The Gods of Mars · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
The Gods of Mars
John Carter, having escaped the Temple of the Sun, finds himself in a strange and perilous part of Mars. He encounters the Plant Men and the White Apes, and is eventually captured and taken before the Holy Therns, where he learns more about the false gods of Mars and the oppressive religious hierarchy that controls the planet.
Chapter 2
The Plant Men
John Carter, standing on a bluff by the Hudson River in March 1886, feels the irresistible call of Mars and is transported across space once more. He awakens in a strange, beautiful forest on Mars, near an open sea. Exploring, he encounters grotesque plant men—tall, blue, single-eyed creatures with tentacle-like arms—who attack a small group of green Martians. John Carter witnesses the plant men's deadly tactics and realizes he is indeed on Mars, though in an unfamiliar region.
Chapter 3
A Forest Battle
John Carter and Tars Tarkas fight for their lives against a horde of plant men and great white apes in an unknown valley. After a desperate battle, they take refuge inside a hollow tree, but are besieged by their enemies. Carter explores the tree's interior and later discovers that the cliff face, when struck by sunlight, reveals veins of gold and precious gems, along with dark openings that may offer a path of escape.
Chapter 4
The Chamber of Mystery
John Carter and Tars Tarkas find themselves in a mysterious chamber after escaping the plant men. They discuss the shocking revelation that the Valley Dor, long believed to be a heavenly afterlife, is actually a place of horror and death. Tars Tarkas explains his pilgrimage down the River Iss, expecting to find peace but instead discovering the brutal truth. The two are then attacked by invisible foes and later by banths that appear from hidden doors. Using a mirror on Tars Tarkas's harness, John Carter spots a secret revolving section of the wall and floor, revealing the mechanism behind the attacks.
Chapter 5
Thuvia
John Carter awakens to the sounds of conflict and finds himself in a chamber with prisoners and savage beasts. After freeing a young red Martian woman, she helps him re-enter a horror chamber where Tars Tarkas is fighting for his life against banths. The woman, Thuvia, reveals she is a prisoner of the Holy Therns, who plan to feed her to plant men. She explains the therns' beliefs about the afterlife and the Temple of Issus. John Carter convinces Thuvia and Tars Tarkas to attempt an escape, arguing that the Valley Dor is a deception and that they have a duty to reveal the truth. They gather other prisoners and prepare to flee.

The Gods of Mars

The Plant Men

A Forest Battle

The Chamber of Mystery

Thuvia