An Earthling on Mars:The Princess of Mars Book 1 of the John Carter Series

I'm sure everyone has heard of John Carter, since the movie was in the theater not so long ago. I remember thinking, "John Carter what the heck is that." However, I have now discovered it's based off a series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs--the same guy who wrote Tarzan. There are 11 books total the first one being The Princess of Mars, which by chance I downloaded when i discovered my new Smart phone had a kindle app, even though I'm more a I need a physical book type i said I'll take some free ebooks. and just downloaded some random classics only to find I had the first John Carter book.

The book is told from the first person. John Carter is an old man who has lived much longer then humans usually live and he fears his own mortality and so he is writing his story down. He states he will tell how he went on an adventure and how he died twice. He was an ex-confederate soldier who--with his friend--went west after the war to prospect for gold.  They found a rich vein and when his friend is heading out for supplies John Carter notices something isn't right as he was watching from a distance. On riding to inspect he finds his friend was apprehended and killed by Apaches. In trying to save his friend he ends up in the Apache camp and then being pursued. He escapes into a cave some strange noises emit from the cave and the Apache are terrified and flee. After blacking out and then waking to find himself naked and looking upon his own corpse  he flees and then finds himself drawn to Mars where he finds warlike races on a dying planet. He finds himself able to jump high and with super strength and he must use these new found powers to survive in this hostile world.

The story is very interesting but its written more like a journal of recollections where some incidents and things are explained in detail while other things are summarized briefly and time skips quickly at places. In fact there is no dialogue until about  one third of the way through when John Carter learns the language of Mars. The lack of conversation and the story pace don't take away from the story. Because it is someone recounting the past it seems appropriate. It's written just like someone remembers their life with some things being vivid while other things are just incidental and so you don't really remember much so just a passing sentence would do. It gives it more realism as an autobiographical style of writing.

I wouldn't say its the best thing I've ever read but its a good read. It's enjoyable and definitely fun to read. It's good science fiction even though the science that it was based off has been disproved in more recent times its still good fun. In fact I'm going to read more of the series. Fortunately the first 5 novels are available free in the Kindle free classics. So I fully expect to enjoy them.

It's a western but not a western it's Scifi: Science Fiction with Old West influences

So if there is one genre I have never liked it's the Western. Just ask my mom I would cry when i was 3 years old when she watched them calling the Cowboys bad men. On the other hand I really love good science fiction. I've come to find though that some science fiction has western influences.

One such series is Firefly. The short lived TV series that didn't even get to run all 13 episodes of itself on air. But the series has a serious cult following. The whole series has this old western type feeling. However, it is a really great science fiction series worthy of notice. I would have liked to see more about the whole conspiracy thing going on involving human experimentation. But Alas the series was cut short and the movie was kinda meh.

Next in line I'd put the video game series Wild Arms. I've only played the first game in the series so far but this game also has some old west influences. In fact one of the characters looks like a cowboy and uses guns. However, you also have aliens, lost civilizations, parallel worlds, princesses, robots, and magic all in one game. So it's a fantasy, science-fiction, western hybrid. The story is really good as well. I'm definitely going to get the next game.

Then you can't forget Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. You have an old west type setting with gunslingers and outlaws. But as you go though you realize this is like a chivalric romance. Roland and his band are knights on a quest. In fact you have references to Chivalric romances as well as Stephen Kings other works. There are references to the King Arthur Cycle, The Charlemagne cycle as well as Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. And there is nothing I like better then a tale of samurai or knights going on a quest and The Dark Tower gives me that even though it has a western feel.

Last but not least is The Princess of Mars, first book in the John Carter series. It takes place after the Civil War. John Cater and his buddy having left the south after being on the loosing Confederate side. They find Gold in the west. When getting supplies his buddy gets killed by Apache and John Carter rushes into things trying to save him. Somehow in escaping the Apache he finds himself on Mars. So in a way this is also a western but not a western. Afterwards you can still find some western elements but mixed into the science fiction. I've only read the first book so far but its definetly a great read.

So I have to say not everything with western elements is bad. You can have gunslingers in deserty dying worlds and find something wonderful. They could really be knights in disguise. Also all the titles I mentioned above have wonderful stories.