Being the fourth book of the John Carter of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs changed direction and had the story focused on Carthoris, son of John Carter, while the hero of the first three novels was barely in three paragraphs of the whole books.
The story is about Carthoris' undying love for Thuvia, princess of Ptarth, who was betrothed to another, but before you can say "soap opera" the blackguard Astok kidnaps the princess and frames Carthoris. Now, Carthoris must find Thuvia to clear his name, stop impeding war between their countries, and declare his love even though she might not return it.
A good deal of the book is spent with Carthoris and Thuvia in the lost city of Lothar. There ERB introduces the reader to the very interesting theories of the etherealist and the realist. I'd go more into this, but I'd probably ruin the mystery of the phantom bowmen. There's many tight spots and valiant battles that lead up to a happy ending as usual.
While there is no John Carter or Dejah Thoris, Carthoris is very similar his father and being a supporting character in previous books, it's nice to see him in the spotlight. Besides being kidnapped frequently, Thuvia is still an intelligent, independent woman just like many other ERB women. While it didn't give me same page-turning obsession of the past books, it's still a fun book to read on a Saturday afternoon.
1 comment:
I want to know more about the etherealist and the realist. Please explain in future posts without giving away the story!
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