At the end of the first book (also the movie John Carter) John Carter is transported back to earth. He lives on earth for 10 years trying to get back to Mars. The Gods of Mars is the story of his second visit to Mars.
Upon arrival on Mars, John Carter is met with savage tree like species that eats humans. After getting away from these Plant Men, he finds Tars Tarkas (his old ally from his previous adventure on Mars) and they try to escape from the Therns - who are the gods of Mars.
Apparently, when one is ready to die, they go to the Valley of the Gods to die. What REALLY happens here is that they are met by the Plant Men and if they survive this, they are usually taken in as slaves to the Therns. It is believed that anyone who returns from the Valley of the Gods should be killed because they are a monstrosity to everyone around them.
But escape from the Valley of the Gods and returning to Helium is just what John Carter and Tars Tarkas set out to do. This story is about their adventures on the way back to Helium.
One thing of note about this book is that a race of black Martians is featured prominently in this book. They are free and in fact are warriors and masters with their own slaves. I would like to have been around in 1913 when this book was written to hear the controversy surrounding the black martians. I believe there must have been some controversy since 1913 was only 30 some add years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Just as I enjoyed The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I found this book enjoyable because it is science fiction and because it is a tale about the heroic John Carter and his friend Tars Tarkas. If you have seen the movie John Carter or read the book noted above, then you will enjoy this further adventure.
You can even get the Kindle edition for free here.
Rating: 8 / 10
Edition: E-Edition