Robin Marx's Writing Repository

barsoom

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 28, 2012.

The Master Mind of Mars

By Edgar Rice Burroughs – A. C. McClurg – 1928

Review by Robin Marx

Despite being the 6th novel in the series, in this story Burroughs proves that there are plenty of stories left to tell on Barsoom, and that John Carter or Carthoris don't need to be present to have a compelling story.

Our protagonist is a World War I soldier with the incredibly badass name Ulysses Paxton. When he gets blown in half by an artillery shell, he finds himself on Barsoom, a planet he knows well from Edgar Rice Burrough's stories. I like that—as with John Carter's original teleportation to Mars—Burroughs doesn't go into detail about how the journey takes places. Paxton himself has no time to care, he immediately gets attacked by an angry local. I also like that there aren't any An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge hints that Paxton's adventures are dying hallucinations. Paxton's adventures are genuine.

Like many of the Barsoom stories to date, the plot involves a dashing man's quest to rescue a damsel in distress. While this is familiar territory, Burroughs gives it a twist in this story by having the body of Paxton's love interest be spirited away, while (due to a brain transplant at the hands of a fun mad scientist character) her mind remains prisoner in the used-up body of a rich harridan.

Through charisma and respect-earning manliness Paxton quickly assembles a team of trusted comrades, including a master assassin and an experimental gorilla/human hybrid. The pace of the book is brisk and there's plenty of swashbuckling action to be had. Burroughs is clearly sticking to an established recipe, but the meal is satisfying.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 24, 2012.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris Volume 1 – The Colossus of Mars

By Arvid Nelson (Writer), Carlos Rafael (Artist) – Dynamite Entertainment – November 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Set four hundred years before the events of Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars, this comic focuses on the adventures of Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium. This five issue miniseries is about a renegade jeddak (Martian chief) and his attempt to destroy rival city-states through the use of an ancient golem-like war machine.

While it'd be disingenuous to deny that cheesecake artwork—Dynamite's specialty—is a major selling point (as in ERB's original stories, Martians wear very little clothing, and they don't call her “the incomparable” Dejah Thoris for nothing), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the storytelling.

If anything, Dejah Thoris is a stronger character here in the comics than in the original Barsoom tales. While in the novels she tends to function as a kidnapping victim or quest object, here she takes a much more pro-active approach. She's generally in a leadership role, comfortable in battle, and proves herself to be exceedingly competent and resourceful. She's got more depth than the cover would suggest.

This story was much more engaging than Dynamite's other Warlord of Mars spin-off, Fall of Barsoom. I look forward to future volumes.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #Barsoom #EdgarRiceBurroughs #DynamiteEntertainment #WarlordOfMars #DejahThoris #ArvidNelson #CarlosRafael