Rene Hasekamp

I cannot give this book (#8 from the Barsoom series) more than 3 stars. Why? Because - contrary to most of the preceding Barsoom books - this story could for 80% or more have been set on Earth (or anywhere in the Universe, if it comes to that). All the characters (with the exception of one newly 'invented' one) behave like Earth people and there are even hardly any non-earthly events or settings. The inhabitants of this book eat in eathouses, walk home through small streets, the houses have doors and windows, that are not different from the ones in my house, people even knock on them when they want to come in etc. etc. This really is a pity! I liked the former books because of their SF aspects, especially because of the strange creatures with strange un-earthly habits. Another disappointment is that the book stops suddenly. Confronted with the villains, John Carter is at the point of simply believing them in their obvious lies, and while he is walking away to make another journey to find his missing Princess, she suddenly appears as a 'deus ex machina'. And that is it. The book is finished. No real climax, nothing. In fact - given my criticism above - two stars would an adequate rating, but the Barsoom series as a whole, of which his book is part after all, makes this unreasonable.