Sunday, September 09, 2012

Rashmi bookmarks “The Warlord of Mars”


“Kaor”! This third book of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series picks up right where the previous book had left off, and gets into the adventure right away. We see John Carter settle the issue of the rulers for the Blacks and of Helium, follow Thurid, the Back Dator to discover a secret alliance between the two enemies Thurid and Matai Shang, Father of Therns, their common goal to eradicate him and defile Dejah Thoris, and find out the secret entrance to the Temple of the Sun.

There are some very interesting places and ideas showcased in this book. We go inside the Temple of the Sun, which is “password protected” by light! We go through the brilliantly lighted labyrinth of crystal glass at the base of the temple. We barely escape with our lives in the Chamber of Reptiles. We survive the madness of the alternating darkness and illumination of the Pit of Plenty. And we visit the fabled Carrion Caves and meet the supposedly extinct Yellow Martians in secret domed cities at the poles.

I also liked how, at moments when all seems lost, suddenly and from unexpected quarters, a ray of hope bursts through to save the day. The actions of Thuvan Dihn of Ptarth, the recollection of the ring of Prince Talu of Marentina, and the dramatic entry of a Tars Tarkas led army of allies down the streets of Kadabra were especially memorable.

On the minus side, the writing sometimes tends to be simplistic, almost contrived. Some events are deliberately placed only to serve as a comprehensive solution to a complex problem. As an example, in the beginning, when John Carter is following Thurid and Matai Shang along the River Iss, he finds a hiding place where, for the convenience of all, Matai Shang says, “Let us stop here a moment that I may hear your plans”, which Thurid then proceeds to outline in detail. Again, when Carter is escaping from the Pit of Plenty, he overhears the conversation between Solan and Thurid, where, having discussed their goals, Thurid proceeds to announce the entire plan with an introductory, “Let me repeat it to you, that you may see if I be letter-perfect”.

That apart, this was still a fun adventure to embark upon! “Twenty-two years before I had been cast, naked and a stranger, into this strange and savage world. The hand of every race and nation was raised in continual strife and warring against the men of every other land and color. Today, by the might of my sword and the loyalty of the friends my sword had made for me, black man and white, red man and green rubbed shoulders in peace and good-fellowship. All the nations of Barsoom were not yet as one, but a great stride forward toward that goal had been taken…” Sometimes the inane acts of discrimination in today’s world disturb me - and this concluding speech really touched me.

This ends the first trilogy of the “John Carter of Mars” series (after which, the main characters appear only sporadically through the next 8 books). For me, A Princess Of Mars remains - by far - the best. That book fascinated me because it contained elements of science fiction and inspiring social commentary. We discovered a new world with new races and new cultures and a whole new way of living. That unique feature is, for the most part, missing from the next two books, which tend to be more of action/drama.

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