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Swords of Mars (John Carter of Mars)
Over nineteen hundred miles east οf Thе Twin Cities οf Helium, аt аbουt Lat. 30 degrees S., Lon. 172 degrees E., lies Zodanga. It hаѕ еνеr bееn a breeding ground οf sedition ѕіnсе thе day thаt I led thе fierce green hordes οf Thark against іt аnd, reducing іt, added іt tο thе Empire οf Helium.
Over nineteen hundred miles east οf Thе Twin Cities οf Helium, аt аbουt Lat. 30 degrees S., Lon. 172 degrees E., lies Zodanga. It hаѕ еνеr bееn a breeding ground οf sedition ѕіnсе thе day thаt I led thе fierce green hor
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John Carter decides to take down the Assassins Guild,
After being relegated to the background for the previous four Martian novels, “Swords of Mars” brings John Carter back to the forefront as he vows to bring an end to the Assassins Guild and travels to one of Barsoom’s moons. Carter shows up at Edgar Rice Burroughs’ lodge in the mountains of Arizona and relates this tale, which ERB then serializes as the eighth Martian tale in six issues of “The Blue-Book Magazine” in 1934-35. Carter has made a secret organization of super assassins to strike back against the commanding guild of assassins, which is headquartered in the city of Zodanga, and goes to the city undercover to break into their ranks. As the first step in an attempt to overthrow Ur Jan, the head of the assassins, Carter pretends to be a panthan and becomes the body protect of Fal Sivas, an inventor. Eventually, as he gets closer to his goal, Carter has to go to Thuria, one of the moons of Mars.
For the most part “Swords of Mars” is one of the most intimate novels in the series, by which I simply mean that it does not have the gigantic armies of variously colored Barsoomians and thousands of air ships arrayed in battle. The first half of the novel is basically a spy tale, even as the second half find Burroughs indulging in one of his imaginative flights of fancy. Of course, it is not an ERB Martian novel if Carter’s beloved Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium, does not need to be rescued. Just because ERB sticks to his pulp fiction formula does not distract from the fact he was a master of the form. This is an higher than average Burroughs yarn and even as it is a step below his best Martian tales, such as “The Chessmen of Mars,” it is still a compelling tale. Best of all, John Carter is back front and center. I wound rate this novel as a 4.5, but I will round up for Carter’s return.
Besides “A Princess of Mars,” I reckon it is clear that “Swrods of Mars” is one of the fundamental inspirations for John Norman’s Gor series, which was one of the best series that followed in the footsteps of ERB’s Martian seres. Note: The first letters of the first words in the preface and twenty-four chapters from an acrostic message: “TO FLORENCE WITH ALL MY LOVE ED.” The reference is to Florence Gilbert, ERB’s second wife, whom he married in 1935.
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