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The Michael Kane Trilogy #1
A Cidade da Neblina Verde
Para Michael Kane, cientista na Terra do século XX e guerreiro em Marte do passado, esta é a aventura maravilhosa e recheada de emoção que a Cidade de Neblina Verde lhe proporcionou, quando um aparelho de transmissão de matéria o transportou para o estranho local com um céu cor de limão.
Shizala, a bela princesa de Varnal - cidade do planeta Vashu, o quarto do sistema solar -, encontra e auxilia Michael Kane, o humano vindo de Negalu, o terceiro dos planetas solares, a combater a pérfida rainha Horguhl e os seus Gigantes Azuis...
Shizala, a bela princesa de Varnal - cidade do planeta Vashu, o quarto do sistema solar -, encontra e auxilia Michael Kane, o humano vindo de Negalu, o terceiro dos planetas solares, a combater a pérfida rainha Horguhl e os seus Gigantes Azuis...
133 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
13 people are currently reading
571 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,206 books3,741 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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November 27, 2023
Четеше ми се старомодно фентъзи и тази кратка поредица на Майкъл Муркок ми се видя добра идея.
Намигването към Бъроуз и неговия Барзум е очевидно, книжката се чете бързо и няма претенции.
Продължавам с втората част, третата трябва да се чете на английски.
Моята оценка - 2,5*. 🐍🗡🛡
Намигването към Бъроуз и неговия Барзум е очевидно, книжката се чете бързо и няма претенции.
Продължавам с втората част, третата трябва да се чете на английски.
Моята оценка - 2,5*. 🐍🗡🛡
May 24, 2024
The Matter Transmitter is both villain and hero of this story (began Kane), for it took me to a world where I felt more at home than I shall ever feel here. It brought me to a wonderful girl whom I loved and who loved me – and then took it all away again.
Michael Moorcock, here at the beginning of an illustrious career, boldly goes where others have gone before him. He goes to Mars to fight monsters and win the love of a beautiful princess.
This is fine, because the others are Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, pulp authors who have enchanted and inspired Moorcock’s childhood. (and mine). As a fan-fiction book of planetary romance, the story falls short on originality and even lacks that special weirdness and poetic vision of the author’s later books, but it does stay true to the rules of the sword & sorcery game as defined by those emblematic authors.
John Carter is rebranded here as Michael Kane, a scientist and Vietnam war veteran with a talent for fencing, which will come in useful when an accident happens while he is working on a new technology for teleportation.
Everything went green and I felt as though I was spreading gently in all directions. Then came a riot of colors blossoming around me – reds, yellows, purples, blues.
There was an increasing sense of weightlessness – masslessness even. I felt I was streaming through blackness and my mind began to black out altogether.
Kane opens his eyes onto a new world, named Vashu by the locals. I can’t remember how Moorcock solves the language barrier issue, but this is less important than the first person our teleported man encounters: Shizala, the beautiful royal princess of the city of Varnal. She wears more clothes than the iconic Dejah Thoris, but she is nevertheless in need of a hero. Her home town is under siege by an army of blue giants.
“You are a noble stranger, Michael Kane. I know not how you came to Vashu – but I feel it is good that you should be here now.”
I will stop now with the synopsis, because the story should be familiar to fans of the early planetary romance pulps, and if not then new readers should be able to enjoy the fast-paced romp through the Martian landscape as Michael Kane sets out on a quest to reach the Gates of Gor Delpus leading to the Caves of Darkness were the monstrous blue Argzoon are keeping his princess captive.
The mountains of Argzoon were tall and jagged, black and forbidding.
You get the idea ...
An argument can be made that Moorcock is aware of the purple tint of his prose here, and is having fun with the language and with the reader’s expectations. The story was definitely entertaining and only my misplaced expectations of something more similar to the Elric style kept me from becoming fully engaged in the adventures. That, and the fact that I have read it all before in the original stories of Burroughs and Brackett.
“Heela – what is a heela?”
“That – “ Darnad pointed.
Skulking towards us, its hide exactly the same mottled shades as the foliage of the trees, came a beast out of a nightmare.
It had eight legs and each leg terminated in six curved talons. It had two heads and each head had a broad, gaping mouth full of long, razor-like teeth, glaring yellow eyes, flaring nostrils. A single neck rose from the trunk and then divided near the top to accommodate the heads.
It had two tails, scaly and powerful-looking, and a barrel-shaped body rippling with muscle.
I prefer my planetary adventures as written by Jack Vance now – he is the standard by which I measure any new offering, so I am unsure right now if I want to read the next two books in this Kane trilogy. Summer is just around the corner, so I might take one with me to the beach if nothing shinier catches my fancy.
“Become my King, Michael Kane ...”
She was speaking softly, her hypnotic eyes starring into mine, and something seemed to be happening to my brain. I felt warm, euphoric. I began to think her proposal was attractive.
No wonder Michael Kane would prefer to remain on Mars instead of returning to old and dreary Earth.
June 10, 2023
It's basically A Princess of Mars except with a less fleshed-out world, not nearly as appealing characters, and a plot with less stakes or tension. It largely lacks the fantastical trappings that Moorcock is so well known of, and does not (at least for now) seem to be a part of his greater cosmology. One of the author's weakest.
October 28, 2024
The City of the Beast or Warriors of Mars, is an early fantasy adventure, and the first of a trilogy written by the imaginative and prolific Michael Moorcock.
This book was an easy read, with plenty of action, but not much depth. A scientist, humorously named Michael Kane, builds a machine that transports him to Mars. Once there, he encounters a race not unlike humans, and becomes embedded in a war between nations, each vying for control over the red planet. There's plenty of swashbuckling shenanigans, romance, but little in the way of detailed science fiction.
Supposedly, this trilogy is also somewhat of a homage (or plagiary), of a group of books named the Barsoom series by Edger Rice Burroughs, that feature a hero named John Carter. I haven't read them, so I cannot compare. Perhaps I have enjoyed this book more because I haven't experienced Burroughs' series. Either way, The City of the Beast was a lot of fun. The premise is great. The protagonist being transported to a new world is always fun. Kane is fine as a hero. He is like a mixture of Conan and The Time Traveller from The Time Machine. The story becomes a little dull in the middle, but it picks up again towards the end and has a great cliffhanger.
For those who don't know, Moorcock is one of the pioneers of Multiverse storytelling. He has written many different series of adventures, the most popular being the Elric series. As always, his adventure are a pleasure to experience.
This book was an easy read, with plenty of action, but not much depth. A scientist, humorously named Michael Kane, builds a machine that transports him to Mars. Once there, he encounters a race not unlike humans, and becomes embedded in a war between nations, each vying for control over the red planet. There's plenty of swashbuckling shenanigans, romance, but little in the way of detailed science fiction.
Supposedly, this trilogy is also somewhat of a homage (or plagiary), of a group of books named the Barsoom series by Edger Rice Burroughs, that feature a hero named John Carter. I haven't read them, so I cannot compare. Perhaps I have enjoyed this book more because I haven't experienced Burroughs' series. Either way, The City of the Beast was a lot of fun. The premise is great. The protagonist being transported to a new world is always fun. Kane is fine as a hero. He is like a mixture of Conan and The Time Traveller from The Time Machine. The story becomes a little dull in the middle, but it picks up again towards the end and has a great cliffhanger.
For those who don't know, Moorcock is one of the pioneers of Multiverse storytelling. He has written many different series of adventures, the most popular being the Elric series. As always, his adventure are a pleasure to experience.
January 2, 2016
I have read more fiction by Michael Moorcock than by any other writer. I have read most of his prodigious output. However, I have put off reading this trilogy because I feared it would be too juvenile for my taste (it was written to appeal to juvenile tastes). Back in the 1960s Moorcock banged out these three short novels in slightly more than a week of frantic work; they were published under a pseudonym.
I bought this book when I was 19 years old. I have read it in the past month. I am now 47 years old. It has been on my shelves (and in boxes, carted from place to place) for almost three decades.
Warrior of Mars ia a tribute to the 'Martian' stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The three volumes in this omnibus deliberately take the aesthetic that Burrough invented and adjust it slightly. They are unashamed tributes. They don't pretend to be original. They don't pretend to be anything other than rollicking adventures set on an improbably exotic world that happens to be Mars in the distant past.
The first book, City of the Beast, is perhaps the most enjoyable; it is colourful, vibrant and vital, and the contrived plot devices and hackeneyed character interactions are unpretentious; it doesn't seem to matter that they are so unoriginal. My pleasure was sincere. I read it quickly and without annoyance.
By the time of the second volume, 'Lord of the Spiders', my tolerance was starting to wear thin. In some ways the action of this book is more ingenious than its predecessor, but I found myself growing slightly irritated by the gimmicks and macguffins, and also by the untiring wholesomeness of the main character, Michael Kane (and in fact while reading this trilogy I couldn't help but think of the actor Michael Caine; and every time something dramatic happened, such as the hero becoming trapped in the web of a giant spider, a little voice inside my head would say, "And not a lot of people know that.")...
The third volume, Masters of the Pit, might well be the best of the three in terms of plot and originality, but it wasn't the most enjoyable. I was simply weary of the simple-minded shenanigans of the entire set up. A shame, as in this book the hero attempts to avoid bloodshed as much as possible; a rare mandate for an heroic fantasy protagonist. And Moorcock does inject some (possibly misplaced) political sensibility into the dynamic, which is an unusual thing to do in this genre.
Moorcock at his best is still one of the best living writers in the world (The Dancers at the End of Time sequence; the four 'Pyat' novels; Mother London) but he can also be extremely weak when he doesn't try very hard. This is my view now; when I was younger I believed he could do no wrong. I have slightly gone off him; or rather I have gone off his non-literary books, i.e. his fantasy works.
And yet this book was never supposed to be profound and I suppose it is enjoyable enough as simple (but badly dated) entertainment.
I bought this book when I was 19 years old. I have read it in the past month. I am now 47 years old. It has been on my shelves (and in boxes, carted from place to place) for almost three decades.
Warrior of Mars ia a tribute to the 'Martian' stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The three volumes in this omnibus deliberately take the aesthetic that Burrough invented and adjust it slightly. They are unashamed tributes. They don't pretend to be original. They don't pretend to be anything other than rollicking adventures set on an improbably exotic world that happens to be Mars in the distant past.
The first book, City of the Beast, is perhaps the most enjoyable; it is colourful, vibrant and vital, and the contrived plot devices and hackeneyed character interactions are unpretentious; it doesn't seem to matter that they are so unoriginal. My pleasure was sincere. I read it quickly and without annoyance.
By the time of the second volume, 'Lord of the Spiders', my tolerance was starting to wear thin. In some ways the action of this book is more ingenious than its predecessor, but I found myself growing slightly irritated by the gimmicks and macguffins, and also by the untiring wholesomeness of the main character, Michael Kane (and in fact while reading this trilogy I couldn't help but think of the actor Michael Caine; and every time something dramatic happened, such as the hero becoming trapped in the web of a giant spider, a little voice inside my head would say, "And not a lot of people know that.")...
The third volume, Masters of the Pit, might well be the best of the three in terms of plot and originality, but it wasn't the most enjoyable. I was simply weary of the simple-minded shenanigans of the entire set up. A shame, as in this book the hero attempts to avoid bloodshed as much as possible; a rare mandate for an heroic fantasy protagonist. And Moorcock does inject some (possibly misplaced) political sensibility into the dynamic, which is an unusual thing to do in this genre.
Moorcock at his best is still one of the best living writers in the world (The Dancers at the End of Time sequence; the four 'Pyat' novels; Mother London) but he can also be extremely weak when he doesn't try very hard. This is my view now; when I was younger I believed he could do no wrong. I have slightly gone off him; or rather I have gone off his non-literary books, i.e. his fantasy works.
And yet this book was never supposed to be profound and I suppose it is enjoyable enough as simple (but badly dated) entertainment.
August 15, 2017
If you have read the Barsoom books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, there really is no reason to read this. In the kindest terms, it could be called an homage to "A Princess of Mars." It also could be called a blatant ripoff.
Here's the plot: An Earth man ends up being swept through space and time to ancient Mars, where he falls in love with a mostly naked princess who needs a lot of rescuing. He also befriends a large savage, monstrous being amid battles with said beings and the occasional monster.
Sounds very Burroughs, does it not? Moorcock brings nothing new to the table, really, and tells his story with less color and verve than Burroughs.
Here's the plot: An Earth man ends up being swept through space and time to ancient Mars, where he falls in love with a mostly naked princess who needs a lot of rescuing. He also befriends a large savage, monstrous being amid battles with said beings and the occasional monster.
Sounds very Burroughs, does it not? Moorcock brings nothing new to the table, really, and tells his story with less color and verve than Burroughs.
May 16, 2020
Warriors of Mars by Edward Powys Bradbury was later published as City of the Beast by Michael Moorcock, leading to some headaches for bibliographers. It's the first book in his Mars trilogy, an homage to (or pastiche of) Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter stories. Moorcock claimed to have written the entire trilogy in just over a week, and the rushed feel of the text and occasionally somewhat illogical plot twists and easy characterizations does tend to support that. Moorcock was not trying for any kind of social commentary or philosophical pronouncements in them, but they're definitely engaging and entertaining books. Fun stuff for sure!
August 10, 2022
Поджанра "Мечове и звездолети" или "Мечове и планети", както е по-известен, но по-малко ми допада, принципно е доста непопулярен. След няколко предимно неизвестни автори от края на 19 век и бума с поредицата за Джон Картър на Бъроуз (която не смея да подхвана) през трийсетте, има леко раздвижване в края на шейсетте и началото на седемдесетте години на миналия век. На роден език произведенията са още по-малко. Това не пречи да ми едно от любимите неща от неангажиращата фантастика и лакомо да поглъщам всичко, оето ми попадне по въпроса. Като започнем от поредицата на Фармър за "Светът на нивата" или "Войната на безсмъртните", която ми беше любима в ранните тийнейджърски години, минем през видеокасетките с "Пиратите от черната вода" и стигнем до по-новите опити в жанра като "Илион" и "Олимп" на Симънс или да речем с някой уговорки "Джак от сенките" на Зелазни, и дори "Трудно е да бъдеш бог" на братята. Естествено Муркок и говата мултивселена се нарежда сред тези книги, но някак съм пропуснал точно тази трилогия, която си е чист пастиш към Бъроуз (да не кажа епигонство, защото не съм сигурен).
Какво да не ми хареса точно? Физик и умел фехтовач, гола марсианска принцеса, рицарство и чест, огромно змиеподобно чудовище, femme fatale, битки, великани и сладко-горчив край.
Майкъл Кейн е даровит физик, който работи по проект за пренасяне на материя. Естествено експериментира върху себе си, но за разлика от героя на Ланджилан, вдъхновил Кроненберг, тук неуспехът прехвърля нашето момче на един древен Марс. Доста добре отиграно, имайки предвид годината на писане и вече изгубената мечта за онзи марс на Бъроуз и компания. Там, благодарение на обучението си по фехтовка, опитът от Втората светоевна война и като цяло рицарската си натура, ще се намеси в политиката на планетата, ще преживее куп тестостеронни приключения и дори ще открадне сърцето на принцесата. Класика.
Какво да не ми хареса точно? Физик и умел фехтовач, гола марсианска принцеса, рицарство и чест, огромно змиеподобно чудовище, femme fatale, битки, великани и сладко-горчив край.
Майкъл Кейн е даровит физик, който работи по проект за пренасяне на материя. Естествено експериментира върху себе си, но за разлика от героя на Ланджилан, вдъхновил Кроненберг, тук неуспехът прехвърля нашето момче на един древен Марс. Доста добре отиграно, имайки предвид годината на писане и вече изгубената мечта за онзи марс на Бъроуз и компания. Там, благодарение на обучението си по фехтовка, опитът от Втората светоевна война и като цяло рицарската си натура, ще се намеси в политиката на планетата, ще преживее куп тестостеронни приключения и дори ще открадне сърцето на принцесата. Класика.
July 5, 2015
OK, first things first: Edward P. Bradbury ist Michael Moorcock und WARRIORS OF MARS ist, Überraschung, ein Klon von Burroughs Marsprinzessin. Barsoom heißt jetzt Vashu, der Held Michael Kane und die Prinzessin Shizala. Ansonsten bleibt das Meiste beim Alten.
Aber entgegen der Meinung einiger Rezensenten bin ich der Auffassung, dass sich die WARRIORS flüssig und angenehm lesen und, um mal Schelte auszuteilen, besser sind als Klines SWORDSMAN OF MARS (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., und das, obwohl Kline für viele der einzige Kronprinz war, der an den Meister ERB heranreichte.
Die WARRIORS sind mindestens so sehr Ritterroman wie SF, auch wenn der Glaube auf Vashu nur die Rolle spielt, die auch Arno Schmidt noch hätte akzeptieren können:
"The absence of any places of worship was noticeable and I asked Shizala about this. She replied that there was no official religion of any kind, but for those who wanted to believe in a higher being it was better to look for Him in their own minds and hearts, not so seek Him in the words of others."
Ansonsten aber wird nicht nur mit Schwertern gekämpft, sondern auch die Wertevorstellungen sind ritterlich:
"I realized I was showing him more mercy than he expected, even from the folk of Varnal. And in helping him I was slowing myself up. Yet a man is a man, I thought - he cannot do what is contrary to his own feelings and principles. If he has a code of honour he must adhere to it. The moment he forgets that code, then all is lost, for even though he forgets on one occasion, it is the beginning of the end. Bit by bit the code will be qualified, any break with it justified, until the man is no longer a man, in truth, at all."
Vor allem aber geht es um Minnedienste, die Michael Kane ganz ritterlich seiner Herzdame, der schönen Prinzessin, leistet, mit Ehre und Schwert, also ein märchenhafter Ritter / SciFi-Roman.
Viele Hindernisse müssen überwunden, heldenhafte Kämpfe ausgefochten, grausamer Verrat und nicht zuletzt ein drachenartiges Monster bezwungen werden, bis die Hochzeitsnacht bevorstehen könnte, wenn, ja wenn nicht der Materietransmitter genau in diesem Moment Michael Kane auf die Erde zurückbeamen würde.
Ach, man kennt das doch, es klingelt die Pausenglocke und jäh wird man am Ende der Lateinstunde aus dem schönsten Traum geschreckt...
Aber entgegen der Meinung einiger Rezensenten bin ich der Auffassung, dass sich die WARRIORS flüssig und angenehm lesen und, um mal Schelte auszuteilen, besser sind als Klines SWORDSMAN OF MARS (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., und das, obwohl Kline für viele der einzige Kronprinz war, der an den Meister ERB heranreichte.
Die WARRIORS sind mindestens so sehr Ritterroman wie SF, auch wenn der Glaube auf Vashu nur die Rolle spielt, die auch Arno Schmidt noch hätte akzeptieren können:
"The absence of any places of worship was noticeable and I asked Shizala about this. She replied that there was no official religion of any kind, but for those who wanted to believe in a higher being it was better to look for Him in their own minds and hearts, not so seek Him in the words of others."
Ansonsten aber wird nicht nur mit Schwertern gekämpft, sondern auch die Wertevorstellungen sind ritterlich:
"I realized I was showing him more mercy than he expected, even from the folk of Varnal. And in helping him I was slowing myself up. Yet a man is a man, I thought - he cannot do what is contrary to his own feelings and principles. If he has a code of honour he must adhere to it. The moment he forgets that code, then all is lost, for even though he forgets on one occasion, it is the beginning of the end. Bit by bit the code will be qualified, any break with it justified, until the man is no longer a man, in truth, at all."
Vor allem aber geht es um Minnedienste, die Michael Kane ganz ritterlich seiner Herzdame, der schönen Prinzessin, leistet, mit Ehre und Schwert, also ein märchenhafter Ritter / SciFi-Roman.
Viele Hindernisse müssen überwunden, heldenhafte Kämpfe ausgefochten, grausamer Verrat und nicht zuletzt ein drachenartiges Monster bezwungen werden, bis die Hochzeitsnacht bevorstehen könnte, wenn, ja wenn nicht der Materietransmitter genau in diesem Moment Michael Kane auf die Erde zurückbeamen würde.
Ach, man kennt das doch, es klingelt die Pausenglocke und jäh wird man am Ende der Lateinstunde aus dem schönsten Traum geschreckt...
January 7, 2022
I read this book for the first time at the end of 2021 and I was favorably impressed. Only in a second moment, I found out it was written by Michael Moorcock, under the alias of Edward P. Bradbury.
It’s a collection consisting of three books, written on the model of John Carter of Mars by Burroughs. The main character, Michale Kane, is a scientist who builds a machine for the transfer of matter, but during the test, instead of arriving a few meters away, he wakes up on ancient Mars. Here he finds a great civilization and a princess he falls in love with, as well as warlike peoples, mysteries and incredible adventures.
The book is a sincere tribute to the work of Burroughs, a Martian trilogy seen from the eyes of a young Michael Moorcock, with some elements taken from the original, starting with the princess and the events that involve her, to get to the blue giants (instead of the Tharks), to other peoples and to the clashes and friendships that follow.
Moorcock has outlined the protagonist differently from John Carter: Kane is a scientist, but in his life he was instructed in the use of the sword and has no superhuman athletic abilities given by the gravity of Mars. Furthermore, there is a discrepancy in his character: as a scientist he is not violent, but when he has to fight he gives in to his most brutal instincts and kills mercilessly.
It’s not a complicated book, the characters are quite simple and the adventures await the protagonist at every corner, whether they are knights guided by the best feelings, pirates in search of loot or giants. The charm of a planet in decline remains unchanged, with splendid cities that were once great and ancient races that have now become legends.
It's a pleasant reading, a good example of heroic science fiction, written by someone who knows about adventures.
It’s a collection consisting of three books, written on the model of John Carter of Mars by Burroughs. The main character, Michale Kane, is a scientist who builds a machine for the transfer of matter, but during the test, instead of arriving a few meters away, he wakes up on ancient Mars. Here he finds a great civilization and a princess he falls in love with, as well as warlike peoples, mysteries and incredible adventures.
The book is a sincere tribute to the work of Burroughs, a Martian trilogy seen from the eyes of a young Michael Moorcock, with some elements taken from the original, starting with the princess and the events that involve her, to get to the blue giants (instead of the Tharks), to other peoples and to the clashes and friendships that follow.
Moorcock has outlined the protagonist differently from John Carter: Kane is a scientist, but in his life he was instructed in the use of the sword and has no superhuman athletic abilities given by the gravity of Mars. Furthermore, there is a discrepancy in his character: as a scientist he is not violent, but when he has to fight he gives in to his most brutal instincts and kills mercilessly.
It’s not a complicated book, the characters are quite simple and the adventures await the protagonist at every corner, whether they are knights guided by the best feelings, pirates in search of loot or giants. The charm of a planet in decline remains unchanged, with splendid cities that were once great and ancient races that have now become legends.
It's a pleasant reading, a good example of heroic science fiction, written by someone who knows about adventures.
July 23, 2008
Under the name Edward P. Bradbury, Michael Moorcock wrote a trilogy of sword & planet stories set on Mars. This is hte first one. They are very imitative of ERB's Barsoom series but I found them relatively weak. They really seemed bare skeletons of a story without any real fleshing out. I didn't get a chance to learn as much about the world as I would have liked. There was promise but they needed work.
October 18, 2020
If I'd read this when I bought it in 1981-ish, I'd undoubtedly have rated it higher than my present 3🌟. As it is, 39 years later I enjoyed it for its type of story, and Moorcock's unabashed borrowing wholesale from Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. There are few surprises, but I actually read it for that reason. Comfy slippers.
Moorcock doesn't take himself too seriously, and I had a chuckle at the name of the entrance to the Caves of Darkness: the Gates of Gord Elpus! 😄
Moorcock doesn't take himself too seriously, and I had a chuckle at the name of the entrance to the Caves of Darkness: the Gates of Gord Elpus! 😄
November 28, 2023
Не знам толкова ли е напреднала научната фантастика за 60 години, но Градът на звяра звучи елементарно и детински наивно, сякаш е писан от H.G. Wells в самото начало на миналия век.
September 24, 2022
Settembre è divenuto il mese in cui leggo romanzi leggeri di avventura fantastica (Platea: "Perché, leggi anche altro?" Io: "TACETE") e a questo giro mi sono tuffato nella trilogia del professor Michael Kane scritta da nonno Moorcock, riassumibile in "scrittore hippie degli anni Sessanta che batte cassa scrivendo planetary romance retro in stile anni Dieci". E ciò è sia bene sia male, ma più che altro male.
Male, perché avendo già letto anche i romanzi non-planetary romance-ma-quasi di C.L. Moore e Henry Kuttner, mi sento di affermare che gli stilemi del genere siano tremendamente triti, e che a leggerne un esemplare li hai letti tutti: è sempre la solita "letteratura del caz*zo" (termine tecnico) in cui l'eroe bello nobile e palestrato finisce per ragioni pretestuose in un mondo fatato e il suo intervento provvidenziale risolve un conflitto militare dettato anche da blande macchinazioni spionistiche-religiose, e tutto si chiude con l'amore a prima vista di eroe e splendida donna autoctona – ovviamente ignuda, perché gli autoctoni del mondo fatato vanno in giro ignudi. Probabilmente mi aspettavo che il giovane Moorcock avesse almeno un po' reinterpretato il genere, anziché riproporre pedissequamente la poetica del "padre fondatore" Edgar Rice Burroughs, ma mi aspettavo troppo: è già tanto che fra il popolo "cattivo" ci sia almeno un guerriero nobile, e comunque l'interesse amoroso è ovviamente una donna WASP contrapposta alla perfida condottiera "mediterraneo-semita" del popolo "cattivo" – siamo ben al di sotto dei piccoli ma significativi tocchi di scavo psicologico cui ci hanno abituati Moore e Kuttner (che pubblicavano circa 15 anni prima) e sinceramente non fatico a immaginare una ri-narrazione dei fatti dalla prospettiva dell'antagonista, nella tradizione della "seconda generazione di heroic fantasy".
Concedo un 3/5 al pelo perché la prosa del giovane Moorcock non è male e fluisce via liscia (ed è il bene che accennavo prima), pur mancando tragicamente dello squisito tocco pittorico che pochi anni dopo avrebbe caratterizzato Phoenix in Obsidian, e perché quantomeno si è fatto lo sforzo di giustificare il superomismo del professor Kane tratteggiandolo come un fisico-ingegnere, un campione olimpionico di scherma e un reduce del Vietnam, evitando almeno un po' l'effetto Gary Stu.
Francamente non so se continuerò la serie...
Male, perché avendo già letto anche i romanzi non-planetary romance-ma-quasi di C.L. Moore e Henry Kuttner, mi sento di affermare che gli stilemi del genere siano tremendamente triti, e che a leggerne un esemplare li hai letti tutti: è sempre la solita "letteratura del caz*zo" (termine tecnico) in cui l'eroe bello nobile e palestrato finisce per ragioni pretestuose in un mondo fatato e il suo intervento provvidenziale risolve un conflitto militare dettato anche da blande macchinazioni spionistiche-religiose, e tutto si chiude con l'amore a prima vista di eroe e splendida donna autoctona – ovviamente ignuda, perché gli autoctoni del mondo fatato vanno in giro ignudi. Probabilmente mi aspettavo che il giovane Moorcock avesse almeno un po' reinterpretato il genere, anziché riproporre pedissequamente la poetica del "padre fondatore" Edgar Rice Burroughs, ma mi aspettavo troppo: è già tanto che fra il popolo "cattivo" ci sia almeno un guerriero nobile, e comunque l'interesse amoroso è ovviamente una donna WASP contrapposta alla perfida condottiera "mediterraneo-semita" del popolo "cattivo" – siamo ben al di sotto dei piccoli ma significativi tocchi di scavo psicologico cui ci hanno abituati Moore e Kuttner (che pubblicavano circa 15 anni prima) e sinceramente non fatico a immaginare una ri-narrazione dei fatti dalla prospettiva dell'antagonista, nella tradizione della "seconda generazione di heroic fantasy".
Concedo un 3/5 al pelo perché la prosa del giovane Moorcock non è male e fluisce via liscia (ed è il bene che accennavo prima), pur mancando tragicamente dello squisito tocco pittorico che pochi anni dopo avrebbe caratterizzato Phoenix in Obsidian, e perché quantomeno si è fatto lo sforzo di giustificare il superomismo del professor Kane tratteggiandolo come un fisico-ingegnere, un campione olimpionico di scherma e un reduce del Vietnam, evitando almeno un po' l'effetto Gary Stu.
Francamente non so se continuerò la serie...
July 3, 2008
An homage, and a fine one. As a fan of E.R.Burroughs and Moorcock it was a super blast. It's pitch perfect from the framing sequence (I had this story from . . . type of thing) to the final battle in the city of the beasts. Honestly, it's not as inventive as Burroughs and, ah, who cares. In the time it takes to nitpick I could start reading something else. I take it as it is and I 'really liked it".
September 17, 2018
Roy Thomas (former editor of Marvel) wrote "To enter the world of Michael Kane is basically to discover three more Martian books by ERB" which sums up my thoughts on City of the Beast aka Warriors of Mars perfectly.
Being a MASSIVE Burroughs fan and having exhausted him and most of the other pastiches: Otis Adelbert Kline, Ray Cummings, John Norman, Richard Lord, Del Dowdell, Andrew J. Offutt, Lin Carter to name but a few, it was with great delight that I discovered the great Michael Moorcock had turned his pen towards a Martian trilogy - but I'd missed them due to the fact that they'd been re-released under less obvious homage titles City of the Beast/Lord of the Spiders/Masters of the Pit.
So City of the Beast is basically A Princess of Mars but with better science. Kane an Earth physicist is trying to create a "Star Trek" transporter and accidentally transports himself to mars instead of across the lab. to me ok there's less mysticism but it made sense - and other things are explained as well, like why he is able to handle a sword so well. The pacing on this is just right, the writing is good and the characters are solid - So many of the ERB clones don't give you room to breathe the adventures are so thick and fast, the characters are paper thin and the alien names a blur - I did not feel that here - it's a homage but its entirely serious... as was Burroughs - This is a rip roaring Martian adventure with all the trappings, a princess, a villain, sword fights, wars, invasions, monsters, alien tech from previous races....
Easily the best imitation of Burroughs I've come across you're either going to love that or be supremely annoyed at its un-originality. Personally I'm delighted to have something new to stop me re-reading Burroughs for the millionth time.
Being a MASSIVE Burroughs fan and having exhausted him and most of the other pastiches: Otis Adelbert Kline, Ray Cummings, John Norman, Richard Lord, Del Dowdell, Andrew J. Offutt, Lin Carter to name but a few, it was with great delight that I discovered the great Michael Moorcock had turned his pen towards a Martian trilogy - but I'd missed them due to the fact that they'd been re-released under less obvious homage titles City of the Beast/Lord of the Spiders/Masters of the Pit.
So City of the Beast is basically A Princess of Mars but with better science. Kane an Earth physicist is trying to create a "Star Trek" transporter and accidentally transports himself to mars instead of across the lab. to me ok there's less mysticism but it made sense - and other things are explained as well, like why he is able to handle a sword so well. The pacing on this is just right, the writing is good and the characters are solid - So many of the ERB clones don't give you room to breathe the adventures are so thick and fast, the characters are paper thin and the alien names a blur - I did not feel that here - it's a homage but its entirely serious... as was Burroughs - This is a rip roaring Martian adventure with all the trappings, a princess, a villain, sword fights, wars, invasions, monsters, alien tech from previous races....
Easily the best imitation of Burroughs I've come across you're either going to love that or be supremely annoyed at its un-originality. Personally I'm delighted to have something new to stop me re-reading Burroughs for the millionth time.
May 30, 2018
Well-paced Sword & Planet adventure. Not as Science-Fictional and / or Fantastical as others, but still a lot of fun and a quick read. Very much recommend to fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, Gardner Francis Fox’s Llarn books, or Edwin Arnold’s Gullivar of Mars.
March 29, 2015
Какво да се прави – падам си по пълпи фентъзито , изпълнено с мускулести мъже, полуголи жени и пътешествия в непознати светове и измерения. Толкова естествено ми е в един момент да си гърчав чиновник, а в следващия да махаш с двуостра брадва и да сечеш космически чудовища и корави лошковци с прецизността на галактически касапин, докато в краката ти се гърчи извънземна , но неочаквано хуманоидна принцеса, че направо се чудя и мая в какъв свят живея, че най-големите ми приключения сутрин е да се натъпча успешно в метрото в час пик или да треперя унизително над клавиатурката под угрозата някое шефче да реши, че не му трябвам повече да му върша мръсната работа. Въобще светът, в който нещата се решават с груба сила и бърза мисъл ми е далеч по-справедлив от обществения строй подчинен на продажни хорица и дребни душици, които не можеш да обезглавиш безнаказано, или да ги разтопиш изотвътре с черна магия. Затова и пак се връщам към световете на Муркок – владетелят на светкавично грабващите , бързо четими и безусловно задоволяващи книжлета, които разтоварват, забавляват и карат да мечтаеш по нелимитирано детския начин, когато невъзможното е просто възможно, което още не си сигурен как да постигнеш.
Трилогията за Майкъл Кейн – скромен учен след Втората световна война, участвал в опити за стандартна телепортация – която лично аз не мога да схвана как още не са измислили, при условие , че в Стар Трек я ползват повече от половин век; които обаче не го пренасят в съседната стая, ами на Марс, но преди достатъчно милиони години, че онзи червен пясъчник по който в момента пускаме любопитни колички с камери, да е бил по-добрата версия на Земята, с далеч по-богато биологично разнообразие и много, много по-доблестни, горди и ценни хуманоиди, изпитващи естествен ексхибиционизъм и бурни страсти, които избуяват от сласт до див гняв за секунди. И се почват едни героизми, невъзможности и красоти на фантазията, които не те оставят и за секунда равнодушен или поне със спокоен пулс, или заспали спомени.
Паралелите с Джон Картър и Пелусидар на Едгар Райс Бъроуз, или Отвъд безмълвната планета на К С Луис не са случайни – Муркок едновременно поднася трибют и обогатяване на невероятния похват за спейс фентъзи в стил Конан в космоса, на който аз съм лично огромен, ама гигантически фен. Даже точно тази поредица пише под многозначителния псевдоним Едуард П Бредбъри, което ме навява на мисълта, че във вдъхновението може би ги има набъркани и Марсианските хроники на истинския Рей Бредбъри, които си пазя за особено ценни случаи , когато класическите текстове ще могат да бъдат оценени и обикнати от моето по-съвършено аз. Или просто най-накрая не издържа и се нахвърля върху огромния сборник на Бредбъри със 100 разказа на Бард, което получих като подарък преди години.
На български за съжаление любимият ми жанр, и още по-любимият ми автор Майкъл Муркок са издавани по малко, скришом и съвсем хаотично, като всяко открито негово заглавие считайте за подарък от Бога , съдбата, трите Мойри и въобще който там отговаря за странните подаръци на живота. След тези книги не оставаш с леко виновния вкус в рецепторните клетки, че си се занимавал с някаква бълвоч, което лесно се получава след някое модерно ърбънче или романтичен магически реализъм, а се чувстваш адреналинно зареден, готов да погледнеш дразнещия колега в офиса и да му изкрещиш в мутрата, докато риташ яростно въздуха току пред семейните му ценности, „Тука е Спарта“, та дори и тази сценка да се развива само в онази част от мозъка ти, която обичайно се занимава с Анджелина Джоли и Брад Пит, заедно и поотделно. Нямаме ли право на качествени класически гилти плежъри , питам аз, и смятам че въпросът ми е далеч по-добър от Кой??, освен ако не питам Кой ще го издаде това веднага, ама веднага моля!
Трилогията за Майкъл Кейн – скромен учен след Втората световна война, участвал в опити за стандартна телепортация – която лично аз не мога да схвана как още не са измислили, при условие , че в Стар Трек я ползват повече от половин век; които обаче не го пренасят в съседната стая, ами на Марс, но преди достатъчно милиони години, че онзи червен пясъчник по който в момента пускаме любопитни колички с камери, да е бил по-добрата версия на Земята, с далеч по-богато биологично разнообразие и много, много по-доблестни, горди и ценни хуманоиди, изпитващи естествен ексхибиционизъм и бурни страсти, които избуяват от сласт до див гняв за секунди. И се почват едни героизми, невъзможности и красоти на фантазията, които не те оставят и за секунда равнодушен или поне със спокоен пулс, или заспали спомени.
Паралелите с Джон Картър и Пелусидар на Едгар Райс Бъроуз, или Отвъд безмълвната планета на К С Луис не са случайни – Муркок едновременно поднася трибют и обогатяване на невероятния похват за спейс фентъзи в стил Конан в космоса, на който аз съм лично огромен, ама гигантически фен. Даже точно тази поредица пише под многозначителния псевдоним Едуард П Бредбъри, което ме навява на мисълта, че във вдъхновението може би ги има набъркани и Марсианските хроники на истинския Рей Бредбъри, които си пазя за особено ценни случаи , когато класическите текстове ще могат да бъдат оценени и обикнати от моето по-съвършено аз. Или просто най-накрая не издържа и се нахвърля върху огромния сборник на Бредбъри със 100 разказа на Бард, което получих като подарък преди години.
На български за съжаление любимият ми жанр, и още по-любимият ми автор Майкъл Муркок са издавани по малко, скришом и съвсем хаотично, като всяко открито негово заглавие считайте за подарък от Бога , съдбата, трите Мойри и въобще който там отговаря за странните подаръци на живота. След тези книги не оставаш с леко виновния вкус в рецепторните клетки, че си се занимавал с някаква бълвоч, което лесно се получава след някое модерно ърбънче или романтичен магически реализъм, а се чувстваш адреналинно зареден, готов да погледнеш дразнещия колега в офиса и да му изкрещиш в мутрата, докато риташ яростно въздуха току пред семейните му ценности, „Тука е Спарта“, та дори и тази сценка да се развива само в онази част от мозъка ти, която обичайно се занимава с Анджелина Джоли и Брад Пит, заедно и поотделно. Нямаме ли право на качествени класически гилти плежъри , питам аз, и смятам че въпросът ми е далеч по-добър от Кой??, освен ако не питам Кой ще го издаде това веднага, ама веднага моля!
February 13, 2017
Depending on your point of view, THE CITY OF THE BEAST is either homage to, or plagiarism of, Edgar Rice Burroughs' PRINCESS OF MARS. Moorcock does a terrific Burroughs impersonation, for better or for worse, though the world-building here isn't as good, even if you put aside how derivative it all is. On the other hand, Moorcock improves upon certain of PRINCESS OF MARS' plot defects: for example, by providing a scientific explanation for how the hero, Michael Kane, suddenly found himself on Mars (malfunction of a STAR TREK-esque transporter beam) and how he came to be so handy with a sword (qualified for the Olympic fencing team).
There is nothing particularly novel or exciting about this story or its characters, but, in true Burroughs's fashion, it remains just engaging enough to while away the time, especially if you aren't in the mood for contemplation.
There is nothing particularly novel or exciting about this story or its characters, but, in true Burroughs's fashion, it remains just engaging enough to while away the time, especially if you aren't in the mood for contemplation.
December 18, 2021
3 / 5 for 'City Of The Beast' by Michael Moorcock
An exciting, yet wholly unoriginal, sci-fi book, detailing the 1st person narrative of a human scientist who accidentally teleports to ancient Mars. This book basically, and completely, rips off the Barsoom books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but I can't tell if it's an homage or a parody.
The MC is a completely perfect man who never gets anything wrong, knows exactly what to do in every situation and is utterly perfect at every new thing he attempts to do. If there are any points in the book where this man's perfection, in everything he does, is not enough to save the day, then a lucky coincidence will save the day instead.
Completely unoriginal, awful dialogue, non-existent characterisation, yet somehow, it remained exciting, and it kept me turning those pages at a fair old pace. Bizarre. This book shouldn't earn 3 stars in any way whatsoever, and yet 3 stars is what it gets.
It's awful, but excitingly and enjoyably awful.
3 / 5
An exciting, yet wholly unoriginal, sci-fi book, detailing the 1st person narrative of a human scientist who accidentally teleports to ancient Mars. This book basically, and completely, rips off the Barsoom books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but I can't tell if it's an homage or a parody.
The MC is a completely perfect man who never gets anything wrong, knows exactly what to do in every situation and is utterly perfect at every new thing he attempts to do. If there are any points in the book where this man's perfection, in everything he does, is not enough to save the day, then a lucky coincidence will save the day instead.
Completely unoriginal, awful dialogue, non-existent characterisation, yet somehow, it remained exciting, and it kept me turning those pages at a fair old pace. Bizarre. This book shouldn't earn 3 stars in any way whatsoever, and yet 3 stars is what it gets.
It's awful, but excitingly and enjoyably awful.
3 / 5
February 13, 2025
Michael Kane is a soldier, an Olympic athlete and a physics professor who invents teleportation. He teleports himself to Mars, where all the women are beautiful, naked and in love with him. The princess takes him back to her castle where he teaches the Martians how to fend off an invasion of thousands of giants, the primary strategy being to let Kane single handedly kill all of them. But he is defeated when the mastermind turns out to be a woman. Unable to hit a woman because he is too manly (and unable to believe she masterminded anything because she is a woman, and also hot), it is up to his naked Martian princess to... God, I just can't do it anymore.
Published in 1965, back when Michael Moorcock still wrote under a fake name, this short story is the kind of egotistical Mary Sue harem nonsense that gives fanfiction a bad name. That this guy got published suggests that 1965 was a very different time. An inferior time.
Published in 1965, back when Michael Moorcock still wrote under a fake name, this short story is the kind of egotistical Mary Sue harem nonsense that gives fanfiction a bad name. That this guy got published suggests that 1965 was a very different time. An inferior time.
July 11, 2017
This short novel has to be one of Michael Moorcock's most fun books. Written as an homage to the John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this works amazingly well. As a simple adventure tale, it rocks. It's a fast read, with an almost relentless pace, and would make an excellent film, if adapted well. This is also one of Moorcock's least sophisticated incarnations of the Eternal Champion, but that doesn't detract from the sheer thrills that the book delivers. Probably one of Moorcock's most accessible books as well, as it is pretty much what it represents on the surface: an adventure tale in the Burroughs tradition.
September 6, 2025
I first read this when it came out and am pleased to still find it excellent. Written by Edward P Bradbury aka Michael Moorcock, it is the first of the Michael Kane trilogy. The three stories read like the John Carter books by Burroughs, except that Kane does not have the physical abilities Carter did from the third Earth gravity of Mars. A matter transmitter instead of sending Kane a little distance transports him back to ancient Mars. There he finds a great civilization, and a Princess who he falls in love with. The city is attacked by blue giants organised by an unknown leader. Kane tries to kill the leader but his Princess is kidnapped and he and her brother track across country to the land of the blue giants to rescue her.
I really should check this site first because I have just read this book again. Curses.
I really should check this site first because I have just read this book again. Curses.
October 31, 2020
A fair story. Nothing particularly notable here, but Moorcock does manage to capture a pulpy feel (and a Burroughsian feel) and gives us a wide array of slightly interesting characters with a few twists.
June 22, 2013
So he robbed Edgar Rice Burroughs blind on this one. So it's practically made of pixie stix. So it could have been directed by Jim Wynorski in 1986. Who cares? It's fantasy van art of the highest order.
May 23, 2017
Written in the 60's its more or less directly copied from the John Carter mar's stories by ERB. Not quite sure why Moorcock went there and why when he did he made these stories so lacklustre. Ok if you like this sort of stuff but then why not read the real thing. ?
July 14, 2013
Sure, this is a blatant ripoff of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but that's kinda the point. If you like sword and planet stuff, this is a fun book.
September 23, 2017
This is a weird story and it starts like all weird stories, in a used bookstore. I went to my local used book Mecca and I almost never find anything there. It just gets picked through during the day and I never seem to find anything of value to me personally. On this particular day I found some gems, the second Michael Kane book being one of them. As an avid and energetic Moorcock fan, I have read most all of his Eternal Champions books, Elric and Corum, Hawkmoon, Erekose, etc. This book (the second) I stumbled on and was genuinely shocked. A Martian story by Michael Moorcock that I had never even heard of? Holy Crap! But.....it was the second book.
Enter Amazon, whom the Gods themselves have given us as succor to the wounds this vile world hath delivered upon us. Hehehe
No really, I decided I would try to find the other books in this trilogy. I looked them up and lo and behold I found the 1st and 3rd book, this one being #1. Here's the weird part. Both book 1 and 3 were the only copies that matched the Lancer Publishing copy of #2 which I had in hand. I ordered them, and they both were the last copies the sellers had, and I saw no more that matched mine on Amazon. They were delivered in excellent shape, both of them. Long story, no?
Yeah, I know. I need to get out more......
The City of the Beast starts with the author, using a false name when writing this book, meets a man in a European coffee house. His name is Michael Kane and he tells the author a thrilling and nigh on unbelievable tale. He was a doctor and engineer who had created a teleportation apparatus. This "matter transfer machine" was his attempt at sending things from a point to another using energy to tear matter down and reform it somewhere across the room. Well of course the only true test was for a man to enter it and see if it could move him. Kane did this himself and the machine deposited him on Mars, and on a version of Mars that wasn't red, but blue and green, with a violet sky. He finds the human-like inhabitants and they take him in before the Blue Giants of Mars attack the place. He also falls in love with the Martian Princess. Yeah..... stop me if you've heard this story before.
His love is betrothed to another noble from a nearby city-state and of course Kane's heart is broken, and then the Blue Giants attack the city, craziness ensues and the love interest is stolen by the Blue Giants leader, a strange Martian woman. Michael Kane pursues her and finds her in the Blue Giants' major city where he is captured and fed to the Na'al Beast, a worm representing the Blue Giant God. He and a fellow captive slay the beast and he saves the day, though the wicked woman who enslaved his beloved flees, and the Princess' betrothed is found there, a traitor. Michael Kane manages to defend her honor and kills the Prince, but the wicked Martian woman escapes and he and his Princess decide to wed. Her long lost father is discovered in the slave pits of the Blue Giants and the reunion is complete. DUH-DUH-DUH !!!!!
Tragedy Happens!
Michael Kane is transported back to Earth and is 'saved' by the scientists who discovered he had used the matter tranporter on himself. He tells them his tale and they drum him out of science and never allow him access to the machine ever again.
The author offers to fund his construction of a new and better matter transporter, and here is where the story ends. I cannot wait to dig into the next book.
Ok look, I know this is campy and after all this book was written in 1965. It is dedicated to Edgar Rice Burroughs and it is a loving ode to the man's work. It is almost a John Carter clone, and in truth I'm ok with that. What we have here is a young artist's fandom made into a trilogy, based on a writer he loved and a place he read about decades before this. In this day and age everybody steals and robs from other writers, but in the day this was written it didn't happen much. This is a fun and wonderful pulp hero book. It has typos and is written not the greatest, but the reasons why it was written are the reasons to read it. It is a love story to Burroughs and his Martian heroes. I feel very fortunate to have found these books and they are just wonderful.
Enter Amazon, whom the Gods themselves have given us as succor to the wounds this vile world hath delivered upon us. Hehehe
No really, I decided I would try to find the other books in this trilogy. I looked them up and lo and behold I found the 1st and 3rd book, this one being #1. Here's the weird part. Both book 1 and 3 were the only copies that matched the Lancer Publishing copy of #2 which I had in hand. I ordered them, and they both were the last copies the sellers had, and I saw no more that matched mine on Amazon. They were delivered in excellent shape, both of them. Long story, no?
Yeah, I know. I need to get out more......
The City of the Beast starts with the author, using a false name when writing this book, meets a man in a European coffee house. His name is Michael Kane and he tells the author a thrilling and nigh on unbelievable tale. He was a doctor and engineer who had created a teleportation apparatus. This "matter transfer machine" was his attempt at sending things from a point to another using energy to tear matter down and reform it somewhere across the room. Well of course the only true test was for a man to enter it and see if it could move him. Kane did this himself and the machine deposited him on Mars, and on a version of Mars that wasn't red, but blue and green, with a violet sky. He finds the human-like inhabitants and they take him in before the Blue Giants of Mars attack the place. He also falls in love with the Martian Princess. Yeah..... stop me if you've heard this story before.
His love is betrothed to another noble from a nearby city-state and of course Kane's heart is broken, and then the Blue Giants attack the city, craziness ensues and the love interest is stolen by the Blue Giants leader, a strange Martian woman. Michael Kane pursues her and finds her in the Blue Giants' major city where he is captured and fed to the Na'al Beast, a worm representing the Blue Giant God. He and a fellow captive slay the beast and he saves the day, though the wicked woman who enslaved his beloved flees, and the Princess' betrothed is found there, a traitor. Michael Kane manages to defend her honor and kills the Prince, but the wicked Martian woman escapes and he and his Princess decide to wed. Her long lost father is discovered in the slave pits of the Blue Giants and the reunion is complete. DUH-DUH-DUH !!!!!
Tragedy Happens!
Michael Kane is transported back to Earth and is 'saved' by the scientists who discovered he had used the matter tranporter on himself. He tells them his tale and they drum him out of science and never allow him access to the machine ever again.
The author offers to fund his construction of a new and better matter transporter, and here is where the story ends. I cannot wait to dig into the next book.
Ok look, I know this is campy and after all this book was written in 1965. It is dedicated to Edgar Rice Burroughs and it is a loving ode to the man's work. It is almost a John Carter clone, and in truth I'm ok with that. What we have here is a young artist's fandom made into a trilogy, based on a writer he loved and a place he read about decades before this. In this day and age everybody steals and robs from other writers, but in the day this was written it didn't happen much. This is a fun and wonderful pulp hero book. It has typos and is written not the greatest, but the reasons why it was written are the reasons to read it. It is a love story to Burroughs and his Martian heroes. I feel very fortunate to have found these books and they are just wonderful.
August 20, 2019
I guess I'm just a sucker for this kind of book. I can see the flaws; predictable plot line, foreshadowing that is so obvious it is almost foretelling, the perfect hero who can't make a mistake and the list goes one, but at the end of the day it is just enjoyable to read. I like the adventure of it and there is something fun about the heavy handed morals that the story makes obvious it is telling. These things stand out in our current culture, but I think that is part of what is great about books like this. It takes you to a different time when the standards were a bit different and it makes you think a bit about the kinds of ways of thinking about the world that we can take for granted in our current era. And it is just fun to read about fighting the beasts, saving the girl and being the hero.
November 21, 2022
A very close pastiche / homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs and the “planetary romance” genre… with all the issues that implies. While not quite the unstoppable superman that John Carter was, Michael Kane is nevertheless surprisingly well-equipped for interplanetary sword-and-space-sorcery for a quantum physicist and quickly becomes The Greatest Person On Fantasy Mars, as is keeping with the genre. It’s better written and not quite as racist / sexist as Burroughs (though that’s a low hurdle) but a lot does depend on your tolerance for fictional spaces princesses walking around everywhere naked and turning out to be kind of useless. It was clearly rushed together — apparently the whole trilogy of books was knocked together in just over a week, and in this one it shows. It has its fun spots but it’s not one of Moorcock’s best.
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