Black Amazon of Mars

Black Amazon of Mars, written by Leigh Douglass Brackett and first published in March 1951 in Planet Stories, follows mercenary Eric John Stark as he embarks on a perilous mission to return a stolen talisman to the walled city of Kushat. Tasked with navigating hostile clans and the enigmatic Lord Ciaran, Stark grapples with the talisman's ancient memories linked to the mysterious Gates of Death. This story is notable as the third featuring Stark and was later expanded into the novel People of the Talisman.