Llana of Gathol

Nice SiFi/adventure read. But that is to be expected by the master of adventure. Very recommended

Not really a 4 star book unless you really like ERB & the Barsoom series. This is one of the best in that series.

I didn't realize that Burroughs was parodying himself until after I finished. In hindsight, the parodic elements were certainly present: three strange lost/hidden/secret cities, each with strict "no leaving" policies; a damsel in distress that appears apparently on cue; <i>yet another</i> poor deluded maid who falls head-over-heels for John Carter in time to render assistance in escape; and a seeming conga-line of swordmen (each claiming to be the best of Barsoom) for Carter to dramatically and extravagantly crush. But these elements are relatively subtle given the broad writing and genre. It's hard to take the standard Burroughsian action up the requisite notch to make it satirical.<br /><br />The book is constructed of connected short fiction, and while this keeps things moving at quite a clip--fifty pages to introduce the new problem, work with it, and eliminate it--it sacrifices depth. I would like to know more about the nearly-abandoned secret city of Horz, its inhabitants dwelling within a hidden citadel against discovery by Green Martian raiders, or more development of the dastardly Hin Abtol, whose mad dreams of conquest drive him to lead a ragtag, disloyal horde of scavenged, obsolete warships against the city of Gathol from the greenhouse city of the polar region.

Maybe a 3.25; probably not quite a 3.5. This is one of Burroughs' late-period books, written as a series of four linked novelettes -- he did the same thing with late Tarzan, Venus and Pellucidar books. John Carter is the narrator again; he gets involved in a series of adventures mostly involving nations of red and black men who live near Mars' north pole (home of the yellow men in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/841974.The_Warlord_of_Mars__Barsoom___3_" title="The Warlord of Mars (Barsoom, #3) by Edgar Rice Burroughs" rel="noopener">Warlord of Mars</a>).<br /><br />The stories themselves aren't bad; one thing I found jarring, however, was the frequent reuse of descriptive passages from previous books -- various Martian creatures' descriptions seemed taken almost word-for-word from their original appearances.<br /><br />Llana of Gathol herself, John Carter's granddaughter, is an engaging character although she gets little actual screentime.

This is an absolute joy. Burroughs must have had enormous fun writing this because it is as full of adventure as a pudding is of raisins. It is like reading one of the old movie series which would end with cliff-hanger after cliff-hanger. Heroes are threatened with certain death; beautiful, pure maidens are kidnapped and risk ravishment. Swords clash; airships are hi-jacked; pirates proliferate; dead cities are not quite as dead as they look. This is wonderful brain candy. It redeems much of the tedium of the books which immediately preceded it and leaves a delicious taste in the mental mouth. I shall read it again one of these days.

In this penultimate novel in the John Carter series, our hero discovers still more unknown tribes on the red planet. <br /><br />The evil Hin Abtol, self described Jeddak of Jeddaks in the north, is bent on conquering all of Barsoom and claiming John Carter's grandaughter, Llana of Gathol in the bargain. <br />From the lost city of Horz, to a tribe that has created a pill to make themselves invisible, John Carter fights his way back to Helium with Llana in tow, meeting steadfast companions along the way.<br /><br />Another in an always enjoyable series.

Más que un libro, son como tres libros. Tres aventuras con un hilo conductor: salvar a la mujer. De nuevo John Carter necesita disponer de tiempo y alejarse de su lujosa vida, con la mujer más hermosa de todo el universo para ir a buscar pelea: este tío es tonto.<br /><br />Afortunadamente el autor sabe guiar las aventuras y de forma fluida nos transporta de una tribu a otra, utilizando los esquemas de anteriores libros. Nos vuelve a refrescar conocimientos de Barsoom como si fuésemos noveles y aparecen personajes antiguos con nuevas facetas. Una vuelta más a las aventuras.<br /><br />En este libro se desvela el misterio de porqué Barsoom parece un mundo infinito, mucho más grande que el propio júpiter. La teoría no se sustenta, pero bueno, es fantasía y se acepta tal como es. Pues está saga hay que leerla con la sangre necesitada de aventuras. Los personajes femeninos continúan siendo premios ornamentales.

As the series nears its end, the dialogue shows some flashes of wit, and John Carter is less emotionally obtuse than he's been. The usual pulpy fun, with some terrific world-building alongside duels that we're told from the start pose not the slightest danger to the protagonist, and so aren't as gripping as they might have been. The climactic fight is oddly sadistic for the series, though the bad guy certainly deserves what's coming to him, and the denouement is nicely handled.

Although this novel exasperated the level of unlikely chance occurring, it still featured John Carter of Mars in his finest as both a master swordsman and a cunning tactician. The author, looking on how to expand his stable of unique people on Mars tested the limit of credulity with the invisible people. They seemed so silly.

The penultimate book in the adventures of John Carter of Mars. This features four interconnected novelettes detailing Carter's adventures with his granddaughter, Llana of Gathol. By this time, it's clear Burroughs knew his characters well and was having fun with them. More tongue-in-cheek humor in this one than earlier books in the series. Three of the novellas follow essentially the same plot, but the fun comes from the way Burroughs mixes up the details.