After the long exile on Earth, John Carter finally returned to his beloved Mars. But beautiful Dejah Thoris, the woman he loved, had vanished. Now he was trapped in the legendary Eden of Mars -- an Eden from which none ever escaped alive. The Gods of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second of his Barsoom series. It was first published in The All-Story as a five-part serial in the issues for January-May 1913.[1] It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in September, 1918. Excerpt: For moments after that awful laugh had ceased reverberating through the rocky room, Tars Tarkas and I stood in tense and expectant silence. But no further sound broke the stillness, nor within the range of our vision did aught move.At length Tars Tarkas laughed softly, after the manner of his strange kind when in the presence of the horrible or terrifying. It is not an hysterical laugh, but rather the genuine expression of the pleasure they derive from the things that move Earth men to loathing or to tears.Often and again have I seen them roll upon the ground in mad fits of uncontrollable mirth when witnessing the death agonies of women and little children beneath the torture of that hellish green Martian fete-the Great Games. I looked up at the Thark, a smile upon my own lips, for here in truth was greater need for a smiling face than a trembling chin.

本作は、前作で構築された火星の神話体系を内側から解体する、シリーズ屈指の野心作です。バロウズが描くのは単なる冒険劇ではなく、偽りの信仰や古いドグマという巨大な壁に挑む個人の戦いです。ジョン・カーターの不屈の精神と異種族間の友情が織りなす熱量こそ、現代スペースファンタジーの原点たる本質的な輝きと言えるでしょう。 映像化作品ではその壮大な世界観が視覚的に補完されましたが、原作特有の「死の間際で見せる残酷な笑み」といった野性的な美学は、文字からのみ立ち昇る芳醇な魅力です。映像版のアクションを超え、一文ごとに潜む未知への畏怖と、神話に抗い愛を奪還せんとするカーターの魂の震えを、読者はより深く追体験できるはずです。