The Moon Maid · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The Moon Maid 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
Part I: The Moon Maid
The chapter introduces the discovery of a mysterious Moon Maid, setting the stage for an otherworldly encounter that bridges Earth and the lunar realm.
Chapter 2
Prologue
The narrator recounts meeting Julian 9th's ancestor and sets up the story of the Kalkar invasion of Earth. Julian 5th and Orthis die in a mutual destruction, leaving Earth vulnerable to conquest by the Kalkars, who are transported from the Moon in vast numbers. The prologue establishes the theory that time is an illusion and introduces the lineage from Julian 5th to Julian 9th.
Chapter 3
The Flight of 'The Barsoom'
Julian 5th recounts his lineage and the history of his family's military service, leading to the construction of the spaceship Barsoom under the supervision of Captain Julian and Lieutenant Commander Orthis. The chapter details the discovery of the Eighth Solar Ray, the launch of an experimental ship, and the subsequent construction of a larger vessel. As the Barsoom approaches the Moon, the crew observes rapid-growth vegetation and debates the existence of animal life on the lunar surface. Tensions between Julian and Orthis are established, and the first signs of trouble emerge among the crew's stores.
Chapter 4
The Heart of the Moon
Norton discovers that the Barsoom is falling toward the Moon due to Orthis's sabotage of the Lunar Eighth Ray tank and the radio. The crew descends into a lunar crater, where they observe the unique internal environment of the Moon, including perpetual light from radium and sunlight, a thin atmosphere, and strange vegetation. The ship is caught in a circular descent within the crater, unable to alter course.
Chapter 5
III: Human Quadrupeds
The crew of The Barsoom lands on the Moon and discovers a habitable environment with air, water, and vegetation. They experience the effects of lower lunar gravity, leading to comical mishaps. After collecting water samples and analyzing them, the crew debates the possibility of lunar life. Lieutenant Commander Orthis, under arrest for his earlier actions, pleads for mercy, and the captain agrees to consider the crew's opinion on his fate.

Free preview

35 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

35 more companions → free preview

Part I: The Moon Maid

Prologue

The Flight of 'The Barsoom'

The Heart of the Moon

III: Human Quadrupeds