Return to Mars (3-in-1)
Thuvia, Maid of Mars/ The Chessmen of Mars/ The Master Mind of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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Return to Mars (3-in-1)
A writer of romantic adventures, Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) has thrilled generations of readers with the power of his imagination. From the jungles of Africa to the forests of Venus, from the center of the Earth to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he has swept us to lands of awesome beauty, wonder and danger.
Long considered an sf classic, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series leans heavily toward the fantastic as his swash-buckling heroes plunge from one exhilarating adventure to another. Filled with eight-legged thoats, great white apes, man-eating plants, mad scientists and maidens in distress, the next three books of the series (following the opening trilogy in Under the Moons of Mars, below) carry us back to the red planet—a dying world where fierce hordes of four-armed giants roam the dried-up beds of ancient seas, and a race of red men rule an advanced civilization of decaying splendor.
Thuvia, Maid of Mars: When a spurned suitor kidnaps the lovely Princess of Ptarth and puts the onus on Carthoris, son of John Carter, the famed Warlord of Mars, the fighting man will let nothing deter him from saving the woman he loves. Lost in the wilderness, his flier damaged, he battles green men, hungry banths and contentious overlords at the forgotten city of Lothar, whose people can make manifest whatever they desire….
The Chessmen of Mars: Piloting her flier into a storm, beautiful and strong-willed Tara of Helium is carried to a mysterious city, where headless slaves toil for pitiless masters—spider-like creatures who are all head and no body. As she tries to escape this place that no one ever leaves, she is captured by the city of Manator, where she becomes the prize in a game of chess played with living pieces…to the death.
The Master Mind of Mars: Like John Carter before him, Captain Ulysses Paxton is whisked to Mars, where he falls into the hands of master surgeon Ras Thavas. Trained to assist in his infamous “transfer of life” operations, he places the brain of an evil crone into the body of a beautiful princess—and vice versa. But when Varo falls in love with the young victim, he battles his way past enemy patrol ships and through a city of strange gods to restore her.
Jacket art by Michael Whelan. (485 pp.) 1916-1928.
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. ( December 31, 1927 )
Item #: 65-1459
ISBN: 9780739448847
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 1.25 inches
Product Weight: 18.0 ounces
For the Nostalgic and Young Only
March 24, 2008
These Barsoom novels are a bit like jelly beans-eat too many at once and you'll get sick.
These are great young teen books. But to a more mature, well read reader, Burroughs formulaic stories get old real fast. I read the first 3 novels [in Moons of Mars] one after the other. The next 3 [in Return to Mars] I could only stomach 1 story per month. Too much repetition for words, actions, etc. Burroughs runs through the whole Carter family and has to resort to using another Earthling in his last story.
That all being said, I think these are great books in the same way that the Hardy Boys were great books. They are meant for a specific age/gender but outside of that target, they will not do well. I hope someday to get my children to read these books, but I can't really recommend them to anyone over 18.
Reviewer: Derrick J
Great!!!
October 13, 2006
I read these as a teenager and reading it now it's still so fresh with adventure. I must disagree with the person who said the women in ERB's books are "weak" on the contrary they are strong and pretty much devoid of issues which burden most "post-feminist" female characters. Sometimes to the point of being ridiculous.
Reviewer: Y G
Burroughs is always entertaining
February 10, 2005
Burroughs is a wonderful adventure writer. His characters, though not truly grounded in the science aspect of science fiction, are interesting and unique. I especially like the Chessmen of Mars with their spider like heads which move independently of their workhorse bodies (called Rykers, a fact I found interesting because I discovered Burroughs and Star Trek at roughly the same time). The only qualm I have about Burroughs' work is his women. Burroughs comes from a different time, and his women, while strong in his eyes, are weak in the post-feminist era. However this is a modern sensibilty looking back upon something written generations ago. Overall, I love Burroughs' work, and this is a fabulous series, that I'm glad is back in print for others to enjoy.
Reviewer: Steve F
On to another generation
February 02, 2005
I discovered the "real" Tarzan and John Carter in junior high. I still have the Ace (with those glorious Frazetta covers) and Ballentine paperbacks--at 40 and 50 cents apiece! I passed my love of Burroughs on to my daughter, giving her the first trilogy for Christmas; this second is for her birthday. These omnibus versions are a great way to revisit Barsoom without wear and tear on my cherished paperbacks. Keep 'em coming!
Reviewer: Paulette B
Burroughs is the best
December 18, 2004
I was fortunate to be a teenager in the sixties when the "Burroughs Boom" hit! I was (and still am) amazed by ERB's ability to tell a story and hurl the reader through the plot at a breakneck pace! I was afraid to put his books down because something might happen to John Carter, Dejah Thoris, or Tars Tarkas while I was gone! Please publish the rest of the Martian novels ASAP, then, the Venus, then the Pellucidar, then.....
Reviewer: Chuck H
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