The Barsoom Series

"A Princess of Mars" (1912) is a science fantasy novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. It is also a seminal instance of the planetary romance, a sub-genre of science fantasy that became highly popular in the decades following its publication. Its early chapters also contain elements of the Western. The story is set on Mars, imagined as a dying planet with a harsh desert environment.

"The Gods of Mars" is the second volume of the famous Barsoom series. It was first published in All Story as a five part serial in the issues for January May 1913. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in September, 1918. At the end of the first book, "A Princess of Mars", John Carter is unwillingly transported back to Earth. "The Gods of Mars" begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten year separation from his wife Dejah Thoris, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people.

John Carter must rescue his beloved Dejah Thoris from the revolving prison at the south pole. But events turn against him, and he finds himself battling all the way to the frozen Martian North Pole, where he encounters another legendary race of men, the yellow men of the North.