Finished reading “Mad Kings of Mars,” by Rob Dorsey. I didn’t buy my copy from Amazon, but received it directly from the author. I wanted it to be signed.

I confess that I delight in stories that take place on Barsoom. I love the original John Carter novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs and have written several articles and reviews about them. Fogotten Sea of Mars by Mike Resnick and John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel are outstanding.

This is the fourth book in his Barsoom Pentalogy series, the stories of Prince Darus, the second son of John Carter and Dejah Thoris. This series of books is not authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. I reader encourage the reader to read not only Dorsey’s Barsoom Pentalogy,” but the Barsoom novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well.

Mad Kings of Mars tells the tale of a group of small renegade city states ruled by evil and/or deranged self-proclaimed jeddaks (kings), which band together to attack Helium. Darus and his wife, Zurah, the hereditary

 ruler of the now destroyed Zodanga, battle to save Helium and the future of the planet.

Of course, the giant warrior woman, Elona Dayr, now assigned as a companion and guard to Dejah Thoris, is there to help.

To say more about the storyline risks spoilers, but Dorsey’s descriptions of aerial warfare are spot on. His experience as a pilot for many many years gives him an excellent understanding of how sky battles would actually be fought and his details are accurate and exciting.

This mixture of of adventure, battle, love, and intrigue shouldn’t be missed. You can buy hardcovers and Kindle versions. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mad+kings+of+mars&i=stripbooks&crid=22M7HQRHTOU6T&sprefix=mad+kings+of+mars%2Cstripbooks%2C191&ref=nb_sb_noss