Held captive by grotesque bodiless heads, Princess Tara of Helium was rescued by a warrior who dared not reveal his name.

MY father, Andrey Petrovitch Grinyov, had in his youth served under Count Miinnich and retired with the rank of first Major in 17—. From that time onwards he lived on his estate in the province of Simbirsk, where he married Avdotya Vassilyevna U., daughter of a poor landowner of the district. There had been nine of us. All my brothers and sisters died in infancy. Through the kindness of Prince B., our near relative, who was a major of the Guards, I was registered as sergeant in the Semyonovsky regiment. I was supposed to be on leave until I had completed my studies. Our bringing-up in those days was very different from what it is now. At tlie age of five I was entrusted to the groom Savelyitch, who was told off to look after me, as a reward for the sobriety of his behaviour. Under his supervision I had learned, by the age of twelve, to read and write Russian, and could judge very soundly the points of a borzoi dog. At that time my father hired for me a Frenchman, Monsieur Beaupre, who was fetched from Moscow together with the yearly supply of wine and olive oil. Savelyitch very much disliked his coming. 'The child, thank heaven, has his face washed and his hair combed, and his food given him,' he grumbled to himself. 'Much good it is to spend money on the Frenchman, as though there weren't enough servants on the estate!'

Tara and Gahan are each Barsoomian royalty, residing in two prominent cities, Helium, and Gathol. Hoping to align the cities and enjoy the advantages of a romantic union, Gahan wishes to marry Tara. However, Tara does not reciprocate this love. After rejecting the engagement, Tara sets out in her flying ship. When she flies into a turbulent storm, Tara crashes her ship in an unknown territory. Unharmed but still in danger, Tara is forced to run from her ship to escape the wild animals of the area, falling into a trap. Kidnapped by Kaldanes, a group of Barsoomians with large heads and six crab-like legs, Tara must find a way to save herself before her captors achieve their plan of eating her. Meanwhile, perturbed by her disappearance, Gahan sets out to find Tara. But when he runs into the same storm Tara crashed in, his ship goes down, leaving him in a similar predicament. Through stealth, charm, and cleverness, Tara and Gahan are able to escape with their new friend, Ghek. When they find themselves in an isolated city, the trio are trapped once again, and this time, they’ll have to win a violent and deadly game to reclaim their freedom. Continuing the legacy of the mighty John Carter, The Chessman of Mars depicts a new generation’s adventures on the thrilling planet of Mars. With imaginative prose, romance, and adventure, Burroughs’ The Chessmen of Mars still fosters an exhilarating reading experience nearly one-hundred years after its publication. This edition of The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in an easy-to-read font. With these accommodations, The Chessmen of Mars caters to a modern audience while preserving the original wonder and adventure of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ work.

Impetuous and headstrong is Tara, Princess of Helium and daughter of John Carter. Tara meets Prince Gahan of Gathol, and is initially unimpressed, viewing him as something of a popinjay. Later she takes her flier into a storm and loses control of the craft, and the storm carries her to an unfamiliar region of Barsoom. After landing and fleeing from a pack of ferocious Banths (Martian lions), she is captured by the horrific Kaldanes, who resemble large heads with small, crab-like legs. The Kaldanes have bred a symbiotic race of headless human-like creatures called Rykors, which they can attach themselves to and ride like a horse. While imprisoned, Tara manages to win over one of the Kaldanes, Ghek, with her lovely singing voice. Fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial in the issues for February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1922. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in November 1922. "A daughter," he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thin air of dying Mars. Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be more beautiful than Tara of Helium." For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly. "We have a game on Mars similar to chess," he said, "very similar. And there is a race there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords. We call the game jetan. It is played on a board like yours, except that there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces on each side. I never see it played without thinking of Tara of Helium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom. Would you like to hear her story?" I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall try to re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord of Mars as I can recall them, but in the third person. If there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs. It is a strange tale and utterly Barsoomian.

This comprehensive collection contains: A Princess of Mars At the Earth's Core Jungle Tales of Tarzan Out of Time's Abyss Pellucidar Tarzan and the Ant Men Tarzan and the Golden Lion Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan the Terrible Tarzan the Untamed The Beasts of Tarzan The Chessmen of Mars The Efficiency Expert The Girl from Hollywood The Gods of Mars The Land That Time Forgot The Lost Continent The Mad King The Monster Men The Moon Maid The Mucker The Oakdale Affair The Outlaw of Torn The People That Time Forgot The Return of Tarzan The Son of Tarzan Thuvia, Maid of Mars Warlord of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs, American speculative fiction writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction and fantasy genres. His most well-known creations include Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars (Barsoom series) and Carson Napier of Venus (Amtor series).