The Gods of Mars

The story begins twelve years after Captain John Carter, of Virginia, was laid to rest in a mausoleum with instructions for an open casket and an interior-accessible vault. His nephew, the narrator, receives a telegram from Carter, apparently alive. Carter meets his nephew, explaining he has discovered how to travel between planets at will but his heart remains with his Martian princess, Dejah Thoris, and their son on the dying planet of Barsoom. He has returned to Earth to leave notes for his nephew detailing his experiences and discoveries, particularly concerning the secret of traversing space and his recent return to Mars. Carter's story, as gleaned from his notes, details his second journey to Mars. Arriving in 1886, Carter finds himself in an unfamiliar part of Mars, near a sea and a forest of exotic trees and strange birds. He notes the park-like appearance of the vegetation, suggesting intelligent cultivation. He soon encounters grotesque blue-skinned plant men, about ten to twelve feet tall, with single white eyes, no mouths, and heads covered in writhing black hair. These creatures feed by sucking vegetation through mouths in their hands. Carter witnesses these plant men attacking a group of green Martians, including Tars Tarkas, the Jeddak of Thark. Despite being outnumbered and armed with only swords, the green Martians fight bravely but are systematically slaughtered by the plant men's tails and talons. Carter, intervening, allies himself with Tars Tarkas, and together they fight off the plant men. They escape into a giant tree and climb to caves in the Golden Cliffs for refuge. Inside the caves, they discover a hidden chamber, locked from the outside, from which mocking laughter and voices emanate, causing them distress. Tars Tarkas reveals that they are in the Valley Dor, a supposed afterlife for Barsoomians, which he had hoped to reach to reunite with a deceased love. However, he discovers it is a place of deception guarded by monsters. Carter learns that the "Holy Therns" of this place are responsible for the deception and that the plant men and white apes are part of their system. They are then attacked by white apes and plant men, whom they fight off. They discover a secret passage and, with the help of a red Martian slave girl named Thuvia, they escape the initial danger. Thuvia reveals that the therns practice cannibalism and that she herself was condemned to death. She also explains the reincarnation cycle of the therns into plant men and white apes. With Thuvia's guidance, they arm themselves and attempt to escape through the subterranean passages. They navigate treacherous corridors, encountering the fearsome banth beasts, which Thuvia commands, and eventually reach the upper levels. Their escape is further complicated by the arrival of the black pirates of Barsoom, who prey on the therns and kidnap their women. Carter, disguised as a thern, manages to steal a flier, but his escape is hampered by the weight of Tars Tarkas. Carter sacrifices himself by jumping from the flier to allow Tars Tarkas and Thuvia to escape. He is captured by the black pirates and taken aboard their battleship. There he meets Phaidor, daughter of the Father of Therns, whom he rescues. He learns about the First Born, the dominant race of black Martians, who believe themselves immortal and superior. They are taken to the Sea of Omean, a subterranean ocean, where they are imprisoned. Carter learns that Dejah Thoris is being held in the Temple of Issus, believed to be a goddess, but in reality a wicked old woman. Carter, with the help of Xodar, a black pirate who has a score to settle with Issus, plans an escape. After a harrowing journey through underground passages and a fiery inferno, Carter finds Dejah Thoris in the Temple of the Sun, but she is shortly thereafter to be sacrificed. He rescues her from her prison, but their escape is complicated by the discovery that the Temple of Issus is burning and the pits are flooding. In the ensuing chaos, Dejah Thoris is separated from Carter, possibly taken by Phaidor or Thuvia, or lost in the fire. Carter, despairing, believes her lost, but later, after his own escape and reunion with his son Carthoris, he learns that Dejah Thoris was separated from him during the escape from the temple, and that her fate, along with that of Thuvia and Phaidor, remains uncertain. Carter vows to find her and seeks to organize an expedition to the Temple of Issus and the Land of the First Born, but the political climate in Helium, influenced by Zat Arras, presents obstacles. Their journey is fraught with peril, including pursuit by green warriors and internal dissent.