Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars: 9 (Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs)

This was a great read, two classic Burroughs characters going head to head. Was just about the right length to be enjoyable.

I liked the story, it was written well

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Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars, will appeal to readers already familiar with the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs as well as any reader willing to be pulled to Mars, the home of heroes, wild creatures, daring, danger, and adventure. A crossover occurs when a character from one series of stories pays a visit to another series of stories. The first such example in popular fiction was by Mark Twain, who, in 1885, included an appearance by Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. After that, another writer, Edgar Rice Burroughs, became known for the character crossover in his stories written from 1912 to 1950. Here are a few examples: Tarzan appeared in the story Eternal Savage about a mysterious cave that enabled time travel. Jason Gridley is mentioned in the Carson of Venus series, some Tarzan stories, and the subterranean world of Pellucidar. Tarzan journeyed with Jason Gridley to the underground world of Pellucidar. As Burroughs explained in the opening pages of his Moon Trilogy, “every schoolchild knows” about John Carter of Mars. Yet Burroughs’ two principle characters, Tarzan and John Carter, had never met. Fans have long wondered how such a meeting would go. Now, William Patrick Murray, well known for Doc Savage and other pulp heroes, has given us Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars that describes the first meeting between Tarzan, the King of the Apes, and John Carter, the greatest swordsman on two planets. Mr. Murray is an accomplished writer with an impressive catalog of fine adventures, most of which involve pulp characters. Artist Romas Kukalis provides a wrap-around jacket (attached) that superbly illustrates Tarzan and some principle characters enabling the reader to effectively envision the events described in this adventure on Barsoom. Note that in this discussion, Burroughs’ fictional Mars is called “Barsoom.” *** SPOILER ALERT *** *** SPOILER ALERT *** *** SPOILER ALERT *** Barsoom is a great place to visit, but you have to die to get there. At least dying was John Carter’s experience as described in Burroughs’ Princess of Mars. In that first Barsoom book, John Carter journeys to Barsoom by what seems to be astral projection brought about by the sheer force of will. Carter’s body remains on Earth, but he has what seems to be a new body on Barsoom. Suffice it to say that once Tarzan arrives on Mars (Barsoom), he is understandably shaken and bewildered. The reader sees Tarzan question himself like never before. The ape-man quickly determines he is on another planet, but Tarzan is accustomed to knowing where he is. Remember how disoriented Tarzan was in Pellucidar with no night sky and a stationary eternal sun? Tarzan experiences an uncharacteristic emptiness in that he does not know his surroundings. He questions his ability to fend for himself. Even water and simple food elude him at first. Tarzan feels a rare chill. Can Tarzan adapt to Barsoom? Tarzan routinely speaks with animals on Earth, but how does one communicate with animals on Barsoom? Tarzan is known for wearing only a loincloth, but he arrives on Barsoom naked and empty-handed, lacking even his father’s fabled hunting knife. What does he do for weapons? This story tests Tarzan’s resourcefulness. In eleven books devoted to adventures on Barsoom, Burroughs defined over a half dozen humanoid societies and multiple beasts, all dangerous and deadly. For example, Tarzan has wrestled and defeated many lions on Earth, but the lions of Barsoom, called Banths, weigh 800 pounds, have ten legs, and have, perhaps, double the teeth of their earthly counterpart. Likewise, Tarzan has defeated earthly gorillas, but the white apes of Barsoom stand 10 to 15 feet tall, have four arms and are intelligent enough to use clubs as weapons. How will Tarzan deal with these menaces? When speaking of Barsoom, another question to pose is how John Carter will react? It is worth noting, especially for those familiar with the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, that in this story, Tarzan and John Carter do not know each other and are unaware of the other’s existence. One of the beauties of this book is the systematic approach Tarzan takes to solving his dilemma. Every move that Tarzan makes is carefully considered and his reasoning is made apparent to the reader. Also, the third person story narrator switches between Tarzan and Carter so that when John Carter appears, the reader is privy to his thoughts. Some of our Barsoom favorites appear, including the formidable Green Martians posing the question of how Tarzan would fight a four-armed warrior who maybe 15 feet tall? The pacing of the story is good. There is no lack of action, drama, or intrigue. The plot is a basic fish out of water, but offers ample uncertainty to fully engage the reader. Tarzan only wants to go home but will he begin a new life on Barsoom? Thus, the overriding question is, can Tarzan find a way to return to Earth? And if not, can he survive and thrive on Barsoom? In reading this, I kept thinking, why can’t these two guys get together and talk. And they do talk, but misunderstandings develop when the right questions aren’t asked. The story effectively demonstrates the danger of a lack of communication. The inability to properly communicate puts real people in real danger every day. In this writer’s opinion, Tarzan seems affected by his journey to Barsoom and his death that triggered that journey. Tarzan is a stranger in a strange world, and as such he knows nothing about the people, the power structure, or the customs of Barsoom. Tarzan simply wants to go home. Meanwhile, Carter is mystified by this mysterious Ramdar, Barsoomian for “Red Scar”, who appears from nowhere but quickly establishes himself as a prominent force to be dealt with. Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars keeps the reader engaged as Tarzan answers these and other questions. This reviewer recommends Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars with five stars.

Ruining ERB