Fun, pulpy, space opera. I can see where this is helping set the roots for that genre, and it reminded me of C. S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet". An ex-confederate soldier is "magically" transported to Mars where he lives, fights, and loves. The plot reads as a travelogue such as those relating adventures in Africa or Asia, except in Mars. This was an enjoyable story. Good pacing and action (except for, perhaps forcing the tension at the end), with a set of heroes that do grow along the way. He takes more liberties with the science than a lot of more recent science fiction, but given that he was working in an environment that was less concerned with that, and more concerned with the story itself makes it a bit easier to suspend disbelief. His examination of racial tensions is encouraging, even when juxtaposed with his imperialist view of the natives through John Carter's eyes. Burroughs laid out the points early for where the story would go, and wove those threads together well as the story unfurled. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next several books of this series.