The Monster Men

By Edgar Rice Burroughs and Roderick Lancaster

Book Overview

"The Monster Men" is a pulse-pounding science fiction adventure that delves into the ethics of biological experimentation and the nature of the human soul. Set deep within the treacherous jungles of a remote island near Borneo, the narrative follows the brilliant yet obsessed Professor Arthur Maxon. Seeking to create a perfect human being through chemical synthesis, Maxon succeeds only in producing twelve grotesque, mindless failures. His thirteenth attempt, however, results in a specimen that appears human in every way, yet lacks a documented past.

The arrival of Maxon's beautiful daughter, Virginia, adds a layer of peril to the secret laboratory. As she becomes the target of both unscrupulous pirates and the primal instincts of the professor's creations, a struggle for survival ensues. Amidst the chaos of headhunters and jungle predators, the mysterious Number Thirteen must prove whether he is a soulless automaton or a man capable of courage and love. Written by the master of adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs, "The Monster Men" is a haunting tale of identity and ambition, blending the "mad scientist" trope with the high-stakes action of a classic lost-world romance. It remains a foundational work of early twentieth-century speculative fiction.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 102585232X
• ISBN13: 9781025852324
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.7" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Man or Monster?

This book by Edgar Rice Burroughs was published in 1929. The plot concerns a Professor Maxon, who travels to a remote island to attempt to create an artificial man. The first twelve attempts to create a man result in the "monster men" of the title; ugly, misshapen, muscular brutes. Success is finally achieved with "Number Thirteen", who comes out looking like a handsome bodybuilder. There is a beautiful girl in the story, naturally, she being Maxon's daughter Virginia. Virginia ends up in a love triangle with Number Thirteen and Maxon's assistant, Dr. Von Horn. This being Burroughs, Virginia ends up being kidnapped by the "natives", and for much of the book her "suitors" try to rescue her. Some people may be bothered by the character of the cook, Sing, who is an elderly "Chinaman" (as Burroughs calls him). He speaks with a very stereotypical "Me so solly" accent; but he is characterized as being brave, honorable, intelligent and a good fighter; so he could have come off worse. Overall, this is an entertaining example of the "pulp fiction" that Burroughs wrote better than any of his rivals.

Tarzan Meets Frankenstein

If you are looking for an adventure story from a simpler time; something suitable for an early adolescent to read or just to bring back a more naïve time from your own youth, Burroughs is definitely prime material. This story is no exception, it follows the tried and true formula for ERB adventure - introduction, boy saves girl, boy loses girl, boy fights to regain girl, ..., boy gets girls and lives happily ever after.The story centers on Doctor Maxon, a scientist who has discovered the secret of creating human life, albeit imperfectly, until he succeeds beyond his fondest aspirations with number thirteen. Throw in the requisite evil guys, the scientist's beautiful daughter and you have the makings of the story.However, like many of Burroughs' stories there is an underlying message, sometimes it isn't buried very deep or a message of much import in out time, but it is usually there. This book explores questions that have been covered by other authors from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein to Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Does created human life have a soul? Should man be messing in the art of creating life? You may not find the answers here, but you at least find the questions. P-)

Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The work is written in the pictorial style of Burroughs.Each sentence contains a vivid and generally horrificvision which reinforces the story as it marches on.In this case, the main character is a scientist who delightsin creating human life and seeks perfection in the 13thcreation. This is a good work for students in mid-high school.By that time, they are mature enough to place the book inits proper context. Burroughs has an almost perfect commandof the English language. Few words are wasted. Every wordmoves the reader onto the next until the full picturebecomes evident somewhere later in the story. I likeBurroughs because his writings have a solid grammaticalstructure and advanced vocabulary. This is needed fortoday's students because they struggle to articulate eventhe most basic concepts. Burroughs is not entirelypolitically correct; however, his works are a treasure chestof our language and what used to be called "The King's English" .

Burroughs' version of "Frankenstein"

This book is good escapist entertainment. This novel stands alone (it is not part of a series). To some extent I agree with a previous review that the ending could have been better ... it's a bit sudden and flat. That does not detract from the book as a whole being an excellent read. The plot line is implausible, but the action is fast and the moral dilemmas are intriguing. I first read this book as a teen-ager, then re-read it in my forties. It was still fun, even though I knew what was coming.

Quirky blend of science fiction and jungle danger

Burroughs wrote a lot of fiction for the pulps of his times, and followed a formula: girl gets in trouble, is saved by the hero, is lost to the hero, is captured/abducted by an evil force, and the hero spends the rest of the novel trying to find her and thus reclaim his love.In this story, Professor Maxon has set off to a secluded island to proceed in an experiment in hubris -- the creation of "human" life -- so that his daughter, Virginia, can marry the perfect man. His ultimate project -- Number Thirteen -- exceeds his wildest expectations. But the other 12 examples of his work -- the "monster men" of the title -- leave much to be desired.Rather modern issues that, in light of the recent debate over cloning, are quite topical are discussed here: science and technology, human greed, creation of new life, elements of hubris. But it is a broad canvas onto which Burroughs paints one of his more common themes. Still, for a non-series Burroughs title, this is an enjoyable read; bubble gum for the mind that even after 70 years still manages to deliver the goods.This book has one of the best opening paragraphs you'll ever read:"As he dropped the last grisly fragment of the dismembered and mutilated body into the small vat of nitric acid that was to devour every trace of the horrid evidence which might easily send him to the gallows, the man sank weakly into a chair and throwing his body forward upon his great, teak desk buried his face in his arms, breaking into dry, moaning sobs."