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Harrison Wiggins

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Harrison’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (140)
currently-reading‎ (3)
read‎ (259)

star-wars‎ (122)
fantasy‎ (67)
science-fiction‎ (47)

reviewed‎ (22)
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Harrison is Currently Reading

Harrison Wiggins is currently reading

A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

bookshelves: science-fiction, reviewed, currently-reading

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Harrison Wiggins said: " description

Perhaps one of the most influential fiction stories of all time, Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars is a cornerstone for the science fiction genre. The John Carter stories have inspired classics such as Flash Gordon, Dune, and even Star Wars. This book the definition of sci-fi pulp—it has action, adventure, and a wondrous world just waiting to be explored.

A Princess of Mars marks the first entry of John Carter's adventures on Mars (known as Barsoom by its inhabitants). The concept of this story, while simple, is incredibly creative. It's about a man who, by pure happenstance, is transported to the planet Mars. Remember, this book was written in the early 1900s. The Wright brothers' first flight was less than a decade before Burroughs sat down to write his first draft, and the possibility of human space travel was barely even a dream. The concept of traveling to another planet was groundbreaking.

The story is told from the first person perspective of its hero, John Carter—a Civil War veteran who has found himself on this mysterious new planet. He is unrealistic in nearly every way possible. He is overtly competent, likable, and heroic without fear. Burroughs' famously wrote his characters for his own wish fulfillment, imagining himself in their shoes. Some might find this eye-rolling, with good reason (seriously, Edgar), but there is also something somewhat enjoyable about following an aspirational hero. Even if he is overpowered as all get out, I like John Carter. In addition, Tars Tarkas is one of my favorite science fiction figures of all time.

This book was written in 1912, and boy does it show. Has it aged well? Heck no. Burroughs' worldview was extremely flawed, and incredibly indicative of the time in which he was writing—particularly when it comes to race and gender. There are lines some so bad, they were hilarious—I could not help but laugh at how ridiculous they were. With all that being said, this book is still worth the read in 2025. Just be sure to read it with a grain of salt, as it is thoroughly a product of its time.

In terms of prose, nothing to write home about. As George R.R. Martin once put it in his anthology Old Mars: "Though never a great writer, Edgar Rice Burroughs was a master storyteller." As I previously mentioned, this is pulp through and through. Don't pick this story up to admire the craft, but rather to be transported on an adventure into a brand new world.

Burroughs managed to create a living, breathing planet with fascinating aliens, cultures, and animals—all well before numerous other authors were doing the same. The worldbuilding is incredible. The Tharks and the people of Helium will forever be ingrained in my mind as science fiction hallmarks.

A Princess of Mars is a classic sci-fi romp. While severely dated in many ways, it is well worth reading. If you like imaginative worldbuilding, memorable characters, and an exciting adventure, I highly recommend picking up this book and being transported to Barsoom. ...more "

progress:

(page 50 of 186)
"Currently reading this to my grandmother as she is in the hospital. She is the most avid reader I've ever known, but has macular degeneration—so she isn't able to read much at all anymore. She's where I get my love of these kinds of stories, so it's been such a joy to share this one with her :)" — Dec 31, 2025 08:05AM

May 05, 2025 10:01AM · see review

Harrison Wiggins is currently reading

Calling Captain Future

by Edmond Hamilton

bookshelves: currently-reading, science-fiction

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(page 12 of 144)
— Nov 07, 2025 03:35PM

Nov 07, 2025 03:34PM

Harrison Wiggins is currently reading

Bloody Rose (The Band, #2)

by Nicholas Eames (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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(72%)
— Oct 24, 2025 11:53AM

Oct 19, 2025 05:43PM

Harrison’s Quotes

“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well.”
― The Shawshank Redemption

tags: hope

114 likes

“Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs." And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

tags: game-of-thrones, jon-snow, tyrion-lannister

66 likes

“I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

tags: gandalf, grief

5927 likes

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect.”
― George R.R. Martin

tags: architect, craft, gardener, writers, writers-on-writing, writing, writing-craft, writing-process

833 likes