Site map
Special thanks to:
for designing
Xenite.org's graphics
Contact Us!
|
|
This information has not been updated since 1998. Although the book summaries are accurate, the Web site, mailing list, and email references may not be. Email addresses for the contributors have been removed to protect them from spammers who scoop Web sites for email addresses.
From: Michael Martinez
Subject: WorldFAQ: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom (Mars)
Date: 1998/11/28
Message-ID:
Organization: The Xenite.Org Domain -- Worlds of Imagination on the Web
X-Server-Date: 28 Nov 1998 04:11:53 GMT
Followup-To: alt.fan.created-worlds,alt.fantasy,alt.fantasy.er-burroughs
Newsgroups: alt.fan.created-worlds,alt.fantasy,
alt.fantasy.er-burroughs,alt.pulp,rec.games.miniatures.misc,
rec.arts.books,alt.books
WorldFAQ:
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom (Mars)
-----------------------------------------------------------
1]. Quick Reference
Barsoom is Edgar Rice Burroughs' science fantasy
world of John Carter, an Earthman who is miraculously
immortal and able to travel instantaneously from Earth
to Mars and back again. John Carter is Burroughs'
second best-known character (Tarzan being the best-
known) and probably the most well-known of the early
space-faring swashbucklers. Primary sources are the
eleven books of the Martian Series (see bibliography
below).
Note: All of ERB's major series (Tarzan, John
Carter, Carson Napier, Moon Men, etc.) are set
in the same universe.
-----------------------------------------------------------
2]. Printed Sources Bibliography
Note: These stories, originally published from
1912 through 1942, have been reprinted many
times.
The John Carter books have been reprinted too many times
for ISBN values to be relevant. The Doubleday Science
Fiction Book Club has offered various Martian books through
the years, and Del Rey books still publishes the series in
paperback. Older paperback editions were published by
Ballantine and New English Library. The stories were
originally serialized in various magazines.
A PRINCESS OF MARS, 1912.
John Carter is chased by American Indians into cave
in 1866. Trapped, he looks upon Mars and finds
himself transported there. He meets and befriends
Tars Tarkas, who with Carter's help rises to become
Jeddak of Thark, and Carter falls in love with Dejah
Thoris, princess of Helium. Carter and Dejah Thoris
settle in Helium for almost ten years, where they
have an egg (in which a son forms), but just before
the five-year incubation period ends someone
assassinates the keeper of the atmosphere plant
and his assistant. Carter helps the Barsoomians
open and restart the plant, but he passes out from
lack of air and awakes to find himself again
on Earth (in approximately 1876).
THE GODS OF MARS, 1912-1913.
In 1886 John Carter returned to Barsoom, having
figured out how to send himself back. (Burroughs
maintains that Carter returned to Earth in 1898
to tell him this story.) On Barsoom John Carter
learns that Dejah Thoris and Tars Tarkas have
undertaken the final pilgrimage down Iss. He is
himself trapped in the valley of Dor, where hideous
green plant creatures and white apes attack and eat
all the pilgrims who succeed in finishing the arduous
journey. Carter learns that the Therns have been
preying upon the pilgrims, and in turn the First Born
have been preying on the Therns. After discovering
(and meeting) his son Carthoris in the pits of the
First Born, John Carter overthrows their corrupt
religion and Issus is killed by her own people as
the forces of Helium and the Green Hordes devastate
the Therns and First Born. Dejah Thoris and Thuvia,
a princess befriended by John Carter, are trapped in
an underground dungeon with Phaidor, daughter of Matai
Shang, for one year.
THE WARLORD OF MARS, 1913-1914.
Matai Shang secretly frees Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and
Phaidor from their prison but does so only for his own
purposes. John Crater pursues Matai Shang and Thurid,
a rebel Dator (prince) of the First Born, across
Barsoom, eventually finding himself in Okar, the
northern polar nation of the Yellow men. There he
discovers that a powerful magnet has destroyed every
fleet and ship which has attempted to explore the
north, and kept the Okarians' secret refuge safe
for countless ages. Carter also finds his father-
in-law, Mors Kajak, a prisoner. With the aid of
Thuvan Dihn, Thuvia's father, as well as Talu (a
rebel prince of Okar), they overthrow the last
vestiges of Thern power and rescue Dejah Thoris.
But they call upon the nations which have befriended
Carter through the years, who send a vast armada
northward to rescue him. Carter thus has to destroy
the great magnet as well as Matai Shang's plans.
The Jeddaks of Barsoom's greatest nations proclaim
John Carter Warlord of Mars.
THUVIA, MAID OF MARS, 1916.
Carthoris falls in love with Thuvia, princess of
Ptarth, who was rescued by John Carter from the
Therns (in THE GODS OF MARS and THE WARLORD OF MARS).
Thuvia is stolen away by Astok, Prince of Dusar,
Ptarth's rival. Carthoris follows her across Barsoom
and rescues her, encountering some strange and
fascinating creatures. Thuvia, unfortunately,
is already betrothed to Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol,
ally of Helium.
THE CHESSMEN OF MARS, 1922.
John Carter, it seems, has a daughter: Tara of
Helium, a petulant, spoiled princess. Nonetheless,
Gahan, Jed (Prince) of Gathol, declares his love for
her and asks for her hand. Tara rejects him and goes
foolishly flying in a great storm. Gahan goes after
her. By the time he finally catches up to Tara, she
has forgotten who he is, and he assumes the name
Turjun, pretending to be a panthan mercenary.
Together they challenge the power of O-Tar, Jeddak
of Manator, whose barbaric nation of Red Men have
preyed upon Gathol for centuries. The Manatorians
have elevated Jetan, the chess-like game played
throughout Barsoom, to an unprecedented level of
skill and excitement: they use live chessmen who
fight for live princesses. Gahan finds himself
fighting for Tara on the chessboard of Manator,
and haunting O-Tar's palace.
THE MASTER MIND OF MARS, 1927.
Ulysses Paxton, a Captain in the United States
infantry during World War I, is mortally wounded but
finds himself on Barsoom, given a reprieve. He is
taken in by Ras Thavas, an evil (or perhaps wayward)
scientist who places the brains of criminals into
young bodies as well as resurrects the dead (he buys
their bodies for parts and slaves). Paxton falls
in love with Valla Dia, whose young body Ras Thavas
has sold to Xaxa, aged Jeddara (Queen) of Phundahl.
The intrigues and mixed identities Burroughs tosses
at the reader make the book pass quickly.
A FIGHTING MAN OF MARS, 1930.
Tan Hadron, a padwar in Helium's navy is poor but of
noble blood (his mother being a princess of Gathol).
He seeks the hand of Sanoma Tora, daughter of Tor Hatan,
an odwar in Helium's navy. Sanoma Tora is interested
only in men of wealth and power, but when she is
abducted by agents of Tul Axtar, Jeddak of the distant
nation of Jahar, Tan Hadron follows her in hopes of
freeing her and winning her love. Hadron encounters
and befriends Tavia, a slave-girl who escaped from Tul
Axtar's harem by disguising herself as a panthan.
Together with Nur An and Phao, Jaharians opposed to
Tul Axtar's vicious rule, Tan Hadron and Tavia
stumble onto Tul Axtar's fiendish plot to conquer all
of Barsoom with the inventions of Phor Tak, an aged
inventor who can destroy entire navies. It becomes a
race against time as Jahar slowly destroys itself from
the massive breeding program Tul Axtar has implemented
and as Helium's navy approaches unaware of the
incredible weapons of destruction the cowardly Tul
Axtar possesses. Only his reluctance has prevented
Tul Axtar from launching the war against Barsoom, but
John Carter's arrival forces the issue and Tan Hadron
must save Helium's navy, himself, Tavia, and Sanoma Tora.
SWORDS OF MARS, 1934-1935.
John Carter takes on the Assassins of Barsoom, a
powerful guild who have for ages profited from the petty
feuds and great rivalries of Barsoom's wealthy families.
Along the way, he visits Thuria, one of the moons of Mars.
SYNTHETIC MEN OF MARS, 1941.
When Dejah Thoris is critically injured, John Carter
goes to find Ras Thavas, Barsoom's greatest surgeon, to
save her life. He takes Vor Daj, an officer in his
service, with him. They find Ras Thavas a prisoner on
Morbus, an island in the Toonolian Marshes (last remnant
of Barsoom's oceans outside the polar areas). Morbus is
the home of Ras Thavas' hormads, synthetic men who have
rebelled against him and made him their slave. Vor Daj
lets Ras Thavas transfer his brain to the body of a
hormad so that he may move freely among the monsters.
In this guise Vor Daj falls in love with Janai of Amhor,
a young woman who is pursued by her Jed against her will
or desire. But the worst horror arises when a culture
vat goes out of control.
LLANA OF GATHOL, 1941/1948.
John Carter sets out to explore the ruined city of
Horz, thought to be the most ancient of Barsoom's cities.
He helps an Orovar escape from some green men but is
taken prisoner and condemned to death to protect the
city's secret: that Orovars continue to live in Horz.
John Carter escapes with Pan Dan Chee, an Orovar warrior
who befriends him. They discover Llana of Gathol,
Carter's grand-daughter, in the pits of Horz and escape
with her. Llana reveals that she is fleeing from Hin
Abtol, a northern Jeddak who has hatched an insane
scheme to conquer all of Barsoom. John Carter
inevitibly confronts Hin Abtol in a battle for Barsoom.
JOHN CARTER OF MARS, 1940/1942.
This book combines two unrelated novellets: "The
Giant of Mars" and "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter".
"Giant" was actually written by ERB's son, John
Coleman Burroughs, who admitted this on at least
two occasions. "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter",
sadly, is only the first of an otherwise incomplete
series of novelettes (thought to be four). ERB
never wrote any of the remaining stories, so John
Carter's adventures end on Jupiter, although he
is reunited at the end of this story with the
incomparable Dejah Thoris.
-----------------------------------------------------------
3]. Visual Sources Bibliography
1941-42 Sunday strip drawn by John Coleman Burroughs.
(Reprinted in one volume in 1970 by the House of Greystoke,
and reprinted again in 1995 by Dark Horse as a backup
feature to the "Tarzan: The Lost Adventure" serialization.)
John Carter appeared in FOUR COLOR -- issues 375, 437 and
488 (early-to-mid 1950's), and in THE FUNNIES (Circa 1940)
issues 30-56. The FOUR COLOR issues were later reprinted
in a three-issue series titled JOHN CARTER OF MARS.
DC Comics published a brief adaptation of these books in
the early 1970s. The first three installments were in
issues 207 - 209 of TARZAN (which DC took over from Gold Key).
The next seven installments were in WEIRD WORLDS. Some
non-ERB stories appeared in the TARZAN FAMILY series.
There was a series of John Carter comics published by
Marvel in the 1980s. JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS ran for
27 issues and three annuals, but they contained mostly
non-ERB stories, covering the 9-year period not described
by ERB in A PRINCESS OF MARS.
Dark Horse Comics published TARZAN VS. JOHN CARTER in
1996. I am told it wasn't faithful to ERB's
characterizations. But I don't know anything more about
this. (Thanks to Curt Wiederhoeft and Fredrik Ekman for
the above info.)
There was a weekly adaptation of A PRINCESS OF MARS
in a British weekly. It was called "The Martian" and
was drawn by Robert Forrest and ran for 31 weeks in
1958-9.
MAPS OF BARSOOM:
This list was posted to ERB-list in February 1998. It is
included here by permission but the author suggests it may
not be complete (though at the time of posting it included
all the maps he knew about).
1 -- ERB's own map, probably drawn between 1933 & 1938, and
published in J. B. Post's AN ATLAS OF FANTASY (Baltimore,
The Mirage Press, Ltd., 1973)
2 -- Robert H. Schlutter, 1948, published in the BURROUGHS
BULLETIN #14 (1963).
3 -- Henry Hardy Heins, 1949, published in Alvin Fick, THE
DREAM WEAVER (Fort Johnson, N.Y., Pinion Private Press,
1962)
4 -- Frank J. Brueckel, 1962, published in the BURROUGHS
BULLETIN #14.
5 -- Larry Ivie, 1962, published in Dave Van Arnam's THE
READER'S GUIDE TO BARSOOM AND AMTOR (New York, Richard
Lupoff, 1963)
6 -- Michael D. Resnick, published in Caz's ERB-dom, #6, Apr.
1963.
7 -- Mine, done up in 1966 for publication in Caz's ERB-dom,
but not published until ERB-APA #50, Summer 1996.
8 -- John F. Roy, 1968(?), published in ERB-dom #27, August
1969.
9 -- Ballantine's wall map (approx. 42" x 66") published
about 1972 in connection with the release of the Gino
D'Achille covers of the Mars books.
10 -- Greg Bell, published in Gygax & Blume, WARRIORS OF
MARS; THE WARFARE OF BARSOOM IN MINIATURE (Lake Geneva,
Wisc., Tactical Studies Rules, 1974)
11 -- The Ballantine map of 1972 was reprinted in Scott
Bizar's BARSOOMIAN BATTLE MANUAL (Dallas, American
Heritage Models, Inc., 1978)
12 -- Scott Tracy Griffin (our own Lord Passmore), in
ERB-APA #46, Summer 1995. This is actually a complete
atlas, consisting of Azimuthal Equal-Area projections of
each hemisphere, supplemented by Mercator projections of
each of the four quadrants.
-----------------------------------------------------------
4]. Related Materials Bibliography
There is a biography of ERB, EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: MASTER
OF ADVENTURE, by Richard A. Lupoff, published by Canaveral
Press in hardcover and then published by ACE in 1865 and
reprinted in 1968.
A GUIDE TO BARSOOM, John Flint Roy, Ballantine, 1976.
Contains the following chapters:
I. History (pre-Carter)
II. Geography (including maps!)
III. Biographies of major characters
IV. Flora and Fauna
V. Measurements of distance, time and money
VI. Language, Religion and Customs
VII. Glossary of terms
VIII. Quotations and Proverbs
IX. Science and Invention
X. Where is Barsoom?
XI. Who is ERB?
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: AN EXHAUSTIVE SCHOLAR'S AND
COLLECTOR'S DESCRIPTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY, McFarland, 1996.
ERB fan clubs which publish magazines (according to the
1979 ACE imprints and the ERBCOF-L welcome message)
include:
ERB-dom & THE FANTASTIC COLLECTOR -- $12 for
4 issues (only partially related to Burroughs)
Ed., Caz Cazedessus
P.O. Box 2340
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
THE BURROUGHS BIBLIOPHILES -- $28/Year
George McWhorter 505-852-8729
BURROUGHS BULLETIN and THE GRIDLEY WAVE
Ekstrom Library - Burroughs Memorial Collection
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40492
GTMCWH01@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU
ERBANIA {old, possibly outdated info)
8001 Fernview Lane
Tampa, Florida 33615
TBN (THE BURROUGHS NEWSBEAT) (old, possible
outdated info)
110 South Shore Drive
Clear Lake, Iowa 50428
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION
Ed., John Martin (Limited
Membership)
P.O. Box 157
Galvin, WA 98544
THE L.A. Sub-ERB NEWSLINE
From the L.A. Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles
Ed., James Van Hise* (619) 365-5836
57754 Onaga Trail
Yucca Valley, CA 92264
ERB-NOTIZEN (in German)
Ed., Kurt Denkena
Postfach 750 331
D-28723 Bremen, Germany
Fan publications include:
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS NEWS DATELINE -- $12 for
4 issues
Ed., Mike Conran 616-457-1446
1990 Pine Grove Drive
Jenison, Michigan 49428
ERBANIA -- $8 for 4 issues
Ed., Pete Ogden 813-884-8144
8410 Lopez Drive,
Tampa, FL 33615
FANTASTIC WORLDS OF ERB -- $17.50 for
4 issues
ED., Frank Westwood
77 Pembroke Road
Seven Kings, Ilford
Essex, IG3 8PQ
England
George Alec Effinger sent a character (Muffy Birnbaum)
to Barsoom. The story is available in various collections.
Effinger also contributed piece presenting a Barsoomian
opinion on ERB to WAR OF THE WORLDS: GLOBAL DISPATCHES.
One of Phillip Jose Farmer's Tier World books has a scene
set on a moon constructed to resemble Barsoom.
Disney has the rights for a movie based on A PRINCESS OF
MARS, and it now appears that MASS ILLUSIONS is developing
special effects for the movie.
THE EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS LIBRARY OF ILLUSTRATION, edited
by Russ Cochran and printed by Russ.
It is three oversized volumes beginning with J. Allen
St. John (the majority of the surviving St. John works
are reproduced here), and then John Coleman Burroughs,
some Frazetta and RG Krenkel, and comic book art.
These are out of print and rather expensive, running
from $300 to $600 for the set.
ART OF EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, Joe Jusko. (Paperback &
hardback)
Devoted to reproducing many of the illustrations done
originally for the card sets.
A Tzaran/John Carter pastiche may be published in late
1998 or 1999. No further word at this time.
GAMES BASED ON BARSOOM
======================
Heritage Models, Inc. produced a battle miniatures game
based on Barsoom in the late 1970s. There was a
BARSOOM BATTLE MANUAL and miniatures. They also apparently
produced an ADVENTURE GAMING HANDBOOK (for RPGs). I have
no further information at this time.
A UK company called Hinchcliffe produced Barsoom miniatures
which were distributed by Heritage Models. Green Men were
supposedly 10-12' scale. The line was not finished as
it seems the Heritage figures replaced these.
I have read that TSR produced a Barsoom-based RPG in the
1970s (apparently before Heritage Models made their
wargame).
Some people have reportedly made their own miniatures
from scratch, especially for Green Men.
Simulations Publications Inc. published a board game in
the 1970s or 1980s. I'm told there were other games but
as yet have no information on them. The SPI game is no
longer available.
The Simulations Publications Inc game was called
John Carter, Warlord of Mars and published in 1979.
Designers were Mark Herman and Eric Goldberg. The game
included a map of Barsoom, a city, and an arena. It
was a quest-style RPG where each player ran a hero
and villain (as a foil to other player's heroes).
The game came with a 16-page booklet titled "The
World of Barsoom". The game box cover was done by
Don Maltz.
The SPI game had four scenarios: A hero-versus-villain
duel; a hero-roaming-city scenario; a strategic
planetary roaming scenario; and a military conquest
of all Barsoom.
The game was officially licensed and SPI claimed complete
faithfulness to the books. The game is no longer in
distribution. I'm told SPI folded in 1982.
I'm told there was an unlicensed computer game called "The
Sands of Mars" by T. Swartz released in 1988. It is
game #163 in the Eamon Adventurers' Guild's library. It
can be downloaded from
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/appleII/eamon/guild/dsk/dos33/edos3163.
dsk.gz
(also requires an Apple II emulator and
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/appleII/eamon/guild/dsk/dos33/edos3001.
dsk.gz
to run).
CHIPCO's Fantasy Rules! was supposed to introduce a Barsoom
supplement in June, 1998. I have no further information
at this time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
5]. Online References
A) News Groups
alt.fantasy.er-burroughs. See section 6-C.
Also, Burroughs' works can be discussed in
alt.fantasy, alt.pulp, rec.arts.sf.written,
alt.books, rec.arts.books, and
alt.fan.created-worlds.
There have been occasional threads about Barsoom
based gaming or miniatures in
rec.games.miniatures.misc.
B) Mailing/Discussion Lists
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain Of Friends List
(ERBCOF-List). Send email to:
LISTSERV@APSU01.APSU.EDU
[Note: That is APSU.]
Send one or more of these function commands to
the Listserver in the body of the mail message:
SUBSCRIBE ERBCOF-L
Subscribes you to ERBCOF-L. [Replace
with your own full name.]
UNSUBSCRIBE ERBCOF-L
Removes you from the list. [Replace
with your own full name.]
To participate in the ERBCOF-LIST discussion,
send your e-mail "post" [message] to ERBCOF-L
itself at:
ERBCOF-L@APSU01.APSU.EDU
[Note: ]
The Edgar Rice Burroughs List (ERBlist)
To Subscribe to the ERBlist listserver send
e-mail with the word SUBSCRIBE as the message
subject to
ERBList@worldnet.att.net
Moderated by Tangor
(bruce.bozarth@worldnet.att.net) To
Unsubscribe: email ERBList@worldnet.att.net
put UNSUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT line
The TARZAN-L list is devoted to discussion of
the new TV series TARZAN: THE EPIC ADVENTURES.
To subscribe, send the word 'subscribe' (without
quotes) to:
Tarzan-L-request@cuenet.com
C) Web sites
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Website
http://www.tarzan.com/
This domain has been sold to ERB, Inc. and apparently
a reorganization/redesign process is underway. For
now, the only content is a message saying the official
Web site will be coming soon.
The Barsoomian Blade
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5236/
Although it's main focus is Barsoom parody,
there is also quite a bit of stuff relating
other ERB worlds.
The ERB Web Ring Homepage
http://www.bolthy.com/erbring/
The alt.fantasy.er-burroughs Information Page
http://www.xenite.org/usenet/af_erb.htm
This site contains the charter for alt.fantasy.er-burroughs,
links to several Web-based Usenet interfaces that provide
fast, easy access to the Usenet, and links to a few of the
major ERB Web sites.
Talk About Edgar Rice Burroughs: A Guide To Burroughs
Discussion On The Web
http://www.xenite.org/talk/erb.htm
Tangor's Beyond
http://home.att.net/~bruce.bozarth
General ERB interest. Contains copies of the WorldFAQs.
D) Online services
No special forums.
NOTE: There is now a Message Board Directory
which provides links to individual Web-based
boards, message board providers, and large
indexes of boards. Some of these indexes
include Science Fiction and Fantasy boards
and may contain content of interest to people
who read the WorldFAQs. The Message Board
Directory is located at:
http://www.xenite.org/mb_direct.htm
E) IRC
None.
However, Jeff Long ("The Barsoomian Blade") has
set up a java-based ERBChat at this URL:
http://members.xoom.com/Elmo_Lincoln/index.htm
F) Comprehensive lists of resources
The ERBCOF-L welcome message, which is sent to
you after subscribing to the list, contains
bibliographical information, a brief history
of the ERB Circle of Friends, and contact
information for various ERB groups
and publications.
Other WorldFAQs posted in alt.fan.created-worlds
and alt.fantasy.er-burroughs are "Edgar Rice
Burroughs' Va-nah (Interior of Luna)", "Edgar
Rice Burroughs' Amtor(Venus)", "Edgar Rice
Burroughs' Pellucidar (Earth's Core)", and
"Edgar Rice Burroughs' Caspak".
The article ONLINE BOOKS: THE WORKS OF EDGAR RICE
BURROUGHS is posted occasionally to
alt.fan.created-worlds, alt.fantasy, alt.pulp,
and alt.fantasy.er-burroughs. It may also be
cross-posted to other groups like
rec.arts.sf.written and alt.books. This article
lists ERB books that can be downloaded from Project
Gutenberg and alternative sources.
Tangor has developed the ERBFAQ for ERBList and it
is posted to alt.fantasy.er-burroughs, alt.fantasy,
and alt.fan.created-worlds.
-----------------------------------------------------------
6]. Description
Barsoom is geologically as old as Earth but for
unexplained reasons developed intelligent life eons
before Earth did. The dominant races of Barsoom are
humanoids but they differ from us biologically in that
they lay eggs (being oviporous) in their reproductive
processes. They are also extremely long-lived (some
living to be nearly 4,000 Earth years of age) and
highly intelligent. The original races were the
First Born (Black Men of the South), the Okar (Yellow
Men of the North), and the Orovars (the White Men of
the Seas).
Ancient Barsoom had been covered by five great oceans,
of which Throxus was the greatest. Through the ages
the oceans dried up and the atmosphere began to wither
away. A fourth race of men, the Red Men, developed out
of the blending of the other three races. But the Men
of Barsoom were not the only intelligent species to
arise. The green Men increased in number and eventually
adapted better to the thinning air and dry lands than
the original races. They gradually took over the
ancient cities and the growing plains.
Most of the First Born retreated to the southern polar
region, where the lost Sea of Korus fed the underground
sea of Omean. There they made a refuge for themselves.
Some of the First Born settled in the lush valley of
Kamtol. The Okar fled north, ravaged by the green
barbarians, but finally found a refuge in the northern
polar region. The Orovars dwindled but a few survived
in three groups: the Therns, who also settled in the
southern polar area, the Orovars of Horz (the ancient
capitol of their world-spanning empire), and the
Lotharians, a small group of men who built a new city
of Lothar in a hidden valley. The Therns propagated
the worship of Issus throughout Barsoom, acting as a
secret priesthood. But they in turn worshipped an
Issus they never saw.
Issus, it turns out, was an extremely ancient First
Born princess who persuaded her people to treat her like
a goddess. The First Born and the Lotharians refused
to die, and effectively proved to be immortal. But the
Therns, the Okar, the Red Men, and even the Green Men
all came to believe they needed to sail down the Iss,
the last river of Barsoom which flowed to the valley of
Dor and the lost sea of Korus, when they reached their
1,000th year.
Despite the threat of the green hordes (which
developed into nations such as Thark, Warhoon, and
Torquas), the Red Men persevered in their efforts to
survive. They created huge atmosphere plants to
replenish the vanishing air of Barsoom, and built new
cities near the dwindling water supplies, creating
great canals that traversed the planet. They harnassed
the mysterious "eighth ray" which enabled them to create
large fleets of flying ships. Barsoomian technology
flourished in the hands of the Red Men, and the other
races took what was needed from them.
When John Carter arrives on Barsoom he rises to
prominence among the Red Men of Helium, marrying
Dejah Thoris, their princess, and befriending Tars
Tarkas, Jeddak (Emperor) of Thark. Through the
following decades the immortal John Carter and his
children lead the peoples of Barsoom into a
revolutionary period of peace, prosperity, and
increasing unity and friendship.
Barsoom is full of danger and mystery. The great
banths, huge lion-like creatures, the fierce apts
(white, centaur-like monsters), and the great white
apes are only the most well known perils. Every
line of hills on the horizon hides a lost tribe or
kingdom, and not all the nations of Barsoom have
developed or adapted the advanced technology Carter
finds in Helium. Nearly all men are trained in arms,
and they still favor the use of swords even though
they have developed much more potent weapons.
Burroughs presents a world rich in history, strange
creatures, mythology, legend, and intricate politics
unlike any other author.
-----------------------------------------------------------
7]. Maintainer Information FAQ owner: Michael Martinez
Last Updated: November 27, 1998
Some information was (knowingly or unknowingly) supplied by:
Pat Adkins
Jerome Bigge
doctorw
Fredrik Ekman
William George Ferguson
Greywolf
Huck
Iron Czar
Jeff Long
Tim Peterson
Mike Resnick
Pete de Rosa
Kyle Silfer
Tangor
Jim Thompson
Curt J. Wiederhoeft
George J. Wong
Bob Zeuschner
----------------------End of WorldFAQ--------------------
--
\\ // Worlds of Imagination on the Web
\\// RealName: Science Fiction and Fantasy Xenite.Org
//\\ [http://www.xenite.org/]
// \\ENITE.org...............................................
|
