Edgar Rice Burroughs was basically a failed pencil-sharpener salesman before he changed everything. Think about that for a second. It’s 1911. The Wright brothers just flew a few years ago. Most people are still getting around by horse. Then, this guy writes a story about a Civil War veteran who gets teleported to a dying, desert planet via astral projection and starts jumping over buildings because of the lower gravity.
The John Carter of Mars series—or the Barsoom saga, if you want to use the "proper" name—is the literal blueprint for Star Wars, Avatar, and Dune. If you’ve ever enjoyed a story about a hero on a foreign world, you’re looking at Burroughs’ homework.
Honestly, it’s wild how much we owe to these pulp magazines. Without A Princess of Mars, we don't get Superman's leaping abilities or James Cameron’s blue aliens. It’s the foundational text of modern geek culture, yet most people only know it because of that one Disney movie that didn't do so well in 2012. That’s a tragedy, because the books are way weirder, bloodier, and more imaginative than the "pulp" label suggests.
The weird, wonderful biology of Barsoom
Burroughs didn't just write a story; he built an ecosystem. Barsoom (that’s the local name for Mars) isn't just a red rock. It’s a world of drying sea beds and atmosphere plants.
The most iconic thing he created? The Tharks. These aren't your typical little green men. They are fifteen-foot-tall, four-armed warriors with tusks and eyes on the sides of their heads. They don't have family units; they raise their young in communal incubators and value cold logic over emotion.
Then you have the Red Martians. They look human, except for the skin tone and the fact that they lay eggs. Yeah, eggs. Burroughs was surprisingly detailed about the biology of a dying world. He understood that a planet with losing its air and water would create a culture obsessed with survival and martial honor.
- The Thoat: A massive, eight-legged horse-thing that can climb nearly anything.
- The Calot: Imagine a dog, but it’s the size of a pony, has ten legs, and a mouth full of needles. Woola is the most famous one, and he's basically the best boy in literary history.
- The Atmosphere Plant: A massive, secret facility that literally pumps air into the world. If the workers die, the whole planet suffocates.
It’s high-stakes stuff. John Carter isn't just fighting for a girl; he's often fighting to keep the literal air from running out.
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Why John Carter of Mars series feels so familiar (even if you haven't read it)
You’ve seen this before. A guy from Earth goes to a place with lower gravity and becomes a superhero? That’s the original pitch for Superman. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster openly admitted that the early "Leaps a tall building in a single bound" power was inspired by John Carter’s Martian muscles.
George Lucas? He wanted to make a Flash Gordon movie, but Flash Gordon was already a riff on the John Carter of Mars series. When you see the twin suns of Tatooine, think of the two moons of Barsoom, Phobos and Deimos, which Burroughs described as hurtling across the sky at different speeds.
Ray Bradbury once said that Burroughs was probably the most influential writer in the history of the world because he gave a generation of kids the "itch" to go to space. Carl Sagan had a map of Barsoom on his wall. This isn't just fiction; it’s the spark that led to the actual Mars Rover.
But here is the thing people get wrong: they think it’s just a "white savior" story. While there are definitely dated elements (it was 1912, after all), Carter is often the one being schooled by Martian culture. He’s a guy who’s tired of war on Earth, only to find himself in a world where war is the only thing that matters. There’s a melancholy to it. The planet is dying. The cities are crumbling. Everyone is just fighting over the scraps of a once-great civilization.
The 11 books you actually need to know
You don't have to read all of them, but the first three are essentially a perfect trilogy.
- A Princess of Mars: The introduction. Carter hits Mars, meets the Tharks, falls for Dejah Thoris, and saves the atmosphere plant.
- The Gods of Mars: This one is actually better than the first. Carter discovers a "paradise" at the Martian south pole that is actually a horrific harvesting ground. It’s surprisingly dark and deals with the deconstruction of false religions.
- The Warlord of Mars: The big finale of the initial arc. Carter unites the different races of Mars to take down the last of the "false gods."
- Thuvia, Maid of Mars: This shifts focus to Carter's son, Carthoris.
- The Chessmen of Mars: This is a fan favorite because it introduces Jetan, a Martian version of chess played with living pieces on a giant board.
The series eventually gets a bit repetitive—lots of kidnapping and daring rescues—but the world-building never stops. Burroughs keeps adding new races, like the Kaldanes (creatures that are basically just giant brains with tiny legs) and the Rykors (headless bodies they ride like horses). It’s body horror decades before the term existed.
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The 2012 movie "failure" and why it shouldn't stop you
We have to talk about the Disney movie. It’s become shorthand for "box office bomb," but if you actually watch it today, it’s... kind of great? Andrew Stanton, who directed Finding Nemo and WALL-E, clearly loved the source material.
The problem wasn't the movie. It was the marketing. They took "Mars" out of the title because Mars Needs Moms had just bombed. So the trailers were just about a guy named "John Carter." Nobody knew who that was. It looked like a generic Star Wars rip-off, even though it was the thing Star Wars ripped off in the first place.
If you go back and watch it now, the realization of the Tharks is incredible. The way they handle the gravity—the "leaping"—actually feels weighted and real. It’s one of the few times a movie actually captured the scale of the books.
But the books are better because they have room to breathe. Burroughs’ prose is formal, almost like a Victorian travelogue, which makes the insane violence and alien creatures feel more "factual." He presents the stories as manuscripts sent back to him by his "Uncle Jack." It gives the whole thing a "found footage" vibe that was way ahead of its time.
Acknowledging the "1912" in the room
Look, we have to be honest. There are parts of these books that are hard to read now. Carter is a Confederate veteran. While Burroughs explicitly makes him a man who hates the horrors of war and treats the alien "others" with more respect than his peers would, the underlying "gentleman of the old South" trope is definitely there.
There’s also the "Princess" problem. Dejah Thoris is a brilliant scientist and a capable leader, but she spends a huge chunk of the series being kidnapped. It’s a repetitive trope that can get grating if you binge the books. However, for the time, she was actually a remarkably strong female character—she wasn't just a damsel; she was the political soul of her nation.
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Comparing Barsoom to modern sci-fi like The Expanse is unfair, but if you look at it through the lens of planetary romance, it’s peerless. It’s about the feeling of a world, not the hard science of how a rocket works.
How to actually get into the series today
If you want to dive into the John Carter of Mars series, don't just grab a random collection. The copyright on the early books has expired, so there are a million cheap, poorly formatted versions on Amazon.
Seek out the editions with art by Frank Frazetta or Michael Whelan. Their paintings of Barsoom are just as important to the legacy as the writing itself. Frazetta’s muscular, savage vision of Mars defined the "look" of fantasy for fifty years.
Practical Next Steps:
- Start with the "First Three": Grab a literal "Martian Tales" omnibus. Read A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars in order. They function as one continuous story.
- Listen to the Audiobooks: Because the prose is a bit formal, hearing it read aloud in a "storyteller" voice actually makes it flow better. B.J. Harrison’s narrations are particularly good.
- Check the Comics: Dynamite Entertainment has some modern runs that expand on the lore, but the 1970s Marvel run is a trip—it’s pure psychedelic pulp.
- Watch the Movie (Again): If you haven't seen it since 2012, or you skipped it because of the reviews, give it a shot on a big screen. It’s a much better adaptation than it gets credit for.
The influence of Barsoom isn't going anywhere. Every time a filmmaker puts a hero in a desert and gives them a sword and a laser, they are paying rent to Edgar Rice Burroughs. You might as well go back to the source and see where the magic started. It’s a world of red sand, four-armed warriors, and a sense of wonder that modern sci-fi sometimes forgets to include.
Keep an eye out for the small details—the way the Martians use "radium light" or the specific way their telepathy works. It’s those little touches that make Barsoom feel like a place that actually exists, just one "astral jump" away.