The sun., 1918-12-08
"The Gods of Mars"
By GORDON B. MOSS.

Il Edgar Rice Burroughs has been at
work again and the result is The Gods Of
Mars, literary monstrosity.
In his latest book Mr.. Burroughs out
does himself in creating hideous men and
beasts, inhabitants of Mars, on which
planet John Carter of Virginia again finds
himself after an absence of ten years. The
Gods Of Mars is purely sequel or a con-
tinuation of previous novel, and unless
one has read the foregoing much of the
story is vague. 1t was written for estab-
ished readers of Burroughs books, it Is
evident, for only they could appreciate
such a tale. A reader not familiar with
The authors type of story would IN
doubtedly lay it aside in disgust before
finishing 100 pages.
When Mr.. Burroughs wrote his first
notable story, Tdrzan Of the Apes, his
readers gasped, but swallowed the improb-
abilities of the tale. The well suspended
mystery concerning the actual parentage
of Tarzan, the man who talked and lived
with band of wild apes, was what held
their interest. Other Tarzan stories fol-
lowed, each little more fantastic than its
predecessor, until at last the author ven
tured on Mars. The inhabitants of that
planet-if such there undoubtedly
would rage at Mr.. Burroughs could they
read his revolving conception of them.
When the hero of the tale, John Carter,
awakens on Mars once more he is lying
upon the scarlet sward in a grove of trees.
He notices strange creatures called plant
men not far away, hideous monsters like
misshapen humans Without let Mr. Bur-
roughs describe one In his inimitatIe way:
'.Its hairless body was strange and
ghoulish blue, except for a broad band
Of white which encircled its protruding
single eye, an eye that was all dead white
pupil, iris and ball.
Its nose was a ragged, infamed circu-
lar hole in the centre of its blank face,
hole that resembled more closely nothing
that could think of other than a fresh
bullet wound which has not commenced
to bleed"
Pretty creature, WHAT Its arms were
homeless tentacles, with openings in the
palms for mouths.
Here Carter found his old friend Tars
Tarkas, green man, engaged In a fight
with some plant men and white apes. Car
ter joined in with his trusty long sword
and corno 4houcovd- of fbo oE,-oo $4,000
have been slain. But even two such val
liant warriors had to retreat into a hollow
tree conveniently provided with ladders,
which they climbed and pulled up after
them.
From the trcetop they reached golden
cliff and entering a cave fclnd they had
entered the impregnable fo~.ress of the
Holy Therrs, white race Hho believed
themselves immortal. After Staying sew
eral hundred ferocious banths, an animal
peculiar to Mars and far more terrible
than a tiger, they fought the Therns, and
fought and fought so consistently that the
story becomes an orgy of Staying. Finally
they fought their way to the gardens on
top of the cliff and after more fighting
Carter found himself a prisoner of the
First Born of Mars, race of ebony black
men, who live In strange subterranean
world of their own. Here he INDUCES in
more fighting of plain and fancy varieties
and finally escapes with red Marian in
an airplane.
Throughout his adventures it was Car
ter's desire TO find his beautiful bride of
ten years ago, the Princess Dejah Thoris.
He is finally successful, only to lose sight
of her in a manner that threatens sequel
to this already Overdrawn tale
: Any attempt to produce love interest
between human and a creature of such
a weird environment as the author creates
cannot but be unnatural and repulsive,
but Mr. Burroughs doesn't mind
L II