A Princess of Mars ANNOTATION
The story of a Virginia gentleman who, during the Civil War, is suddenly drawn to Mars by astral projection, to rescue the Princess of Thelium.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Virginia gentleman John Carter, unexpectedly transported to the perilous red planet, Mars, finds himself captured by the loveless Green Men of Thark. As Carter struggles to win his freedom - and the affections of fellow captive Dejah Thoris, princess of the rival clan of Helium - the fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance: warring Martian tribes collide and the beleaguered Atmosphere Factory grinds to a suffocating halt.
SYNOPSIS
First Published - 1912.
John Carter, a Virginia Civil War officer, is transported mysteriously to Mars. There he meets and befriends Tars Tarkas, who with Carter's help
rises to become Jeddak of Thark, and Carter falls in love with Dejah
Thoris, princess of Helium. Carter and Dejah Thoris settle in Helium
for almost ten years, where they have an egg (in which a son forms), but
just before the five-year incubation period ends someone assassinates
the keeper of the atmosphere plant and his assistant. Carter helps the
Barsoomians open and restart the plant, but he passes out from lack of
air and awakes to find himself again on Earth.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Burroughs's first published fiction was Under the Moons of Mars, a wild sf adventure about a man named John Carter who mysteriously finds himself on Mars. Later published in book form as A Princess of Mars (1917), it is arguably the most fun of the 11 Martian tales Burroughs eventually wrote, as almost everything in it is new and strange from the giant four-armed green Martians to the fantastic six-legged thoats. Tarzan may be Burroughs's most famous character, but his Mars stories are still widely read. With few audio versions of these works available, good unabridged recordings are sure to be in demand, so this is recommended for all fiction collections. However, if Blackstone plans further Mars recordings, it would be well advised to offer more energetic readings than that provided here by Dennis McKee, whose interpretations of Martian dialog sound too much like Tarzan introducing himself to Jane. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
A year before Tarzan made his debut in a 1912 issue of All-Story Magazine, his creator penned this novel about a former Confederate captain mysteriously transported to the Martian kingdom of Barsoom, where he battles tall four-armed creatures in order to rescue Princess Deja Thoris. The Mars series, which ran for 11 novels, was eclipsed by the Tarzan novels but has remained popular among adventure and science fiction devotees. This reading by Dennis McKee comes across as flat and dreary, undermining the heroic, swashbuckling spirit of the novel. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
AudioFile - Don Wismer
A Princess Of Mars (1912) is arguably the most influential science fiction novel of the twentieth century. It was the first novel from the man who would create Tarzan of the Apes, and most science fiction novelists and many scientists (notably, Carl Sagan) credit it and Burroughsﾽs gigantic later output for their fascination with space. The novel exudes tremendous energy, even in this abridgment. Winiarskiﾽs voice is mature, his characters well distinguished, his pacing more contemplative, in keeping with the narrative tone. As Burroughsﾽs books pass out of copyright, we can expect to see a flood of his titles in audio format. D.W. ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine
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