Naked on hot, dry sand--my body aches. My skull pounds. I open my eyes to see the moon chasing itself across the sky. This is not a promising start to my vacation. The brochure used words like magical, dreamlike, adventure, and beautiful women. Right now I’m willing to settle for a strong cup of coffee, a handful of aspirin, and some sunblock.
My knuckles brush against something smooth and hard. It fills my hand--three feet of metal, cold and sharp. A hiss of metal on metal causes me to turn my head. I behold a pale, green monstrosity, easily fifteen feet high, with two pairs of arms, each holding a long straight blade. Are those tusks? I am definitely filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Well, if I survive…
Barsoom is a dying planet. You probably know it as Mars, named for the Roman god of war. It is aptly named, for it is a savage world filled with beasts, lost cities, and forgotten secrets. Men live for honor and die in brutal competition for dwindling resources. Martial prowess is prized above all, and the greatest fighting man of Mars is John Carter.
John Carter is a veteran of the American Civil War who, through mysterious means, is transported to the red planet. On Mars, he has great strength due to the lower gravity, and can jump great distances. Upon arrival, he kills a “thark”—a nomadic, green Martian.
Soon he becomes involved with the politics of the tribe, and rises in rank due to his skills in combat and the strength of his sword arm. He meets a captured humanoid princess, Dejah Thoris, and falls in love. He rescues her and vows to return her to her people.
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, originally published in 1912, is now considered a classic example of early pulp fiction. This first tale of Barsoom was published in All-Story Magazine as Under the Moons of Mars. Introduced in serial format, his stories quickly became popular with the reading public, and several of his formerly serialized tales were gathered and printed as novels. Altogether, Burroughs published eleven books about John Carter and his descendents over the course of thirty years.
Several American science fiction writers have been influenced by his stories. Ray Bradbury admired his stimulating tales and was inspired to write his Martian Chronicles, which used similar concepts of a dying Mars. Burroughs’ influence can also be seen in the writing of Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, as well as James Cameron and his blockbuster movie, Avatar, and George Lucas and the Star Wars saga.
The fighting man of Mars will have his own movie in March of 2012, John Carter of Mars, produced by Disney studios. If you can’t wait until March, the first three of the books have been collected into a single volume. Another recent release you’d enjoy is Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom edited by John Joseph Adams, an anthology of short stories inspired by the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Though better known for his character, Tarzan of the Apes, Burroughs wrote seventy action-adventure stories ranging from westerns, adventures in a hollow earth, tales of lost islands, and even historical romances. His imagination and storytelling encouraged the public to support the US Space Program, and served as the creative spark for such scientists as Carl Sagan. The Burroughs crater on Mars is named in his honor. Perhaps the last great frontier isn’t waiting for us in outer space, but is as close as our own imagination…
Wage war? Or make love? Drop me an email at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com Miss a past column? Visit http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com and catch up. Be sure to catch “The New Adventures of Hobo” in 4D. Glasses and nose filters are provided!
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