the South Pole, a Thern fleet challenges Carter’s fleet, and behind Carter’s fleet arrive another fleet led Zat Arras. Finally, a fleet of First Born arrives, leaving the rescue mission for Dejah Thoris in jeopardy. Carter encourages the Therns and First Born to fight one another, and the Heliumetic crews of the Zodangan fleet mutiny
in support of Carter. Carter then takes his remaining fleet with Tharkian troops to invade the underground sea of Omean.
The combined Heliumites and Tharks defeat the First Born, and Issus herself is killed; but Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and Phaidor, each of whom loves John Carter, are imprisoned in a room of the Temple of the Sun, of whose rooms each opens only once per year.
Carter is able to talk to Dejah Thoris through the doorway and give the women sufficient food supplements to last them the year; but the room cannot be opened. Just before the room closes, Phaidor attempts to kill Dejah Thoris, and her success or failure are left unknown. The story is carried on in the third book of Burroughs’ Martian series, The Warlord of Mars
.
). The Valley of Dor, the River Iss and the Sea of Korus were all key locations in the Martian conception of heaven or the afterlife, which Burroughs had introduced in A Princess of Mars
. Metcalf, who thought the appeal of these mystical locations might be strong for readers of the previous tale, suggested that John Carter could arrive from Earth at this location and be instrumental in exposing and destroying this religion as a falsehood. These ideas, which may have already have occurred to Burroughs, appeared to be highly inspirational.
, which he finished in June of that year. Incredibly by 20 September 1912 Burroughs had almost completed the sequel to A Princess of Mars
, which was entitled The Gods of Mars. It was submitted on October 2, 1912. Metcalf had suggested killing off Dejah Thoris
in the story, but Burroughs admitted to be unable to do so. Although readers had already complained about the suspense created at the end of A Princess of Mars
, Burroughs once again, produced a story with a cliff hanger ending. The tale was advertised in the December 1912 issue of All-Story magazine.
, the first Barsoom
Novel as though it were a factual account passed on to him personally. He imagines John Carter to be an avuncular figure known to his family for years who entrusted the manuscript of the novel to Burroughs for publication 21 years later. The Gods of Mars is the second Barsoom
novel to use this device. John Carter 'visits' Burroughs 12 years after the events of A Princess of Mars
, claiming to have mastered the secret of inter-planetary travel and stating this will be the last time he makes such a journey from his adopted home. However, the device was used to two further Barsoom
novels, The Chessmen of Mars
and Swords of Mars
.
, it is most closely related to the planetary romance
genre. The genre is similar to sword and sorcery
, but includes scientific aspects. Planetary romances mostly take place on the surface of an alien world, frequently include sword fighting, monsters, supernatural elements such as telepathic abilities (as opposed to magic), and civilizations similar to Earth in pre-technological eras, particularly with the inclusion of kingdoms, empires or religious societies. Spacecraft may appear, but are not central to the story (something which makes these tales distinct from Space Opera
, where spaceships are usually a key focus of the narrative). There were some Planetary Romances prior to the publication of the Barsoom
novels, but A Princess of Mars
and The Gods of Mars and other novels in the Barsoom
series were the most influential on the numerous similar stories that were published subsequently.
speculation of the time, especially that of Percival Lowell
, who saw the planet as a formerly Earth
like world now becoming less hospitable to life due to its advanced age, whose inhabitants had built canals to bring water from the polar caps to irrigate the remaining arable land. Lowell was influenced by Italian astronomer, Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli, who in 1878, had observed features on Mars he called canali (Italian for "channels"). Mistranslation of this into English as "canals" fuelled belief the planet was inhabited. The theory of an inhabited planet with flowing water was disproved by data provided by Russian and American probes such as the two Viking missions
which found a dead, frozen world where water could not exist in a fluid state.
have become hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive. Barsoomians distribute scarce water supplies via a worldwide system of canals
, controlled by quarreling city-states. The thinning Martian atmosphere is artificially replenished from an "atmosphere plant".
novels. It is a world with clear territorial divisions between White, Yellow, Black, Red and Green skinned races. Each has particular traits and qualities, which seem to define the characters of almost every individual thereof. Nevertheless Burroughs' concept of race, as depicted in the novels, is more like a division between species than between ethnicity.
The Gods of Mars introduces two new races; the White-Skinned Therns and the Black-Skinned First Born, both of which are strongly connected to the Martian religion that John Carter exposed in the novel.
series. This theme was introduced in A Princess of Mars
, but is central to The Gods of Mars. Upon reaching 1,000 years of age almost all Martian undertake a pilgrimage along the River Iss expecting to find a valley of paradise; but find in fact a deathtrap, populated by ferocious creatures and overlooked by a race of cruel, cannibal priests known as Therns, who perpetuate the Martian religion through a network of spies across the planet. John Carter's battle to track down the remnants of the Therns and their masters, continues in the sequel The Warlord of Mars
. More deceitful priests in a theocratic nation appear in The Master Mind of Mars
, where they manipulate a temple idol to control followers.
Burroughs continued this theme in his Tarzan novels. Burroughs was not anti-religious; but was concerned by the abuse and exploitation of religious belief, and saw this as a common feature of organized religion.
for this story has expired in the United States and, thus, now resides in the public domain
there. The text is available via Project Gutenberg
.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
series. It was first published in All-Story as a five-part serial in the issues for January-May 1913. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg
A. C. McClurg
A. C. McClurg was a Chicago based publisher made famous by their original publishing of the Tarzan of the Apes novels and other stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs....
in September, 1918.
Throughout his novels, Burroughs uses the classic device of a fictional Foreword or Preface that suggests that the contents of the following story reflect true events.
Plot introduction
At the end of the first book, A Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, John Carter
John Carter (character)
John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten-year separation from his wife Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian afterlife.
Plot summary
After John Carter's arrival, a boat of Green Martians arrive on the River Iss and are ambushed by the previously unknown Plant MenPlant Men of Barsoom
The Plant Men are a fictitious species existing in the Valley Dor region on the planet Barsoom in the John Carter series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs...
. The lone survivor is his friend Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Though a great warrior and leader among his people he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race...
, the Jeddak of Thark, who has taken the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor to find Carter.
Carter and Tars Tarkas discover that the Therns, rulers of Valley Dor, a white-skinned race of self-proclaimed gods, have for eons deceived the Barsoomians of the outer world by disseminating the myth that the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor is a journey to paradise
Paradise
Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
. Most arrivals are killed by the beasts of Valley, the survivors enslaved by Therns.
Carter and Tars Tarkas rescue Thuvia, a slave girl, and attempt to escape, capitalizing on the confusion caused by an attack by the Black Pirates of Barsoom upon the Therns. They are separated during the attack: Tars Tarkas and Thuvia hijack a Black Pirate flier, while Carter fights his way aboard another, killing all but one of the Pirates, and rescuing a captive Thern princess.
Carter, talking with the captured Pirate Xodar, discovers that the Black Pirates, called the "First Born", also think of themselves as gods, and prey upon the Therns as the Therns prey upon others. He also discovers that the captive Thern is Phaidor, daughter of the "Holy Hekkador" (high priest) of the Therns. When their flier is recaptured by the First Born, they are taken to their land, built around the underground sea of Omean, below the lost sea of Korus and the Valley Dor. Both are located at the South Pole of Barsoom.
Once there, Carter is taken before Issus, the goddess of Barsoom; an ancient, evil woman who has manipulated her own people and the rest of Barsoom into maintaining an hierarchy with the First Born on top. Issus dictates the policies of the Therns through secret communications with them. The Therns, thinking they are receiving divine communications, do not realize that they are duped by their enemies.
Issus takes Phaidor into her service as a handmaiden for one Martian year. Carter is imprisoned, with Xodar as his slave as punishment for being defeated by Carter. Thereafter Carter treats him with honor, and thus gains in him a friend. In prison, they meet a young Red Martian captive from Carter’s home country of Helium. Soon thereafter, Carter and the youth are taken to the monthly games of Issus.
In the games, the handmaidens of a year before are sacrificed, and their bodies will be eaten by Issus and her nobles. Carter leads a revolt of the prisoners, killing many of the First Born. Carter and the youth almost kill Issus before the First Born suppress the revolt. Carter and the youth escape via underground tunnels, and give themselves up to guards unacquainted with the revolt to be returned to their prison island. Upon hearing the story of the revolt, Xodar rejects the notion of Issus’ divinity.
Carter, Xodar and the youth hijack a flier and escape. Soon after, Carter discovers that the youth is his son, Carthoris. The flier is damaged and must be abandoned in unknown territory. They encounter Thuvia, who describes the capture of Tars Tarkas by the green warriors of Warhoon (a clan rival to his own). Carter goes alone to rescue Tars Tarkas, but is discovered. After a chase, Thuvia is sent on alone mounted while the men attempt a last stand against the Warhoons. They are rescued by the Heliumetic navy; but do not find Thuvia.
Commanding one of the warships is Carter’s friend Kantos Kan; but the fleet is commanded by Zat Arras, a Jed (chieftain) of the hostile client state of Zodanga, and Carter is suspected of returning from Valley Dor, which is punishable by death. Tardos Mors, the Jeddak of Helium, and Mors Kajak, the Jed of Hastor (the grandfather and father, respectively, of Dejah Thoris, and thus Carter’s in-laws) are absent from Helium, having led fleets in search of Carter. Later, Carter discovers that Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
is missing, believed to have taken the pilgrimage to the Valley Dor to find him.
Upon returning to Helium, Carter is tried for heresy by the Zodangans; but the people of Helium do not tolerate this. To avoid civil war, Carter's judgment is deferred for a year. Sola, the daughter of Tars Tarkas, arrives, having escaped the First Born.
Carter realizes that Dejah Thoris will be selected as a handmaiden of Issus, and thus will have only a year to live; wherefore he and his comrades go to rescue her. They uncover evidence that Thern spies are monitoring them, and Carter is kidnapped by the Zodangans. Carter refuses Zat Arras’ offer of freedom in exchange for endorsing Zat Arras as Jeddak of Helium, and is imprisoned. After half a year in a dungeon, Carter wins his freedom through a ruse, and the mission to the land of the First Born is launched, with secretly raised troop levies, ships, and many troops lent by Tars Tarkas.
Upon approaching the South Pole, a Thern fleet challenges Carter’s fleet, and behind Carter’s fleet arrive another fleet led Zat Arras. Finally, a fleet of First Born arrives, leaving the rescue mission for Dejah Thoris in jeopardy. Carter encourages the Therns and First Born to fight one another, and the Heliumetic crews of the Zodangan fleet mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
in support of Carter. Carter then takes his remaining fleet with Tharkian troops to invade the underground sea of Omean.
The combined Heliumites and Tharks defeat the First Born, and Issus herself is killed; but Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and Phaidor, each of whom loves John Carter, are imprisoned in a room of the Temple of the Sun, of whose rooms each opens only once per year.
Carter is able to talk to Dejah Thoris through the doorway and give the women sufficient food supplements to last them the year; but the room cannot be opened. Just before the room closes, Phaidor attempts to kill Dejah Thoris, and her success or failure are left unknown. The story is carried on in the third book of Burroughs’ Martian series, The Warlord of Mars
The Warlord of Mars
The Warlord of Mars is a science fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in June, 1913, going through five working titles; Yellow Men of Barsoom, The Fighting Prince of Mars, Across Savage Mars, The Prince of Helium, and The...
.
Origins
On March 4, 1912, Burrough's editor at All-Story Magazine, Newell Metcalf wrote suggesting a sequel to Under the Moons of Mars (serialization title of A Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
). The Valley of Dor, the River Iss and the Sea of Korus were all key locations in the Martian conception of heaven or the afterlife, which Burroughs had introduced in A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
. Metcalf, who thought the appeal of these mystical locations might be strong for readers of the previous tale, suggested that John Carter could arrive from Earth at this location and be instrumental in exposing and destroying this religion as a falsehood. These ideas, which may have already have occurred to Burroughs, appeared to be highly inspirational.
Development
During 1912 Burroughs had been working on Tarzan of the ApesTarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
, which he finished in June of that year. Incredibly by 20 September 1912 Burroughs had almost completed the sequel to A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, which was entitled The Gods of Mars. It was submitted on October 2, 1912. Metcalf had suggested killing off Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
in the story, but Burroughs admitted to be unable to do so. Although readers had already complained about the suspense created at the end of A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, Burroughs once again, produced a story with a cliff hanger ending. The tale was advertised in the December 1912 issue of All-Story magazine.
Publication
The Gods of Mars was serialized in five parts in All-Story magazine, the first part published in January 1913 and the final part published in May 1913. Burroughs was paid $750 for the novel.Introduction
Burroughs introduced A Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, the first Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
Novel as though it were a factual account passed on to him personally. He imagines John Carter to be an avuncular figure known to his family for years who entrusted the manuscript of the novel to Burroughs for publication 21 years later. The Gods of Mars is the second Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
novel to use this device. John Carter 'visits' Burroughs 12 years after the events of A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, claiming to have mastered the secret of inter-planetary travel and stating this will be the last time he makes such a journey from his adopted home. However, the device was used to two further Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
novels, The Chessmen of Mars
The Chessmen of Mars
The Chessmen of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the fifth of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial in the issues for February 18 and 25 and March 4,...
and Swords of Mars
Swords of Mars
Swords of Mars is an science fiction novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine Blue Book Magazine as a six-part serial in the issues for November, 1934-April, 1935. The first book edition was published by Edgar Rice...
.
Genre
While the novel is an example of science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, it is most closely related to the planetary romance
Planetary romance
Planetary romance is a type of science fiction or science fantasy story in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds...
genre. The genre is similar to sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
, but includes scientific aspects. Planetary romances mostly take place on the surface of an alien world, frequently include sword fighting, monsters, supernatural elements such as telepathic abilities (as opposed to magic), and civilizations similar to Earth in pre-technological eras, particularly with the inclusion of kingdoms, empires or religious societies. Spacecraft may appear, but are not central to the story (something which makes these tales distinct from Space Opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
, where spaceships are usually a key focus of the narrative). There were some Planetary Romances prior to the publication of the Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
novels, but A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
and The Gods of Mars and other novels in the Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
series were the most influential on the numerous similar stories that were published subsequently.
Scientific basis
Burroughs vision of Mars was loosely inspired by astronomicalAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
speculation of the time, especially that of Percival Lowell
Percival Lowell
Percival Lawrence Lowell was a businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death...
, who saw the planet as a formerly Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
like world now becoming less hospitable to life due to its advanced age, whose inhabitants had built canals to bring water from the polar caps to irrigate the remaining arable land. Lowell was influenced by Italian astronomer, Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli, who in 1878, had observed features on Mars he called canali (Italian for "channels"). Mistranslation of this into English as "canals" fuelled belief the planet was inhabited. The theory of an inhabited planet with flowing water was disproved by data provided by Russian and American probes such as the two Viking missions
Viking program
The Viking program consisted of a pair of American space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts, an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface...
which found a dead, frozen world where water could not exist in a fluid state.
World of Barsoom
A million years before the narrative commences, Mars was a lush world with oceans. As the oceans receded, and the atmosphere grew thin, the planet has devolved into a landscape of partial barbarism; living on an aging planet, with dwindling resources, the inhabitants of BarsoomBarsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
have become hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive. Barsoomians distribute scarce water supplies via a worldwide system of canals
Martian canals
For a time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously believed that there were canals on Mars. These were a network of long straight lines that appeared in drawings of the planet Mars in the equatorial regions from 60° N. to 60° S. Lat., first observed by the Italian astronomer...
, controlled by quarreling city-states. The thinning Martian atmosphere is artificially replenished from an "atmosphere plant".
Race
Race is a major theme in the BarsoomBarsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
novels. It is a world with clear territorial divisions between White, Yellow, Black, Red and Green skinned races. Each has particular traits and qualities, which seem to define the characters of almost every individual thereof. Nevertheless Burroughs' concept of race, as depicted in the novels, is more like a division between species than between ethnicity.
The Gods of Mars introduces two new races; the White-Skinned Therns and the Black-Skinned First Born, both of which are strongly connected to the Martian religion that John Carter exposed in the novel.
Therns
The Therns are white skinned and bald, wearing blond wigs. They live in a complex of caves and passages in the cliffs above the Valley Dor, the supposed Martian heaven. The Therns control the dangerous beasts that live in the valley, and ransack, enslave, or eat the flesh of the survivors. They consider themselves a unique creation, different from other Martians. They are themselves raided by the Black Martians.Black Martians (First Born)
Supposedly the inhabitants of a Martian moon, the Black Martians actually live along the coast of the subterranean Sea near the south pole. They call themselves the 'First Born', believing themselves a unique creation among Martian races, and worship Issus, the false deity of the Martian religion. They raid the White Martian Therns, carrying them off as slaves and have a massive aerial navy, which John Carter defeats.Religious deception
There are a number of incidences of religious deception, or the use of superstition by those in power to control and manipulate others, in the BarsoomBarsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
series. This theme was introduced in A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, but is central to The Gods of Mars. Upon reaching 1,000 years of age almost all Martian undertake a pilgrimage along the River Iss expecting to find a valley of paradise; but find in fact a deathtrap, populated by ferocious creatures and overlooked by a race of cruel, cannibal priests known as Therns, who perpetuate the Martian religion through a network of spies across the planet. John Carter's battle to track down the remnants of the Therns and their masters, continues in the sequel The Warlord of Mars
The Warlord of Mars
The Warlord of Mars is a science fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in June, 1913, going through five working titles; Yellow Men of Barsoom, The Fighting Prince of Mars, Across Savage Mars, The Prince of Helium, and The...
. More deceitful priests in a theocratic nation appear in The Master Mind of Mars
The Master Mind of Mars
The Master Mind of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the sixth of his famous Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine Amazing Stories Annual vol. 1, July 15, 1927. The first book edition was published by A. C...
, where they manipulate a temple idol to control followers.
Burroughs continued this theme in his Tarzan novels. Burroughs was not anti-religious; but was concerned by the abuse and exploitation of religious belief, and saw this as a common feature of organized religion.
Characters in The Gods of Mars
- John CarterJohn Carter (character)John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
: Earthman Captain John Carter, a “gentleman of Virginia”, is a soldier of fortune after his service as an officer in the Confederate army. After the war he moved to the southwest US to work as a prospector. In 1886 he and his prospector partner strike it rich; but the partner is killed by American Indians and Carter takes refuge in a cave where he is overcome by smoke produced by an American Indian woman and wakes up on Mars. He effectively disappeared for ten years [while on Mars], believed dead, but re-emerged in New York in 1876, settling on the Hudson. He appeared to die in 1886, leaving instructions for a fictionalized Burroughs, who refers to him as an 'uncle' of the family, to entomb him in a crypt, and leaving Burroughs with the manuscript of A Princess of MarsA Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
with instructions not to publish it for another 21 years. He has no memory before the age of 30 and seems never to age. He is adept with command, horsemanship, swords, and all weapons. He is 6'2" tall, with black hair and gray steel eyes. He is honorable, courageous and eternally optimistic, even in the face of certain death. - Dejah ThorisDejah ThorisDejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
: A Martian Princess of Helium, who is courageous, tough and always holds her resolve, despite being frequently placed in both mortal danger and the threat of being dishonored by the lustful designs of villains. She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, jed of Lesser Helium and granddaughter of Tardos Mors, jeddak of Helium, highly aristocratic and fiercely proud of her heritage. She was introduced early in the first Barsoom novel, A Princess of MarsA Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, and is the love interest of John CarterJohn Carter (character)John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
. - Carthoris: Son of Dejah Thoris and John Carter; unusual in having no second name. He is described as worthy of his parentage in nobility, ferocity, and intelligence.
- Tars TarkasTars TarkasTars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Though a great warrior and leader among his people he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race...
: A fierce Green Martian warrior, unusual among his people for his ability to love. He befriends John CarterJohn Carter (character)John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
and later fights at his side. Carter helps him become Jeddak of the Green Martians in A Princess of MarsA Princess of MarsA Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
and negotiates an alliance between the Green Martians and the city state of Helium. Although Tars TarkasTars TarkasTars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Though a great warrior and leader among his people he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race...
, shows some civilization, he remains a noble savageNoble savageThe term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...
. He is notable for a wry sense of humor invoked when he notices some irony in his present situation, as at his discovery of the Valley Dor. - Kantos Kan: A soldier of Helium and Carter's friend.
- Thuvia of Ptarth: A Princess of Ptarth, rescued by John Carter from the Therns. She is later imprisoned with Carter's wife Dejah ThorisDejah ThorisDejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
, in a prison which can only be opened once per year and remains by her side until the conclusion of The Warlord of MarsThe Warlord of MarsThe Warlord of Mars is a science fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in June, 1913, going through five working titles; Yellow Men of Barsoom, The Fighting Prince of Mars, Across Savage Mars, The Prince of Helium, and The...
. Typically of Burrough's heroines, she is tough, courageous, proud, and strongly identifies with her aristocratic position in Martian society. She is later a central character in Thuvia, Maid of MarsThuvia, Maid of MarsThuvia, Maid of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth of the Barsoom series. The principal characters are the Son of John Carter of Mars, Carthoris, and Thuvia of Ptarth, each of whom appeared in the previous two novels....
and love interest of John Carter's son Cathoris. - Phaidor: A high-ranked Thern, who becomes enamoured of John Carter and therefore envious of Dejah Thoris. Considered somewhat amoral throughout the story.
Literary significance and criticism
Many consider the first three books of the Martian series to be a trilogy. The books are a showcase of Burroughs’ talents: imagination, colorful descriptions, and adventure. Burroughs’ complicated and sometimes flamboyant prose, vocabulary, and grammatical constructions are surprisingly sophisticated for pulp fiction.Copyright
The copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
for this story has expired in the United States and, thus, now resides in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
there. The text is available via Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
.