Combining other worldly, adventures with elements of classical myth and fast-paced plots with cliffhanging tension, Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Martian Tales Trilogy helped define a new literary genre emerging in the early twentieth century: science fiction. In the first installment of The Martian Tales Trilogy, hero John Carter wins the affections of the princess of Mars and the respect of the Martian warlords whom he befriends. The excitement continues in The Gods of Mars, when Carter engages the Black Pirates in airborne combat above the dead seas of Mars and leads a revolt to free the Martian races from a religion that thrives on living sacrifices. In the third book, The Warlord of Mars, Carter overcomes the forces of evil that would destroy the planet.