Far to the north, in the frozen wastes of Polar Mars, lay the home of the holy Therns, sacred and inviolate. Only John Carter dared to go there to find his lost Dejah Thoris. But between him and his goal lay the bones of all who had gone before.

"The Gods of Mars" was first published in the All-Story (December 1913 - March 1914). The first hardcover edition was published by A.C. McClurg & Co., September 27, 1919. The dust jacket and a sepia frontispiece were by J. Allen St. John.