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Barsoom #5
The Chessman of Mars
Impetuous and headstrong is Tara, Princess of Helium and daughter of John Carter. Tara meets Prince Gahan of Gathol, and is initially unimpressed, viewing him as something of a popinjay. Later she takes her flier into a storm and loses control of the craft, and the storm carries her to an unfamiliar region of Barsoom. After landing and fleeing from a pack of ferocious Banths (Martian lions), she is captured by the horrific Kaldanes, who resemble large heads with small, crab-like legs. The Kaldanes have bred a symbiotic race of headless human-like creatures called Rykors, which they can attach themselves to and ride like a horse. While imprisoned, Tara manages to win over one of the Kaldanes, Ghek, with her lovely singing voice.
Fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial in the issues for February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1922. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in November 1922.
"A daughter," he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thin air of dying Mars. Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be more beautiful than Tara of Helium."
For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly. "We have a game on Mars similar to chess," he said, "very similar. And there is a race there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords. We call the game jetan. It is played on a board like yours, except that there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces on each side. I never see it played without thinking of Tara of Helium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom. Would you like to hear her story?"
I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall try to re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord of Mars as I can recall them, but in the third person. If there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs. It is a strange tale and utterly Barsoomian.
Fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial in the issues for February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1922. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in November 1922.
"A daughter," he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thin air of dying Mars. Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be more beautiful than Tara of Helium."
For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly. "We have a game on Mars similar to chess," he said, "very similar. And there is a race there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords. We call the game jetan. It is played on a board like yours, except that there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces on each side. I never see it played without thinking of Tara of Helium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom. Would you like to hear her story?"
I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall try to re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord of Mars as I can recall them, but in the third person. If there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs. It is a strange tale and utterly Barsoomian.
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First published November 1, 1922
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About the author
Edgar Rice Burroughs
2,710 books2,732 followersEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews
July 16, 2018
3.5 to 4 stars – I will round up here to an official 4 star rating.
Another classic sci-fi tale that brings forth black and white images from early sci-fi films of bold, muscular heroes, space-damsels in distress, and bizarre/grotesque alien creatures. When the space craft are flying, you might even be able to envision the cord that it is hanging from.
But, seriously, it definitely has that feel and if you have enjoyed the other books in the John Carter/Barsoom series, then you should enjoy this one no less.
I will say that I think I like it more for the atmosphere described above and the characters than anything else. The story is okay, but sort of forgettable. It is the individual scenes, unusual relationships, and somewhat cheesy dialogue that keep me interested. It is almost like going to a sci-fi museum where nothing has been updated since the 40s. Sometimes you think it is so bad, but you realize it is so good!
Another classic sci-fi tale that brings forth black and white images from early sci-fi films of bold, muscular heroes, space-damsels in distress, and bizarre/grotesque alien creatures. When the space craft are flying, you might even be able to envision the cord that it is hanging from.
But, seriously, it definitely has that feel and if you have enjoyed the other books in the John Carter/Barsoom series, then you should enjoy this one no less.
I will say that I think I like it more for the atmosphere described above and the characters than anything else. The story is okay, but sort of forgettable. It is the individual scenes, unusual relationships, and somewhat cheesy dialogue that keep me interested. It is almost like going to a sci-fi museum where nothing has been updated since the 40s. Sometimes you think it is so bad, but you realize it is so good!
December 6, 2020
I really have to say... Burroughs is consistently surprising me.
I particularly like how he's moving away from the whole Earthling god on Mars bit and focusing on Carter's kids. His daughter is a real firecracker, but only in the older sense of a noble's kid who is taught everything from her doting father in contravention to societal norms. Oh well, right? But this DID come out in 1922. And it's a standard convention by this point. So whatever.
This is an ADVENTURE ROMANCE. That means there ought to be a bunch of fiery looks and bodice-ripping, no? Well, thanks to the age, there's not so much bodice-ripping, but there is plenty of that love/hate passion and men who don't have a freaking clue as to how to deal with women but go totally chivalrous and noble without the slightest idea that they'll either get out of it alive OR have a kind word said from said women.
In other words, it's just another day in love-land.
With lots of severed heads. You can't have a romance without severed heads. A lot of them. Oh, and deadly chess with live pieces.
Fun, right? Yes. I have to admit I have had a lot of fun with these.
I particularly like how he's moving away from the whole Earthling god on Mars bit and focusing on Carter's kids. His daughter is a real firecracker, but only in the older sense of a noble's kid who is taught everything from her doting father in contravention to societal norms. Oh well, right? But this DID come out in 1922. And it's a standard convention by this point. So whatever.
This is an ADVENTURE ROMANCE. That means there ought to be a bunch of fiery looks and bodice-ripping, no? Well, thanks to the age, there's not so much bodice-ripping, but there is plenty of that love/hate passion and men who don't have a freaking clue as to how to deal with women but go totally chivalrous and noble without the slightest idea that they'll either get out of it alive OR have a kind word said from said women.
In other words, it's just another day in love-land.
With lots of severed heads. You can't have a romance without severed heads. A lot of them. Oh, and deadly chess with live pieces.
Fun, right? Yes. I have to admit I have had a lot of fun with these.
June 6, 2023
One of my two favorite Barsoom books outside of the initial trilogy. (The other being A Fighting Man of Mars.) Again it's in third person, allowing for different points of view. This time, though, we get a proper John Carter prologue/intro explaining how ERB obtained the manuscript. Very similar to Thuvia, Maid of Mars in structure (lone warrior goes off after missing princess, encounters lost cities and perils and (SPOILER!) gets the girl in the end) but there just seems to be a spark here that was missing in Thuvia -- the cities are loster and the perils are more perilous. Rykers and kaldanes and jetan, oh, my!
August 22, 2011
"The Chessmen of Mars," Edgar Rice Burroughs' 5th John Carter novel out of 11, first appeared in serial form in the magazine "Argosy All Story Weekly" from February to April 1922. It is easily the best of the Carter lot to this point; the most detailed, the most imaginative, and the best written. Carter himself only appears at the beginning and end of the tale. Instead, our action heroes are his daughter, Tara, who gets lost in a rare Barsoomian storm while joyriding in her flier and blown halfway across the surface of the planet, and the Gatholian jed Gahan, who goes in search of her.
In the first half of this novel, Tara and Gahan wind up in the clutches of the kaldanes--bodiless brains who live in a symbiotic relationship with their headless "rykors." One of these brains, Ghek, befriends the couple and tags along with them for the remainder of their odyssey. Ghek is a wonderful character, touching and fascinating and amusing all at once. In one passage, Ghek gives us some very interesting philosophy regarding the relationship between mind and body. In the second half of the book, the trio is captured by the hordes of Manator, and Gahan winds up fighting for Tara in a game of Martian chess, or jetan, a game in which real men are used in lieu of pieces and fight to the death for possession of squares. The jetan sequence is extremely exciting and detailed, and a knowledge of chess is not necessary for full enjoyment. One need not be a chess buff to appreciate the detailed moves that Burroughs gives us. "Chessmen" is, as I mentioned, very well written for a Burroughs novel; even, dare I say it, poetically written in spots. The action is relentless, the standard of imagination very high, and the denouement extremely satisfying. It is a near masterpiece. Why only "near"? Well, as is usual with these books, there are some problems....
As in the previous Carter novels, these problems take the form of inconsistencies and implausibilities. At the book's beginning, Burroughs, who has just been told this tale by Carter himself, writes that "if there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs." He is excusing himself in advance for any mistakes that he might make, and well he should, because there are many such in this book. I, however, cannot excuse an author for laziness and sloppy writing. Saying "excuse me" doesn't make for good writing. Just what am I referring to here? Let's see....
Tara, in several spots in the book, refers to Tardos Mors as her grandfather, when in actuality he is her great-grandfather. The Martian word "sofad" is said to be a foot; but in the previous book, "Thuvia, Maid of Mars," an "ad" was said to be a foot. Tara, in one scene, smites Ghek on the back of the head. Gahan is watching this fight from a distance, and sees her hit Ghek in the face! In the game of jetan, the thoat pieces are said to wear three feathers; but in the Rules for Jetan at the book's end, they are said to wear two. This book is based on events told to John Carter, conceivably by Tara, Gahan and/or Ghek, and yet scenes are described in which none of those characters appear; thus, they could have had no knowledge of these events described. This, I feel, is a basic problem with the book's structure. Besides these inconsistencies, there are some things that are a bit hard to swallow. For instance, that Gahan could fall 3,000 feet from a flier in the middle of a cyclone and, freakishly, survive. It's also hard to believe that Tara does not recognize Gahan when he comes to her rescue, and fails to remember where they have met, until the very end of the book. In addition, I feel that the character of Ghek is underutilized in the book's second half. It might have been nice to see the old boy loosening up a bit, as he got more in touch with his emotions, Spockstyle. Anyway, all quibbles aside, "Chessmen" is a wonderful piece of fantasy, one that had me tearing through the pages as quickly as I possibly could. It is an exceptionally fine entry in the John Carter series.
In the first half of this novel, Tara and Gahan wind up in the clutches of the kaldanes--bodiless brains who live in a symbiotic relationship with their headless "rykors." One of these brains, Ghek, befriends the couple and tags along with them for the remainder of their odyssey. Ghek is a wonderful character, touching and fascinating and amusing all at once. In one passage, Ghek gives us some very interesting philosophy regarding the relationship between mind and body. In the second half of the book, the trio is captured by the hordes of Manator, and Gahan winds up fighting for Tara in a game of Martian chess, or jetan, a game in which real men are used in lieu of pieces and fight to the death for possession of squares. The jetan sequence is extremely exciting and detailed, and a knowledge of chess is not necessary for full enjoyment. One need not be a chess buff to appreciate the detailed moves that Burroughs gives us. "Chessmen" is, as I mentioned, very well written for a Burroughs novel; even, dare I say it, poetically written in spots. The action is relentless, the standard of imagination very high, and the denouement extremely satisfying. It is a near masterpiece. Why only "near"? Well, as is usual with these books, there are some problems....
As in the previous Carter novels, these problems take the form of inconsistencies and implausibilities. At the book's beginning, Burroughs, who has just been told this tale by Carter himself, writes that "if there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs." He is excusing himself in advance for any mistakes that he might make, and well he should, because there are many such in this book. I, however, cannot excuse an author for laziness and sloppy writing. Saying "excuse me" doesn't make for good writing. Just what am I referring to here? Let's see....
Tara, in several spots in the book, refers to Tardos Mors as her grandfather, when in actuality he is her great-grandfather. The Martian word "sofad" is said to be a foot; but in the previous book, "Thuvia, Maid of Mars," an "ad" was said to be a foot. Tara, in one scene, smites Ghek on the back of the head. Gahan is watching this fight from a distance, and sees her hit Ghek in the face! In the game of jetan, the thoat pieces are said to wear three feathers; but in the Rules for Jetan at the book's end, they are said to wear two. This book is based on events told to John Carter, conceivably by Tara, Gahan and/or Ghek, and yet scenes are described in which none of those characters appear; thus, they could have had no knowledge of these events described. This, I feel, is a basic problem with the book's structure. Besides these inconsistencies, there are some things that are a bit hard to swallow. For instance, that Gahan could fall 3,000 feet from a flier in the middle of a cyclone and, freakishly, survive. It's also hard to believe that Tara does not recognize Gahan when he comes to her rescue, and fails to remember where they have met, until the very end of the book. In addition, I feel that the character of Ghek is underutilized in the book's second half. It might have been nice to see the old boy loosening up a bit, as he got more in touch with his emotions, Spockstyle. Anyway, all quibbles aside, "Chessmen" is a wonderful piece of fantasy, one that had me tearing through the pages as quickly as I possibly could. It is an exceptionally fine entry in the John Carter series.
August 14, 2014
My Grandfather owned a copy of this book & he offered it to me to read when I was @ home sick with measles over 50 years ago. It was my introduction to that mystifying & magical world of Science Fiction. Thus began my lifelong love of all things "other worlds" written, filmed, on TV... Amazing author, story & grandfather!
October 14, 2022
I really enjoy the large cast of main characters that ERB weaves into his series. someone who was a 2nd string player in a book can be the main hero 2 books later. It makes for a nice changing and growing family of characters the drive the series along. Very recommended
June 22, 2025
Extended ERB Mars series read May/June 2025
Another exciting episode in the ERB Mars series. In this one John Carter’s impetuous daughter heads off into a storm in her flier, where unfortunately she loses control and is blown many miles off course to s a strange and unfamiliar part of Barsoom. Encountering the strange emotionless walking heads called the Kaldanes whilst trying to escape the Baths she is taken captive.
However unbeknownst to her Prince Graham of Gathol, who is totally smitten, who she has given the cold shoulder to, is on her trail to rescue her. Pretending to be a common soldier he and a renegade Kaldane help plan her rescue, in the hope they all escape back to Helium, but things go terribly wrong !
A great story.
Another exciting episode in the ERB Mars series. In this one John Carter’s impetuous daughter heads off into a storm in her flier, where unfortunately she loses control and is blown many miles off course to s a strange and unfamiliar part of Barsoom. Encountering the strange emotionless walking heads called the Kaldanes whilst trying to escape the Baths she is taken captive.
However unbeknownst to her Prince Graham of Gathol, who is totally smitten, who she has given the cold shoulder to, is on her trail to rescue her. Pretending to be a common soldier he and a renegade Kaldane help plan her rescue, in the hope they all escape back to Helium, but things go terribly wrong !
A great story.
August 12, 2024
Years after Thuvia, Maid of Mars, John Carter and Dejah Thoris have had a daughter, Tara the Princess of Helium. Like her mother, Tara is beautiful, and she is to be wed Djor Kantos, son of Kantos Kan, one of John's friends. But then the kind but naïve Gahan of Gathol comes to a party for Tara and is immedialte stricken with her--he even straight-up tells her that he loves her and is harshly rejected. Tara, wanting a little adventure before she's hitched to Djor decides to follow in her family's footsteps of traveling and getting thrown of course and lost via her flier. Gahan decides that he will lead a small army to find her--until he gets lost too.
But then Tara is taken by the kaldanes, creatures that resemble massive heads with claws, spider-like legs, and tentacles that allow them to take control of headless bodies. Tara thinks her life is on the line, but Gahan is coming for her. And she might just befriend one of the kaldanes.
Whew! Okay, I have such mixed thoughts on this one. Just whenever I think Edgar Rice Burroughs improves with this series, he does something that trips him up. The main problem with The Chessmen of Mars is its length and pacing. These stories work well when they're just under 200 pages, but this book is a little longer than that. It feels drawn out in certain parts and the ending is quite quick with certain questions explained at the end. Burroughs' prose is quite florid in these books, but he uses quite archaic language (perhaps not so archaic for when he wrote them) that makes the syntax a little clunky, thus slowing the pacing. Also, there's a rather laissez-faire view of slavery within Martian society that is described here. Slavery exists in all the different Martian societies, but it's all enacted different, and we've seen this in the previous books particularly with both the White Martians and the Black Martians. Everyone and anyone can be a slave on Mars, but how they are treated depends on the society they're in. I will quote Mike Brooks' review for a quick summation:
The subtle difference in slavery on Barsoom versus slavery on Earth is that on Barsoom it doesn’t involve an oppressed minority, any of the numerous races Barsoom can be enslaved, and slaves are mostly obtained as spoils of war. How the slaves in a particular city or country are treated is apparently the important thing for the reader to know. In the palace of John Carter slaves are treated simply as unpaid servants while later we visit other countries where slaves are forced to fight in cruel barbaric games or worse. Of course Tara’s maid is your standard slave who loves her mistress so much she actually turns down freedom to stay with her, Tara is very much a proto-Scarlett from Gone with the Wind, and Gahan of Gathol, this books male protagonist, and Tara’s Rhett Butler, talks about how the slaves of his country work in the mines but they can eventually earn their freedom. I guess that’s better than nothing....Note: The Chessmen of Mars was published in 1922 containing a spirited slave owning protagonist by the name of Tara, while Gone with the Wind was published in 1936 and the slave owning protagonist in that book lives on a plantation called Tara. Coincidence? Or was Margaret Mitchell a fan of Burroughs?
This will definitely provide discomfort for readers. Had Burroughs not included this aspect at all--especially Gahan's explanation of how slavery works in Gathol to Tara--it would be a much better book. There is also a slave revolt at the end of the book and it's implied those slaves get their freedom or join John's army in Helium. So, do that with what you wish.
It's a shame that this aspect appears in the book, because in terms of central female characters, the book is definitely an improvement. Tara is probably the feistiest of Burroughs' Barsoom heroines. Dejah and Thuvia weren't idiotic, but they were very much damsels-in-distress to a capital t. Or d. Oh no, wait!
Dejah was leading a science mission when she was first introduced back in A Princess of Mars, but she really didn't do much. Thuvia had command over the banths, but in her own eponymous book she's underdeveloped and side-lined by Carthoris' story. Although there's other characters and perspectives in The Chessmen of Mars, this is wholly Tara's story and she has so much more development. Yes, she's still a bit of a damsel-in-distress, but she can actually fight. It's mentioned that John himself trained her, and it shows. Girl killed some people in the book! What also found interesting was that she seemed smarter than Gahan, to me at least. Gahan might be what the modern Internet calls a "himbo," he is kind, but throughout the story he makes repeated blunders. He also learns a lot about love. I wonder if Burroughs was trying to inject a commentary about how love has to be earned? I honestly don't know.
In addition to Tara and Gahan, there is Ghek, one of the aforementioned kaldanes. The kaldanes focus solely on the mental world, believing that the mind--their minds--are above the body. Hence why they take over different headless bodies. Gahan and Tara give Ghek give a lecture about this, stating how both body and mind are needed. It's interesting how almost every species, culture, or race in Barsoom has their own beliefs and hierarchy, but those beliefs cause them to shun others and believe themselves superior to them. Even the other Red Martians in this book, who are the second antagonists, do this as well. Again, I wonder if that's Burroughs' eugenics seeping in.
Anyway, an improvement in some areas, but dammit, Edgar, could you please dial it back on some things?
But then Tara is taken by the kaldanes, creatures that resemble massive heads with claws, spider-like legs, and tentacles that allow them to take control of headless bodies. Tara thinks her life is on the line, but Gahan is coming for her. And she might just befriend one of the kaldanes.
Whew! Okay, I have such mixed thoughts on this one. Just whenever I think Edgar Rice Burroughs improves with this series, he does something that trips him up. The main problem with The Chessmen of Mars is its length and pacing. These stories work well when they're just under 200 pages, but this book is a little longer than that. It feels drawn out in certain parts and the ending is quite quick with certain questions explained at the end. Burroughs' prose is quite florid in these books, but he uses quite archaic language (perhaps not so archaic for when he wrote them) that makes the syntax a little clunky, thus slowing the pacing. Also, there's a rather laissez-faire view of slavery within Martian society that is described here. Slavery exists in all the different Martian societies, but it's all enacted different, and we've seen this in the previous books particularly with both the White Martians and the Black Martians. Everyone and anyone can be a slave on Mars, but how they are treated depends on the society they're in. I will quote Mike Brooks' review for a quick summation:
The subtle difference in slavery on Barsoom versus slavery on Earth is that on Barsoom it doesn’t involve an oppressed minority, any of the numerous races Barsoom can be enslaved, and slaves are mostly obtained as spoils of war. How the slaves in a particular city or country are treated is apparently the important thing for the reader to know. In the palace of John Carter slaves are treated simply as unpaid servants while later we visit other countries where slaves are forced to fight in cruel barbaric games or worse. Of course Tara’s maid is your standard slave who loves her mistress so much she actually turns down freedom to stay with her, Tara is very much a proto-Scarlett from Gone with the Wind, and Gahan of Gathol, this books male protagonist, and Tara’s Rhett Butler, talks about how the slaves of his country work in the mines but they can eventually earn their freedom. I guess that’s better than nothing....Note: The Chessmen of Mars was published in 1922 containing a spirited slave owning protagonist by the name of Tara, while Gone with the Wind was published in 1936 and the slave owning protagonist in that book lives on a plantation called Tara. Coincidence? Or was Margaret Mitchell a fan of Burroughs?
This will definitely provide discomfort for readers. Had Burroughs not included this aspect at all--especially Gahan's explanation of how slavery works in Gathol to Tara--it would be a much better book. There is also a slave revolt at the end of the book and it's implied those slaves get their freedom or join John's army in Helium. So, do that with what you wish.
It's a shame that this aspect appears in the book, because in terms of central female characters, the book is definitely an improvement. Tara is probably the feistiest of Burroughs' Barsoom heroines. Dejah and Thuvia weren't idiotic, but they were very much damsels-in-distress to a capital t. Or d. Oh no, wait!
Dejah was leading a science mission when she was first introduced back in A Princess of Mars, but she really didn't do much. Thuvia had command over the banths, but in her own eponymous book she's underdeveloped and side-lined by Carthoris' story. Although there's other characters and perspectives in The Chessmen of Mars, this is wholly Tara's story and she has so much more development. Yes, she's still a bit of a damsel-in-distress, but she can actually fight. It's mentioned that John himself trained her, and it shows. Girl killed some people in the book! What also found interesting was that she seemed smarter than Gahan, to me at least. Gahan might be what the modern Internet calls a "himbo," he is kind, but throughout the story he makes repeated blunders. He also learns a lot about love. I wonder if Burroughs was trying to inject a commentary about how love has to be earned? I honestly don't know.
In addition to Tara and Gahan, there is Ghek, one of the aforementioned kaldanes. The kaldanes focus solely on the mental world, believing that the mind--their minds--are above the body. Hence why they take over different headless bodies. Gahan and Tara give Ghek give a lecture about this, stating how both body and mind are needed. It's interesting how almost every species, culture, or race in Barsoom has their own beliefs and hierarchy, but those beliefs cause them to shun others and believe themselves superior to them. Even the other Red Martians in this book, who are the second antagonists, do this as well. Again, I wonder if that's Burroughs' eugenics seeping in.
Anyway, an improvement in some areas, but dammit, Edgar, could you please dial it back on some things?
July 23, 2008
Depending on my mood, this is either my favorite or second favorite of the Barsoom books. As with my other favorite, 'A Fighting Man of Mars', the hero of the story isn't that veritable demigod Virginian, John Carter, but a native Martian - in this case Gahan the Jed (or King) of Gathol - a small but very prosperous city state. The story concerns Gahan's attempts to woo the young daughter of John Carter, Tara, who rebuffs Gahan because he does not seem to her to be modest, rugged, and martial enough in his bearing. Naturally, Gahan very quickly finds opportunity to prove his manly virtues, when Tara finds herself in mortal danger and far from any other aid. The long series of adventures that ensue reveal hidden kingdoms, lost races, and ultimately culminate in a stunning game of living chess. This is 'Barsoom' at its best - predictable in outline but delightful in its twists and execution.
'Chessmen' is one of the longer Barsoom stories and it benefits from the length, but it’s still easily consumed in a long afternoon. It is excellent reading material if you have the flu or otherwise must stay in bed or can.
And I doubt that there is anyone out there who first read this story as a boy and didn't build a Martian chess set of some sort.
Anyone care for a game of Jetan?
'Chessmen' is one of the longer Barsoom stories and it benefits from the length, but it’s still easily consumed in a long afternoon. It is excellent reading material if you have the flu or otherwise must stay in bed or can.
And I doubt that there is anyone out there who first read this story as a boy and didn't build a Martian chess set of some sort.
Anyone care for a game of Jetan?
October 23, 2015
With the fifth book in the Barsoom series, much like Burroughs ability to recycle his stories, I thought I could just repost my review of book four – Thuvia, Maid of Mars – as it pretty much still applies to this novel too. Burroughs again recycles his damsel in distress (of course she's gorgeous), his introduction of two new species of Barsoomians (surprisingly close to Helium to have gone unnoticed), the courageous rescue (by a spurned suitor). It could, again, so easily be the same novel with only the names changed: this one is, after all, about John Carter's daughter – Tara – rather than his son from the previous novel.
But, while it still is derivative and repetitive, it's a lot more fun than the previous novel. Burroughs seems more comfortable with this non-John Carter novel format (although he still manages to sneak him in as a soft of removed narrator). Tara, as a Carter herself, gets to be a little more feisty than Thuvia was allowed to be. Although she gets herself into plenty of scrapes, she's not waiting to be rescued necessarily and is happy to give orders when her would-be rescuer does turn up. I enjoyed the rather silly twist where she fails to recognise her rescuer as the man she'd spurned only a few days before – sort of like the Superman/Clark Kent glasses – once Gahan takes off his platinum straps he is unrecognisable.
The new races are something of a break from the norm too. The Barsoomians of Manator aren't so unique, but their ritualised games of chess to the death are certainly interesting. But the Kaldane are the more interesting idea. A race of Barsoomians who have advanced their intellect to such a level that they are devoid of emotion and have developed physically to mere brains with little spider-leg appendages to be able to scuttle about a bit. On top of that they've developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with another sub-species who are bodies with no heads. They have no intellect of their own and graze randomly until paired with a Keldane who acts as their head and brain. The Keldane are, of course, pretty much universally evil dudes (those damned intellectuals) until one of them is able to reconnect with his emotions.
But, while it still is derivative and repetitive, it's a lot more fun than the previous novel. Burroughs seems more comfortable with this non-John Carter novel format (although he still manages to sneak him in as a soft of removed narrator). Tara, as a Carter herself, gets to be a little more feisty than Thuvia was allowed to be. Although she gets herself into plenty of scrapes, she's not waiting to be rescued necessarily and is happy to give orders when her would-be rescuer does turn up. I enjoyed the rather silly twist where she fails to recognise her rescuer as the man she'd spurned only a few days before – sort of like the Superman/Clark Kent glasses – once Gahan takes off his platinum straps he is unrecognisable.
The new races are something of a break from the norm too. The Barsoomians of Manator aren't so unique, but their ritualised games of chess to the death are certainly interesting. But the Kaldane are the more interesting idea. A race of Barsoomians who have advanced their intellect to such a level that they are devoid of emotion and have developed physically to mere brains with little spider-leg appendages to be able to scuttle about a bit. On top of that they've developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with another sub-species who are bodies with no heads. They have no intellect of their own and graze randomly until paired with a Keldane who acts as their head and brain. The Keldane are, of course, pretty much universally evil dudes (those damned intellectuals) until one of them is able to reconnect with his emotions.
October 28, 2025
If you’ve made it this far into the Barsoom series, you know what you’re going to get from these tales; old school, swashbuckling space opera.
I particularly enjoyed the addition of the Kaldane species in this volume; a very original parasitic life-form I’ve not seen the like of elsewhere, to the best of my recollection. A particularly gruesome bunch; I loved them!
I particularly enjoyed the addition of the Kaldane species in this volume; a very original parasitic life-form I’ve not seen the like of elsewhere, to the best of my recollection. A particularly gruesome bunch; I loved them!
February 21, 2024
Just when I convinced myself that Burroughs' Mars series would decend into formulaic pulp, he pulls out some new tricks that make this fifth entry memorable, proving that the well of playful imagination that made the saga such a success was far from dry.
In the last story, we followed John Carter's son, but it turns out that he also has a teenage daughter, Tara of Helium, and she is the focus of this next romp through Barsoom. In the opening chapter, we learn that she already has several suitors for her affection, and John Carter already sees where this is going, acknowledging to the reader how ridiculous the first four books could get when he essentially tells her, "Girl, you better get yourself straight, because this is the kind of high school drama that starts wars around here!"
But rather than get kidnapped by one rival or another, she decides to put herself in peril. Way to subvert expectations! She randomly decides to take a joyride in a flier during the worst storm in Barsoom history, which damages her ship and leaves her stranded in a strange land populated by the Kaldanes, the weirdest and most wonderful of Burroughs' creations yet. Remember the scene in "The Thing" where the guy's head pulls off his body and sprouts spider legs? No, I am not fucking kidding.
But what this novel is most known for is the invention of the game of jetan. No, not "Catan." Jetan. It's Barsoomian chess. Not only does it feature prominently as a literary device in this story, but Burroughs included a full set of rules so that both Martian and Earthling neckbeards can enjoy this unique tabletop challenge.
The characters are all far more sympathetic. The hero is called Gahan. Not Gahan of Depeche Mode, but Gahan of Gathol, who starts off as a bit of a schmuck, but turns out to be more genuinely chivalrous and less blood thirsty than John Carter. Tara is also a lot more well-rounded and spunky than her fellow Burroughs damsels. And this novel has one of my most favorite characters of the series, Ghek the Kaldene, who is to Gahan what Spock is to Captain Kirk.
The novel also features many interesting themes, such as the hubris of isolated nations, the consequences of not being hospitable to travelers or strangers in need, and the importance of a balance between intellectual and physical health. And you thought the Barsoom series was all about pulp male heroes playing with their swords!
The only negative for me is that it seems quite a bit more drawn out than the earlier books of the series, and yet doesn't really provide any better character development or world building to justify it.
I admit to being impressed that Burroughs kept the quality so consistent five books in, further assuring that readers would want to continue visiting the beautiful but violent world of Barsoom for further literary adventures.
SCORE: 4 Rykors out of 5
In the last story, we followed John Carter's son, but it turns out that he also has a teenage daughter, Tara of Helium, and she is the focus of this next romp through Barsoom. In the opening chapter, we learn that she already has several suitors for her affection, and John Carter already sees where this is going, acknowledging to the reader how ridiculous the first four books could get when he essentially tells her, "Girl, you better get yourself straight, because this is the kind of high school drama that starts wars around here!"
But rather than get kidnapped by one rival or another, she decides to put herself in peril. Way to subvert expectations! She randomly decides to take a joyride in a flier during the worst storm in Barsoom history, which damages her ship and leaves her stranded in a strange land populated by the Kaldanes, the weirdest and most wonderful of Burroughs' creations yet. Remember the scene in "The Thing" where the guy's head pulls off his body and sprouts spider legs? No, I am not fucking kidding.
But what this novel is most known for is the invention of the game of jetan. No, not "Catan." Jetan. It's Barsoomian chess. Not only does it feature prominently as a literary device in this story, but Burroughs included a full set of rules so that both Martian and Earthling neckbeards can enjoy this unique tabletop challenge.
The characters are all far more sympathetic. The hero is called Gahan. Not Gahan of Depeche Mode, but Gahan of Gathol, who starts off as a bit of a schmuck, but turns out to be more genuinely chivalrous and less blood thirsty than John Carter. Tara is also a lot more well-rounded and spunky than her fellow Burroughs damsels. And this novel has one of my most favorite characters of the series, Ghek the Kaldene, who is to Gahan what Spock is to Captain Kirk.
The novel also features many interesting themes, such as the hubris of isolated nations, the consequences of not being hospitable to travelers or strangers in need, and the importance of a balance between intellectual and physical health. And you thought the Barsoom series was all about pulp male heroes playing with their swords!
The only negative for me is that it seems quite a bit more drawn out than the earlier books of the series, and yet doesn't really provide any better character development or world building to justify it.
I admit to being impressed that Burroughs kept the quality so consistent five books in, further assuring that readers would want to continue visiting the beautiful but violent world of Barsoom for further literary adventures.
SCORE: 4 Rykors out of 5
July 26, 2017
“Chessmen of Mars” is the fifth novel in the Barsoom series and was published in its full novel form in 1922, about a decade after the first Barsoom novel. In it, Burroughs focuses, as he did in the previous novel, not on John Carter, but on his descendants. The focus of the novel is on his daughter, Tara of Helium, and her paramour, Gahan of Gathol. Other than that, the novel follows in the same basic pattern as the earlier novels of this series with a tale of romance and chivalry set not among the knights and damsels of the middle ages, but on the dying planet of Mars. It is a terrific adventure book and a fun story to read.
Tara, at least in the beginning of the book, is a haughty princess with many suitors at the palace ball, sort of a Marie Antoinette or Scarlet O’Hara type of character with flowing gowns and romantic intrigue. The tale takes Tara out of her comfortable palace life to adventures in forgotten valleys and unknown lands where she encounters ancient people who know nothing of modern-day Martian civilization. First, her adventures take her to the Bantoomian Valley, where Burroughs has invented a unique people, whose heads and bodies are independent with the heads being intelligent and advanced and able to crawl about on little legs like spiders and the headless bodies are no better than the most brutish of animals. Burroughs invented such creatures nearly one hundred years ago and it is amazing how many books and creatures and inventions followed in his wake. What an imagination!
The second ancient civilization Tara and Gahan encounter is the ancient city of Manator, where the game of Jetan (which is similar in many respects to the Earthly game of chess) is played in an arena on a board with living and armed human pieces. When one piece enters another’s space, they fight to the death, making this an exciting and unusual game. There are many other interesting aspects to the ancient city, but the game of Jetan is, by far, the most intriguing and inventive.
Once again, as in the first four novels in this amazing series, Burroughs has invented a world in many ways like our own, but in many ways unlike it, a world peopled by unique creatures and ancient civilizations and, often, unexplored. It is a vast land, even though the planet is smaller, as the oceans have dried up and, therefore, there is more land. On this unique landscape, Burroughs plays out his stories of derring-do and chivalry as there is always a beautiful princess to rescue and a great and mighty swordsman to rescue her, often causing entire nations to rise in revolt against their despotic rulers.
Many writers followed in Burroughs’ wake, but none ever wrote tales so well.
Tara, at least in the beginning of the book, is a haughty princess with many suitors at the palace ball, sort of a Marie Antoinette or Scarlet O’Hara type of character with flowing gowns and romantic intrigue. The tale takes Tara out of her comfortable palace life to adventures in forgotten valleys and unknown lands where she encounters ancient people who know nothing of modern-day Martian civilization. First, her adventures take her to the Bantoomian Valley, where Burroughs has invented a unique people, whose heads and bodies are independent with the heads being intelligent and advanced and able to crawl about on little legs like spiders and the headless bodies are no better than the most brutish of animals. Burroughs invented such creatures nearly one hundred years ago and it is amazing how many books and creatures and inventions followed in his wake. What an imagination!
The second ancient civilization Tara and Gahan encounter is the ancient city of Manator, where the game of Jetan (which is similar in many respects to the Earthly game of chess) is played in an arena on a board with living and armed human pieces. When one piece enters another’s space, they fight to the death, making this an exciting and unusual game. There are many other interesting aspects to the ancient city, but the game of Jetan is, by far, the most intriguing and inventive.
Once again, as in the first four novels in this amazing series, Burroughs has invented a world in many ways like our own, but in many ways unlike it, a world peopled by unique creatures and ancient civilizations and, often, unexplored. It is a vast land, even though the planet is smaller, as the oceans have dried up and, therefore, there is more land. On this unique landscape, Burroughs plays out his stories of derring-do and chivalry as there is always a beautiful princess to rescue and a great and mighty swordsman to rescue her, often causing entire nations to rise in revolt against their despotic rulers.
Many writers followed in Burroughs’ wake, but none ever wrote tales so well.
March 24, 2012
I give up. Burrough's Barsoom series has devolved into a Captain-Bill's-Whiz-Bang stories of the simple sensationalism, appropriate at best for adolescent boys.
Even though I have several more editions in my Nook, I doubt if I'll read them soon.
A waste of time and electrons--at least the trees were spared.
Even though I have several more editions in my Nook, I doubt if I'll read them soon.
A waste of time and electrons--at least the trees were spared.
September 25, 2017
Sadly a huge pain in the arse compared to the earlier books. Tara of Helium is just a whining bunt and the throwing out of random names and places gets old really quick. Just not an interesting enough plot to carry through the flaws
July 21, 2012
A pretty darn good one in the Mars series. I felt Thuvia, Maid of Mars was a little lacking, but this one makes up for that. This one, again, does not focus on John Carter, but rather his daughter Tara, which he suddenly has. She gets captured by the Kaldanes, which are spider-like creatures and can attach themselves to these headless human bodies, called rykors, and control them for their own use. She also gets captured by the Manatorians, which are the chess players; but they play using real people on a life-size board. It's good stuff.
February 19, 2014
On our trip to Mars this time, we find more lost and forgotten cities, one of which is inhabited by some of the most disturbing creatures ever to be described on paper. Along with great Burroughs style adventure, and classic characters. Well played Mr. Burroughs, well played.
February 20, 2024
This book was so much fun! Easily one of my favorites of the Martian Tales, so far - even if it's a bit repetitive in its formula and plot points; this one borrowing heavily from its predecessor, Thuvia, Maid of Mars, as well as #3, The Warlord of Mars.
3.5⭐
3.5⭐
January 25, 2019
By far the best Barsoom book, with different pov's and cool touch of gamedesign by Burroughs. ;) 8/10
May 5, 2009
“The Chessmen of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the fifth book in the Barsoom series. After “Thuvia, Maid of Mars” was something of a disappointment, this installment may be the best of the series. As with the prior book, this one focuses on different characters than any of the earlier books in the series, this time the focus is John Carter’s daughter Tara, and Gahan, the Jed of Gathol. The story was originally published as a serial in “Argosy All-Story Weekly” in the February 18th, 25th, March 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th editions in 1922 before being published in book for in November of the same year.
It is true that there are some issues with it. For one thing, the Prelude initially seems unnecessary and doesn’t quite fit with the book. The premise is that John Carter returns to Earth briefly to relate the tale, but when the story starts he is speaking from a perspective of Tara, not himself, and that is the case for most of the book. When one gets to the end, then having John Carter telling the tale makes a bit more sense, because it allows Burroughs to quickly tell what happens after the main action without a drawn out couple of chapters. The other issue is that it is a bit difficult to believe that Tara doesn’t recognize Gahan at their second meeting. While one can understand that it is important for the way the story is told, it doesn’t seem believable, and then it leads to issues with the narration referring to Gahan by the wrong name and position, even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. The reader knows that he is not a Pathan and that his name isn’t Turan, and it would have made sense to consistently refer to him with the proper name and rank when it is from another character’s perspective, rather than the general narration.
Those problems are minor though, as the story is very enjoyable, and the new characters add a lot to the series. Ghek is a member of a rather horrifying race (the Kaldane), but when he becomes an ally it adds a great deal to the story. The city of Manator likewise is very inventive with its social behavior, and of course we have the use of the game of Jetan, which is much like chess which plays an important role in the story. The story is so entertaining, that one hardly notices that one of the major plot devices, that Tara is promised to another but is falling for Gahan/Turan is rather similar to the one used in “Thuvia, Maid of Mars”.
One of the reasons I feel that this book is probably the best of the series thus far is that unlike John Carter in the first three books, the major characters in this book are much more vulnerable. Carter always seemed invincible, as he could fight countless foes hour after hour. While it is true that Gahan faces one foe for a long period in this book, it is the same one who would also be suffering the ill-effects of a prolonged combat. Of course, one cannot deny that this book does not stand on its own, and that you need to read at least the “Princess of Mars” before it, and better yet all of the prior books, and so one can understand why others may feel that it is those books are more important to the series, but I don’t think this one is behind any of the previous ones when it comes to the entertaining storyline.
It is true that there are some issues with it. For one thing, the Prelude initially seems unnecessary and doesn’t quite fit with the book. The premise is that John Carter returns to Earth briefly to relate the tale, but when the story starts he is speaking from a perspective of Tara, not himself, and that is the case for most of the book. When one gets to the end, then having John Carter telling the tale makes a bit more sense, because it allows Burroughs to quickly tell what happens after the main action without a drawn out couple of chapters. The other issue is that it is a bit difficult to believe that Tara doesn’t recognize Gahan at their second meeting. While one can understand that it is important for the way the story is told, it doesn’t seem believable, and then it leads to issues with the narration referring to Gahan by the wrong name and position, even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. The reader knows that he is not a Pathan and that his name isn’t Turan, and it would have made sense to consistently refer to him with the proper name and rank when it is from another character’s perspective, rather than the general narration.
Those problems are minor though, as the story is very enjoyable, and the new characters add a lot to the series. Ghek is a member of a rather horrifying race (the Kaldane), but when he becomes an ally it adds a great deal to the story. The city of Manator likewise is very inventive with its social behavior, and of course we have the use of the game of Jetan, which is much like chess which plays an important role in the story. The story is so entertaining, that one hardly notices that one of the major plot devices, that Tara is promised to another but is falling for Gahan/Turan is rather similar to the one used in “Thuvia, Maid of Mars”.
One of the reasons I feel that this book is probably the best of the series thus far is that unlike John Carter in the first three books, the major characters in this book are much more vulnerable. Carter always seemed invincible, as he could fight countless foes hour after hour. While it is true that Gahan faces one foe for a long period in this book, it is the same one who would also be suffering the ill-effects of a prolonged combat. Of course, one cannot deny that this book does not stand on its own, and that you need to read at least the “Princess of Mars” before it, and better yet all of the prior books, and so one can understand why others may feel that it is those books are more important to the series, but I don’t think this one is behind any of the previous ones when it comes to the entertaining storyline.
February 20, 2025
Same plot, different setting and somewhat different characters. I liked Tara of Helium, she had a bit more spunk than the previous princesses of Mars but she was still constantly getting captured and needing saving. Gahan was the same exact character as John Carter and all the other male protagonists in the previous books. I did enjoy seeing a new type of Martian with Ghek, I thought the headless bodies and separate brain spider head was an interesting twist to a new race of Martian that was more than just what color they were and how many arms they had.
I am really hoping for a different style of plot with a more meaningful story for Mars, other than spoiled princess is kidnapped and needs to be saved by strong Martian guy. I have all the books already so I am just going along with them but only having one plot for every single book is really really old and boring.
3/5 stars.
I am really hoping for a different style of plot with a more meaningful story for Mars, other than spoiled princess is kidnapped and needs to be saved by strong Martian guy. I have all the books already so I am just going along with them but only having one plot for every single book is really really old and boring.
3/5 stars.
January 11, 2021
When ERB lets his imagination run rampant, his books are a delight. When he focuses on more courtly matters, his books tend to lose me. This is one of his novels of his that does both.
The first half of the book features Tara of Helium (John Carter's daughter) lost in the weird community of kaldanes and rykors. Kaldanes are detachable, crab-like heads that ride the headless, human-like rykor bodies. Naturally, being almost all head, the kaldanes are emotionless beings driven by a desire to only think. The rykors just want to eat. There are shades of Baron Munchausen's moon folk here, though Raspe's head/bodies are played for laughs and ERB leans more towards horror.
Then the book shifts to another lost city—this one populated by humans—where deadly games of chess are played with living men and women being the pieces. The chess aspect is fun, but it only plays a small part of the book's second half, with more time spent on dungeon crawling and the selfish decrees of an antagonist king. The city's gladiatorial chess games are not its only curiosity. The dead are not buried here, but taxidermied and posed on balconies and public hallways. To my disappointment, ERB never really spends the time to explain this. He cites ancestor worship often while describing the superstitions of the city's residents, so maybe the preserved dead are part of that? The whole second half of the book seemed more of a jumble of cool ideas that ERB just pasted over the usual romance & heroics outline. On top of that, the ending comes way too fast.
I did like that Tara is given more than half of the book's POV. It was nice to have a woman be the main character for a while. Her personality starts as pretty much that of a brat, though she softens marginally as the book goes on. I suppose hanging out with beings of pure thought and wicked emperors will do that.
The first half of the book features Tara of Helium (John Carter's daughter) lost in the weird community of kaldanes and rykors. Kaldanes are detachable, crab-like heads that ride the headless, human-like rykor bodies. Naturally, being almost all head, the kaldanes are emotionless beings driven by a desire to only think. The rykors just want to eat. There are shades of Baron Munchausen's moon folk here, though Raspe's head/bodies are played for laughs and ERB leans more towards horror.
Then the book shifts to another lost city—this one populated by humans—where deadly games of chess are played with living men and women being the pieces. The chess aspect is fun, but it only plays a small part of the book's second half, with more time spent on dungeon crawling and the selfish decrees of an antagonist king. The city's gladiatorial chess games are not its only curiosity. The dead are not buried here, but taxidermied and posed on balconies and public hallways. To my disappointment, ERB never really spends the time to explain this. He cites ancestor worship often while describing the superstitions of the city's residents, so maybe the preserved dead are part of that? The whole second half of the book seemed more of a jumble of cool ideas that ERB just pasted over the usual romance & heroics outline. On top of that, the ending comes way too fast.
I did like that Tara is given more than half of the book's POV. It was nice to have a woman be the main character for a while. Her personality starts as pretty much that of a brat, though she softens marginally as the book goes on. I suppose hanging out with beings of pure thought and wicked emperors will do that.
July 1, 2013
To categorize this narrative as science fiction (as it is often referred to as) would, in my opinion, be erroneous as no science is involved. A more fitting genre would be fantasy or maybe to be more unambiguous, action fantasy. Tara, the daughter of John Carter the Virginian visitor to Mars that has graced many of Burroughs’ stories with his action-packed presence, goes out on a joy ride in her flying machine and is caught in a terrible storm. This storm blows her craft to unknown parts of the red planet where foreign and antagonistic peoples reside. When her absence is discovered fleets of ships are sent to find and rescue her. One of these ships is commanded by Gahan the Jed, a spurned suitor. He becomes a castaway after risking his life to save his crew in the same tempest that deprived him of his love. Inevitably the two are reunited but their future is far from either safe or certain. The Chessmen of Mars could easily have serves as a primary inspiration to George Lucas in the creation of his Star Wars series as well as the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (as the Martian chess game is similar to that which is played at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). The book is much more entertaining than exciting and I was very surprised at the amount of suggestive sexuality displayed in a novel dating from 1922. I’m sure many people will enjoy this pioneer in fantasy…
May 13, 2010
On one hand, I'm relieved that Burroughs was willing to at least advance the story by focusing on the slightly more interesting next generation. On the other, the plot falls squarely into the well-grooved tire tracks of the previous books: the protagonists are lost far from home and fall into various perilous lost cities and civilizations.
I did like that Tara of Helium was at some level the main character, which puts her in a more dynamic position than Dejah Thoris had been, and at some level she and her love interest, Gahan of Gathol are on a more equal footing in terms of involvement in the story. Together they're more vulnerable and inexperienced than John Carter and this lends more peril to the enterprise.
I can't get enough of the antiquated feel of the language, the rigid formality of their speech and mannerisms that simultaneously suggest an alien culture and a throwback to ancient legends. It combines with the high drama to make it sound like a bardic lay or translated Greek myth (but without all the tragedy).
I'm curious about what sort of transformations have been done to this genre: what if the protagonist isn't the best fighter, but is the smartest? What if he didn't buy into the rigid honor code, or if she didn't abide by the accustomed gender roles?
I did like that Tara of Helium was at some level the main character, which puts her in a more dynamic position than Dejah Thoris had been, and at some level she and her love interest, Gahan of Gathol are on a more equal footing in terms of involvement in the story. Together they're more vulnerable and inexperienced than John Carter and this lends more peril to the enterprise.
I can't get enough of the antiquated feel of the language, the rigid formality of their speech and mannerisms that simultaneously suggest an alien culture and a throwback to ancient legends. It combines with the high drama to make it sound like a bardic lay or translated Greek myth (but without all the tragedy).
I'm curious about what sort of transformations have been done to this genre: what if the protagonist isn't the best fighter, but is the smartest? What if he didn't buy into the rigid honor code, or if she didn't abide by the accustomed gender roles?
October 22, 2012
I think this book caught me off guard. The last book from this collection was good but not as good as its predecesors. So when I started The Chessmen of Mars, I still had the bittersweet taste of Thuvia, Maid of Mars. In the beginning, it was kind of boring, giving a look of a little presumptous girl as she inherited all the Glory of the Warlord of Barsoom. I think she was a careless, selfish and a swagger.
But then, as she was lost in a far away place in Barsoom, the book made me feel anxiety, the lurking horror at the corner and dispair for Tara´s distress.
In the end, I loved it... sincerely one of the best books of E.R. Burroughs
But then, as she was lost in a far away place in Barsoom, the book made me feel anxiety, the lurking horror at the corner and dispair for Tara´s distress.
In the end, I loved it... sincerely one of the best books of E.R. Burroughs
September 10, 2012
And extraordinary fantasy by Edgar Rice Burroughs - a story based on the divorce of the Intellect From the Physical - two species evolve - one physically strong but devoid of any brain function except the basic functions of eating, breathing and toiletry, while the other species latches on to their spinal cord and sits like a brain on them, guiding them to do all their work while themselves getting their pleasure only from thinking!
A great book for a 14 year old to read and I never forgot this book
A great book for a 14 year old to read and I never forgot this book
December 25, 2015
Burroughs wrote some very good books and I'm pleased to have read them. I think there are a couple more in the series but they are not available in audio so I likely will never get to them. John Carter's daughter Princess Tara is carried away by the wind to the land of heads that separate from their bodies and then on to a deadly chess game. The narrator Gene Engene is not bad and has a great sci-fi voice but his character voices never stay pure; they interchange a lot.
It was a nice intro for him to meet his nephew again on Earth and tell Tara's story.
It was a nice intro for him to meet his nephew again on Earth and tell Tara's story.
June 26, 2023
Tara of Helium, young daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris, is serious bad-ass, killing rapists and dangerous eunuchs, and mouthing off to anyone who tries to disrespect her. Burroughs was clearly before his time when it came to bad-ass women. This pretty much follows the theme of the previous Mars stories, adventures, battles, meeting strange new Barsoom races, except this time it's Tara, and she is completely lost after being blown across the planet on her flier in a horrific wind storm, much like Dorothy in Oz. Sufficiently interesting and entertaining for a story over 100 years old, although the stilted and flower prose of the time might be off-putting. Again the strength of the Mars books is the exquisite world building that ERB is so good at with many great examples. The story is not without weaknesses. The male hero, and love interest, goes by three different names, which can be confusing. All of the characters in the main location have names formatted like A-AAA, and similar enough to add to the confusion. It also get a bit repetitive with several capture-rescue set pieces. Pretty good book in the Barsoom series. I give it three stars.
April 22, 2020
The main characters of The Chessmen of Mars are Carter’s daughter Tara and Gahan of Gathol, a prince of another kingdom. Tara is engaged and is outraged when Gahan declares his love for her because she is not attracted to him at all. She takes off in her flier, only to get caught in a massive storm which sends her flying off into uncharted lands. She's captured by the horrific Kaldanes, who intend to fatten her up for an upcoming feast. She wins over one of the Kaldanes, Ghek, and escapes. in the meantime, Gahan rushes to rescue the woman he's fallen for, typical in these Barsoom fantasy novels.
Gahan reaches the city of Manator where he taken prisoner by the inhabitants. Tara and Ghek are also captured. Eventually they are forced to engage in a duel to the death in a massive game that is reminiscent of Chess.
The Chessmen of Mars is a wonderful piece of fantasy, one that had me cheering the characters along in an engaging story with some genuinely fun and thrilling moments.
Gahan reaches the city of Manator where he taken prisoner by the inhabitants. Tara and Ghek are also captured. Eventually they are forced to engage in a duel to the death in a massive game that is reminiscent of Chess.
The Chessmen of Mars is a wonderful piece of fantasy, one that had me cheering the characters along in an engaging story with some genuinely fun and thrilling moments.
June 11, 2019
As the series goes, this one is right back up there with the first novel. I thought the fourth novel, Thuvia, Maid of Mars, was a step down from the first three. I missed John Carter, and the tale was hardly different than The third novel, The Warlord of Mars. Saying that, this one, The Chessmen Of Mars, follows the same theme. A damsel in distress held in a foreign land and rescued by a single hero.
One would think it would lack interest as the fourth one did. What separates it is the introduction of Ghek, the kaldane. When one thinks of how horrifying such a creature, spiderlike, dominating his headless human rykor mount, must have been to readers when this was released in 1921, it must have been AWESOME! Kudos to Ghek - an awesome character, who singlehandedly raised this novel back to 5 stars.
One would think it would lack interest as the fourth one did. What separates it is the introduction of Ghek, the kaldane. When one thinks of how horrifying such a creature, spiderlike, dominating his headless human rykor mount, must have been to readers when this was released in 1921, it must have been AWESOME! Kudos to Ghek - an awesome character, who singlehandedly raised this novel back to 5 stars.
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