Résumé
Résumé de Gulliver of Mars
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love early science fiction, romance and the roots of planetary adventure, with strange peoples, rival powers and a magic-carpet journey to Mars.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
Gulliver of Mars is an adventure novel by the English writer Edwin Lester Arnold, published in 1905. It is also known under the title Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation. It sends an American naval officer to Mars on a magic carpet, and it was written when readers were fascinated by talk of canals and ancient civilizations on the red planet.
You get a fast, strange journey in the manner of old travellers' tales. There is a bored hero, a world of odd peoples and rival powers, and a romance that pulls him deeper into Martian quarrels. The book also shows how a Victorian imagination pictured another world before modern science fiction took shape. Let us begin with the man who wants to leave Earth.
Dans ce résumé
- 1A bored officer wishes himself awayFree
- 2A new world with many peoples
- 3Love and danger draw him in
- 4What the book shows and how it is told
Point clé 1 sur 4
A bored officer wishes himself away
The story opens with Lieutenant Gullivar Jones, an officer in the United States Navy. He is on leave in New York and has little to do. He is restless and wants something larger than the city around him.
His name is a signal. It recalls Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, the traveller who lands among strange peoples and judges them with a plain, practical eye. Arnold sets up his hero in the same spirit. Jones is not a scientist or a conqueror. He is an ordinary man of action with a sense of humour, ready to be surprised.
Then comes the unlikely means of escape. A carpet of eastern make, with a magic like that of the old Arabian tales, carries him off through space. Arnold does not bother with rockets or engineering. The method belongs to fairy tale, and that choice tells you what kind of book this is. It is a romance first, and a lesson in astronomy a distant second.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Gullivar Jones
- Gullivar Jones is a restless American naval lieutenant who travels to Mars and becomes Princess Heru's ally and protector.
- Heru
- Heru is a Martian princess whose relationship with Jones draws him into the quarrels of her world.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 72,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 45 min
- Listening time8 h
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about Gulliver of Mars
What is Gulliver of Mars about?
It tells of Lieutenant Gullivar Jones, an American naval officer who is carried to Mars on a magic carpet. There he meets strange peoples, falls for a princess and is swept into Martian conflicts.
Who wrote Gulliver of Mars and when?
Edwin Lester Arnold wrote it, and it was published in 1905. It also appeared under the title Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation.
Why is the hero called Gulliver or Gullivar?
The name recalls Swift's Gulliver, the traveller to strange lands. Arnold's hero is a plain observer who meets odd peoples, so the echo suits his role in the story.
Is Gulliver of Mars hard to read?
Not very. The plot moves quickly in episodes. It suits readers who enjoy early science fiction and adventure.