Publisher's Synopsis
The Gods of Mars is considered by most to be the best of the Barsoom series; it fleshes out the hero, introduces new races and gives us more history of the planet, all that and it's also one of the best attacks on organized religion I've ever come across. Published in 1913 in the pages of All-Story magazine this book is basically the second of what is really an introductory trilogy to the Barsoom series; A Princess of Mars and The Gods of Mars both end with cliffhangers and not properly concluded until The Warlord of Mars was released. Lucky for readers at the time Burroughs was a pretty fast writer with no five year wait between installments, I'm looking at you George R.R. Martin. The first serialized chapter for A Princess of Mars came out in July 1912 and the last chapter of The Warlord of Mars hit stands in March of 1914, all that while also working on Tarzan of the Apes.When we last left John Carter he had raced to the atmosphere processing plant in the hopes of turning it back on before the entire population of the planet asphyxiated, but just as he succeeded in opening the massive door to the plant he was whisked back to Earth. He then spent years trying to figure how to get back to his Mars and his beloved Dejah Thoris, until one day while standing atop a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and with outstretched hands he once again finds the strange power that draws him to the wonderful world of Barsoom. Only one small problem, when he arrives he's not at a location that he is familiar with. The surroundings are so lush with vegetation he at first wonders if he's been transported to a different planet all together. The good news is that he is in fact on Mars/Barsoom, the bad news is that he is in the Valley of Dor which is considered to be the Martian afterlife, and to return from Dor is considered sacrilegious and is punishable by torture and death.While taking in these strange surroundings he spots a boat coming down the River Iss, onboard are a group of Green Martians on their assumed pilgrimage to paradise. You see upon reaching 1,000 years of age almost all Martians undertake a pilgrimage along the River Iss expecting to find a valley of paradise; but instead they find in a veritable deathtrap, populated by bloodsucking plant creatures and the giant white apes of mars waiting for them. This is all overseen by a race called the Therns, a cruel cannibalistic society of priests who perpetuate the Martian religion through a network of spies across the planet. Those that aren't immediately killed by the ferocious monsters are either enslaved by the "Holy" Therns or eaten by them. Being this is a Burroughs story it should surprise no one that this particular pilgrim party contains someone John Carter knows, the mighty Green Martian warlord Tars Tarkas. With Carter at his side the two are able to fight their way through the horde of plant men and apes until they stumble upon a secret passageway into the Thern city. While there our two heroes rescue Thuvia of Ptarth, a Red Martian who has been a slave to the Holy Therns for years because of her unique ability to control the great cats Martian cats called banths.The Therns are white skinned, bald, but wear blonde wigs to appear as they once did generations ago, and this allows Carter to easily impersonate one of them by killing him and stealing his wig. With an army of Thuvia controlled banths at their side Carter and Tars Tarkas make for their escape, but things get complicated when the city is attacked by the Black Pirates of Barsoom. Calling themselves the "First Born" this race of Martians considers themselves a unique creation among Martian races, and worship the living goddess Issus. They raid the White Martian Therns carrying off girls as slaves just as the Therns took Red and Green Martians to be their slaves. Strangely enough the Therns consider the Temple of Issus to be their Heaven but it is in fact a scam perpetrated by the Black Martians.
