The novels, part of the sword and planet subgenre of science fiction, follow earthman Napier's fantastic adventures after he crash-lands on Venus, called Amtor by its human-like inhabitants.

As is common in Burroughs's works, the hero is bold and daring, and quickly wins the heart of the Vepajan princess (or janjong) Duare, though class prejudices long inhibit her from expressing her love.

Later, Dark Horse Comics obtained adaptation rights to the Burroughs series, and in 1995 published a four-issue miniseries crossover, Tarzan/Carson of Venus, written by Darko Macan and illustrated by Igor Kordej.

[4][full citation needed] Amtor is a cloud-covered world with a primarily oceanic southern hemisphere known as Trabol, where large islands and two continents, Thora and a smaller northern landmass, dominate the landscape.

Amtorians hold a bizarre cosmology, believing the world is a flat disc or hemisphere floating on lava, leading to warped maps and a lack of celestial navigation.

Other regions include Morov, ruled by a mad scientist who turns people into zombies, and Havatoo, a eugenic society with advanced knowledge and strict social classes.

He encounters the sophisticated Vepajans, who have advanced technology but are under threat from the Thorists, a revolutionary group that overthrows their society, killing or driving out the educated elite.

The Zanis' brutal tactics and fascist ideology contrast with the earlier, more chaotic revolutionary forces, marking a shift in the novel's political satire.