Warlord of Mars

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) was an American writer best known as the creator of Tarzan. He began writing fiction in his thirties after a number of unsuccessful business ventures, and his imagination quickly proved immensely popular. In the same year that he introduced Tarzan he also began the series that would become known as the Barsoom novels, set on a dying, vividly imagined Mars.

The Warlord of Mars was published in 1919, as the third book in the series. It continues directly from the events of the previous two, so listeners who have not read them may wish to begin earlier, although the author gives enough background to follow along. The story is a fast-moving adventure, with the energy of the pulp magazines in which such tales originally appeared. Its influence on later science fiction and fantasy has been widely noted, and readers have often cited the series as an early inspiration.

The recording has sixteen chapters and runs for around five and a half hours. It is read by two LibriVox volunteers, JD Weber and Kara Shallenberg. This is escapist fiction in the best sense, packed with duels, chases and wonders, and it is easy to follow while doing other things. Fans of classic science fiction will enjoy hearing one of the pioneers of the genre, and newcomers will find it a good point of entry to a series that left a lasting mark on popular culture.