The Chessmen of Mars

By Edgar Rice Burroughs

Book Overview

Venture to the Red Planet with Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic "The Chessman of Mars," a thrilling adventure in the science fantasy tradition. This meticulously prepared edition allows readers to experience the timeless allure of planetary romance and sword and planet action.

On the fantastical world of Mars, danger lurks around every corner. Explore a realm where heroic adventure unfolds amidst strange landscapes and alien civilizations. "The Chessman of Mars" delivers a captivating blend of action and intrigue.

Perfect for fans of classic science fiction and fantasy, this enduring tale showcases Burroughs's masterful storytelling. Lose yourself in a world of thrilling escapades and discover why this tale of Mars continues to captivate readers.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1022973363
• ISBN13: 9781022973367
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Let the Games Begin!

I suspect that a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs aficionados have a fondness for his first three Martian (Barsoomian) novels: _A Princess of Mars_ (aka, _Under the Moons of Mars_, 1912), _The Gods of Mars_ (1913), and _The Warlord of Mars_ (1914).* But I believe that the two best-written Martian novels by Burroughs are _The Chessmen of Mars_ (_Argosy All-Story_, 1922; A.C. McClung, 1922) and _The Swords of Mars_ (_Blue Book_, 1934-35; ERB, Inc., 1936). They are Mars books numbers five and eight, respectively, out of a total of eleven books. To be sure, very few novels by Burroughs escape from a certain amount of silliness. But _Chessmen_ and _Swords_ are a touch more tightly written, a bit better plotted, and display a certain amount of imaginative pizzaz. I am reviewing the 1981 Ballantine/Del Rey edition of _Chessmen_ (cover by Michael Whelan), which follows the 1936 edition fairly closely.

WORTH NOT FORGETTING

Burroughs' Martian Series is worth remembering and rereading from time to time. I first read these books well over 50 years ago and they, and this book, have lost none of their charm. For the student of SiFi and S & S, these are a must read. Granted, the style is certainly different than todays books, but this is a plus. We need to read and remember it. That being said, these books are just simply fun to read. Recommend them highly.

If I could give this book six stars, I would do it!

More stories followed after this one in the Barsoom series but with one exception none of them really came close to achieving the incredible feat of tale-weaving that Chessmen of Mars pulls off. Thuvia was the first fully capable of Burroughs' Barsoomian heroines, but Tara of Helium despite her petulant and child-like attitude comes across as one of the strongest and most winning heroines of early 20th century fiction.She is equally matched by the courageous and totally dedicated Gahan of Gathol, a jed (prince) from a remote land who falls madly in love with Tara and throws all away to win her love. Tara and Gahan traverse half of Barsoom as they seek to win their way back to Helium, and all the while he poses as a lowly panthan (mercenary) because the haughty Tara has so many forgotten suitors she cannot even recognize him.The most imaginitive parts of the story take place in the land of the Kaldanes, bodiless heads which worship only intellect, and in the barbaric land of Manator. The Manatorians prey upon their neighbors, including Gahan's own land of Gathol. Tara's cold facade of indifference slowly melts away as Gahan braves peril after peril to save her from the clutches on powerful warlords, and all the while he believes she wants nothing to do with him.The best scene in the book comes when Gahan takes on one of the greatest swordsmen in Manator by playing a deadly game of Martian chess for possession of the princess of Helium. And once the action begins in the arena, it doesn't stop until the last page. By the time Tara confesses her true feelings, the reader is assured that Gahan is really getting a prize and not a pouty spoiled princess. Both characters show a lot of growth and resourcefulness in this story. It's well worth the money in any format.

Burroughs' Best Martian Tale

Conventional wisdom has it that the first three books of Burroughs' Martian series, "A Princess of Mars," "The Gods of Mars," and "The Warlord of Mars" form an excellent trilogy and all the rest of the Martian tales are quite poorly done in comparison. I disagree.I will cite two examples as to why "Chessmen" is Burroughs' best work in this series. [1] You can hardly conceive of a more ghastly creature than a spider-being who lives as a parasite on headless human bodies, but that is a perfect description of Ghek the Kaldane, one of the central figures of the book. Burroughs takes this repulsive monstrosity and makes him such a loveable character that you cannot help but like him.[2] Burroughs not only wrote a good yarn, he wrapped his tale around a striking boardgame that he had invented--jetan, or Martian chess. It's no real trick to invent a chess variant. There are thousands of them, and most of them are rubbish. What is so singular about jetan is that it is a good chess variant. I read "Chessmen" as a child, and after reading it, the first thing I had to do was make a jetan set and play the game. I whiled away several enjoyable hours with the game. John Gollon, a noted authority on chess variants, had a similar experience when he was writing "Chess Variations." He thought he'd include a chapter on jetan for some comic relief, so he made a jetan set and played a few games. He found jetan "quite good--very playable and interesting." He then pronounced jetan "not a mere novelty, but ... a respectable game."These two singular achievments (Ghek & jetan) are not the only details that make "Chessmen" so enjoyable. Gahan of Gathol (aka Turan the Panthan) makes for a satisfying hero, and Tara of Helium fills the bill quite nicely for a damsel in distress.The heroes are noble, the villians are wicked, the cause is just, and the action is nonstop. Great escapist reading.

Burroughs' Best Martian Tale

Conventional wisdom has it that the first three books of Burroughs' Martian series, "A Princess of Mars," "The Gods of Mars," and "The Warlord of Mars" form an excellent trilogy and all the rest of the Martian tales are quite poorly done in comparison. I disagree.I will cite two examples as to why "Chessmen" is Burroughs' best work in this series. [1] You can hardly conceive of a more ghastly creature than a spider-being who lives as a parasite on headless human bodies, but that is a perfect description of Ghek the Kaldane, one of the central figures of the book. Burroughs takes this repulsive monstrosity and makes him such a loveable character that you cannot help but like him.[2] Burroughs not only wrote a good yarn, he wrapped his tale around a striking boardgame that he had invented--jetan, or Martian chess. It's no real trick to invent a chess variant. There are thousands of them, and most of them are rubbish. What is so singular about jetan is that it is a good chess variant. I read "Chessmen" as a child, and after reading it, the first thing I had to do was make a jetan set and play the game. I whiled away several enjoyable hours with the game. John Gollon, a noted authority on chess variants, had a similar experience when he was writing "Chess Variations." He thought he'd include a chapter on jetan for some comic relief, so he made a jetan set and played a few games. He found jetan "quite good--very playable and interesting." He then pronounced jetan "not a mere novelty, but ... a respectable game."These two singular achievments (Ghek & jetan) are not the only details that make "Chessmen" so enjoyable. Gahan of Gathol (aka Turan the Panthan) makes for a satisfying hero, and Tara of Helium fills the bill quite nicely for a damsel in distress.The heros are noble, the villians are wicked, the cause is just, and the action is nonstop. Great escapist reading.

The Original and Authentic Magical Adventure

The Chessmen of Mars is, I think, the pinnacle of Burroughs career, and certainly the best of the Barsoom series. It's also one of the great science fiction romances of the Twentieth Century. As a boy, reading the typical John Campbell-influenced SF of the 1950s, nothing prepared me for finding this book (and about 30 other moldy Burroughs hardcovers) in my grandmother's attic. There's not an alienated child in the world who could read this book and not be struck deeply by the pathos and courage of Ghek the Kaldane, whose the real hero of the tale, rather than Gahan of Gathol, the golden boy who gets the girl.