 Dust-jacket ofLlana of Gathol | |
| Author | Edgar Rice Burroughs |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Barsoom |
| Genre | Science fantasy |
| Publisher | Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. |
Publication date | 1948 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Preceded by | Synthetic Men of Mars |
| Followed by | John Carter of Mars |
Llana of Gathol is a collection of fourscience fantasy stories by American writerEdgar Rice Burroughs, which were originally published inAmazing Stories in 1941. The first collected edition ofLlana of Gathol was published in 1948 with an apparently new foreword. It is the penultimate book in theBarsoom series and the last to be published during Burroughs's lifetime.
The stories inLlana of Gathol have a somewhat more humorous tone than earlier entries of theBarsoom series, and this book is considered to be an example of Burroughs engaging in self-parody late in his career.
The stories in this collection revolve around John Carter's granddaughter Llana of Gathol, who plays the "damsel in distress" role played byDejah Thoris and Thuvia in earlier entries of theBarsoom series.
In search of solitude, John Carter flies to the deserted city of Horz. By one of those coincidences which are common in Burroughs's books, he discovers his own granddaughter, Llana of Gathol, who is being held captive. The subsequent attempts to get Llana safely back home bring Carter, Llana and Pan Dan Chee, a young man they pick up along the way, through a series of adventures. They meet an ancient, mad hypnotist who has preserved people for nearly a million years by the power of hypnotism. They find a valley occupied by Black Men who imprison them. They travel to the land of Pankor where soldiers are frozen and kept in reserve until needed for a war. Finally they reach the land of Invak where the inhabitants have mastered the art of invisibility.
The book's title was aped by that of the later novelYlana of Callisto byLin Carter, a volume in his Burroughs-inspiredCallisto series.
Thecopyright for this story has expired in Australia, and thus now resides in thepublic domain there. The text is available viaProject Gutenberg Australia.