Synthetic Men of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs (1939)

Synthetic Men of Mars, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and published in 1939, is the ninth book in the celebrated Barsoom series. Set on the planet Mars – known as Barsoom to its inhabitants – the novel follows the gripping adventures of Vor Daj, a young officer in the Warlord John Carter’s personal guard, as he embarks on a mission to find the legendary scientist Ras Thavas. This installment blends classic planetary romance with speculative science fiction, introducing grotesque bioengineered creatures and moral dilemmas surrounding synthetic life.

Plot Summary

In the shadowed marshes of Barsoom, where monstrous reptiles glide through black waters and the air hangs thick with mystery, the legendary Warlord John Carter embarks on a desperate quest. Dejah Thoris, his beloved princess, lies broken and dying, beyond the skill of any surgeon in Helium. Only one name surfaces as hope – Ras Thavas, the Master Mind of Mars, whose controversial genius defies the boundaries of life and death. But Ras Thavas has vanished, driven from his island laboratory in the Great Toonolian Marshes, and all efforts to locate him have failed.

John Carter selects Vor Daj, a brave padwar in his personal guard, to accompany him. Their journey begins with confidence, but a twisted directional compass diverts them deep into the marshes near Phundahl. There, they encounter a band of grotesque warriors astride enormous, supposedly extinct malagors. The warriors are deformed, unnaturally built men – the hormads – and their leader, a sharp-minded officer named Sytor, takes Carter and Vor Daj prisoner. Among the captives is a young woman named Janai, whose poise and beauty stir something deep in Vor Daj.

They are transported to Morbus, a secret city on an island surrounded by endless marsh, hidden from the world and ruled by seven beings who once were monstrous in form, but have transplanted their minds into handsome Martian bodies. Ras Thavas, once the ruler of Morbus, now lives under the control of his own creations. With brutal efficiency, the Jeds oversee the mass production of the hormads – synthetic beings born from living tissue grown in enormous culture vats. These creatures, malformed and unstable, are driven by a plan to overrun Barsoom with a genetically engineered army, immune to pain and death unless dismembered.

Vor Daj and John Carter are tested in the great hall of judgment, where they must prove themselves in single combat against elite hormads. Through masterful swordplay, they survive, while others fall. They are assigned to guard Ras Thavas himself, a man now inhabiting a youthful, handsome body – the result of his own surgical prowess. The Warlord reveals his true identity to Ras Thavas and pleads for his help. Though imprisoned and watched, Ras Thavas agrees, out of a lingering sense of duty and perhaps pride in his skill.

As days pass, Vor Daj’s concern for Janai deepens. She remains a prisoner, desired by multiple Jeds, her fate hanging in cruel balance. Determined to protect her, Vor Daj conceives a bold plan. He volunteers to have his brain transplanted into the body of a hormad, sacrificing his form for the chance to remain close to Janai and find a way to rescue her. Ras Thavas performs the procedure, and Vor Daj awakens in a brutish, misshapen body. Yet within him burns the same loyal heart.

As a hormad, Vor Daj is named Tor-dur-bar, and is quickly enlisted as a guard. His newfound strength and loyalty earn him respect among the monsters, and suspicion among the Jeds. Meanwhile, Ras Thavas begins quietly preparing for escape. He is watched at every turn, but his mastery of science provides him subtle advantages. In the shadows of his laboratory, he breeds not just life, but hope.

Janai is taken to a remote laboratory, and Vor Daj – now her guard in a different body – gains her trust. Though she does not know his true identity, she senses his kindness and protection. Their bond grows amid the twisted halls of Morbus. As the Jeds accelerate their plans for conquest, transporting malagors by the hundreds and expanding their monstrous armies, Ras Thavas finalizes his design for escape.

With the help of Vor Daj, he engineers a mass distraction. A feeding riot is triggered among the lowest ranks of hormads, their gluttonous instincts overwhelming discipline. Amid the chaos, Ras Thavas retrieves a hidden airship. Janai is rescued from her captors, and with her, Vor Daj, Ras Thavas, and a small group of loyal captives flee into the marshes.

The voyage is perilous. Patrols of flying hormads search the skies, and the shifting terrain below offers no rest. But with Ras Thavas’s knowledge of the marshes and John Carter’s strategic brilliance, they evade capture. Eventually, they reach Helium, where Dejah Thoris still lingers on the edge of death.

Ras Thavas, back in familiar surroundings and with the tools of his former laboratory, begins the delicate work to heal the princess. Days pass, each one a battle between life and death. Then, the miracle unfolds – Dejah Thoris awakens, whole again.

But Vor Daj’s mind remains trapped in the body of a hormad, a prisoner of his own sacrifice. Though celebrated for his bravery, he longs only for one thing – to stand before Janai as himself. Ras Thavas, moved by the loyalty and love that inspired such transformation, undertakes the reversal. Vor Daj’s brain is restored to his original body.

When Janai finally sees him, recognition dawns. All that she sensed in the strange hormad – the gentleness, the courage – now stands before her in the man who risked everything for her freedom. In the golden light of Helium, as Mars spins silently above, their hands find one another, and the shadow of the marshes fades into memory.

Main Characters

• Vor Daj – The narrator and protagonist, Vor Daj is a loyal and courageous padwar in John Carter’s guard. Chosen for his devotion and martial skill, he embodies duty and chivalry, especially in his growing affection and protectiveness toward the captive woman Janai. His arc deepens as he navigates both the terrors of synthetic biology and his own moral convictions.

• John Carter (Dotar Sojat) – The legendary Warlord of Mars, Carter leads the initial quest to find Ras Thavas to heal his beloved Dejah Thoris. Noble, rational, and nearly unmatched in combat, Carter continues to be a symbol of heroic leadership and calm under pressure.

• Ras Thavas – Known as the Master Mind of Mars, Ras Thavas is a brilliant yet ethically ambiguous scientist. Initially ousted from his laboratory, he becomes a captive to his own grotesque creations – the hormads – and wrestles with the consequences of his scientific ambition.

• Janai – A noblewoman from Amhor, Janai is captured by the hormads and becomes the emotional center of Vor Daj’s journey. Her resilience and grace in the face of horror emphasize the human element amid the story’s bizarre and violent setting.

• Tor-dur-bar – A head separated from its body, Tor-dur-bar is a sentient hormad who, despite his gruesome form, forms a bond with Vor Daj. His odd charm and loyalty bring a strange, ironic humanity to the manufactured monsters.

• The Seven Jeds – Formerly grotesque hormads who transferred their brains into handsome Martian bodies via Ras Thavas’s surgery. They rule the city of Morbus with ambitions of world conquest, embodying themes of identity, power, and control.

Theme

• Synthetic Life and Ethical Boundaries
  The creation of the hormads and the grotesque biological experiments of Ras Thavas raise profound questions about the ethics of playing god. The idea of artificially creating life, devoid of beauty or purpose beyond utility or domination, critiques unrestrained scientific ambition and the potential horrors it may spawn.

• Identity and the Self
  From body-swapping to disembodied consciousness, the book explores how identity persists or is altered when the body changes. Vor Daj’s journey, Tor-dur-bar’s tragic condition, and the Jeds’ desire to inhabit more attractive forms all highlight how the self is perceived through both mind and flesh.

• Loyalty and Honor
  Vor Daj’s unwavering loyalty to John Carter and his developing bond with Janai spotlight the traditional values of courage, service, and integrity. In contrast to the self-serving ambitions of the hormads and Jeds, these virtues stand resilient.

• The Corruption of Power
  The rise of the hormads and their seizure of Morbus after developing independent intelligence serve as a cautionary tale. Power without wisdom leads to tyranny, and the horrors of their grotesque experiments underscore the consequences of unchecked authority.

• Beauty vs. Monstrosity
  The contrast between Martian elegance and the deformity of the hormads reflects deeper anxieties about appearance, humanity, and morality. The desire of the Jeds to inhabit beautiful bodies suggests that aesthetics and power are intertwined in their world, but also that monstrosity is often more than skin deep.

Writing Style and Tone

Burroughs’s prose is rich with pulpy grandeur and fast-paced narration, characterized by vivid imagery, elaborate world-building, and a flair for the melodramatic. The narrative, delivered in the first-person voice of Vor Daj, immerses the reader in Barsoom’s surreal landscapes, strange technologies, and fierce battles. His descriptions range from poetic depictions of Martian terrain to gruesome portrayals of scientific horrors, creating a rhythm that vacillates between wonder and dread.

The tone of Synthetic Men of Mars is simultaneously heroic and macabre. While it retains the swashbuckling optimism of earlier Barsoom novels, it is infused with a darker, more introspective mood due to the grotesque nature of its villains and themes. This contrast between the high romantic ideals of its heroes and the chilling experiments of Ras Thavas and the hormads gives the story a haunting edge. Moments of warmth and loyalty are deliberately juxtaposed with scenes of horror and deformity, amplifying the moral stakes of the adventure.