What do you think?
Rate this book
Wild Adventures of Tarzan
Tarzan: Back to Mars
BACK TO BARSOOM!
Tarzan of the Apes had been marooned on Mars once before. And it had proven to be one of the most terrible ordeals of his storied life.
Returning to the warlike place its inhabitants called Barsoom was something the ape-man never expected to have to do again. But when colonists from the dying planet landed in Africa, claiming part of the jungle lord's rainforest as their domain, Tarzan knew that he must again brave that weird world to forestall a larger invasion of Earth.
Fortunately, he has a powerful ally on the red planet. The former Captain John Carter of Virginia, now Warlord of Mars. Equally fortunate, John Carter has allies of his own.
Together, they muster a fighting force equal to the stark necessity of finding the secret base from which interplanetary ships are launching. Can they interdict a second spacecraft in time? Otherwise, Africa will be only the first continent to
fall.…
Tarzan of the Apes had been marooned on Mars once before. And it had proven to be one of the most terrible ordeals of his storied life.
Returning to the warlike place its inhabitants called Barsoom was something the ape-man never expected to have to do again. But when colonists from the dying planet landed in Africa, claiming part of the jungle lord's rainforest as their domain, Tarzan knew that he must again brave that weird world to forestall a larger invasion of Earth.
Fortunately, he has a powerful ally on the red planet. The former Captain John Carter of Virginia, now Warlord of Mars. Equally fortunate, John Carter has allies of his own.
Together, they muster a fighting force equal to the stark necessity of finding the secret base from which interplanetary ships are launching. Can they interdict a second spacecraft in time? Otherwise, Africa will be only the first continent to
fall.…
- GenresPulp
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2023
6 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Will Murray
696 books76 followersWill Murray is an American novelist, journalist, and short-story and comic-book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. Will is the author of over 50 novels in popular series ranging from “The Destroyer” to “Mars Attacks”. Collaborating posthumously with the legendary Lester Dent, he has written to date nine Doc Savage novels, with “Desert Demons” and “Horror in Gold” now available. For National Public Radio, Murray adapted “The Thousand-Headed Man” for “The Adventures of Doc Savage” in 1985, and recently edited “Doc Savage: The Lost Radio Scripts of Lester Dent” for Moonstone Books. He is versed in all things pulp.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 23, 2024
Men from Mars try to form a colony on Earth, in Africa, where Tarzan is Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan, of course, reacts as we'd all expect, then returns to Mars, to solve the problem at its source. He re-teams with John Carter to find out what's what.
Not as good as the first trip to Mars.
Not as good as the first trip to Mars.
July 30, 2023
I’ve been looking forward to this sequel ever since I finished TARZAN, CONQUEROR OF MARS. Heck, even before I finished, because I didn’t want that book to end.
I’d like to rave about all the cool surprises Mr. Murray uncorks in this adventure, but I know you’ll have more fun discovering them yourself. Suffice it to say that the more familiar you are with ERB’s Barsoom, the more they will fire your blood.
It begins like this: It’s 1945, a dozen years after Tarzan’s first visit to Mars, and he returns from helping whip the Nazis to find strange invaders in the sky over Africa. Turns out a whole race of nasty Martians plan to take over the continent—and then the earth! Tarzan objects. Strenuously. Savagely. (Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.)
Judging the best defense to be a strong offense, Tarzan returns to Barsoom to nip the invasion in the bud. And that’s where the surprises begin. (But I’m not telling, remember?) The story kicks into another gear when our hero is reunited with John Carter and Tar Tarkas, and the three are eager begin the battle.
But facing them is a hardboiled queen Burroughs himself would have been proud of. Her warriors are so besotted with her they’ll happily slaughter each other to win her favor. Unfortunately, they’re equally happy to slaughter any red or green Martians (or jungle Lords) who get in their way.
More cool surprises come into play, and it’s a good thing they do. Otherwise, we poor earthlings could be living today—or not—under that vicious queen’s rule.
As in TARZAN, CONQUEROR OF MARS, Will Murray fills ERB’s shoes right down to the toes. Tarzan’s personality, his motivations and the wild forces that drive him are on full display—and all ring true. When John Carter enters the scene, we see the action through his eyes, just as we did with Burroughs, and he, too, is the real deal. (At one point, Carter flirts with the idea of returning to Earth to help out—an idea I find very intriguing. Are you listening, Will?)
This one has all the ingredients of a great ERB adventure: A hidden civilization, fantastic beasts, seemingly impossible inventions—and, of course, plenty of ferocious battles between evil villains and true-blue heroes.
The story builds to a nail-biting climax that occupies a whole third of the book, and once you get there, they’ll be no stopping you. WARNING: Watch out for papercuts, because you’ll be turning those pages like lightning near the end!
Now I’m hoping lightning strikes a third time, and we see John Carter and the Lord of the Jungle together again.
I’d like to rave about all the cool surprises Mr. Murray uncorks in this adventure, but I know you’ll have more fun discovering them yourself. Suffice it to say that the more familiar you are with ERB’s Barsoom, the more they will fire your blood.
It begins like this: It’s 1945, a dozen years after Tarzan’s first visit to Mars, and he returns from helping whip the Nazis to find strange invaders in the sky over Africa. Turns out a whole race of nasty Martians plan to take over the continent—and then the earth! Tarzan objects. Strenuously. Savagely. (Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.)
Judging the best defense to be a strong offense, Tarzan returns to Barsoom to nip the invasion in the bud. And that’s where the surprises begin. (But I’m not telling, remember?) The story kicks into another gear when our hero is reunited with John Carter and Tar Tarkas, and the three are eager begin the battle.
But facing them is a hardboiled queen Burroughs himself would have been proud of. Her warriors are so besotted with her they’ll happily slaughter each other to win her favor. Unfortunately, they’re equally happy to slaughter any red or green Martians (or jungle Lords) who get in their way.
More cool surprises come into play, and it’s a good thing they do. Otherwise, we poor earthlings could be living today—or not—under that vicious queen’s rule.
As in TARZAN, CONQUEROR OF MARS, Will Murray fills ERB’s shoes right down to the toes. Tarzan’s personality, his motivations and the wild forces that drive him are on full display—and all ring true. When John Carter enters the scene, we see the action through his eyes, just as we did with Burroughs, and he, too, is the real deal. (At one point, Carter flirts with the idea of returning to Earth to help out—an idea I find very intriguing. Are you listening, Will?)
This one has all the ingredients of a great ERB adventure: A hidden civilization, fantastic beasts, seemingly impossible inventions—and, of course, plenty of ferocious battles between evil villains and true-blue heroes.
The story builds to a nail-biting climax that occupies a whole third of the book, and once you get there, they’ll be no stopping you. WARNING: Watch out for papercuts, because you’ll be turning those pages like lightning near the end!
Now I’m hoping lightning strikes a third time, and we see John Carter and the Lord of the Jungle together again.
February 13, 2024
This is the second novel in which the author has sent Tarzan to Mars. Both are excellent, but I think Murray manages to outdo himself this time. "Back to Mars" is more fun than a barrel full of thoats.
Tarzan is returning to Africa after service in World War 2 when he finds that an expedition from Barsoom has landed near Lake Victoria. These Martians have arrived in a spaceship and are advanced scouts for a larger incursion. To protect his beloved Africa, Tarzan has no choice but to fight them.
After dealing with the Barsoomians on Earth, he uses the teleportation method he learned in the previous novel to return to Mars. He contacts John Carter and the two investigate the hidden civilization that is planning the invasion of Earth.
Murray takes elements from Burroughs' original Mars novels (notably from "Thuvia, Maid of Mars" and "Swords of Mars") as well as something important from the Pellucidar novels, then uses these elements to weave an exicting and original adventure around them. There are fun plot twists, great action sequences, appearances by fan favorite characters, sword fights galore, giant robot birds, and hints of other adventures not yet written.
There's also a fight between Jad-bal-ja, Tarzan's lion friend, and a banth. I never realized how sad the world was without a Golden Lion/Banth fight, but Murray has now rectified this.
Great book. It is a self-contained story, so one does not need to read "Conquerer of Mars" first. But both books should be on the reading list of any fan of ERB and/or Space Opera.
Tarzan is returning to Africa after service in World War 2 when he finds that an expedition from Barsoom has landed near Lake Victoria. These Martians have arrived in a spaceship and are advanced scouts for a larger incursion. To protect his beloved Africa, Tarzan has no choice but to fight them.
After dealing with the Barsoomians on Earth, he uses the teleportation method he learned in the previous novel to return to Mars. He contacts John Carter and the two investigate the hidden civilization that is planning the invasion of Earth.
Murray takes elements from Burroughs' original Mars novels (notably from "Thuvia, Maid of Mars" and "Swords of Mars") as well as something important from the Pellucidar novels, then uses these elements to weave an exicting and original adventure around them. There are fun plot twists, great action sequences, appearances by fan favorite characters, sword fights galore, giant robot birds, and hints of other adventures not yet written.
There's also a fight between Jad-bal-ja, Tarzan's lion friend, and a banth. I never realized how sad the world was without a Golden Lion/Banth fight, but Murray has now rectified this.
Great book. It is a self-contained story, so one does not need to read "Conquerer of Mars" first. But both books should be on the reading list of any fan of ERB and/or Space Opera.
March 7, 2024
It was with a slight feeling of trepidation that I started reading Will Murray's Tarzan: Back to Mars, because I strongly disliked his previous Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars. Fortunately, the sequel is much better, even though I have some reservations about this book as well. The best thing about this book is that we do not have to bear the eternal superhero cliché that the heroes have to fight each other. Well, there is one friendly bout with swords, but no real enmity, which is refreshing. Another good thing about this book is that there is more action, especially in the first half of the book, making it much more balanced in this regard.
Just like in the first book, it seems to me that Murray truly gets the character of Tarzan. The one exception there is Tarzan's eternal homesickness, which seems out of character to me, especially this time around when he has chosen to actively go to Mars, instead of being unwillingly transported there and not knowing if he could ever get home. But, just like in the first book, Murray does not get the character of John Carter. This Carter seems mellow and slighly insecure. He even relies on Tars Tarkas to remind him of his own battle cry "I still live!"
The major problem with this book is the ending, which I found to be overcooked and unsatisfying.
All in all, if you have read all of Edgar Rice Burroughs' original Tarzan and Barsoom tales, and are eager for more, there are worse books to read than this one.
Just like in the first book, it seems to me that Murray truly gets the character of Tarzan. The one exception there is Tarzan's eternal homesickness, which seems out of character to me, especially this time around when he has chosen to actively go to Mars, instead of being unwillingly transported there and not knowing if he could ever get home. But, just like in the first book, Murray does not get the character of John Carter. This Carter seems mellow and slighly insecure. He even relies on Tars Tarkas to remind him of his own battle cry "I still live!"
The major problem with this book is the ending, which I found to be overcooked and unsatisfying.
All in all, if you have read all of Edgar Rice Burroughs' original Tarzan and Barsoom tales, and are eager for more, there are worse books to read than this one.
July 10, 2023
Tarzan: Back to Mars by Will Murray
Returning home after WWII in his P-40b Tomahawk, Captain John Clayton, otherwise known as Tarzan of the Apes is attacked by a metallic bird ridden by a half-naked man! The man is shooting arrows into Tarzan’s plane! Tarzan could shoot the thing down, but he sees two more and he is low on fuel. He decides he will return with a band of Waziri warriors to see what is going on.
Tarzan discovers that these people are from Mars, the same planet he once visited. He finds that they intend to settle in Africa on Lake Victoria. And they are planning to bring more people down. They are indiscriminately killing animals and care nothing for other people. Tarzan puts a stop to this and decides he must return to Mars to make sure they don’t send another ship.
This begins another adventure bringing together Burroughs’ creations Tarzan and John Carter. In this adventure, the two must go on a campaign together to stop these people who are plotting to colonize Earth.
Again, Murray has been faithful to the source, and the story fits well into the histories of both heroes.
I give the novel five stars.
Quoth the Raven…
Returning home after WWII in his P-40b Tomahawk, Captain John Clayton, otherwise known as Tarzan of the Apes is attacked by a metallic bird ridden by a half-naked man! The man is shooting arrows into Tarzan’s plane! Tarzan could shoot the thing down, but he sees two more and he is low on fuel. He decides he will return with a band of Waziri warriors to see what is going on.
Tarzan discovers that these people are from Mars, the same planet he once visited. He finds that they intend to settle in Africa on Lake Victoria. And they are planning to bring more people down. They are indiscriminately killing animals and care nothing for other people. Tarzan puts a stop to this and decides he must return to Mars to make sure they don’t send another ship.
This begins another adventure bringing together Burroughs’ creations Tarzan and John Carter. In this adventure, the two must go on a campaign together to stop these people who are plotting to colonize Earth.
Again, Murray has been faithful to the source, and the story fits well into the histories of both heroes.
I give the novel five stars.
Quoth the Raven…
September 28, 2023
TARZAN: BACK ON MARS is Will Murray’s sequel to his previous novel TARZAN: CONQUEROR OF MARS (2020). This time Tarzan discovers that a renegade group of Martians are planning to invade and colonize Earth! After stopping one attempt by the invaders, Tarzan travels back to Mars (Barsoom) and reunites with John Carter, the Earth born “Warlord of Mars”, to put an end to the remaining invasion forces. Along the way, it’s discovered an old foe may be assisting the invaders, and stopping the colonizers may depend on help from another Earthman…
Fast paced and exciting from start to finish, TARZAN :BACK ON MARS is a terrific blending of two of Edgar Rice Burroughs series (with an offstage appearance from a character in another series) plus a surprise appearance early on by a member of Tarzan’s cast of characters, and a cleverly staged climax which features the use of… Nope, not gonna give it away! Read for yourselves!
Will Murray did a fantastic job and I look forward to future works by him!
Fast paced and exciting from start to finish, TARZAN :BACK ON MARS is a terrific blending of two of Edgar Rice Burroughs series (with an offstage appearance from a character in another series) plus a surprise appearance early on by a member of Tarzan’s cast of characters, and a cleverly staged climax which features the use of… Nope, not gonna give it away! Read for yourselves!
Will Murray did a fantastic job and I look forward to future works by him!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews