/lit/ - Literature

I read The Sword Of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett (1953,) an entertaining short novel that combines an exotic Martian setting with a taut and hard-bitten action-adventure style. 'Carse' is a former archeologist from Earth who is residing in a dilapidated ancient Martian city. He enters a tomb raiding partnership with a thief who knows the location of a cavern full of ancient artifacts. When he enters the tomb he is transported a million years back in time to the heyday of Mars, where he is caught between two rival sea-faring kingdoms.

Brackett writes in fast-paced, lean, and sultry style, with the right amount of action, exotic detail, and planetary romance. There's an Indian Jones protag, a loveable scoundrel sidekick, and a couple of femme fatales/waifus, in a tale of time travel, discovery, and the redemption of a Prometheus-like figure. If you can imagine A Princess Of Mars written by Dash Hammett and Raymond Chandler, you get the idea.This one is a lot of fun. 4.5/5