I do not have the review for tomorrow ready (been sick this week) so I wrote this as a Bonus. I may or may not get it done in time, so this will either be a bonus or an apology review. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Oh, and if you complain that I don’t go over much in the reviews, it is because I hate it when books or movies are Spoiled. So I just leave a Hook and my Personal opinion. No spoiling there!
Title/Author:
–The Gods of Mars. Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Times Read:
-3
Genre:
-Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Page Turner, Nail Biting Page Turner, Classic, Action, Conflict, Action.
Rating:
-10/10 You really need to read this book. It is the second in the series of the Barsoom series. And it is amazing! Rather than make you feel bored, you have the need to continue reading.
I know this book is fiction. But I really do believe that there is Life besides us. So who am I to say that this is Fiction? In all truth, I’d love to meet the Famous John Carter. Imagine that… Just like his nephew meets him in book 5 (I have not finished it, nor have I written a review. Just a small teaser.)
Age Range:
-Author(s) Suggest: 12-18
-My Opinion: 13+
If you read the first book (which you need to in order to understand the following books. Here is the link to that review and to the book on Amazon.) then you can read this at 13+. If you don’t want to understand anything about the series, then you can be 15+ to read it. See how I’m forcing you (even though I have a 0% hold on you) to go read the first one?
Basic Review:
-What happened to the Immortal Savior of Barsoom, John Carter? It is said that his body made the final voyage. And this is seen as truth when Carter awakes in the strange land. What happened to his wife, his child to be (in the egg), and his best friends? Join Carter in his next big adventure.
Carter’s last adventure was to save the world he loves. He traveled to the factory that sustained life on Mars and forced the doors open. And then he collapsed, dead. When he awoke (for John carter can never die. Seriously, he remained at the age of 35, never changing. And he had no memory of his past.) he was back in the cave in Arizona. And NEVER did he want so hard to die.
12 years later he finds his nephew on the streets. His nephew recounts how his uncle was found dead in his front yard, but he always wondered whether or not he really died. His last notes to his nephew were to build a certain tomb. With an open casket, and a handle on the inside of the Tomb. I’ll explain right down below.
Long Review:
-His nephew wasn’t all too surprised to find Carter in front of him. Carter tells his nephew that he is never going to leave his princess again, but comes bearing the tales he lived. And since his nephew is a writer, Carter expects him to write a story about it. And Carter returns to his home. Where his Wife and Son await him.
Let’s talk about his nephew real quick. At the end of his notes at the beginning of The Gods of Mars, he leaves his initials. E.R.B. Now, why is this important? Well, try and place the initials to a certain name. I’ll wait here…. Still waiting…. I’ll help you out. E: Edgar. R: Rice. B: Burroughs.
This is part of the reason that I always considered the Barsoom series to be true. I understand it is fiction. But I also believe that it could be true. Cause we are not the only creatures located in the universe. But You’re not here for that. I’ll get back to the review.
Then the book starts and we get to see the rest of Carter’s story. For 10 years Carter starred at his lost home. Longing to feel that odd passage that would bring him back to his wife, and the egg that contained his child. (I still don’t understand that part, though. She gave birth to an Egg…..) One night while standing in his front yard he closed his eyes after looking at his home. And then the tugging sensation happened. He pulled against it and there he lay. His body was on the ground, but Carter didn’t care. He looked towards his home and away he went.
When Carter awakes he expects to find the dead sea bottoms of his beloved Barsoom. But he is in a strange land where vegetation flowers everywhere. For a few minutes, Carter wondered whether or not he was on the right planet. And then he walked and flew again.
After Carter gets his bearings again, he notices some figures off to a side. They looked like a plant of some sort. And then one turned toward him. Imagine a Venus Fly Trap that is 7 ft tall (2.25 meters) and has legs. And then fuse that together with a dinosaur. And there you have the Plant Men.
Carter finds this Green warrior fighting for his life against these plant fiends. And the fighting man inside him rushes to that creature’s aid. After fighting off the fiends the warrior remarks that he is proud to fight shoulder to shoulder with John Carter. Then Carter turns to see his oldest friend. Tars Tarkas.
He, along with his Oldest friend, find out what it means to be “DEAD”. And together they fight the Holy Therns. Who by coincidence eat Human flesh rather than Animals. And they love to feed the Lesser humans to the Banths (Which until book 4 I had no idea was a gigantic Lion. Yeah. Like Simba but 4 times bigger.) The Therns look just like Carter. White skinned instead of Red, Green, Yellow, Black, or Furry. (I’m not being racist. Read the books. The Yellows are like Banana yellow. And the Blacks are Pirates with THICK beards.)
While debunking the Mysteries, Carter finds a fellow RED man from Hellium. And he seems to fight in a similar style to Carter. So they choose to fight together. And I’m going to stop right here otherwise I’m going to spoil the entire book.
In this book, Carter learns the truth behind the God’s of Mars. He also learns the fate of his unborn egg. He also discovers races that were thought to be Extinct, or never even existed. And he Debunks the Mysteries of them ALL. Look, you need to read the entire Barsoom series. But the first 3 books are the only way to understand the rest. Trust me.
___
Oh! And don’t worry, Carter will only stare death in the face a few times. Including when he is…. Actually, you need to read it. 😛
Would Recommend?
-Yes. Duh. Why are you even asking me at this point? I love the Barsoom series and you should too. I just wish I could’ve met the Author. But I was born in 1997. He died in 1950. I’m a bit far off.
There is something about these books that calls out to the adventurer inside of all of us. Both men, women, children, and the elderly want to be the swashbuckling hero that saves the day, every day.
Thanks for readin!
-Jack
The Well Read Library 