An interesting culture in Manator for sure.
Will see if anyone is actually playing Martian chess (Jetan). ( )

I'm pretty sure this is the longest Barsoom book. It definitely felt like it. I started skim-reading about 100 pages in and only regained complete interest in the last couple of chapters. Princess Tara of Helium is great, like all princesses in this universe she has a tendency to get lost and kidnapped a lot. But she holds her own. My issue was actually the plot, it's broken up into Tara being held prisoner in two different Barsoomian societies. It could have been two books. The first society is one in which Barsoomians prioritize thought to the exclusion of all else and their bodies have physically adapted to that. This is written like it's a commentary on the dangers of intellectualism but its so absurd and extreme that I don't think a valid point ever coalesces. Tara's time in this society drags on for too long in my opinion and then she's off to a city that neighbors the city of a family friend. This section has more of the fast-paced storytelling I'm used to from Barsoom books. There's not much of a message, but there's a lot of political intrigue. I was already tired out by the first half of the novel though.

If I weren't committed to finishing this series and hopeful that the next books would be more enjoyable, I definitely would not have finished this. It was a low 2-star read for me, but the way things wrapped up in the end pushed it up to a 3-star for me. Tons of fun in those final chapters. ( )

The main characters of [b:The Chessmen of Mars|40378|The Chessmen of Mars (Barsoom #5)|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328773629l/40378._SX50_.jpg|1933207] are Carter’s daughter Tara and Gahan of Gathol, a prince of another kingdom. Tara is engaged and is outraged when Gahan declares his love for her because she is not attracted to him at all. She takes off in her flier, only to get caught in a massive storm which sends her flying off into uncharted lands. She's captured by the horrific Kaldanes, who intend to fatten her up for an upcoming feast. She wins over one of the Kaldanes, Ghek, and escapes. in the meantime, Gahan rushes to rescue the woman he's fallen for, typical in these Barsoom fantasy novels.

Gahan reaches the city of Manator where he taken prisoner by the inhabitants. Tara and Ghek are also captured. Eventually they are forced to engage in a duel to the death in a massive game that is reminiscent of Chess.

The Chessmen of Mars is a wonderful piece of fantasy, one that had me cheering the characters along in an engaging story with some genuinely fun and thrilling moments. ( )

Tara, John Carter's daughter, is swept off to a new country where she encounters creatures with separate heads and bodies, then is taken prisoner by other bad men. A handsome Jeddak works to rescue her. Story is "told" to an American by Carter on one of his trips home from Mars. ( )

John Carter's daughter gets kidnapped, a lot.

Indifferent. There are some interesting weird creatures early in the book. But most of it's garbage, with only Burroughs' ridiculous prose style to give it any entertainment value. ( )