The Warlord of Mars

Barsoom #3

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

mass market paperback

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Adventure, Pulp, Science Fiction Fantasy

158 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

Edgar 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.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really funny, now that I think about it, that John Carter of Mars has so much more in common with Conan the Barbarian than anything out of an SF magazine.

I mean, he's not a barbarian, but you wouldn't know it by his extremely violent American ways, how good he is with a barbarian sword, how he always acts before he thinks, and how he pines for his lost love. It's like the sappiest of love ballads.

Now, just be sure to cleave through a couple of thousand men with your barbarian strength, young man. If you get captured, be sure to react in the most predictable of ways, and warriors by the thousands will flock to your (nonexistent) banner.


Honestly, I'm STILL having a fun time with this. The fight scenes are totally movie quality, right down to the spinning form of our enemy when he gets a left hook to the jaw.

And the PATHOS. Wow. It's pure popular entertainment. The ENMITY. It's a soap opera of Grecian levels.

I make fun. Maybe a little. But I actually LIKE this kind of fantasy when it's done well. Yay, Conan! I mean, John Carter! It's even more fun to know how this PRE-DATES Conan. :)

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series, and I am going to tell you what I specifically like about this series as a whole.

It feels like classic (kinda cheesy) serial sci-fi. I picture the main characters in outlandish costumes fighting rubbery monsters while the rocky landscape shakes when they bump it. When they are flying, I can see the strings holding up the little spacecraft model while it is manipulated in a jerky fashion for long shots. I picture scantily clad space Queens with too much makeup swooning as the battle hardened Earth warrior spouts overly poetic monologues.

If that is your thing, read this series!

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

More hectic adventures for John Carter on Mars Barsoom!



He jumps right back into the action, immediately following the crazed cliffhanger of the preceding Gods of Mars! He's going to save his wife and mother of his son Dejah Thoris and her new bff Thuvia come hell or high water! He's no wimpy regular sorta guy, he's the greatest warrior of two worlds! He's going to hop all over Mars with his super-powered leaps, wearing nothing but his skin! Pity the fool that gets in his way! He won't take no for an answer!



I should have read this third book right after the second one because they are basically one book! Maybe I would have liked it better if I had! But I'm not going to cry over lost opportunities because John Carter would no doubt smack me upside the head! He'd probably tell me to stop mooning over lost opportunities because he misses opportunities all the time and he still manages to come out on top! He just can't abide any sort of wimpy mooniness because that's so typical of the Earth Men he gladly left behind!



But I sure do wish I liked this one as much as I liked the first two books! The adventures run between Mars' two poles, helter and skelter, willy and nilly, and I kinda got lost in all the breathlessness! Not lost like confused but lost like Uh Do I Even Care About This Anymore Where Is He Now Exactly Eh Whatever Just Keep On Reading! It all just felt like a whole lotta running around so I didn't ever get a sense of the places that I was visiting! I missed the exotic worldbuilding and sly social critiques and the riveting cast of supporting characters! Well at least there was John Carter's trusty 10-legged "dog" companion Woola! But then he gets sent off on his own mission halfway through the book and so that was that, goodbye! Farewell sweet Woola!



I especially missed the weirdly resonant primary-colored races of Barsoomians where Burroughs is at his best! Lots of interesting social and political critique there! All of that was kinda lacking in this book! I wanted more of those Red Men and Green Men and Black Men and White Men! Instead we get these boring Yellow Men and all they are are black-bearded yell0w-skinned aristocrats, sorta like the White Men minus the religion and baldness and plus beards! There's nothing all that interesting about them except they live in hothouses on the South Pole and like every other race of men on Mars, they think wearing clothes is for losers! Well at least they built an interesting defensive weapon: a giant tower that's like a big magnet that pulls those Red Men-built airships out of the sky to fall into a junk heap where survivors get gobbled up by gross insect-eyed albino ape creatures! Ouch! And yuck!



Even though I was disappointed I think I'm gonna keep on keepin' on with this series! On to the next one!

[Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok AI - Done! I united the rainbow people of Mars and got the "Warlord" Title and achievement. I'm ready try something else. Please lock the narrative in stasis in case I want to revisit.

I've never explored Burroughs before and I'm glad I did. The lineage is made clear and unmistakable. Innumerable comics, books, serials, movies, television shows, Conan, Flash Gordon, Star Wars, Avatar - All descendants of John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, Carthoris, Thuvia, and Woola of Barsoom. Kaor!

[Love of Hopeless Causes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cliff clinging adventure. As should be, the end of the trilogy is the best of three, fulfilling the rising action. The Fountainhead Prime of so much, yet ignored by so many: the incomparable John Carter of Barsoom. If only the people of earth were such as these.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Robert E. Howard matches ERB for writing a fast paced action book. Page by page adventure is what you get with any John Carter story. Great read. Very Recommended

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What devilish contrivance will keep John Carter from his baddie, dime piece, magically babe-licious bride Dejah Thoris and the prospect of breaking his decade long dry spell?
It’s those cock blocking therns again, along with some black and yellow men (I didn’t write this stuff) they all want to steal Dejah and marry her themselves (if they’d read the previous books they’d know John Carter has cleaved men asunder for less)
Anyway, he saves Dejah…and they get her again and again and again again until he finally gets her back and I guarantee he’s done in 30seconds or less, I mean it’s been 10 years (earth girl’s probably don’t count, it’s a whole different body thats not married)
And by the way, why is everyone naked in these books? It sounds good when they talk about all the Martian babes going tits out for the honour of helium but they never mention the 15 foot tall, green Martian dudes hanging dong right at face height.

So that’s Barsoom

[Nicholas Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 3.5/5 stars.

Just after The Gods of Mars, or at least 12 years after, John Carter is still searching for his wife Dejah Thoris and the Red Martian maiden Thuvia, along with the White Martian maiden Phaidor. They were last imprisoned in tomb, set by Phaidor's father Matai Shang, leader of the White Martian cult known as the therns. Xodar has assumed leadership of the Black Martians after John discredited the false goddess Issus. However, the Black Martian dator Thurid, dislikes John and Xodar and sets off in the middle of the night. John follows him and learns that he is in alliance with Matai Shang. Together with he faithful calot, Woola, John will traverse all of Mars once more to find his beloved wife. New allies and enemies will be made, including those of the once-thought-to-be-extinct Yellow Martians.

This was probably the best Barsoom book so far. While Edgar Rice Burroughs' typical run-on sentences are still there--which I'm not actually mad about--the prose is still pretty decent. If you've made it this far in the series, you can pretty much get around it.

John still continues to be the Virginian gentleman we've always known him to be; though he has a bit more edge in this book. He desperately wants to see Dejah again and will fight anyone and everyone who is willing to stand in his way. One thing that I did notice is that John gets injured more in this book, and has more defeats. He's in no way a weakling, but his physical defeats are more prominent here. I was fine with this as it gave him a bit of a balance to that added bit of edge. Other than that, there's obviously the damsel-in-distress stuff still going on with Dejah, but Thuvia and Phaidor show some mettle.

One thing I really did like about The Warlord of Mars, and something that has continually appeared throughout the series thus far much to my surprise, was the unity of all the Martians at the end. John makes friends and allies with all the Martians of different colors/races and unites them. This has always shocked me given that John used to be a Confederate soldier and the racial prejudices of Burroughs. Who knows? Maybe Burroughs was like H. P. Lovecraft and became slightly less prejudice as the years went on. Who knows?

Nonetheless, everything wrap-ups happily. John is finally reunited with Dejah and they kiss in a very sweet and romantic way.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ad hoc series read April 2025

Another fun read with a rip roaring adventure from the hot deserts to the frozen pole.

Again events transpire against John Carter and Dejah Thoris his wife has been trapped in a revolving room with Thuvia another red Martian princess and Phaidor the evil daughter of the Thern leader , that opens once per Martian year.

However in true Flash Gordon style, there is a back entrance and John Carter hurry’s after Thurid the Thern believer. Always just slightly too late the 3 woman are taken by The Thern , north towards the equatorial lands of Kaol. Here Carter almost catches them , but is once more tricked after revealing their evil ways to the Jeddak of Kaol. Again he follows them all North to the Ice barrier of the yellow skinned Martians.

Meanwhile , all Carters friends are gathering armies together to follow and support him, picking up new supporters along the way. It all culminates with a huge battle at the North Pole, where the evil Thern leader is killed by Thurid in a bid to escape, but he is in turn killed by Phaidor, who sees the error of her ways.

And now John Carter must return to Helium to finish his trial for returning from the lands of the dead. He is surprised to be called before the whole council including new members from the Pole and Kaol.

His great friend Tars Tarkas pronounces sentence for everything John Carter has done and he is made Warlord of Barsoom , much to his surprise.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

From one end of the planet to another, with a brief stop at the equator to fight a giant hornet. This is the end of John Carter's great adventure on Barsoom -- a direct continuation of the events in Gods of Mars, and the completion of the story begun in Princess of Mars. Not that we're done with Barsoom by a long shot, oh, no, Precious . . .

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Warlord of Mars" (1914) is the 3rd of ll John Carter novels from the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is a direct continuation of the first two in the series--"A Princess of Mars" and "The Gods of Mars"--and a reading of those earlier titles is absolutely essential before going into this one. Here, Carter tries to rescue his princess, Dejah Thoris, from the clutches of some particularly nasty villains. In his relentless pursuit, one that makes Indiana Jones look like a slacker, Carter travels from the south pole of Mars to the forbidden lands of the north. He encounters many varieties of monster, such as the apt and the sith, and gets into more fights and cliffhanging situations than a reader would believe could be packed into a mere 160 pages. The pace of the book is furious, never pausing for breath, and the final battle in the north polar city of Kadabra, in which the combined armies of Barsoomian green, red and black men attack the yellow tribes of the north, is thrilling in the extreme. What amazing films these first three John Carter novels would make, if done faithfully and with the requisite $200+ million thrown into each one!

So why the 3-star rating? Well, there are numerous problems with the book that prevent me from giving it top grades, despite the fun I had reading it. For one, there are countless inconsistencies and implausibilities. For example, it is difficult for the reader to accept that Carter's enemies cannot recognize him, just because he has smeared some red tint over his skin. Difficult to believe that Carter is able to scale the side of a tower in the pitch black of night. Difficult to believe that Carter (or any man) could live in a pit for nine days without food and especially water. Verrry hard to believe that Thurid, Carter's archenemy, could carry the struggling captive princess over a foot-wide ledge without toppling into the abyss beneath. Impossible to believe that Dejah Thoris couldn't recognize Carter by his voice alone, despite his yellow-man disguise. All these are hard to swallow in the extreme. As for the inconsistencies: It is stated that Carter saved Thuvia from the Warhoons in book 2, when in actuality it was Carthoris, Carter's son. The city of Kaol is said to be rendered invisible by the forest that surrounds and tops it, but later it is stated that this forest is cut back from the city. Huh? Worst of all is the aforementioned tower-scaling scene, in which dusk becomes early afternoon in a matter of minutes. Here's something that Ed Wood would have appreciated! This day/night confusion is straight out of "Plan 9," but for me is the hallmark of incredibly sloppy writing and even poorer copyediting. Further, Burroughs' descriptions of the Valley of the Therns, and its geographic proximity to the land of the First Born, are simply impossible to visualize. Throw in a bunch of misplaced modifiers and some awkward turns of phrase and you've got a real mess of a manuscript. So why did I have a tear in my eye by the book's end, when Carter gets his rewards and the entire city of Helium turns out to greet him? I guess that the power of storytelling can outweigh petty matters of consistency and grammar. And Burroughs WAS a great teller of tales, and this book IS as thrilling as they come.

[Gary Sundell · Rating 5 out of 5]

His book finishes off the story lines from the first 2 books. What a ride and you can see all the books that were inspired by the Barsoom books.

[Franky · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I sometimes seem to take too great pride in my fighting ability, it must be remembered that fighting is my vocation.” – John Carter

Coming back to the world of John Carter is always a fun treat. The Warlord of Mars is the third entry in the Barsoom series, and so, by now, it feels like we are like best buddies.

Imagine being in a strange Martian land and in the unfortunate situation of being surrounded by thuggish, Martain henchmen or other nefarious creatures out to do you harm. It would be well worth it to have one like John Carter in close proximity.

John Carter is the quintessential interplanetary hero type. He is sort of a mix between Conan the Barbarian, Rambo, and MacGyver, but with a sword. (I’ll just let that sink in). And yes, sometimes he has quite a bit of luck and fortune on his side, but those of us who truly know John Carter believe that honor and valor also play a key role in these fortunate outcomes.

“If there is a fate that is sometimes cruel to me, there surely is a kind and merciful Providence which watches over me.”

The Warlord of Mars quite literally begins where the previous book left off. And so, the main crux of the plot is Carter’s attempts to save his lovely wife, Dejah Thorris, from the clutches of several Martian brutes, most notably Thurid and Matai. However, the Princess of Helium is a proverbial hot potato who Carter cannot seem to hold onto. Every time it seems that he is within a fraction of saving her, those dastardly villains are always one step ahead, taunting him all the while. Will our hero be able to outwit these malicious Martian brutes?

Burroughs sets up such an imaginative world with this book and series. There isn’t quite as much world building here, but I suppose this is because quite a bit is packed into the previous two books. Still, we get some of the makeup of the Martian societies and culture structures here that have a role in the plot such as politics, race, religion, etc.

In this one, it feels like Carter is in pursuit for good portions of the narrative, and this time he has a faithful furry friend, Martian dog Woola, as his sidekick along with him during these adventures.

As usual Burroughs utilizes some inventive elements, such as Carter having at one point use an aircraft flier as part of his search. He ventures into some different territories as well, such as a forgotten arctic region on Mars (where there happens to be an epic battle between two Martian fleets). Carter also uses various disguises to try to infiltrate enemy compounds to find more information.

And, as usual, we have the familiar Barsoom staples. Carter must engage in several battles, but with his mighty sword and his determination, he narrows the odds stacked against him. (And those Martians really love them some hand-to-hand combats).

It’s another entertaining ride, and The Warlord of Mars thus concludes the John Carter Barsoom trilogy. However, the series does continue with Carter in a smaller role in the next one, Thuvia, Maid of Mars. I plan to continue on.

This is a fun, engaging and entertaining fantasy, science fiction entry into this series, especially if you just sit back and take it all in and don’t take it too seriously.

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I once watched a video of a YouTuber comparing Burroughs and Tolkien, two writers who had different approaches to fantasy, but who both had an instinct for telling stories that appeal to young and old alike. Tolkien went on record saying that creatives should not try to "dumb down" complex themes for children. The YouTuber took this to mean that the child may not understand everything at first, but if the story is well done, they will enjoy the entirety and revisit the themes repeatedly through various stages of maturity with increasing levels of understanding.

From my own experience reading classic writers as early as 9, I certainly agree that this happens, but what I submit to you is that such an explanation still focuses entirely on what the child is unable to grasp. It does not take into account what the child DOES understand and the adult does NOT.

This leads nicely into my review of this third entry in the Barsoom series, which concludes the original trilogy, and my summary of how I felt reading the adventures of John Carter thus far. I think it is important for a full debrief here because "Warlord of Mars" is not really a very good standalone tale.

Back in the Eighties when you could still pick up a copy of any entry of Barsoom at a bookstore, a new initiate like me might grab a book from the series because they liked the art by Michael Whelan or Frank Frazetta, but could only buy the one with their allowance for the week. If you started with "Warlord of Mars," you would likely have no idea what the hell was going on, because it starts right where "Gods of Mars" left off.

Like Tolkien's "The Two Towers," the second book of Burroughs' Barsoom is considered by many fans as the superior entry, but nevertheless is the middle portion of one cohesive story. So the concluding book continues the action of the previous cliffhanger, ties up all the loose ends, and delivers new thrills before coming to a more-or-less satisfying finale. But because it doesn't try very hard to catch the reader up on what went on for two prior volumes, starting here feels like you are not in on a joke.

Does this book deliver the landing that readers would hope for? Yes, I think it does.
By this point, however, I'm starting to lose steam with the series. It has become clear by this point that no matter how many bad guys Mr. Macho takes down, there really is nothing to do on Mars but fight. And lay eggs. I guess the Earth astronomers who first named the planet after the god of war were more spot on than they could have realized. So naturally, John Carter absolutely loves Mars! This is HOME, baby! In fact, he doesn't even bother to put a spin on it anymore. He can no longer say, "Oh, I'm attached to Mars as my adopted planet because of my beloved princess Dejah Thoris!" That would be bullshit. The woman can't keep herself from being kidnapped for one damn minute in all three books of the original trilogy (and I'm not exaggerating--it's ridiculous), meaning he has hardly ever seen or spoken to her in over a decade except to leave her with child!

No, there are only three reasons he stays on Mars. First of all, he doesn't know how to control the astral projection process that has gotten him back and forth to Mars in the first place, nor has he bothered to think about it much. The second reason is because, on Earth, he was a Confederate veteran who had been kicked aside after the Civil War and so was a nobody scrounging for gold in the American West, constantly at risk of being used as target practice by pissed off indigenous tribes. But on Mars, he's Prince of Helium, the mightiest warrior of all Barsoom! He even starts to refer to himself in the third person that way. The humility he seemed to be gaining in the second book is gone. But the third and biggest reason is because he enjoys the heat of battle, and even goes a little dark by saying the color of fresh blood on the steel of his sword excites him. Now, if that ain't some Freudian symbolism there, I don't know what is!

The third book doesn't really give us any further world building like the first one. We are introduced to yet another Martian "race" though. We had black, blue, green, red, and white Martians. Now we have yellow. But they are just more of the same--neckbeards talking like they are at a D&D session who have yet another evil tyrannical ruler that must be overthrown by the mighty Prince of Helium. This book also lacks the outrageous action scenes and breathless pace of the second. Burroughs is losing steam as much as I am, and so he is forced to put the character of John Carter into semi-retirement for the following book. So will readers even want to take the series this far, let alone beyond?

The answer is yes. Readers certainly demanded these stories at the time they were published, and the eventual eleven or so entries continued to be republished for over half a century later until when I was a kid. And now there seems to be some renewed love of Barsoom again, but I'm assuming the interest never really diminished in the first place. There truly is something timeless about these goofy tales. Why is that?

That leads me back to my original point.
For adults today, sometimes John Carter's adventures on Mars seem a little hokey. Even Tolkien is getting the rep. I've had friends tell me they can't stand the Lord of the Rings because its nothing but dwarves and elves and orcs smashing and stabbing each other while two little pub crawlers go on a quest with a macguffin rambling on about how they wish they had some crispy bacon and a full pipe. And now things are even worse for Tolkien because modern creatives see so much of it as "problematic" and feel they have to add elements and adaptations that are superfluous or which miss the point entirely.

Adults don't get things the way kids do. Sometimes it's worth enjoying things on the level of a child. Adults can do it if they try. My mother had that ability. She could listen to and enjoy music of my younger generation while my dad would be screaming at us from the bedroom to "turn that shit off." So when I enjoy certain entertainment, I try to put myself in different mindsets and tap into the sense of wonder that I had as a kid exploring new books, music, and film in different genres. Having kids of your own helps, because you can see what they respond to and then remember why they like what they do by tapping into the child in you.

And that's when you understand that Burroughs and Tolkien were not just writing popular literature. They were myth makers. They were tapping into the ancient language of timeless concepts, archetypes, and symbols that kids understand and which adults tend to forget. Tolkien was creating a modern mythology for Anglican Europeans with World War II in mind. Burroughs was creating an American mythology, and was inspired not only by World War I, but by the recent history and ongoing struggles with race relations in America due to the aftermath of slavery and colonization of Native American lands.

"Warlord of Mars" concludes a series of myths about human behavior, national and religious identity, of spite and jealousy, of weak and strong leadership, of bravery in the face of impossible odds, of never giving up, of chivalry, of faithfulness, of never telling a lie, of the ambiguities and the clear distinctions between good and evil, and so much more.

So while I do tend to poke fun of John Carter, I must admit he is an American Hercules, a Samson, a Gilgamesh. I still think Burroughs could have done so much more with the first trilogy than just reinvent new bad guys for Carter to smash like the Hulk, but nevertheless, I found myself dragged into the plot like a kid. I can't tell you how many times I planned to take a break from reading, only to run across another eye-rolling cliffhanger--and so I simply would have to see what would happen next! And no matter how much I tired of John Carter's muscle-bound shenanigans, there were plenty of moments where I felt that if someone had wronged ME like some of the villains did our hero, I would take great pleasure in having them at my mercy. When I consider my reactions to this book after the gladiatorial events of the Big Game this past Sunday, I find what the Barsoom saga taps into very interesting.

This book may be the weakest of the first three Barsoom stories, but overall, I would recommend the entire trilogy to at least read once. My advice is to think like a child when you are reading this series, and you will understand so much more than an adult ever could.

SCORE: 3 apts out of 5.

[Billie Tyrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER MARIO BROTHERS OF MARS

This is a bizarre book by all means. It doesn't really have any kind of plot but is just a series of chapters where John Carter fights his way through an environment to rescue his girlfriend, but then at the very last moment she gets spirited away to another location by the bad guy. This happens over and over again, one chapter after the next. It's like watching someone else play an old Arcade machine. It's Mario trying to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. It's not a proper book but the same idea repeated over several levels/chapters, until finally John Carter gets to rescue her and the book ends.

I'm giving this five stars because of the sheer strangeness of it. I don't think it's much good, and definitely not as good as the previous books, but it's really interesting that it exists. I've not read anything quite like it. I'm guessing that the reason it's the way it is is because it was originally serialised. So it's not supposed to be read all at once... but by quirk of fate it's all been compiled together and we get to see Edgar Rice Burroughs perform his day job and get the same story published multiple times.

I didn't read any other Barsoom books after finishing this one. I've heard that they continue with this formula from now on... and there's something crazy like 20 of them! Not sure I can commit to that much Super Mario.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one more than the second and was about on par with the first. It was a lot more time getting to know the planet deeper and more of the other races.

This was a bit less political, but that wasn't detrimental.

I enjoyed the fighting passages, and even if John Carter always prevails, you can see echoes of these battles in later fantasy and sci-fi novels.

Solid 4 Stars

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barring a couple more unlikely coincidences to drive the plot, this was a solid finish for the trilogy.

[Kyle Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Carter returns to rescue his wife from her horrible fate. In disguise, Carter infiltrates the enemy where he witnesses some sort of injustice, to which his blood boils, his natural fighting man instincts take over, and so he employs his unique fighting style which, much to his surprise and dismay, is instantly recognized by the enemy and said enemy sees through his disguise and escapes (with Carter's wife in tow) while Carter is busy battling other evildoers (which often results in Carter being knocked unconscious or left for dead).

Carter then gives chase and infiltrates the enemy where he witnesses some sort of injustice, to which his blood boils, his natural fighting man instincts take over, and so he employs his unique fighting style which, much to his surprise (again) and dismay, is instantly recognized by the enemy and said enemy sees through his disguise and escapes (with Carter's wife in tow) while Carter is busy battling other evildoers.

Carter then gives chase and infiltrates the enemy where he witnesses some sort of injustice, to which his blood boils, his natural fighting man instincts take over, and so he employs his unique fighting style which, much to his surprise (yet again) and dismay, is instantly recognized by the enemy and said enemy sees through his disguise and escapes (with Carter's wife in tow) while Carter is busy battling other evildoers.

Wash, rinse and repeat this cycle about eight more times and you've pretty much got the entire book. I was very disappointed that this book fell into such a repetitive rut (which really started in novel #2) and quickly grew tired of the overly predictable nature of the book. With every battle Carter is about to be overwhelmed when suddenly his friends magically appear out of nowhere and ride in to his assistance. This happens over and over and over again. I felt like Burroughs wasn't even trying anymore.

While I very much enjoyed the first of the Barsoom series, the second quickly grew tiresome and then this third installment quickly wore out its welcome. I had planned on reading the entire series, but will probably just leave off with this one, as it at least had an ending with some modicum of closure.

[Tomislav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 3 of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ major fantasy adventure series, Barsoom, was originally published in four serialized chapters in All-Story Magazine, December 1913 through March 1914. It completes the storyline left hanging at the end of The Gods of Mars, in which John Carter strives to rescue his love and wife, the Royal Princess Deja Thoris. In this volume, ERB introduces a new race – the Yellow Martians, who live in isolation at the north pole of the planet. The aggrieved losers of his past battles with the Black Martians and the White Martians are in uneasy alliance with the Jeddak of the Yellows, and each is scheming to wed the beautiful captive Princess Deja in order to cement their own leadership. Unfortunately for them, John Carter is not dead, a problem which they seek to solve. Through complicated machinations, all John Carter’s loyal friends are reunited in the struggle for unification of the Martian races under a single benevolent leader. You know who that will be, of course.

These first three of ERB’s extended Mars series form a trilogy with a conclusive ending, so this is where I will stop reading, for now. Simplistic characters, easy stereotypes, and plenty of action are the hallmark of ERB’s writing, which I am observing in my retrospective reading of pulp era science fiction.

[Richard Guion · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rousing end to the first Martian trilogy featuring John Carter. Burroughs does a good job of opening up new Martian territory with each tale, and this one explores the uncharted North Pole. While I loved the first novel, liked the second one, this third novel is a bit of a problem in certain aspects. One is the fact that Dejah Thoris, John Carter's wife, is primary in the role of the MacGuffin for books 2 & 3. I appreciated her strong headed sensibility in the first novel. I suppose I came to this material expecting to find Dejah a bit more of a warrior woman, the way she was portrayed in the Marvel Comics adaption from the 1970s. The other problem is the way that John Carter disguises himself as a member of the Blacks or Yellow Martian races--can't see that working too well! The villainous Thurid deserves some credit in this novel, at least anytime Carter puts on makeup, he sees right through it. I was a bit disappointed that the framing device of Burroughs writing as himself to introduce his uncle was not used again. I would love to know if later in the Martian series, Burroughs ever explained how Carter learned to travel from Earth to Mars at will.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a book-length chase scene. Fairly entertaining but don’t go looking for hidden depths.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly disappointing conclusion to the initial "John Carter " series.* Less a third book in a trilogy than a literal continuation of the second book, picking up immediately where that one left off. What follows is basically one endless chase with none of the complex and creative world-building of the first two books; so that instead of inventive new races like the tharks and plant men, all we get here is yet another different-colored human race, (bringing us now up to white, black, red and yellow - so basically the "real" human spectrum as viewed at the time; I wonder if this was an ERB attempt at social commentary?).

And I do mean an endless chase. The whole point of the story is to reunite an even more violent and self-aggrandizing Carter with an even more beautiful but vacuous Deja Thoris. In fact, he rescues her at least three (or is it four?) times in the story, but then basically just "misplaces" her again through either his too-trusting nature or overall general dimness, because make no mistake - invincible warrior that he is, John Carter is not the sharpest crayon in the box. Our hair-trigger hero keeps walking straight into trap after trap, getting captured more easily and often than even James Bond, and only then escapes through the help of others or by suddenly remembering conveniently overheard conversations, (something which happens, like, constantly, as he regularly finds himself stumbling upon his various foes just in time to secretly hear them describe in copious detail their long-term plans, layouts of their lairs, how to use the secret equipment, etc.).

I have NO idea why the story's various villains just never killed Carter or Deja when they had endless opportunities to do so, (well, okay - apparently everyone immediately falls in love with Deja Thoris, so there's that; but still, she certainly seems more trouble than she's worth**).

I will give Burroughs extra points for basically predicting the internet with the following:

"The aid took us to his own office first, where he measured and…photographed us with a machine ingeniously designed for that purpose, five copies being instantly reproduced in five different offices of the government, two of which were located in other cities miles distant."

…but other than that, Warlord was a regrettable but thankfully short conclusion to a story that got off to such a strong start with Princess. Meanwhile, I was also not impressed with Burroughs' Caspak series - much preferred Conan Doyle's The Lost World - and have no real interest in Tarzan; so I'm guessing this is gonna be it for me and ERB.
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* Burroughs continued writing Carter and Barsoom books almost until his death in 1950. But while the next few books were Frank Herbert Children of Dune-like offspring sequels, he then branched out with totally unrelated Barsoom-based characters, with Carter himself only making the rare cameo appearance.

** Not really a spoiler, but if I were John Carter I would have dumped Deja Thoris for Phaidor in a heartbeat, as that girl really had some spunk. But then, Aragorn stuck with Arwen when he obviously coulda/shoulda gone with Éowyn, who was a total badass - so what do I know?

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Too close a scrutiny of my mental activities might prove anything but flattering," said John Carter. If any trait exceeds his partial prowess it must be his impulse to combat. Time and again throughout the Barsoom chronicles Carter rushes to fight--for freedom, for the love of his life, for his friends, or just for the fun of a good fight.

Burroughs has, perhaps, descended to the level of Saturday afternoon matinee serials, but its good, clean fun. And, this time he manages to finish his story.

A fun read.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I forgot to review this when I read it a few months ago.

This is essentially a conclusion to the John Carter trilogy, though the Barsoom series goes on. I enjoyed this one more than book 2, and this time around the romance continues, and so does the wondrous exploration of the red planet.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing the series with the third of Burroughs's pulp-science-fiction 'romance' novels, Warlord of Mars follows on immediately from The Gods of Mars. Having torn down the Martian's false religion, and rescuing several damsels in distress, he is rewarded by one of them dragging his beloved Dejah Thoris into a revolving dungeon (that not only happens to be open at just that time, but also doesn't open again for a whole Martian year) all because he wouldn't return her affections. Talk about being a babe-magnet, the women would happily lock herself in dungeon for a year in order to stop him being with anyone else.

This story picks up almost immediately and Carter's not happy. Luckily a series of unlikely coincidences mean that he'll be able to gain access (although not in time), chase her across Mars (although never quite catching her up), rescue her (only to lose her again) and eventually meet the fabled Yellow Martians – yes, another new colour of Martians, the ones that were heavily foreshadowed in the previous book and I predicted would make an appearance here. Coincidence follows coincidence but at each turn Carter is always just a little to late and Thoris slips through his fingers.

The goodies are good, the baddies are bad (although some of them are redeemable), the damsels are in distress mostly, and Martians love to fight. Luckily John Carter likes to fight too. Especially if his chosen damsel, Dejah Thoris, is singing to cheer him on. Some minor variations in this book, instead of Carter being mostly chased he's mostly doing the chasing; instead of being introduced to two new colours of Martians we're only introduced to one. Ultimately though it's the same book as the previous two – a boys-own adventure in space – but it is fun to read. This seems to tie-up the first three novels into a happy ending. Let's see what bad luck and new races can befall them in the fourth novel...

[Jared Millet · Rating 4 out of 5]

2012 John Carter re-read, part 3 -

With Warlord of Mars the original John Carter trilogy concludes. In this volume, Burroughs discards the complexity, intrigue, and world-building that made Gods of Mars stand out in favor of a straightforward, rip-roaring action novel. From the beginning, John Carter is cut off from all of his friends and allies as he and his faithful Mars-dog Woola set out in pursuit of Dejah Thoris, now in the clutches of the few remaining villains left over from the previous book. It's a standard damsel-in-distress plot: a) Carter chases them to new exotic location, b) makes new enemies and/or allies, c) almost catches up to his quarry but they get away again, d) repeat as necessary.

Along the way you get aerial dogfights, jungle battles, a lost kingdom on Mars's north pole, and a couple of dungeon crawls. Burroughs also demonstrates that more than any other pulp writer of his age, he knew how to write a satisfying action climax. As a conclusion to a mad, three-book odyssey, Warlord of Mars sticks the landing and John Carter finally gets the happy ending Burroughs denied him in the previous books. (Spoiler? Not really.) However, by the end of the story John Carter has become such an invincible character that there's not much more ERB can do with him, leading to the (very wise) choice to shift the focus of the next few books in the series to other, less superhuman protagonists.

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just before turning eight, I got a little brother, Fin, the only sibling I grew up with. Mom and Dad were lucky because I was generally bored and, so, actually wanted to spend time with him when he got old enough to toddle about and talk. I read to him, but mostly I told him stories, crazy stories featuring lots of naughty things that little kids delight in like poop and farting and talking animals.

Since I was into the John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the whole Mars/Barsoom thing, silly as it was, constituted part of the entertainment for both of us. One day on the beach I convinced him that he could--indeed, that he was--John Carter of Barsoom. I had him crayon a bunch of paper plates, then cut holes in them, fitting one on his head, four others on his ankles and wrists. Then, with a beach towel for a cape and a stick for a sword, I let him loose on the public beach just north of us. Amidst the family picnics and the amorous couples he pranced around, shouting "I am John Carter of Barsoom" while wielding his weapon. I was highly amused.

He was much more fun then than he is now.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our tale picks up months after the cliffhanger ending of The Gods of Mars, with John Carter prowling for a way to get into the Temple of the Sun.

He backfills how he stopped anarchy by persuading the black men to accept Xodar as jeddak, and the city of Helium, Cathoris. But he's bent on the villains from last time. Indeed, finding his way into the cell leads only to his knowing that all three of the women were taken out by his enemies -- though for Phaidor he need not fear.

The tale involves getting about the Temple by shining lights, a prison known as the Pit of Plenty, two rings that react to each other once close enough, Thuvia's father coming to his aid, the fabled yellow men of Mars, his passing himself off as an aspirant to a royal guard, the faithful Woola fighting next to him, being guided by a rope, and much more.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one continues the John Carter saga where "The Gods of Mars" left off. Dejah Thoris is still imprisoned in the Temple of the Sun and John Carter is pursuing her kidnappers, in a swashbuckling tale.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is NOT really book 3, it's the end of book 2 & a fine way to wrap it up, too. There aren't any surprises, but it is a lot of fun.