A Princess of Mars, the 1st John Carter adventure

[Vertigo]

On that note... I can't help but wonder how they're going to "update" Gods of Mars, what with its blatantly racist elements, as well as its parodies of religions of all stripes....

As I understand it, they have already messed around with the plot and included plot elements from all of the first three books into this one film. Which means they would struggle to produce a separate film for the Gods of Mars.

 

[j d worthington]

As I understand it, they have already messed around with the plot and included plot elements from all of the first three books into this one film. Which means they would struggle to produce a separate film for the Gods of Mars.

That doesn't sound particularly encouraging to me, given that the first book had quite enough plot, action, and characters to easily fill up the average-length film....

 

[Vertigo]

That was my thought too, however please bear in mind that this was only from one reviewer so it could well be a biased judgement. Either way, I suspect I will watch it when it comes on TV rather than go to the cinema. Way too expensive for me; costs more than a book and only gives a couple of hours of entertainment.

 

[Jeffbert]

Great comments from all; I hardly expected so much discussion. I especailly appreciate Extollager's post, as it directly addresses my own post, & more than adequately, at that. Connavar, I had not even considered the red complexion as a aboriginal race when I 1st read the series, because the high level of technology indicated these people were anything but savages.

 

[Connavar]

Great comments from all; I hardly expected so much discussion. I especailly appreciate Extollager's post, as it directly addresses my own post, & more than adequately, at that. Connavar, I had not even considered the red complexion as a aboriginal race when I 1st read the series, because the high level of technology indicated these people were anything but savages.

All the Mars races seem to be linked race,genetic wise. I mean they give birth to children in the same way the humans, the green martians. With eggs. Which i found to be nearly too disgusting because its so unnatural that human like race give birth that way. Sure green monster giant martians can do that but the red human martians yuck

The humans in mars had evolved much higher technologicly as we saw with their cities, their airboats, them spying on Earth. You us real humans started also as savages once. Red martians live thousand of years they should evolve faster than the violent, green martians.

 

[Vertigo]

As I recall the red and green martians both evolved from a common race that was actually more advanced than either of them. And then as the Martian 'seas' started drying out that civilisation collapsed with the red martians retaining more of the original civilisation and technology than the greens.

I must admit, not to disgust, but to disbelief that he had the red martians at least fully equipped with mammalian breasts (don't quite remember about the reds but since they are related it seems likely they did too) but has them laying eggs (OK Platypus I know...).

 

[Toby Frost]

I'm reading this at the moment and rather enjoying it. It's really daft but good fun. Overall, not up there with Haggard or Wells, but definitely entertaining. I particularly like Woola the 10-legged dog.

 

[Connavar]

Here is my review i wrote in Goodreads. Dont read if you havent read the book before:


There are two great things about this novel that i want mention before i talk about its flaws. First ERB prose have aged surprisingly well, was smooth, easy to read the narration of JC. He wrote so imaginative that he created well crafted characters, powers,alien cultures, a whole world like it was so easy, very impressive for a pioneer work specially that had no Sword and Planet tradition of Mars, Venus stories to follow.

John Carter himself was a larger than life hero but very original for his genre in that i could see big parts of him in other SF, Sword and Planet heroes i have read before this novel. ERB wrote often how he was a gentleman from Virginia but i found him to refreshingly different in that he had a mannered, pleasant side to him before he went hardcore, violent on his enemies. Too many modern versions of him is dark,gloomy violent avengers. JC is a true adventure hero that is easy to root for and much more compelling than i thought to read the story from his first person POV.

The flaws was that he didnt explain the telepathy powers as well he explained the rest of that world. He didnt make me believe as he did with the superhuman powers JC got in Mars. Also the action scenes in the second half of the book he jumped over too often. JC moved and the enemy was dead or beaten without you saw it like the violence was censored away for the readers of that those days.

 

[Jeffbert]

Interesting review, Connavar. I am in the midst of my second read, & will try to bear in mind your comments on the action.

 

[Vertigo]

Conn I definitely agree about the telepathy bit. He brought it up early on and then never really went into any detail or even used it much. In fact quite the reverse everyone seems to talk where the telepathy would have worked better. I actually got the feeling that it was almost introduced just to give a mechanism (an example of Chekhov's gun maybe) to let him get the codes for the door in the air generation plant.

 

[Connavar]

Conn I definitely agree about the telepathy bit. He brought it up early on and then never really went into any detail or even used it much. In fact quite the reverse everyone seems to talk where the telepathy would have worked better. I actually got the feeling that it was almost introduced just to give a mechanism (an example of Chekhov's gun maybe) to let him get the codes for the door in the air generation plant.

Yeah it just shows everything he created, imagined for the first novel didnt work effectively. I was hugely impressed by the world he created so vividly with so few words. You could have made a whole first book only about the Green Martians. Longtime fans have said to me the first book is crude because its one of his first novels so it will be interesting what the next books are like.

I'm annoyed that im book broke that i cant buy book 2,3 right now !

 

[Vertigo]

Yes, I'm looking forward to reading the others. Shame you don't like ebooks Conn....

And you're right for such a short book (by today's standards) it is remarkable how vivid a picture he manages to create!.

It's strange how much I've forgotten since I first read them around 15/16 years old some 40 years ago . I kept coming across passages that I rememberd but the overall story I have almost completely fogotten Still that makes them all the more enjoyable to read again!

 

[Connavar]

Yes, I'm looking forward to reading the others. Shame you don't like ebooks Conn....

And you're right for such a short book (by today's standards) it is remarkable how vivid a picture he manages to create!.

It's strange how much I've forgotten since I first read them around 15/16 years old some 40 years ago . I kept coming across passages that I rememberd but the overall story I have almost completely fogotten Still that makes them all the more enjoyable to read again!

Yeah i was really annoyed with myself because the ending is like a terrible cliffhanger and i didnt have the next book

When i finished the novel i thought it must be 200 pages long at-least because its an 1912 book and there was alot of world building. It seemed much longer than 150 or so pages.

 

[Jeffbert]

I recall a really weird species from one of the later books; it may have inspired a scene in the remake of THE THING, in which the doctors are operating one an injured man-- that turns out to be the thing. They chop off its head, it falls to the floor & sprouts spider-like legs, then scurries away. Well, the creature in the later story is like the head. It is highly intelligent, & sits upon a body as a man rides a horse. It shares nutrients with the body, etc., but if the body becomes old or injured, it just walks away in tiny legs & mounts another body.

I think I will reread the whole series!

I do not recall much about the telepathy, other than that it may have been important in later stories, though I am not sure.

 

[Jeffbert]

Sider sense

I just read how JC's telepathy had warned of approaching danger as he trekked along in the pitch dark:

Several times I was attacked by wild beasts; strange, uncouth monstrosities that leaped upon me in the dark, so that I had ever to grasp my long-sword in my hand that I might be ready for them. Usually my strange, newly acquired telepathic power warned me in ample time

Alas, I can cite no page # for this, as I am reading online & not using the Library of Congress' version, other than it is from ch 20.

 

[Vertigo]

Yes there are a number of references to the telepathy but they seem somehow haphazard and inconsistent. It never seemed to be used where it really would have been useful, except in the case of the atmosphere plant. This is why it felt rather tacked on to me and not thought through. For example if everyone on Mars has this telepathy, why do they bother to talk at all or, at least, as much as they do.

It's not a major issue for me. After all this is early fantasy work and more directed at adventure than realism, so I don't have a major problem with it; it's just a little niggling!

 

[Jeffbert]

I suppose there are inconsistencies in many novels. In TV & movies about cops, & such, they alway make the fistfights last at least a couple of punches, except when the script calls for a knockout punch or chop on the collarbone. Who needs the VULCAN NERVE PINCH, when a single chop works so well?

Anyway, I am just starting my 2nd read of The Gods of Mars; I will make note of any further instances of telepathy, or places where it would be best to use it.

 

[Vertigo]

Anyway, I am just starting my 2nd read of The Gods of Mars; I will make note of any further instances of telepathy, or places where it would be best to use it.

I will be doing the same some time soon

 

[Jeffbert]

I just heard that the film has done really poorly, though that may be a critic's opinion rather than ticket sales. I rarely watch the entertainment-oriented news shows, & generally have no interest in the celebrity shows either, so I may be way off the mark. Has it opened in the UK yet?

 

[Vertigo]

Yes and it is looking a bit like it may be a big big flop:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117536/Disney-admits-John-Carter-course-lose-200m.html