This sequel to A Princess Of Mars continues the story of John Carter, Civil War soldier, who finds his way back to the red planet ten years after the original story. Without the need of a setup, Burroughs digs right into the action. It is dumb fun with an emphasis on the type of square-jawed heroics that seem almost more comical than cliche, but I can excuse the shallowness of the action for the sheer creativity that Burroughs brings to the story, such as it is. This is similar to watching the 1930s Flash Gordon serial, cliffhanger included, and if you like that sort of thing you would probably like this as well. Warning: you do have to wade through stiff dialogue lines, like this exchange between John Carter and the Black Pirate Xodar:
"Can you swim?" I asked him.
"No slimy silian that haunts the depths of Korus is more at home in water than is Xodar," he replied.