A Princess of Mars vs The Chessmen of Mars: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Dejah Thoris, Barsoom, Carter, John Carter, Classic Literature, Science Fiction
A Princess of Mars
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I am a very old man; how old I do not know. Possibly I am a hundred, possibly more; but I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men, nor do I remember any childhood. So far as I can recollect I have always been…
The Chessmen of Mars
“TARA of Helium rose from the pile of silks and soft furs upon which she had been reclining, stretched her lithe body languidly, and crossed toward the center of the room, where, above a large table a bronze disc depended from the low ceiling.”
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SHEA had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, I had gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twitting him with this indication of failing mentality by calling his attention to the nth time to…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Princess of Mars has the widest readership — 61546 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| A Princess of Mars | The Chessmen of Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (61546) | 3.8 (8291) |
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | 3.6 (20) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (319) | 5.0 (18) |
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Reception
| A Princess of Mars | The Chessmen of Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 61546 | 8291 |
| Editions | 456 | 313 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 41667 | 4769 |
| Reading it now | 4383 | 436 |
| Written reviews | 4597 | 355 |
| Wikipedia attention | 16428 | 1481 |
| Pages | 184 | 234 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Princess of Mars or The Chessmen of Mars?
The Chessmen of Mars has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Chessmen of Mars 3.8/5, A Princess of Mars 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Princess of Mars or The Chessmen of Mars?
A Princess of Mars is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: A Princess of Mars (184 pages, ≈ 3 h 24 m); The Chessmen of Mars (234 pages, ≈ 4 h 20 m).
Which is harder to read: A Princess of Mars or The Chessmen of Mars?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Princess of Mars: Challenging; The Chessmen of Mars: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
A Princess of Mars: 3 film adaptations; The Chessmen of Mars: no film adaptation on record.