Books in the Barsoom series in order

A Princess of Mars (1912) is a science fantasy novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. It is also a seminal instance of the planetary romance, a sub genre of science fantasy that became highly popular in the decades following its publication. Its early chapters also contain elements of the Western. The story is set on Mars, imagined as a dying planet with a harsh desert environment. John Carter is a 2012 American science fiction adventure film directed by Andrew Stanton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on A Princess of Mars.

The Gods of Mars is the second of the famous Barsoom series. It was first published in All Story as a five part serial in the issues for January May 1913. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in September, 1918. At the end of the first book, A Princess of Mars, John Carter is unwillingly transported back to Earth. The Gods of Mars begins with his arrival back on Barsoom (Mars) after a ten year separation from his wife Dejah Thoris, his unborn child, and the Red Martian people of the nation of Helium, whom he has adopted as his own. Unfortunately, Carter materializes in the one place on Barsoom from which nobody is allowed to depart: the Valley Dor, which is the Barsoomian afterlife.