Summary
Summary of The Moon Maid
Key ideas
Key idea 1
One family carries the adventure
A line of men named Julian connects a voyage into space with the fall of Earth and a distant struggle against its conquerors. Across centuries, the family gives the story a continuing human thread even as the world around it changes.
The adventure begins with a ship that leaves Earth for another planet but never reaches its destination. What starts as exploration will become a love story across worlds and a warning about what happens when free people grow soft.
Key idea 2
A space voyage loses its way
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Key idea 3
The Moon holds a living world
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Key idea 4
Love gives Julian more to defend
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Key idea 5
Earth faces the threat from within
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Key idea 6
Red Hawk must unite scattered people
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Key idea 7
Freedom depends on courage and loyalty
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Key idea 8
The first adventure shapes later ages
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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
For readers who love early science fiction, fast adventure on strange worlds with a political edge, and love stories across worlds, and for fans of Burroughs.
What this book is
The Moon Maid is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and of the Mars tales about John Carter. It first appeared in magazine form in the early 1920s and was gathered into one book in 1926. Burroughs wrote it for readers who loved his Mars stories and wanted a new world to explore, this time much closer to home.
The book is built in three parts that follow one family over many centuries. A line of men all named Julian carries the story from a daring voyage into space, through the fall of Earth to an enemy from the Moon, to a distant future when a new hero rises against the conquerors. You get adventure, a love story across two worlds, and a hard look at what happens when a free people grow soft. Let us begin where the story begins, with a ship that leaves Earth for another planet and never reaches it.
In this summary
- 1A ship leaves Earth and loses its wayFree
- 2The Moon hides a world inside it
- 3Julian meets the Moon Maid
- 4The enemy from the Moon reaches Earth
- 5A fallen people and a hero named Red Hawk
- 6What the story argues and how it is told
Key point 1 of 6
A ship leaves Earth and loses its way
The story opens in a future that Burroughs imagines as peaceful and advanced. Nations have joined in a strong alliance, and the arts of flight have reached out beyond the air. A crew is chosen to fly a great ship named Barsoom into space, and the hero of the first part is a man named Julian 5th, who is part of this daring plan.
The name Barsoom will be familiar to readers of Burroughs, because it is the name John Carter's people give to Mars. The choice shows how Burroughs ties his tales together and how he wants the voyage to feel like a true successor to those earlier adventures. The ship is meant for a long flight, and the crew understand the danger.
The voyage does not go as planned. Trouble overtakes the ship, and the crew find themselves far from the course they meant to follow. They must act at once with what they have, and Julian is among those who must make hard choices about their small band.
This early part sets the tone. Burroughs writes plainly and quickly, with a crew of capable men, a clear danger and a strange place ahead. He gives you little time to rest before the first great surprise about the Moon.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What do Julian and his companions discover inside the Moon?
Right. “In Burroughs's version it is hollow, with a vast inner world below the crust.”Not quite. “In Burroughs's version it is hollow, with a vast inner world below the crust.”
Why does Burroughs suggest Earth's people become vulnerable to conquest?
Right. “In his telling, a people that grows comfortable and divided makes the conquest easy.”Not quite. “In his telling, a people that grows comfortable and divided makes the conquest easy.”
What must Red Hawk do beyond fighting his enemies?
Right. “He must find allies among scattered and wary groups and persuade them to stand together.”Not quite. “He must find allies among scattered and wary groups and persuade them to stand together.”
Questions about The Moon Maid
What is The Moon Maid about?
It is a three part science fiction novel about a family of men named Julian. It moves from a voyage to a hollow Moon, to an invasion of Earth by Moon conquerors, to a distant future struggle for freedom.
Who are the Kalkars in The Moon Maid?
The Kalkars are a warlike people of the Moon who prize power and conquest. They are the main enemy of the story and the threat that links its three parts.
When was The Moon Maid written?
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote it in the early 1920s, and it first appeared in magazine parts before being published as one book in 1926. It is fiction, not a true story.
Is The Moon Maid connected to the Mars books?
Only by name and spirit. The spaceship is called Barsoom, the name Burroughs's John Carter stories give to Mars, but the Moon tale has its own characters and plot.
Is The Moon Maid worth reading today?
It suits readers who enjoy early pulp science fiction and its quick adventure. The story and ideas about freedom remain clear.
