Edgar Rice Burroughs started writing his Martian adventures in 1911. Even though science claims there is no life on Mars his stories remain vibrant and timeless tales, because Burroughs knew the appeal and power of the Martian myth. Writers like Ray Bradbury and scientists like Carl Sagan have acknowledged that Burroughs' Martian tales were the wellspring from which their own careers arose. With his opening trilogy, considered one of the landmarks of science fiction, Burroughs created a vast and sweeping epic. Captain John Carter of the Confederate Army is whisked to Mars (Barsoom) and discovers a dying world of dry ocean beds where giant four-armed barbarians rule, of crumbling cities home to an advanced but decaying civilization, a world of strange beasts and savage combat, a world where love, honor and loyalty become the stuff of adventure.