Jane Carver of Waar

In this affectionate and often raunchy parody of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s John Carter of Mars books, the slavery-tolerant Confederate veteran pursued by Apaches becomes a proud biker chick on the run from cops for manslaughter. One mysterious transportation later, Jane is on an alien world. Shortly after arriving, Jane gets stuck helping lovestruck aristocrat Sai-Far, whose one true love, Wen-Jhai, has been stolen away by the bold, ambitious Kedac-Zir. Jane is far stronger than any Waar native; by contrast, Sai’s heartfelt dedication to chivalrous romance is in no way matched by prowess or courage. As they quest after Wen-Jhai, Long mocks and critiques elements of space fantasy settings that a son of the Old South like John Carter would never have noticed. Long is sometimes amused, sometimes angered, and very familiar with his source material; his book will appeal to readers who share those characteristics. (Mar.)