A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Nineteenth and early 20th century science-fiction intrigues me to no end, so obviously the idea of tossing A Princess of Mars into a classroom sounds appealing. Along with Jules Verne and H.G. Wells (of whom I am quite a fangirl!), Edgar Rice Burroughs should be thought of as the genre's first gems. A Princess of Mars kicks off the Barsoom series, which follows the exploits of Civil War veteran John Carter (of Virginia) as he transitions from prisoner to beloved Martian leader. It's pure fun, to be honest, and the heavy influence on other illuminaries like Carl Sagan and Ray Bradbury make it ideal for comparative literature courses.

Seeing as how it was first published back in 1922, heroine Dejah Thoris spends the better part of the book playing the damsel in distress who occasionally enjoys moments of butt-kickery. So action girl fans might find themselves disappointed by this, but Burroughs deserves some applause for letting her have a little fun considering the time context. Beyond that, A Princess of Mars eloquently delivers a fabulously straightforward adventure story that hits all the expected romance-and-danger-and-friendship-for-everyone notes. It's a simple, quick read laden with heavily descriptive prose.

Burroughs' strength lay in his piquant imagination, though more contemporary readers (such as myself) might find him occasionally overwrought since we're generally more accustomed to sparser writing. For the most part, this heightens the overarching sense of breathless wonder, but every once in a while I wanted to gently set the book down and stare glass-eyed at a blank sheet of paper instead. It gets overwhelming at times, but at the same time I doubt Princess of Mars would prove even one iota as epic of the author decided to get his Hemingway on instead.