The Chessmen of Mars , the fifth installment in the Martian series , was originally serialized in six parts in Argosy All-Story Weekly before being published as a novel in 1922. It introduces Tara, Princess of Helium, the headstrong daughter of John Carter, the Warlord of Mars. Just like the rest of the novels in the series, this one is packed with imaginative characters and locations. In true Barsoomian fashion, Burroughs regales us with an action-packed adventure: planet-shaking storms, daring swordfights, horrific dungeons, complex alien cultures, and wild escapes. While the story may be considered a standard pulp adventure, it also introduces a bit of philosophy by exploring the connection between the mind and the body. Of special note is Jetan, or Martian chess, which holds a central place in the storyline. Burroughs includes an appendix so that interested readers may play the game themselves. Edgar Rice Burroughs (died 1950) was an influential writer of the modernist period. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. Fantastical literature has always allowed writers to explore human truths through the lens of the impossible and the magical. The Chessmen Of Mars draws on mythology, folklore, and pure invention to construct a world that illuminates our own.
