A princess of Mars

About the book

John Carter finds himself on Mars, where the conditions of his own body and the society around him are suddenly strange. Among the inhabitants of Barsoom, physical prowess can win attention without supplying the knowledge needed to interpret allegiance or danger. His encounters with Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris draw him into conflicts larger than his original struggle to survive. Burroughs combines swordplay, captivity, flight, and romance with an imagined planet of competing peoples and vulnerable resources. Carter narrates with the confidence of an adventurer who understands the story through personal courage and loyalty. The book's energy comes from the continual enlargement of his world, as each apparent escape reveals another political or emotional obligation that he cannot easily leave behind.

• Adventure and belonging
• Loyalty
• Encountering difference

Why read it

For the opening Barsoom adventure's rapid succession of discoveries, alliances, and dangers on a vividly imagined Mars.

English text