The John Carter Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs

A Princess of Mars; The Gods of Mars; A Warlord of Mars

By: Finn J.D. John, Edgar Rice Burroughs

Narrated by: Finn J.D. John

Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

This Annotated Omnibus Edition contains the first three novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian tales (the Barsoom series).

The first of these novels, A Princess of Mars, was Burroughs' first book, and he wrote the next two novels in quick succession. Together they tell the story of John Carter of Mars - how he came to Mars, met the love of his life, and quickly found himself occupied full-time defending her and saving his adopted planet from interplanetary evildoers.

This trilogy opened the doors of popular science fiction to an entire nation and world. It launched the original pulp science fiction storyworld and series, often imitated but never duplicated, and has inspired four generations of young sci-fi and fantasy writers, artists, moviemakers and videogame designers.

And, of course, it's a ripping great story.

This Pulp-Lit Press Annotated Omnibus Edition takes those three novels together as a coherent story. Each is gracefully and unobtrusively annotated, to help the modern reader put it in the proper literary and historical context for maximum reading enjoyment. All annotations are presented together in a single chapter, easily skipped by readers who prefer to get on with the story.

©2014 Finn J.D. John (P)2014 Finn J.D. John

I Love the annotations.

the annotations are great, well worth the Credit. You can tell the Narrator has a love for the series and does an excellent job.

Visionary Pulp Fiction at its best!

What can anyone really say about ERB? He was the pulp fiction master and writing serials like these for publication in the early 1900’s. Listening to them in this context is a window into the mindset of that era. I also found the “notes” on each book to be interesting and insightful.

Moreover, it is fun to consider just how many of the images of his creations are currently reflected in reality and the differences between the two. One really has to give the man credit for creative thinking.

That said, this reading perhaps would have been more satisfying if the reader would have familiarized himself with the common pronunciations of common words that appear throughout the store such as “sword,” “craven,” “succor,” “tumult,” “genera,” and “accoutrement” to name but a few. The way they were pronounced stopped the story in my head like a truck hitting a brick wall every time it happened.

Trilogy

I loved the series. Good reader. I can visualize the story as it is being read.

Very entertaining but don't like the narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend someone to buy this and read it, but not buy this book on audible. This trilogy is so full of detail and feeling that I don't feel the narrator does a sufficient job portraying the story in a way that would keep most readers further interested.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The John Carter Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs?

I love the conversation that Carter has with Deja, when in captivity, about love amongst the inhabitants on Mars.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Finn J.D. John?

He talks too fast and sometimes blends critical thoughts in the story with those that are less impactful to the detailing of the storyline. I feel like he tries too hard to carry out his own takes from these stories and emphasize there impact to the reader. Each reader should determine which elements are most important to them in a book, not have a narrator predetermine and point it out.

Great Series, bad narration

The narrator really struggles with long sentences, which are quite common in Edgar Rice Borroughs' wordy writing style.

Great Story, Well Told, Excellent Commentary

If you could sum up The John Carter Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs in three words, what would they be?

Classic Fantasy Adventure

What was one of the most memorable moments of The John Carter Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs?

While the story was fun, the commentary (written by the reader), was even better. Enjoyably written and made everything deeper.

Which character – as performed by Finn J.D. John – was your favorite?

Dejah Thoris. There's a delightful sincerity to the performance. It's clear that Dejah made the reader's heart flutter as a young man reading these stories for the first time just as she makes John Carter's in the novel.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

If nothing else, just share the reader's initial forward with anyone interested in story. It makes for a great listen, even without the rest of the book.

Good performance, wonderful commentary

I agree with Robert's review: Finn J. D. John's introductory commentary is worth a credit in itself. Both his writing and the way he reads it are irresistible. As for his performance of the text of Burroughs' novels, the experience is certainly not like hearing John Carter himself speak, but it is like hearing John Carter's words read in the warm, affable, expressive tones of a favorite uncle. Except, that is, for spoken dialogue: Mr. John's attempts at individual voice-characterizations, even in dialogue for Carter, range from barely adequate to acutely embarrassing. But even with that limitation, this is one of the best audio versions of Burroughs' initial Martian trilogy, and the only one to give you all three volumes for a single credit.

enjoyed the series

the 1st two books were good the 3rd one was ok.But it was a good way to end the series.
over all i enjoyed the series.

Fun Read

A fun science fiction read. I really enjoyed the history behind the story and the author.

Fantastic Narrator

The narrator on this book is wonderful. He somehow takes a big enough breathe and times his pauses so expertly that he narrates Edgar Rice Burroughs' famously long sentences in one breath, or so it seems. Some are so long and so seamless that I wonder if the narrator might also be gifted at audio splicing. Either way, I can't imagine a better narrator for this book.