The Chessmen of Mars

Imagine a brave princess named Tara flying her tiny spaceship on Mars, but a big storm crashes her into a spooky place with giant brains that control people's bodies like puppets. She teams up with a brain buddy named Ghek and lands in a city where grown-ups play a super dangerous game of living chess, where losers get killed! A strong warrior prince in disguise fights in the game to save her, and together they escape with lots of sword fights, tricks, and love. It's like chess but with real people and monsters on a red planet full of adventures!

In Edgar Rice Burroughs' 'The Chessmen of Mars,' the eleventh book in the Barsoom series, Princess Tara of Helium embarks on a perilous solo flight in her one-man flier, only to be caught in a massive storm that strands her in the savage land of Bantoom. There, she encounters the grotesque Kaldanes—massive disembodied brains that control the bodies of Rykors—and becomes a captive, her beauty coveted by these alien intellects. Escaping with the Kaldane Ghek, Tara crash-lands in the ancient city of Manator, where she and Ghek are enslaved and forced into the deadly game of Jetan, a living chess match where players risk life and limb on a giant board. Disguised as the panthan Turan, Gahan of Gathol pursues Tara across Barsoom's deadly landscapes, infiltrating Manator to compete in Jetan and claim her hand. The narrative weaves high-stakes action with Burroughs' signature romance as Gahan's chivalric heroism shines in brutal arena battles and intrigue against Manator's tyrannical jeddak O-Tar. Themes of intellect versus brute strength culminate in a climactic revolt, with Ghek's telepathic abilities turning the tide. Tara emerges not just as a damsel but a resourceful survivor, reinforcing Burroughs' portrayal of Martian nobility amid a dying world's barbarism. The novel's vivid depictions of alien cultures and moral dilemmas showcase Burroughs' imaginative world-building, blending sword-and-planet adventure with philosophical undertones on humanity.