Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I was captivated by Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was a teenager, and have read most, if not all, of his books. I didn't become aware of Otis Kline until recently. So I only got the first book, this one, to see if I liked the story. So many Burroughs copiers fail to impress me, as their stories are dull, two-dimensional pot-boilers.
Not so with Kline. He wasn't a Burroughs-copier, but was Edgar's equal in action, content and story line. If you like Burroughs, you will also like Kline.
One important difference I did take note of, about half-way through the book. Without getting into a discussion of Burroughs' plot twists and intersections, it also seems like every third chapter has a heroine about to be raped. As she is being dragged to an unwilling bed, the chapter ends. Then Burroughs jumps to another plot line and you are left wondering, until you have read several of his books and understand his technique.
Sure, enough, several chapters later, one of the heroes, on his own plot line, intersects with the heroine and her potential rapist just in time to prevent the dastardly deed. You can almost count on this happening four or more times in a Burroughs' novel. This doesn't happen in Kline's "The Swordsman of Mars," the only one of Kline's books I have read. With Kline, the heroes and their fair ladies fall in love and get happily married at the end, with no unpleasant scenes in the book.
Another thing I noticed. Quite often in Burroughs' books, the heroines are the fainting type, beautiful but unable to control their own destiny. In Kline's "The Swordsman of Mars," one heroine wields a sword just as well as the hero; and the other heroine, in her own way, is just as courageous.
Now, if only Kline's books were more available...
Not so with Kline. He wasn't a Burroughs-copier, but was Edgar's equal in action, content and story line. If you like Burroughs, you will also like Kline.
One important difference I did take note of, about half-way through the book. Without getting into a discussion of Burroughs' plot twists and intersections, it also seems like every third chapter has a heroine about to be raped. As she is being dragged to an unwilling bed, the chapter ends. Then Burroughs jumps to another plot line and you are left wondering, until you have read several of his books and understand his technique.
Sure, enough, several chapters later, one of the heroes, on his own plot line, intersects with the heroine and her potential rapist just in time to prevent the dastardly deed. You can almost count on this happening four or more times in a Burroughs' novel. This doesn't happen in Kline's "The Swordsman of Mars," the only one of Kline's books I have read. With Kline, the heroes and their fair ladies fall in love and get happily married at the end, with no unpleasant scenes in the book.
Another thing I noticed. Quite often in Burroughs' books, the heroines are the fainting type, beautiful but unable to control their own destiny. In Kline's "The Swordsman of Mars," one heroine wields a sword just as well as the hero; and the other heroine, in her own way, is just as courageous.
Now, if only Kline's books were more available...
