Summary
Summary of A Fighting Man of Mars
Key ideas
Key idea 1
A disappearance begins the adventure
A proud woman turns away a poor officer, then vanishes from her father's garden that same night. Her disappearance begins Tan Hadron of Hastor's adventure on Barsoom, the dying world its people call home. A young officer of Helium, Hadron tells his own story to the Earthman Ulysses Paxton.
His journey brings sword fights, flying ships and ruined cities into a world where strange inventions change the dangers of combat. A weapon can dissolve metal, and a ship can escape every watching eye.
Key idea 2
A rescue becomes a wider danger
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Key idea 3
Hadron chooses an unknown woman's freedom
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Key idea 4
A friendly destination becomes a prison
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Key idea 5
An escape reveals unexpected connections
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Key idea 6
Another welcome conceals a deadly trap
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Key idea 7
An inventor threatens more than Jahar
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Key idea 8
Invisibility opens a path to rescue
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Key idea 9
Danger tests love and personal worth
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
Readers who enjoy swords, flying ships, ruined cities and a warm love story on a dying red planet will feel at home here, along with anyone who likes a friendship that grows scene by scene.
What this book is
A proud woman turns away a poor officer, and that same night she vanishes from her father's garden. So begins A Fighting Man of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs's adventure on Barsoom, the dying world the people of Mars call home. Tan Hadron of Hastor, a young officer of Helium, tells his own tale to the Earthman Ulysses Paxton. Expect sword fights, flying ships, ruined cities, a weapon that dissolves metal and a ship no eye can see.
In this summary
- 1A poor officer loves a rich womanFree
- 2A strange weapon sends Hadron west
- 3A cornered man frees a prisoner
- 4A welcome in Tjanath becomes a prison
- 5A secret passage leads to Tavia
- 6A lovely city hides a madman
- 7The mad inventor's weapons and a ship no eye can see
- 8An invisible man crosses two cities
- 9What the adventure is really about
Key point 1 of 9
A poor officer loves a rich woman
Tan Hadron is a padwar, a junior officer, in the army of Helium. His family is rich only in honor. At a feast in the Warlord's palace he meets Sanoma Tora, daughter of his commander Tor Hatan. She glances at his insignia, sees only a padwar, and turns away.
Hadron falls in love anyway. Tor Hatan hungers for royal connections, so he invites Hadron to dinner once he learns of the royal blood from Gathol. After months of courtship Hadron speaks his heart. Sanoma Tora laughs and says she will not bind herself to a penniless officer, since Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar, has already sent an emissary about her.
Hours later she is gone from her father's garden. A slave tells of a silent ship with no lights. Tor Hatan promises her hand if Hadron brings her home, and Hadron races to the Warlord.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
Why does Hadron believe Sanoma Tora is being taken to Jahar?
Right. “A drawing of Jaharian harness matches what the slave remembers, so Hadron believes Sanoma Tora is being taken to Jahar.”Not quite. “A drawing of Jaharian harness matches what the slave remembers, so Hadron believes Sanoma Tora is being taken to Jahar.”
What makes Phor Tak a threat beyond his hatred of Tul Axtar?
Right. “He means to destroy Jahar, then Tjanath, then Helium.”Not quite. “He means to destroy Jahar, then Tjanath, then Helium.”
How does Tavia's relationship with Hadron differ from Sanoma Tora's?
Right. “Tavia asks for nothing and shares food, jokes, danger and a sword.”Not quite. “Tavia asks for nothing and shares food, jokes, danger and a sword.”
Questions about A Fighting Man of Mars
What is A Fighting Man of Mars about?
It follows Tan Hadron of Hastor, a young officer of Helium who chases the abductors of Sanoma Tora across Mars. He meets a slave girl named Tavia and a mad inventor, and he faces a tyrant with a weapon that dissolves metal.
Who is Tavia in A Fighting Man of Mars?
Tavia is a boyish slave girl who escaped from the palace of Tul Axtar in Jahar. She is skilled with swords and fliers, helps Hadron find his way, and becomes his closest companion on the adventure.
What is the Jhama in the novel?
The Jhama is a strange ship built in the castle of Phor Tak and coated with an invisibility compound. Only its periscope shows, so it lets its pilot slip past fleets and into palaces unseen.
Is A Fighting Man of Mars part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series, which began with A Princess of Mars. John Carter appears as the Warlord, though this adventure is told by a new hero, so it can be read on its own.
Is A Fighting Man of Mars easy to read?
Its plain, quick narrative moves from one clear adventure to the next. Short chapters, a first-person hero and clear explanations of Martian ranks and places make it easy to follow from the first page.
