The Chessmen of Mars

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Jun 2009 · The Floating Press

About this ebook

The fifth book in the popular Barsoom series, The Chessmen of Mars is a 1922 science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tara, princess of the great city state of Helium, is initially impervious to the courtship attempts of Gahan, prince of the city state Gathol. But when she loses control of her craft in a storm and is captured by the Kaldanes, horrific crab-like creatures who've sacrificed their bodies in the pursuit of intellect, the deeply smitten Gahan sets out to rescue his princess and prove his worth. But this is a challenge that may forfeit his life and hers, as he and his companions are forced to become pawns in a game of Jetan, Barsoomian Chess on a life-size board that uses the living as its pieces and the dead as its conquests.

About the author

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago. His father, George Tyler was a distiller and a battery manufacturer. Early in life Burroughs attempted to support his family in a variety of occupations, including railroad policeman, business partner, and miner. None of these proved successful. However, Burroughs had always enjoyed reading adventure fiction and decided to try his hand at writing. His first attempt, written under the pseudonym Normal Bean, sold very quickly and Burroughs' career took off. Although critics and educators have not always been supportive of Burroughs' writing, the characters in his stories have entertained readers for many years. Tarzan was the most popular, earning Burroughs enough money to start his own publishing house and a motion picture company. Another character, John Carter, is the hero of Burroughs' Mars adventure series. The continuing popularity of these characters has led some critics to reconsider the value of Burroughs' writing and to acknowledge significant themes in his stories. Burroughs died on March 19, 1950.