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Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
created by American
pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
author
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
. The first Barsoom tale was serialized as ''Under the Moons of Mars'' in pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' from February to July 1912 and published compiled as a novel as '' A Princess of Mars'' in 1917. It features John Carter, a late-19th-century American Confederate veteran who is mysteriously transported from Earth to the dying world of Mars where he meets and romances the beautiful Martian princess Dejah Thoris. Ten
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s followed over the next three decades, further extending his vision of Barsoom and adding other characters. The ''Barsoom'' series, particularly the first novel, is considered a major influence on early
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
.


Series

Burroughs began writing the Barsoom books in the second half of 1911 and produced one volume a year between 1911 and 1914; seven more were produced between 1921 and 1941. The first Barsoom tale was serialized in '' The All-Story'' magazine as ''Under the Moons of Mars'' (1911), and then published in hardcover as the complete novel '' A Princess of Mars'' (1917). The final Barsoom tale was a novella, ''Skeleton Men of Jupiter'', published in ''
Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
'' in February 1943. The novel editions of ''A Princess of Mars'', ''The Gods of Mars'' and ''Llana of Gathol'' contain newly written forewords describing Edgar Rice Burroughs' interactions with John Carter, who is described as Burroughs' great-uncle. Collectively, this series of novels has been referred to as the Martian Series.


Etymology

Burroughs frequently invented words of the languages spoken by the people in his novels, and used these extensively in the narrative. In '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'' he included a glossary of Barsoomian words used in the first four novels. The word "Barsoom", the native Martian word for Mars, is composed of the Martian name for planet, "soom", and the Martian word for eight, "bar". This reflects counting Mars as the eighth body in the inner solar system, by counting not just planets, but the Sun and the satellites of Earth and of Mars.


Character focus

'' A Princess of Mars'', the first novel in the Barsoom series, with its sequels ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
'' and '' The Warlord of Mars'', form a trilogy centered upon
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
John Carter and
damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...
Dejah Thoris. John Carter's and Dejah Thoris's son Carthoris is also introduced as a minor character in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
'', as is Thuvia. Three other books focus on their descendants: Carthoris, in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', his sister, Tara of Helium, in '' The Chessmen of Mars'', and Tara's daughter, Llana of Gathol, in '' Llana of Gathol''. Ulysses Paxton, another Earth man transported to Mars, is the focus of '' The Master Mind of Mars'', and the rest of the books focus on John Carter's later adventures ('' Swords of Mars'' and ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
''), or on native Martian characters ('' A Fighting Man of Mars'' and ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'').


Form

Most of the Barsoom books are novels, but two are collections of shorter works: '' Llana of Gathol'' has four linked novelettes, originally published in ''Amazing Stories'' during 1941, and ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
'' is composed of two novellas. Most are first-person narratives. John Carter narrates '' A Princess of Mars'', ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
'', '' The Warlord of Mars'', '' Swords of Mars'', the four novellas in '' Llana of Gathol'', and "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" in ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
''. Ulysses Paxton narrates one, '' The Master Mind of Mars''. Martian guardsman Vor Daj narrates ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'', and Martian navy officer Tan Hadron narrates '' A Fighting Man of Mars''. Two other novels, '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'' and '' The Chessmen of Mars'', are written in the third person, as is "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" in ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
''.


Introductions

Beginning with '' A Princess of Mars'', Burroughs established a practice which continued in the four sequels of introducing the novel as if a factual account passed on to him personally, wherein John Carter appears as an avuncular figure known to his family for years. The same device appears in several sequels: ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''; '' The Chessmen of Mars''; '' Swords of Mars''; and '' Llana of Gathol''.


Authorship

All the Barsoom tales were published under the name of Edgar Rice Burroughs, except ''Under the Moons of Mars'', the first publication of '' A Princess of Mars'', which was published under the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
"Norman Bean". Burroughs had actually typed "Normal Bean" (meaning ''not insane'') on his submitted manuscript; but his publisher's typesetter changed it to "Norman". The first novella in ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
'', "John Carter and the Giant of Mars", is thought to have been penned by Burroughs' son John "Jack" Coleman Burroughs, although allegedly revised by his father. It was recognized by fans, upon publication, as unlikely of being Burroughs' work, as the writing is of a juvenile quality compared with that of Burroughs' other stories.


Genre

The stories are
science fantasy file:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg, Cosplay of a character from the ''Warhammer 40,000'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy." Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction ...
, belonging to the
subgenre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
planetary romance Planetary romanceAllen Steele, ''Captain Future - the Horror at Jupiter''p .195/ref> (other synonyms are sword and planet, and planetary adventure) is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy in which the bulk of the action consists of a ...
, which has strong elements of both
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
. Planetary romance stories are similar to
sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of Romance (love), romance, Magic (fantasy), magic, and the supernatural are also ...
tales, but include scientific aspects. They mostly take place on the surface of an alien world, frequently include sword fighting, monsters, supernatural elements such as telepathic abilities, and civilizations similar to Earth in pre-technological eras, particularly with the inclusion of dynastic or religious social structures. Spacecraft appear in the stories, but are not central to the story. The series can also be classified as the closely related genre
sword and planet Planetary romanceAllen Steele, ''Captain Future - the Horror at Jupiter''p .195/ref> (other synonyms are sword and planet, and planetary adventure) is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy in which the bulk of the action consists of a ...
, which consists of what are essentially sword and sorcery stories that take place on another planet. The stories also share a number of elements with westerns in that they feature desert landscapes, women taken captive and a final confrontation with the antagonist. Burroughs' Barsoom stories are considered seminal planetary romances. While examples existed prior to the publication of his works, they are the principal influence on the many works of this type that followed. His style of planetary romance has ceased to be written and published in the mainstream, though his books remain in print.


Plot

Like most of Burroughs' fiction, the novels in the series are mostly travelogues, feature copious violence, and often depict civilized heroes captured by uncivilized cultures and mimicking their captors to survive. Most Barsoom novels follow a familiar plot structure wherein a hero is forced to a far-off location in search of a woman kidnapped by an odious but powerful villain. Female characters are likely to be virtuous and fight off amorous advances and other dangers until able to connect with the hero; who himself fights a variety of enemies and deposes petty rulers of severely repressed populations, usually with the assistance of a native.


Motifs

The world of Barsoom is morally unambiguous: characters are either good or evil; there is no sense of moral relativity. A sense of honor transcends race or political affiliation, and characters fight alongside one another and against their adversaries because it is the right thing to do. Qualities of compassion, loyalty, and bravery are celebrated, while callousness, deception, and cowardice are deprecated. Typically the novels include descriptions of aspects of the Martian world such as the architecture, and the presence of desolate landscapes punctuated by abandoned cities, technological achievements, advanced medicine, cultural elements such as religious practices and eating habits, breeding practices, and methods of population control. Many lost cities and civilizations and journeys into forgotten underworlds appear across the series, and the environment beyond the cities is populated by a variety of ferocious beasts, many roughly equivalent with Earth creatures and most bearing multiple sets of limbs. There are numerous examples of striking coincidences and dei ex machina usually to the benefit of the protagonists. Mad scientists also appear, Ras Thavas from '' The Master Mind of Mars'' and ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'' being the principal example, although another plays a prominent role in '' A Fighting Man of Mars''. Instances of the use of superstition by religious cults to control and manipulate others are also common. '' A Princess of Mars'' was possibly the first fiction of the 20th century to feature a
constructed language A constructed language (shortened to conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, orthography, and vocabulary, instead of having developed natural language, naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devise ...
; although Barsoomian was not particularly developed, it did add
verisimilitude In philosophy, verisimilitude (or truthlikeness) is the notion that some propositions are closer to being true than other propositions. The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be close ...
to the narrative.


Villains

Most villains in the Barsoom series are implacably evil or are rulers or despots of major empires or of hidden fiefdoms. They are usually hated by their subjects and possess a voracious sexual appetite, usually directed towards the heroine. The pattern is established by Tharkian Jeddak Tal Hajus in the first novel, '' A Princess of Mars''. Further examples include Salensus Oll of '' The Warlord of Mars'', Nutus of Dusar in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', and Ul Vas, Jeddak of the Tarids in '' Swords of Mars''.


Principal characters


Earthmen

* John Carter: Captain John Carter is an Earthman who originated in Virginia. He fought in the American Civil war on the Confederate side. After the war he moved to the southwest US to work as a prospector. In 1866 he and his prospector partner struck it rich, but the partner was killed by American Indians, and Carter took refuge in a cave, where he was overcome by smoke that was some kind of cave gas, and while looking up at Mars in the sky, he is then teleported to Mars. He effectively disappeared for ten years hile on Mars and was believed dead, but re-emerged in New York in 1876, settling on the Hudson. He appeared to die in 1886, leaving instructions for Burroughs, who refers to him as an 'uncle', to entomb him in a crypt, and leaving Burroughs with the manuscript of '' A Princess of Mars'' 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 tall, with black hair and steel-gray eyes. He is honorable, courageous, and eternally optimistic, even in the face of certain death. On Mars, he encounters both formidable alien creatures and various warring Martian races, wins the hand of Martian princess Dejah Thoris, and rises to the position of Warlord of Mars. Carter is the protagonist of the first three novels, which together comprise the initial trilogy. Carter also headlines the eighth, tenth, and eleventh books, as well as being a major secondary character in the fourth and ninth novels. * Ulysses Paxton: The central character in '' The Master Mind of Mars''. Paxton is a soldier in the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
who is transported to Barsoom after he is mortally wounded, and subsequently becomes an assistant to Barsoomian scientist Ras Thavas.


Martians

* Dejah Thoris: A Princess of Helium; courageous, chaste, and resourceful despite frequent abduction by villains. The daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (prince or king) of Lesser Helium and granddaughter of Tardos Mors, Jeddak (king or emperor) of Helium, she is highly aristocratic and fiercely proud of her heritage. She is introduced early in the first Barsoom novel, '' A Princess of Mars'', and is the love interest of John Carter. She is a central character in the first three novels, and her capture by various enemies, and subsequent pursuit by John Carter, is a constant motivating force in these tales. She is a minor character in '' The Chessmen of Mars'' and ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabit ...
''. * Tars Tarkas: A Green Martian warrior unusually compassionate among his people, who befriends John Carter and fights many battles at his side. Carter helps him become Jeddak of his society and negotiates an alliance between them and the city-state of Helium, which results in the destruction of their enemies, the city of Zodanga, at the end of '' A Princess of Mars''; but Tars Tarkas retains much of his earlier personality. *Thuvia of Ptarth: A Princess of Ptarth, who first appears in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
'', as a slave girl, rescued by John Carter from the nefarious Therns, and later imprisoned with Carter's wife Dejah Thoris, in a prison which can only be opened once per year and remains by her side until the conclusion of '' The Warlord of Mars''. Like many of Burroughs' Martian heroines, she is tough, courageous, and proud, and identifies strongly with her aristocratic position in Martian society. Also typically, she is abducted by evildoers who wish to use her for political gain in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', her rescue providing primary motivation for the plot of that novel. She is a central character in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'' and love interest of John Carter and Dejah Thoris' son Carthoris. * Ras Thavas: A mad scientist who develops both brain-transplant techniques and a form of cloning; a principal character in both '' The Master Mind of Mars'' and ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
''. *Tan Hadron: A young Red Martian navy officer and the central character of '' A Fighting Man of Mars''. *Vor Daj: A soldier in John Carter's guard. Principal character in ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'', who spends much of the novel with his brain transplanted into a hideous but powerful synthetic body. *Gahan of Gathol: A prince of Gathol; love interest for Tara of Helium and father of Llana of Gathol; a principal character in '' The Chessmen of Mars''.


Martian descendants of John Carter and Dejah Thoris

*Carthoris: Son of John Carter and Dejah Thoris, who inherits his father's superior strength. A minor character in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''. A principal character in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'' and love interest of Thuvia. *Tara of Helium: Impetuous daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris, who runs away and gets involved in various perilous situations as a principal character in '' The Chessmen of Mars''. Love interest of Gahan of Gathol and mother of Llana of Gathol. *Llana of Gathol: Granddaughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris and daughter of Tara of Helium and Gahan of Gathol; a principal character in the stories collected in '' Llana of Gathol''.


Environment

While Burroughs' Barsoom tales never aspired to anything other than
escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism also may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general s ...
, his vision of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
was loosely inspired by
astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...
speculation of the time, especially that of Percival Lowell, that saw the planet as a formerly
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
like world now becoming less hospitable to life due to its advanced age. Living on an aging planet, with dwindling resources, the inhabitants of Barsoom have become hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive. Once a wet world with continents and oceans, Barsoom's seas gradually dried up, leaving it a dry planet of highlands interspersed with moss-covered dead sea bottoms. Abandoned cities line the former coasts. The last remnants of the former bodies of water are the Great Toonolian Marshes and the
antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...
Lost Sea of Korus. Barsoomians distribute their scarce water supplies via a worldwide system of canals, controlled by quarreling city-states at the junctures thereof. The idea of Martian "canals" stems from telescopic observations by 19th century astronomers who, beginning with Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877, believed they saw networks of lines on the planet. Schiaparelli called them ''canali'', meaning "channels" but mistranslated in English as "canals". During the time Burroughs wrote his first Barsoom stories, the theory was put forward by a number of prominent scientists, notably Lowell, that these were huge engineering works constructed by an intelligent race. This view, though utterly false as is now known, inspired much science fiction. The thinning Barsoomian atmosphere is artificially replenished by an "atmosphere plant" on whose function all life on the planet is dependent. The Martian year comprises 687 Martian days, each of which is 24 hours and 37 minutes long. (Burroughs presumably derived this from the figures published by Lowell, but erroneously substituted the number of 24-hour ''Earth'' days in the Martian year, rather than the number of 24.6-hour ''Martian'' days, which is only 669.) The days are hot (again known to be false) and the nights are cold, and there appears to be little variation in climate across the planet except at the poles. Burroughs explained his ideas about the Martian environment in an article "A Dispatch on Mars" published in the '' London Daily Express'' in 1926. He assumed that Mars was formerly identical to the Earth; therefore a similar evolutionary development of fauna would have taken place. He referenced winds, snows, and marshes supposedly observed by astronomers, as evidence of an atmosphere, and that the wastes of the planet had been irrigated (probably referencing Lowell's "canals"), which suggested that an advanced civilization existed on the planet.


Races and culture

All Barsoomian races resemble
Homo sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
in most respects, except for being
oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
(making them classified as
monotreme Monotremes () are mammals of the order Monotremata. They are the only group of living mammals that lay eggs, rather than bearing live young. The extant monotreme species are the platypus and the four species of echidnas. Monotremes are typified ...
s instead) and having lifespans in excess of 1,000 years (though actual life expectancy is far shorter.) However, the Green Martians are much taller, have four arms, tusks, and antennae like ears. The traditional Martian lifespan of 1,000 is based on the customary pilgrimage down the River Iss, which is taken by virtually all Martians by that age, or those who feel tired of their long lives and expect to find a paradise at the end of their journey. None return from this pilgrimage, because it leads to almost certain death at the hands of ferocious creatures. While the Martian females are egg-laying, Martians have inexplicably mammalian characteristics such as a navel and breasts. While they have skins of various colors, and their bodies differ in some cases from traditional humans, they are very similar to varieties of Earth humans and there is little examination of difference. There is only one spoken language across the entire planet, but a variety of writing systems. All Martians are telepathic among one another, and also with domestic animals. Other telepathic abilities are demonstrated across the books. The Lotharians in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', are able to project images of warfare that can kill by suggestion. In '' The Warlord of Mars'', the nations are described as bellicose and self-sufficient; but in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
'' inter-city state merchants are mentioned, and in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', towering staging posts for inter-city liners are also described. Most of the cultures are dynasties or theocracies.


Red Martians

The Red Martians are the dominant culture on Barsoom. They are organized into a system of imperial city-states including Helium, Ptarth, and Zodanga, controlling the planetary canal system, as well as other more-isolated city-states in the hinterlands. The Red Martians are the interbred descendants of the ancient Yellow Martians, White Martians and Black Martians, remnants of which exist in isolated areas of the planet, particularly the poles. The Red Martians are said in '' A Princess of Mars'' to have been bred when the seas of Barsoom began to dry up, in hopes of creating a hardy race to survive in the new environment. They are, like all the humanoid races of Mars,
oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
, i.e., their newborn hatch from eggs. The Red Martians are highly civilized, respect the idea of private property, adhere to a code of honor and have a strong sense of fairness. Their culture is governed by law and is technologically advanced. They are capable of love and have families.


Green Martians

The Green Martians are tall (males) and tall (females), have two arms, two legs and two intermediary limbs that can be used as either arms or legs at will. Their eyes are mounted at the side of their heads and can move independently of each other in order to see in two directions at once. They are nomadic, warlike and barbaric, do not form families, have little concept of friendship or love and enjoy inflicting torture upon their victims. Their social structure is highly communal and rigidly hierarchical, consisting of various levels of chiefs, with the highest office of Jeddak obtained by mortal combat. The Green Men are primitive, intellectually unadvanced, do not have any kind of art and are without a written language. While they manufacture edged weapons, any advanced technology they possess, such as 'radium pistols', is stolen from raids upon the Red Martians. They inhabit the ancient ruined cities left behind by civilizations which lived on Barsoom during a more advanced and hospitable era in the planet's history. They apparently arose from a biological experiment which went awry and as with all other Martians, they are an egg-laying species, concealing their eggs in incubators until hatching. Tars Tarkas, who befriends John Carter when he first arrives on Barsoom, is an unusual exception from the typical ruthless Green Martian, due to having known the love of his own mate and daughter. In the novels, the Green Martians are often referred to by the names of their hordes, which in turn take their names from the abandoned cities they inhabit. Thus the followers of Tars Tarkas, based in the ruined ancient city of Thark, are known as " Tharks". Other hordes bear the names of Warhoon, Torquas, and Thurd.


Yellow Martians


Okarians

Yellow Martians are supposedly extinct, but in '' The Warlord of Mars'' they are found hiding in secret domed cities at the North Pole of Mars. At the time John Carter arrives on Barsoom, the Yellow Race is known only in old wives' tales and campfire stories. The only means of entrance to the Okarians' city is through The Carrion Caves, which are every bit as unpleasant as the name suggests. Air travel over the barrier is discouraged through the use of a great magnetic pillar called "The Guardian of the North," which draws fliers of all sizes inexorably to their doom as they collide with the massive structure. Their cities are domed hothouses which keep out the cold, but outdoors they favor orluk furs and boots. Physically they are large and strong, and the men usually wear bristling black beards.


White Martians


Orovars

The White Martians, known as 'Orovars', were rulers of Mars for 500,000 years, with an empire of sophisticated cities with advanced technology. They were white-skinned, with blond or auburn hair. They were once a seafaring race, but when the oceans began to dry up they began to cooperate with the Yellow and Black Martians to breed the Red Martians, foreseeing the need for hardy stock to cope with the emerging harsher environment. They became decadent and 'overcivilized'. At the beginning of the series they are believed to be extinct, but three remaining populations - the Orovars, Therns and Lotharians – are still living in secret and are discovered as the books progress.


Lotharians

The Lotharians are a remnant population of the original White Martians, which appear only in '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars''. There are only 1000 of them remaining, all of them male. They are skilled in telepathy, able to project images that can kill, or provide sustenance. They live a reclusive existence in a remote area of Barsoom, debating philosophy amongst themselves.


Therns

Descendants of the original White Martians who live in a complex of caves and passages in the cliffs above the Valley Dor. This is the destination of the River Iss, on whose currents most Martians eventually travel, on a pilgrimage seeking final paradise, once tired of life or reaching 1000 years of age. The valley is actually populated by monsters who, overseen by Therns, attack all who enter the valley, killing and exsanguinating them for the Therns to cannibalize, only excepting those whom the directing Therns choose instead to enslave. They consider themselves a unique creation, different from other Martians. They maintain the Martian religion through a network of collaborators and spies across the planet. When they reach the age of 1000 years they make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Issus, unaware that they have been manipulated into doing so in order to be slaughtered by the Black Men of Mars in an analogous deception to that the Therns practice on other Martians. They are also the repeated target of raids by the Black Martians to capture their females as slaves. They are white-skinned (of a skin tone close enough to human Caucasians that John Carter was able to easily pose as one) and the males are bald but wear blond wigs.


Black Martians (First Born)

Legend suggests that the Black Martians are inhabitants of one of the moons of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
, when in fact they live in an underground stronghold near the south pole of the planet, around the submartian Sea of Omean, below the Lost Sea of Korus, where they keep a large aerial navy. They call themselves the 'First-Born', believing themselves to be a unique creation among Martian races, and worship Issus, a woman who styles herself as the God of the Martian religion but is no such thing. They frequently raid the White Martian Therns, who maintain the false Martian religion, carrying off people as slaves. John Carter defeats their navy in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''.


Others


Kaldanes and Rykors

'' The Chessmen of Mars'' introduces the Kaldanes of the region Bantoom, whose form is almost all head but for six spiderlike legs and a pair of chelae, and whose racial goal is to evolve even further towards pure
intellect Intellect is a faculty of the human mind that enables reasoning, abstraction, conceptualization, and judgment. It enables the discernment of truth and falsehood, as well as higher-order thinking beyond immediate perception. Intellect is dis ...
and away from bodily existence. In order to function in the physical realm, they have bred the Rykors, a complementary species composed of a body similar to that of a perfect specimen of Red Martian but lacking a head; when the Kaldane places itself upon the shoulders of the Rykor, a bundle of tentacles connects with the Rykor's
spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...
, allowing the brain of the Kaldane to interface with the body of the Rykor. Should the Rykor become damaged or die, the Kaldane merely climbs upon another as an earthling might change a horse.


Kangaroo Men

A lesser people of Barsoom are the Kangaroo Men of Gooli, so called due to their large,
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
-like tails, ability to hop large distances and the rearing of their eggs in pouches. They are presented as a race of boastful, cowardly individuals. Their
moral character Moral character or character (derived from ) is an analysis of an individual's steady Morality, moral qualities. The concept of ''character'' can express a variety of attributes, including the presence or lack of virtues such as empathy, courag ...
is not highly developed; they are devout cowards and petty thieves, who value (aside from their lives) only a "treasure" consisting of pretty stones, sea shells, etc.


Hormads

In addition to the naturally occurring races of Barsoom, Burroughs described the Hormads, artificial men created by the scientist Ras Thavas as slaves, workers, warriors, etc. in giant vats at his laboratory in the Toonolian Marsh in ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'' and "John Carter and the Giant of Mars". Although the Hormads were generally recognizable as humanoid, the process was far from perfect, and generated monstrosities ranging from the occasional misplaced nose or eyeball to "''a great mass of living flesh with an eye somewhere and a single hand.''"


Technology

When Burroughs wrote the first volume of the Barsoom series, aviation and radio technology was in its infancy and radioactivity was a fledgling science. Despite this, the series includes a range of technological developments including radium munitions, battles between fleets of aircraft, devices similar to faxes and televisions, genetic manipulation, elements of
terraforming Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to mak ...
and other ideas. One notable device mentioned is the "directional compass"; this may be believed to be the precursor to the now-common "
global positioning system The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...
", or GPS for short.


Fliers

The Red Martians have flying machines, both civilian transports and fleets of heavily armed war craft. These stay aloft through some form of anti-gravity, which Burroughs explains as relating to the rays of the Sun. Fliers travel at approximately (450 Martian Haads per hour). In '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', John Carter's son Carthoris invents what appears to be a partial precursor of the autopilot (several decades before it became a reality). The device, built upon existing Martian compass technology, allows the pilot to reach any programmed destination, having only to keep the craft pointed in the set direction. Upon arrival, the device automatically lowers the craft to the surface. He also includes a kind of collision detector, which uses radium rays to detect any obstacle and automatically steer the craft elsewhere until the obstacle is no longer detected. This device works in principle almost identically to the backscatter radiation detector used to fire the braking rockets on the
Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Soviet Union, Union of Soviet Socialist Republi ...
space capsule. In '' Swords of Mars'' a flier with some kind of mechanical brain is introduced. Controlled by thought, it can be remote-controlled in flight, or instructed to travel to any destination.


Weapons

Firearms are common, and use 'Radium' bullets, which explode when exposed to sunlight. Some weapons are specific to races or inventors. The mysterious Yellow Martians, who live in secret glass-domed cities at the poles and appear in '' The Warlord of Mars'', have a form of magnet which allows them to attract flying craft and cause them to crash. Scientist Phor Tak, who appears in '' A Fighting Man of Mars'', has developed a disintegrator ray, and also a paste which renders vehicles such as fliers impervious to its effects. He also develops a missile which seeks out craft protected in this fashion, and a means of rendering fliers invisible which becomes a key plot device in the novel. However, while advanced weapons are available, most Martians seem to prefer melee combat — mostly with swords — and their level of skill is highly impressive. Warriors often are armed with four weapons (in descending order, pistol, long-sword, short sword and dagger) and it is considered unchivalrous to defend with any weapon but the one used in an attack (or a lesser one.) While technically it would be easy to use firearms to kill an opponent armed with a sword, such conduct is socially unacceptable and (except for one abortive attempt by the assassin Uldak in '' Swords of Mars'') even the villains in Barsoom books never resort to it.


Atmosphere plant

There are many technological wonders in the novels, some colossal works of engineering. The failing air of the dying planet is maintained by an atmosphere plant, and the restoration of this is a plot component of '' A Princess of Mars''. It is described as being across with walls in depth, and telepathically operated entrance doors of steel.


Medicine and biology

Martian medicine is generally greatly in advance of that on Earth. Various "ointments" and "salves," particularly as ascribed to the Green Martian women, are capable of healing all but instantly deadly wounds in a matter of hours—as first seen in '' A Princess of Mars''. In '' The Master Mind of Mars'' aging genius Ras Thavas has perfected the means of transplanting organs, limbs and brains, which during his experiments he swaps between animals and humanoids, men and women and young and old. Later, in ''
Synthetic Men of Mars ''Synthetic Men of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth of his Barsoom series. It was first published in the magazine '' Argosy Weekly'' in six parts in early 1939. The first complete edition of th ...
'', he discovers the secret of life, and creates an army of artificial servants and warriors grown in giant vats filled with organic tissue. They frequently emerge deformed, are volatile and are difficult to control, later threatening to take over the planet.


Clothing

The Martians wear no clothing other than jewelry and leather harnesses, which are designed to hold everything from the weaponry of a warrior to pouches containing toiletries and other useful items; the only instances where Barsoomians habitually wear clothing is for need of warmth, such as for travel in the northern polar regions described in '' The Warlord of Mars''. This preference for near-nudity provides a stimulating subject for illustrators of the stories, though art for many mass-market editions of the books feature Carter and native Barsoomians wearing loincloths and other minimal coverings, or use strategically placed shadows and such to cover genitalia and female breasts.


Fauna

It appears that most of Burrough's Martian creatures are roughly equivalent to those found on Earth, though most seem to have multiple legs (usually a total of six limbs, but sometimes as many as ten) and all are egg-laying.


"Insects", "reptiles" and "birds"

*Sith: A giant, venomous hornet-like insect endemic to the Kaolian Forest. * Reptiles: Are described as repulsive and usually poisonous, and include **Darseen, a chameleon-like reptile. **Silian, an Antarctic sea-monster found in the Lost Sea of Korus. * Birds: Burroughs tells us that Martian birds are brilliantly plumed, but the only species actually described is the enormous Malagor, native to the Great Toonolian Marshes.


"Mammals"

The martian mammalian equivalents all have fur, and both domestic and wild varieties are described by Burroughs.


Domesticated

*Sorak: A small six-legged creature, equivalent to a cat. * Calot: A large dog-like creature with a frog-like mouth (making them look like
cynodont Cynodontia () is a clade of eutheriodont therapsids that first appeared in the Late Permian (approximately 260 Megaannum, mya), and extensively diversified after the Permian–Triassic extinction event. Mammals are cynodonts, as are their extin ...
s), and three rows of teeth and ten short legs. John Carter has his own calot, named Woola, who is his faithful companion during most of '' A Princess of Mars'' and '' The Warlord of Mars''. *Thoat: A Martian horse. It has four legs on each side of its body and a wide, flat tail, which is wider at the apex than at the base and which is extended while running. The Greater Thoat is used as a mount by the Green Martians and stands about high at the shoulder; the Lesser Thoat bred by the Red Martians is closer to Earth horses in size. The Thoat is described as a slate-colored animal, with a white underside and yellow lower legs and feet. *Zitidar: A draft animal, described as being similar to
mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
s.


Wild

*Apt: A large white-furred
arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
creature with six limbs, four being legs, which give it rapid speed, and two being arms with hairless hands, with which it grasps prey. It has tusks growing from its lower jawbone, and large faceted, insect-like eyes. Appears in '' The Warlord of Mars''. *Banth: A Barsoomian "
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
". It hunts the hills surrounding the dead seas of Barsoom. It has a long, sleek body, with ten legs, and large jaws equipped with several rows of sharp fangs in a mouth which extends back almost to its small ears. It is mostly hairless, except for a thick mane around the neck. It has large, protruding green eyes. *Ulsio: A kind of Barsoomian "
rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...
", described as a dog-sized burrower. *White Ape: Huge and ferocious, semi-intelligent
gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
-like creatures with an extra set of arms, which first appear in '' A Princess of Mars''.


Other

*Rykors are headless but otherwise human-like creatures bred by the Kaldanes, appearing only in '' The Chessmen of Mars''. *Plant Men: Monsters found in the Valley Dor. They are between in height when upright, with hairless bodies similar in form to humans, excepting broad flat feet which are in length and a tail, which tapers from a round profile to a flat blade shape at the tip. They also have short, sinuous arms similar to elephant trunks, ending with taloned hands with mouths set in the palms. It also attacks and feeds upon Martian Pilgrims, who travel to the Valley Dor expecting to find final paradise. Their faces are without mouths, with a nose like an open wound, a single white eye surrounded by a white band, and black hair 10 to 12 inches long, each strand similar in thickness to an earthworm. They appear in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''. The Plant Men have a mouth in the palm of each hand, with which they feed on tender vegetation (which they shear with their razor-sharp talons) or on the blood of their victims. After "the defiling blood of life has been drawn" from a human by the Plant Men, the flesh may be eaten by the Holy Therns, another Barsoomian race. *Orluk: An Arctic predator with a black and yellow striped coat, whose legs are not described.


Themes


American frontier

Barsoom might be seen as a kind of Martian
Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
. John Carter is himself an adventuring frontiersman. When he arrives on Barsoom he first compares it to the landscape of
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
which he has left behind. He discovers a savage, frontier world where the civilized Red Martians are kept invigorated as a race by repelling the constant attacks of the Green Martians, a possible equivalent of Wild West ideals. Indeed, the Green Martians are a barbaric, nomadic, tribal culture with many parallels to stereotypes of American Indians. The desire to return to the frontier became common in the early 20th century America. As the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
become more urbanized, the world of the 19th century frontier America became romanticized as a lost world of freedom and noble qualities.


Race

Race is a constant theme in the Barsoom novels and the world is clearly divided along racial lines. Red, Green, White, Black, and Yellow races all appear across the novels, each with particular traits and qualities which seem to define the characters of the individuals. In this respect, Burroughs' concept of race, as depicted in the novels, is more like a division between species. The Red and Green Martians are almost complete opposites of one another, with the Red Martians being civilized, lawful, capable of love and forming families, and the Green Martians being savage, cruel, tribal and without families or the ability to form romantic relationships. Yet, friendship between individuals of different nations and races is a frequent topic driving the stories.


Religious deception

The Barsoom series features a number of incidents of religious deception, or the use of superstition by those in power to control and manipulate others. Burroughs is particularly concerned about the hypocrisy of religious leaders. This is first established in '' A Princess of Mars'', but becomes particularly apparent in the sequel, ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''. Upon reaching 1,000 years of age almost all Martians undertake a pilgrimage on the River Iss, expecting to find a valley of mystical paradise; what they find is in fact a deathtrap, populated by ferocious creatures and overseen 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 nation controlled by such appear in '' The Master Mind of Mars'', on this occasion manipulating a temple idol to control followers. Burroughs continued this theme in his many Tarzan novels. Burroughs was not anti-religious; however, he was concerned about followers placing their trust in religions and being abused and exploited, and saw this as a common feature of organized religion.


Excessive intellectualism

While Burroughs is generally seen as a writer who produced work of limited philosophical sophistication, he wrote two Barsoom novels which appear to explore or parody the limits of excessive intellectual development at the expense of bodily or physical existence. The first was '' Thuvia, Maid of Mars'', in which Thuvia and Carthoris discover a remnant of ancient White Martian civilization, the Lotharians. The Lotharians have mostly died out, but maintain the illusion of a functioning society through powerful telepathic projections. They have formed two factions which appear to portray the excesses of pointless intellectual debate. One faction, the realists, believes in imagining meals to provide sustenance; another, the etherealists, believes in surviving without eating. '' The Chessmen of Mars'' is the second example of this trend. The Kaldanes have sacrificed their bodies to become pure brain, but although they can interface with Rykor bodies, their ability to function, compared with normal people of integrated mind and body, is ineffectual and clumsy. The Kaldanes, though highly intelligent, are ugly, ineffectual creatures when not interfaced with a Rykor body. Tara of Helium compares them to effete intellectuals from her home city, with a self-important sense of superiority; and Gahan of Gathol muses that it might be better to find a balance between the intellect and bodily passions.


Paradox of "Superiority"

Some of Barsoom's people, especially the Therns and First-Born, hold themselves as "superior" to the "lesser order" people on Barsoom. A paradox is established in that the Therns and First-Born, though they hold themselves in such high esteem, nonetheless are dependent on these lesser orders for their sustenance, labor, and goods. The Therns and First-Born are "non-productive" people and do not produce anything or invent, as such labor is seen as beneath them. This is punctuated by the fact that the Therns and First-Born are obliged to create strongholds in the south polar regions, to insulate themselves from the remainder of the planet dominated primarily by red and green Martians. A particular ironic twist is introduced by the fact that the white Therns think that they control and manipulate the entire planet, when they are in turn unknowingly exploited by the black First-Born.


Antecedents and influences on Burroughs


Scientific inspiration

Burroughs' concept of a dying Mars and the
Martian canals During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously believed that there were "canals" on the planet Mars. These were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions from 60° north to 60° south latitude on Mars, observ ...
follows the theories of Lowell and his predecessor Giovanni Schiaparelli. In 1878, Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli observed geological features on Mars which he called ''canali'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: "channels"). This was mistranslated into the English as "canals" which, being artificial watercourses, fueled the belief that there was some sort of intelligent extraterrestrial life on the planet. This further influenced American astronomer Percival Lowell. In 1895 Lowell published a book titled ''Mars'' which speculated about an arid, dying landscape, whose inhabitants had been forced to build canals thousands of miles long to bring water from the polar caps (now known to be mostly frozen carbon dioxide or "dry ice") to irrigate the remaining arable land. Lowell followed with ''Mars and Its Canals'' (1906) and ''Mars as an Abode of Life'' (1908). These books formed prominent scientific ideas about the conditions on the red planet in the early years of the 20th century. Burroughs does not seem to have based his vision of Mars on precise reading of Lowell's theories, however, as a number of errors in his books suggest he got most of his information from newspaper articles and other popular accounts of Lowell's Mars. The concept of canals with flowing water and a world where life was possible were later proved erroneous by more accurate observation of the planet. Later landings by American probes such as the two Viking missions found a dead world too cold (and with far too thin an atmosphere) for water to exist in its fluid state.


Previous Mars fiction

The first science fiction to be set on Mars may be '' Across the Zodiac'', by Percy Greg, published in 1880, which concerned a civil war on Mars. Another Mars novel, dealing with benevolent Martians coming to Earth was published in 1897 by Kurd Lasswitz, '' Auf Zwei Planeten''. It was not translated until 1971, and was thus unlikely to have influenced Burroughs, although it did depict a Mars influenced by the ideas of Percival Lowell. Other examples are ''Mr. Stranger's Sealed Packet'' (1889), which took place on Mars; Gustavus W. Popes's '' Journey to Mars'' (1894); and Ellsworth Douglas's ''Pharaoh's Broker'', in which the protagonist encounters an Egyptian civilization on Mars which, while parallel to that of the Earth, has evolved somehow independently. H.G. Wells' novel, ''
The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...
'', most definitely influenced by Lowell and published in 1898, did however create the precedent for a number of enduring Martian tropes in science fiction writing. These include Mars being an ancient world, nearing the end of its life; being the home of a superior civilization, capable of advanced feats of science and engineering; and a source of invasion forces, keen to conquer the Earth. The first two tropes were prominent in Burroughs' Barsoom series. Burroughs, however, claimed never to have read any of H.G. Wells' books. Lowell was probably the greater direct influence on Burroughs. Richard A. Lupoff claimed that Burroughs was influenced in writing his Martian stories by Edwin Lester Arnold's earlier novel '' Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation'' (1905) (later retitled ''Gulliver of Mars''). Gullivar Jones, who travels to Mars by flying carpet rather than via astral projection, encounters a civilization with similarities to those found on Barsoom, rescues a Martian Princess, and even undertakes a voyage down a river similar to the Iss in ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter (character), John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first ...
''. Lupoff also suggested that Burroughs derived characteristics of his main protagonist John Carter from Phra, hero of Arnold's '' The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician'' (1890), who is also a swashbuckling adventurer and master swordsman for whom death is no obstacle. Lupoff's theories were disputed by numerous scholars of Burroughs' work; Lupoff countered, claiming that many of Burroughs' stories had antecedents in previous works and that this was not unusual for writers.


Burroughs' influence


Public figures

Notable fans of the ''Barsoom'' series include
Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...
, Terry Wilcutt,
Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...
,
Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...
, Arthur C. Clarke, and
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
. Author Edmund Morris wrote in his biography '' Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan'' that '' A Princess of Mars'' was Reagan's favorite childhood novel. Scientist Carl Sagan read the books as a young boy, and they continued to affect his imagination into his adult years. Sagan remembered Barsoom as a "world of ruined cities, planet-girdling canals, immense pumping stations – a feudal technological society". For two decades, a map of the planet as imagined by Burroughs, hung in the hallway outside Sagan's office in
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
. The author so influenced real exploration of Mars that an impact crater was named after him. Early science-fiction writers
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
and Arthur C. Clarke were both inspired by the Barsoom books in their youth, with them serving as an inspiration for Bradbury's ''
The Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth tha ...
'' (1950), in which he used the concept of a dying Mars. Writer Robert A. Heinlein also wrote fiction inspired by Burroughs' Barsoom series, and for many others the Barsoom series helped to establish
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
as an adventurous, enticing destination for the imagination.


Games

The '' Warriors of Mars'' rules for miniature warfare by
Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering tabletop role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax creat ...
and Brian Blume were controversial, and a legal dispute with the owners of the rights to the ''Barsoom'' series led to withdrawal of this title from the market.


Novels and short stories

Numerous novels and series by others were inspired by Burroughs' Mars books: the Radio Planet trilogy of Ralph Milne Farley; the Mars and Venus novels of Otis Adelbert Kline; '' Almuric'' by
Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
; ''Warrior of Llarn'' and ''Thief of Llarn'' by
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
; the Michael Kane trilogy of
Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...
; ''
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath ''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'' is a Horror fiction, horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, the draft was completed on January 22, 1927 in literature, 1927, and it remained unrevised and u ...
'', '' Through the Gates of the Silver Key'' by
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
, the Gor series of John Norman; the Callisto series and Green Star series of
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. Lov ...
; ''The Goddess of Ganymede'' and ''Pursuit on Ganymede'' by
Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct mag ...
; and the Dray Prescot series of Alan Burt Akers (Kenneth Bulmer). In addition,
Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 24, 1978) was an American author and screenwriter. Nicknamed "the Queen of space opera, Space Opera", she was one of the most prominent female writers during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. ...
,
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
,
Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen na ...
, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and
Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...
show Burroughs' influence in their development of alien cultures and worlds. In 1955, under the pseudonym John Bloodstone, writer Stuart J. Byrne wrote the novel ''Tarzan on Mars'', with
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
going to Barsoom called ''Tarzan on Mars'' via an editorial called "Tarzan Never Dies", by editor Ray Palmer, in '' Other Worlds Science Stories'' magazine. The novel could not be published because Palmer was unable to get authorization from the estate of
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
. Robert A. Heinlein's novels '' Glory Road'' and '' The Number of the Beast'', and Alan Moore's graphic novels of '' Allan and the Sundered Veil'' and '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II'' directly reference Barsoom. L. Sprague de Camp's story " Sir Harold of Zodanga" recasts and rationalizes Barsoom as a parallel world visited by his dimension-hopping hero Harold Shea. In 1989
Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...
and
Steven Barnes Steven Barnes (born March 1, 1952) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. He has written novels, short fiction, screen plays for television, scripts for comic books, animation, newspaper copy, and magazine articles. Earl ...
published "The Barsoom Project", the second in the " Dream Park" series, where a Martian terraforming and colonization project is named after the ''Barsoom'' books. The 2008 novel In the Courts of the Crimson Kings by S.F. writer S. M. Stirling is an alternate telling of the ''Princess of Mars'' story. " Mars: The Home Front", a short story by
George Alec Effinger George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Writing career Effinger was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 10, 1947. His father was a United States Navy vetera ...
, published in '' War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches'', is a crossover between the Barsoom series and
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
' ''
The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...
''. In the first chapters of
Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...
's novel ''
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
'', the character Peter Sanford – sixteen at the outset of the plot – indulges in vivid and detailed fantasies of being John Carter, and adds explicit erotic scenes not appearing in the original Burroughs books. In
Karl Schroeder Karl Schroeder () (born September 4, 1962) is a Canadian science fiction author and a professional futurist. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality, and interstellar travel, ...
's novel ''Lockstep'', set over 14,000 years in the future, Mars has been terraformed and is renamed Barsoom.


Poetry

''The Dead City of Korad'' was published in 1964 and marks the beginning of the science fiction genre in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
.


Film and television

* ''
Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
'': In interviews,
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
has invoked Burroughs as one of the primary inspirations behind his 2009 space adventure.


Adaptations


Comic strips


''John Carter of Mars'' (1941–1943)

With the ''Tarzan'' comic strip a popular success, newspapers began a comic strip adaptation of ''A Princess of Mars'' drawn by Edgar Rice Burroughs' son, John Coleman Burroughs. Never as popular as ''Tarzan'', the strip ran in only four Sunday newspapers, from December 7, 1941, to March 28, 1943, for a total of 73 installments.


''The Martian'' (1958–1959)

Fifteen years later, the British tabloid paper ''
Sunday Sun The ''Sunday Sun'' is a regional Sunday newspaper on sale in North East England, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders, published in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Reach plc. First published on 31 August 1919 as ''The Sunday Sun'', the name was changed to th ...
'' ran a newspaper strip also based on the first Barsoom novel titled ''The Martian''. This adaptation was written by D. R. Morton and drawn by Robert Forest, the strip ran as a weekly serial from October 25, 1958, to May 23, 1959, for a total of 31 installments.


''Tarzan'' (1994–1995)

From October 16, 1994, to August 13, 1995, writer Don Kraar and artist
Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001)Gray Morrow
at the S ...
set an arc first in Pellucidar and then on Barsoom featuring Tarzan, David Innes, and John Carter in a crossover adventure through their respective worlds. This storyline was the last Sunday strip installment to feature Carter, Barsoom and the worlds outside of Tarzan.


Comic books

*''
The Funnies ''The Funnies'' is the name of two American publications from Dell Publishing (Dell Comics), the first of these a seminal 1920s precursor of comic books, and the second a standard 1930s comic book. ''The Funnies'' (1929–1930) In 1929, Georg ...
'' (
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
): This comics anthology included a ''John Carter of Mars'' serial drawn by John Coleman Burroughs, which ran for 23 installments through issues #30–56 (April 1939 – June 1941) respectively; a story was intended for issue 57 (July 1941) but was never apparently published. *''John Carter of Mars'' (
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
): Dell published three comic issues in 1952, adapting the first three Barsoom books, drawn by Jesse Marsh, who was the Dell Tarzan artist at the time. They were ''
Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', is an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' issues #375, 437, and 488 respectively. They were later reprinted by the successor of Dell,
Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984. History Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when its ...
as ''John Carter of Mars'' #1–3. *''ABC Magazine'', Czechoslovakia: The first four Barsoom novels were printed as two comic book series (51 pages altogether) from 1970 to 1972 (Written by Vlastislav Toman, with painters Jiří Veškrna and Milan Ressel.) They were reprinted in 2001 in the comic book Velká Kniha Komiksů I. *''John Carter'' in '' Tarzan of the Apes'' (
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
): ''John Carter of Mars'' was published as a backup feature through issues #207–209 (April—June 1972) in the ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
'' series, after which it was moved to '' Weird Worlds'', sharing main feature status alongside an adaptation of Burroughs' ''Pellucidar'' stories in issues #1–7 (September 1972 – October 1973); it again became a backup feature in '' Tarzan Family'' #62–64 (April – August 1976). A non-John Carter Barsoom story, titled "Amazon of Barsoom", appeared two issues earlier in ''Tarzan Family'' #60 (December 1975). *'' John Carter, Warlord of Mars'' (
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
): This series began in 1977 and lasted for 28 issues (and saw three annuals published). *'' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
): John Carter made a notable cameo in the second volume of the series written by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
. Along with other literary Martian characters (including Gullivar Jones and the séroni), he leads a campaign against the Martians from ''
The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...
''. *''Tarzan/John Carter: Warlords of Mars'' (
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
): Running from January to June 1996, this limited series was the first standalone comic book crossover with Tarzan. *''Warlord of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Starting in October 2010, Dynamite began publishing an ongoing series entitled ''Warlord of Mars''. The first two issues served as a prelude story, issues 3–9 adapted '' A Princess of Mars'', and issues 10–12 were an original story. *''Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Starting in March 2011, it is set 400 years before ''A Princess of Mars'' and focuses on Dejah Thoris, her first suitor, and her role in the rise to power of the Kingdom of Helium. *''Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from July 27, 2011, to January 25, 2012, it is set 100,000 years before ''A Princess of Mars'' and focuses on the attempt of two Orovars to save Mars as the seas dry up and the atmosphere becomes thin. *''John Carter: A Princess of Mars'' (
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
): Running from September 14, 2011, to January 18, 2012 *''John Carter: World of Mars'' (
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
): Running from October 12, 2011, to January 18, 2012, this limited series serves as a prequel to the 2012 Disney film. *''Warriors of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from February 1, 2012, to October 24, 2012, this limited series deals with John Carter's encounter with Lt. Gullivar Jones, another earthman whose journey to the Red planet predated his own. *''John Carter: The Gods of Mars'' (
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
); Running from March 21, 2012, to July 25, 2012 *''Dejah Thoris and the White Apes of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from April 4, 2012, to July 25, 2015, Dejah Thoris and her party are stranded on the way to an archeological dig at an ancient battle site at the 'face' of Mars. They take shelter in a dead, ancient city infested with killer white apes. *''A Princess of Mars — A Graphic Novel'' (
Sterling Publishing Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. is a publisher of a broad range of subject areas, with multiple imprints and more than 5,000 titles in print. Founded in 1949 by David A. Boehm, Sterling also publishes books for a number of brands, including AA ...
): Published from May 28, 2012, this faithful adaptation is a part of Sterling's "Illustrated Classics" series which produces graphic novel adaptations of classic literature and was written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by I. N. J. Culbard, with a total of 136 pages. ( / ) *''Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from February 20, 2013, to March 26, 2014 *''Lords of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from August 7, 2013, to January 8, 2014, this limited series was the second standalone comic book crossover with Tarzan, after Dark Horse's ''Warlords of Mars''. *''Dejah of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from May 28, 2014, to September 3, 2014 *''Swords of Sorrow'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from May 6, 2015, to October 14, 2015, this limited series was a crossover event storyline uniting the pre-existing fictional heroines Dynamite had the rights to at the time, including
Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...
, Barbarella,
Red Sonja Red Sonja is a sword-and-sorcery character created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. A warrior from the Hyborian Age of Ear ...
, Kato, Jungle Girl, Lady Zorro, Eva, Miss Fury, Esmeralda Aguilar, Miss Masque and Irene Alder, of which Dejah Thoris was one of many. *''Swords of Sorrow: Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from June 17, 2015, to August 5, 2015, a tie-in to the crossover event comic ''Swords of Sorrow''. *''John Carter: Warlord of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from November 5, 2014, to December 23, 2015 *''John Carter: The End'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from February 8, 2017, to July 14, 2017 *''The Greatest Adventure'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from April 19, 2017, to February 7, 2018, this limited series was a crossover story uniting John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tarzan, David Innes, Carson Napier and Jason Gridley in a wild chase through many locations from Africa, Caspak, Pellucidar, Barsoom and Amtor as the heroes journey to obtain the "Eye of Judgment", an ancient gemstone possessed by the villain Rokoff to power a doomsday device, capable of destroying everything in the universe. *''Vampirella/Dejah Thoris'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from September 26, 2018, to February 13, 2019, a crossover with Vampirella. *''Barbarella/Dejah Thoris'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from January 9, 2019, to June 19, 2019, a crossover with Barbarella. *''Carson of Venus/Warlord of Mars'' (American Mythology Productions): Published from June 2019, a standalone crossover with Carson Napier of the ''Amtor'' series. *''Warlords of Mars Attacks'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from June 19, 2019, to October 30, 2019, a crossover with '' Mars Attacks''. *''Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from July 21, 2021, to December 22, 2021 *''John Carter of Mars'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Running from April 20, 2022, to August 31, 2022 *''Dejah Thoris: Fairy Tales'' (
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
): Published from August 24, 2022


Film

'' Princess of Mars'' was a 2009
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
film produced by The Asylum and starring Antonio Sabato Jr. as John Carter and
Traci Lords Traci Elizabeth Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. As a 15-year-old high-school dropout, she used Identity document forgery, fake identity documents to enter the sex industry, where she began appearin ...
as Dejah Thoris. This adaptation starts with John Carter as a wounded present-day sniper in Afghanistan who is teleported to another world as part of a government experiment. '' John Carter'', released on March 9, 2012, was a big-budget but critically mixed and financially unsuccessful live-action film by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, directed by
Andrew Stanton Andrew Ayers Stanton (born December 3, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known as the director and co-writer of the Pixar animated films ''Finding Nemo'' (2003), ''WALL-E'' (2008), ''Finding Dory'' (2016), and the upcoming ''Toy Story 5 ...
and starring Taylor Kitsch as John Carter and
Lynn Collins Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in '' True Blood'' (2008), '' Manhunt: Unabomber'' (2017) and '' The Walking Dead'' (2021–2022), and is recognized for her roles in films such ...
as Dejah Thoris.


See also

* Jetan, a game invented by Burroughs and described in ''The Chessmen of Mars'' * Pellucidar


References


External links

*
Maps of Barsoom
* {{Speculative evolution Book series introduced in 1917 Fictional elements introduced in 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs locations Fictional planets