At what cost progress?

Those who have read my novels might have noticed the recurring theme of recognizing the price that has been paid for progress. While I have been accused of being a luddite in my time, I certainly think that any price we have paid is well worth it. The ability to refrigerate food alone is probably worth any damage (real or perceived) that it has done to society.

That being said, I shall now begin my weekly ridiculous diatribe. If you are one of the half-dozen or so people who read this blog last week, you saw me praise Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter of Mars novels and specifically mention the strong female characters. While I appreciate a strong female lead like Thuvia, and love the fact that we see them more and more in today's media, I have to wonder what happened to the John Carter type?

Many people scoff or roll their eyes when I say that my favorite literary character is Howard's Conan of Cimmeria. A second favorite of mine is Flemming's James Bond. Both characters are often disregarded as one dimensional brutes who solve every problem with physical violence. Folks who take this view might have a point, but I ask you: Is that so bad? We have progressed as a society to the point where sensitivity and critical thinking are lauded (as they should be) but let us not forget that many of the major problems throughout history have been solved by men of action.

I am not advocating cracking fools over the head with a sword, but I fear the day that direct action has been driven so far from our collective consciousness that we become as soft as the people in Robert Howard's poem A song of the Naked Land:

"But our brothers still dwell in the sun-seared waste

And their sons are hard and lank;

They will hunt the wolf-pack that we chased,

And drink the water we drank.

They will know the hungers we once had,

While the stream of centuries runs,

Till they burst from the desert, hunger-mad,

To slaughter our slothful sons."

Robert E. Howard

as always, quotes and images used without permission. Come and get me coppers! But seriously, art by the late great Frank Frazetta, natch!

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The oldies are goodies

I have enjoyed many books written before I was born. Some are well-known classics (Lord of the Rings, etc.) and some have been less widely read (Romer's Fu Manchu series.) The men and women who wrote close to a century ago did so with a tone and sense of romance that is difficult to find in contemporary works. The haunting dread of Lovecraft, the relentless action of Howard, and the sere wit of Twain are hard to find. Every time a find a new body of work that is written in such an elevated style, and untainted by our twenty-first century social norms, I feel blessed. Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter of Mars series is the most recent such blessing.

With the lofty elegance of tone mentioned above, Burroughs recounts the tale of one John Carter of Virginia as he is transported to the planet Barsoom (Mars) and has various adventures. The first three novels in the series are told from the first person perspective, and though the story sometimes strains under the weight of such a restricted point of view, I found it easy to envision Barsoom through the eyes of a confederate veteran of the American civil war. I hesitate to give any more information lest I ruin the story for those like me who have gone their entire lives without reading this fantasy classic.

John Carter is a man who is unapologetically drawn in heroic proportions. Deja Thoris, the female love interest displays all of the qualities of a strong female character, which is somewhat surprising considering the time in which the stories were written. I have read books published in the 1960's which depicted females with far less depth than Burroughs did fifty years before (I'm looking at you, Ian Flemming.) Descriptions of the differing races populating the Martian surface show none of the racism which often salts older works of fiction (Sax Romer, I see you trying to slink out the back). Instead, Burroughs offers us a look at strange races which have their own identities and a truly alien perspective. The fantastic locations and impressively developed world always leaves me guessing as to what will happen next. Say what you will about the stories, formulaic they are not.

As you can see, I give the John Carter of Mars series two thumbs up. I only wish I was a Thark so I could make it four! If I were to work diligently for the next fifty years. I despair that my own stories will ever be half so good. Until next time, Kaor!