
THE CHESSMEN OF MARS
PRELUDE - JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH
CHAPTER I - TARA IN A TANTRUM
CHAPTER II - AT THE GALE'S MERCY
CHAPTER III - THE HEADLESS HUMANS
CHAPTER IV - CAPTURED
CHAPTER V - THE PERFECT BRAIN
CHAPTER VI - IN THE TOILS OF HORROR
CHAPTER VII - A REPELLENT SIGHT
CHAPTER VIII - CLOSE WORK
A quiet evening in a library turns extraordinary when a bronze‑clad stranger materializes at the chess table. The newcomer, unmistakably the legendary Warlord of Barsoom, greets the narrator with a familiar hand‑shake, his ageless presence defying the years that have passed on Earth. He explains that he has finally mastered the ability to bring Martian objects into our world, a breakthrough that has allowed him to appear here in the armor and weapons of his home planet.
Beyond the marvel of his arrival, the conversation drifts to his timeless love for Mars, his wife and children, and a peculiar game that mirrors chess yet uses a hundred squares and twenty pieces per side. He hints at a dramatic tale involving a woman named Tara, promising a story that intertwines love, honor, and the fierce contests of the Red Planet. Listeners are invited to step into this first act, where mystery and adventure begin to intertwine across worlds.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (483K characters)
Series
Barsoom series, 5
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Judy Boss
Release date
1998-01-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1875–1950
Best known for creating Tarzan and John Carter, he helped shape modern adventure fiction with fast-moving stories that carried readers from jungle canopies to the surface of Mars. His novels mixed cliffhanger excitement with a huge sense of wonder, and they still influence fantasy and science fiction today.
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