The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett. I think this is Brackett's most famous sword-and-planet book, a melding of Burroughs-ian Martian adventure (the story takes place in the prehistoric age of Mars, a mars more closely resembling Barsoom than Bradbury) and fantasy-like sci fi. Matt Carse, a Martian colonist (Earthling in origin) finds himself exploring an ancient tomb on Mars, having acquired the legendary sword of the title, whence he finds himself tossed back in time to a lush, green Mars populated by several human and humanoid races, including sinister snake-like Dhuvians. He becomes a war leader, a hero, and a rather uncertain demi-god in a war for the dominance of old Mars.
All in all Sword is a pretty fun read; definitely pulpy, and Burroughs-influenced, but with Brackett's own mix of science and sorcery and some unusual characters, such as the cruel warrior princess Ywain, and Borghaz, Carse's fat semi-comic-relief sidekick. This was a big improvement after last week's unfortunate pulp bottom-scrapings - this is pulp grande. It's also short! This is my first Brackett novel and yeah, I definitely will be checking out others.
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