Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

It would seem that with the end of The Warlord of Mars, John Carter's stint as a main character is over. Thuvia, Maid of Mars's protagonist is John Carter's son Carthoris. It seems a little odd to me that as devoted to John Carter as Thuvia was that Burroughs is now setting her up with the son, but that is clearly what is happening.

The book opens with a love triangle. Thuvia is promised to Kulan Tith but she is very careful to never say that she loves him. It's painfully obvious that she has feelings for Carthoris so the whole scene is awkward and stilted. If that's not enough, Thuvia has also captured the heart of a very ill-mannered Prince Astok. When he tries to force his attentions on Thuvia, Carthoris rescues her...aggressively.

Rebuffed and humiliated, Astok kidnaps Thuvia and frames Carthoris for it. By doing so, he throws three kingdoms at each other's throats.

Then follows the usual chases, captures, and escapes.

Actually, there's more in this one in the way of intrigue and plot...there is still plenty of action, but it's not a pure action-fest. In some ways, I found this the most enjoyable of the series so far.