While I enjoyed the first novel in this series, Princess of Mars, it didn't blow me away and I expected more of the same from The Gods of Mars. However, a couple of chapters in I knew I would love this book. John Carter finds himself returned to Barsoom (Mars) at the beginning of this novel. He's landed in what many Barsoomians imagine to be heaven, but it's more like a hell on Mars. The entire book is basically John Carter's journey to reunite with his Princess / Wife / Baby Mama Deja and it is so glorious.

This book feels like the song The Boys Are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy. Every few chapters or so John Carter finds himself in a dangerous situation, turns around and is surprised to find one of his old friends from the last novel there just in time to help him save the day. It's so improbable and ridiculous, but you end up loving it because the boys are back in town and they're about to kick some ass.

As fun as this novel is it also does a great examination of religion. This is science fiction at its best, an out of this world story to examine very real world issues. Gods of Mars examines how so many different cultures believe their religion or faith is the "right" faith without deeply exploring and examining it or what else exists in the world.

Gods of Mars also examines how religion is used to justify the demeaning and degradation of others. I think this is an especially important theme because John Carter is a confederate soldier. White Christians in his time and before his time used Christianity to justify their "owning" of black slaves. Burroughs reverses the races (in my mind to make this story more comfortable for the white Americans he wrote this for) but his point is hammered home in a very light and fun way.

I love a good fun book with a message. 5/5 all the way. ( )

The mighty airship pirates make their first appearance in this volume of the Barsoom saga along with Thuvia the maid of Mars. The Black Pirates are the First Born race of Barsoom

"The First Born do no work. The men fight--that is a sacred
privilege and duty; to fight and die for Issus. The women do
nothing, absolutely nothing. Slaves wash them, slaves dress
them, slaves feed them. There are some, even, who have
slaves that talk for them, and I saw one who sat during
the rites with closed eyes while a slave narrated to her the
events that were transpiring within the arena."

Burroughs doesn't think to highly of the black skinned race of Barsoom, but still manages to impress and make an ally of one of his opponents.

John Carter is as honorable and heroic as ever
I said, placing my hand upon his shoulder,
"you know best the promptings of your own heart. That I
shall need your sword I have little doubt, but accept from
John Carter upon his sacred honour the assurance that he
will never call upon you to draw this sword other than in
the cause of truth, justice, and righteousness."

Truth Justice and the American way, I wonder if the creators of superman were John Carter fans.

Thuvia is just itching to be with him

"I forget nothing, my Prince," she replied. "You have
spoken no word of love to me, nor do I expect that you
ever shall; but nothing can prevent me loving you. I would
not take the place of Dejah Thoris. My greatest ambition is to
serve you, my Prince, for ever as your slave. No greater boon
could I ask, no greater honour could I crave, no greater
happiness could I hope."

( )

...and I have officially given up on John Carter of Mars.

This book was simply awful. From the ridiculous string of coincidences that open the book, the battles that continually pit John and one other person against hundreds, all the way to the seemingly utter lack of conflict that occurs throughout. John needs to meet a someone to move the next plot point. So, shockingly, he happens to stumble into the exact right room to find them. And they get along like they've been old friends for years. And obstacles? Yeah, they're not really obstacles.

I was really hoping the series might get a touch more grit as it went on, but this was terrible.

And I'm done. ( )

This is the second book in the author's Barsoom (Mars) series, a sequel to Princess of Mars. John Carter returns to Mars after a 10 year gap and has to battle through the various factions on the planet to rescue his princess Dejah Thoris, though he (hopefully temporarily) loses her again in the last chapter. As ever, Burroughs is very imaginative in creating alien cultures, despite the obvious limitations of scientific and astronomic knowledge at the time the book came out in 1913. There is very little plot, it is all action sequences, battles, one on one fights, captures and rescues, which does become a bit repetitive at times. ( )

Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Written 1912 Published 1913 All Story Magazine
Cover by Michael Whelan
This reflection starts out with a confession. Having listened to the book a few years back I wasn’t going to re-read it when giving my reflections. As I pulled it off the shelf for a quick skim, I realized that I didn’t really remember much of the story. I have to say I am very glad I chose to read it again.
This was the book that sold me on Edgar Rice Burroughs more than any other. Mind you I devoured anything Tarzan, TV, movies, comics but I didn’t connect Tarzan with ERB per se. Tarzan was Tarzan. But this second appearance of John Carter of Mars stayed in my psyche. It must have been the first that I read since the ending stuck in my head all these years. Enough that I would confuse it with the ending of A Princess of Mars.
Gods of Mars is Burroughs unleashed, his imagination going places further than Princess. Reading the first chapter, visualizing the plant men with their kangaroo attack mode with the spade like tails had me spinning. Here ERB creates and deconstructs the religion of Barsoom (Mars). In some ways making his own thoughts about religion clear. In the desert world of Barsoom, he envisions an oasis at the bottom of the planet.
The geography boggles my mind. Here we have a sea at the bottom of the world with another sea underneath it. Immense caverns with parts of the city emerging above ground to be in the upper sea. My mind still reels thinking about it but also I realize that Burroughs had it mapped out in his mind. The action shifts from the civilizations at the bottom of Barsoom to an ancient city to the halls of Helium in typical Burroughs whirlwind fashion but it holds together.
ERB is hitting his stride here with daring feats of battle by John Carter to naval fleets in wide scale aerial battle. We have individual fights, rebellions and armies meeting all in 190 pages. I’ve accused Burroughs of being the master of coincidence and happenstance but in this story it works. Burroughs has his tropes that he uses but in Gods, they aren’t his tropes, this is ERB exploring the ideas for the first time. There is an energy and enthusiasm to this novel that caused me to embrace the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
I read the Del Rey edition with a cover by Michael Whelan. Whelan captures the craziness of the first chapter of the novel while giving us not just John Carter but his faithful companion Tars Tarkas as well.
Looking at Burrough's next novel I find that although Tarzan of the Apes and Princess of Mars introduced the iconic characters, it is with their second novels that Burroughs solidified the characters and established the true wonders of the world they exist in. ( )