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John Carter's multiple world spanning adventures have become legend in the annals of heroic, action literature. Battling hordes of enemies on the mysterious world of Barsoom, the Warlord of Mars has left his mark on classic literature that has inspired the stories and adventures that we enjoy today.

The novel itself has been around for nearly 100 years. It has withheld the test of time, comic book adaptations, low budget interpretations, and a much reviled but surprisingly well-made Disney film (that will probably be looked upon in later years as not as bad as everyone assumed it would be before it was released). I have no intention of reviewing such a classic piece of literature, suffice to say, the novel still stands up to this day, even with the few bits of dated cultural humor therein.

A Princess of Mars: The Annotated Edition & New Tales of the Red Planet, a new edition of the classic tale by Edgar Rice Burroughs, delivers the well-loved action filled storyline in its original glory. Containing annotations by Aaron Parrett, which delve deeper into the time period that Burroughs wrote, they give the fan and reader new insight into some of the historical significance and reasoning that went into the story itself. The book is peppered with stylish illustrations by Dan Parsons whose style is very reminiscent of Frank Frazetta.

In addition to the classic story, this edition contains six additional tales from well-respected writers in the field that add to the Barsoom legacy. Much like the recent Under the Moons of Mars, these stories take some of the well known, and lesser known, characters to expand on their adventures.

"A Friend in Thark" by Matthew Stover is a tale of a young Tars Tarkas and a defining incident from his youth. Daniel Keys Moran's "Uncle Jack" covers John Carter's legacy in the far future. In "The Whites Apes of Iss", Mark D'Anna reveals the story behind the mysteriously treacherous atmosphere factory keeper, and his final fate. "Gentleman of Virginia" penned by Michael Kogge looks at the early days of John Carter well before any of his fantastic adventures. Annotator Aaron Parrett's "Zero Mars" explores a brilliant Barsoomian doing the reverse of John Carter, traveling to Earth in the distant past. And "An Island in the Moon" by Chuck Rosenthal blends reality and fiction creating a strange new Mars for John Carter to explore.

For fans of the stories, this new edition is a wonderful way to bring back the experience of the first reading. For new readers, it's a great introduction to the series and a well-rounded starting point to enter the world of John Carter and Barsoom.

Science fiction enthusiast David Maddox has been Star Trek characters, the Riddler in a Batman stunt show and holds a degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University. He has written several articles for various SF sites as well as the Star Wars Insider and the Star Trek Communicator. He spends his time working on screenplays and stories while acting on stage, screen and television. He can sometimes be seen giving tours at Universal Studios Hollywood and playing Norman Bates.