Customer Reviews (1)

Resurrection time!, (Spanish Translation)
Ultramar Editions irrupted into Spanish book market early in the `80s, providing sci-fi fan with economic and varied pocket-book collection.
They introduced such valuable authors as Julian May with her Pliocene Exile saga, Jack Vance's Planet of Adventure quartet, Herbert's Dune saga (first time in paperback), Stephen Donaldson's "The Mirror of Her Dreams", Frederik Pohl's Heechee saga and Philip José Farmer's Riverworld saga amongst many other.

Philip José Farmer is a groundbreaking writer that in the '50s & '60s starts turmoil in the scene of Sci-fi. Up to that time the genre was almost aseptic, romance: yes, sex: no.
PJF launched his short story "The Lovers" (1952) and started a change; "Flesh" (1960) and "Riders of the Purple Wage" (1967) are interesting examples amongst other of the same kind. The other unconventional thematic he approached is: "What happens after death", good example of this was his dark novel "Inside/Outside" (1964) and an excellent short story as "A Bowl Bigger than Earth" (1967).

"To Your Scattered Bodies Go" pertains to this last group. Humankind as whole is resurrected, except those who had died in childhood. Along both coast of an immense river, 15,000 miles long, they are scattered in groups composed 90% from an age and place and a 10% from elsewhere and elsewhen. They are all given a 20's year old body but with full memory of their past lives.
Sir Richard Francis Burton, an Englishman, mid 19th Century explorer and adventurer, is the central character of the novel. He is described unadorned, as a ruthless egotistic person, yet full of charisma and an energetic drive. He put himself to the task of discovering what's going on. Along his stride he meets other famous and infamous historical characters such as Hermann Goring, Alice Liddell (the little girl that inspired Alice Wonderland to his author), Mark Twain and John Lackland. He also encounters fictional people as a Neanderthal and an alien from outer space.

On this background an interesting and captivating novel is developed. Unfortunately this is the first installment of Riverworld series and as volumes passes the quality dwindle as well as the interest in the story. Nevertheless this book and the next are great and deserve to be read.
Reviewed by Max Yofre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Readable introduction to Farmer's early work
Starmont press published "readers guides" to a number of science fiction authors. These were short, quite readable works that discuss some of the plots and themes of the authors, shows where the work fits into the author's overall work, and provides an introduction to the academic discussion of the work.This reader's guide is groundbreaking in being one of the earliest book-length discussions of the work of Philip Jose Farmer, and covers Farmer's work up to the late 1970s, including such works as "The Lovers" and "World of Tiers". The book will be of interest to Farmer fans who are looking for a reference and bibliography of his (early) fiction and an introduction to academic thinking and images in the work, and is likely to be indispensible for academic researchers who are interested in Farmer. As a side note, Prof. Brizzi is also a science fiction author, writing under the name Mary A. Turzillo.

Too Little, Too Early in assessing Farmer's career
Published in 1980 as part of the Starmont series of critical assessments of then-current science fiction masters, Brizzi's miniscule book takes a structuralist approach to a scant handful of novels from Farmer's early years. Among the works featured are the groundbreaking inter-species love story "The Lovers", the nightmarish "Night of Light", the stunningly dystopian "Riders of the Purple Wage", the majestic adventures of the Riverworld series, and the ribald "Venus on the Half-Shell". Beyond this we get very little, which is a shame, since so much of Farmer's best work was either ignored, or written after Brizzi's book. Quite apart from the extreme and quite undeserved brevity of the work, a broader critical focus would have been an improvement. Brizzi does a good enough job cataloguing images, and relating themes, and suggesting associations for proper names, but one can't help but wish for more pointed analysis. If each chapter of this book were an English paper (Brizzi is a professor at Kent State) one would be tempted to ask "What is your thesis here? What do these accumulated details actually tell us about the author and/or the book?" Moreover, some variety in critical approach would have made a welcome change, as well. And if Farmer's works simply didn't stand up to Feminist, Marxist, or Christological criticism (to name just a few possibilities) then perhaps they aren't really as important as her glowing treatments would lead us to believe. The best part of this book was the section of biographical information, which though interesting, was far too brief. Students of genre fiction might find use for the listing of critical essays that are suggested for further reading, but there isn't much of any value in this slight volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A parody of action/adventure classics
This book is comprised of three self-contained adventures, each of which was originally published separately.All three feature the same main character, a redoubtable airship officer named Greatheart Silver, and there is enough continuity between the three adventures to create the illusion of a novel, but not the actual impact of one.The first episode opens with Silver's fall from grace as an airship officer, then goes on to detail his revenge at a wild shootout.The Shootout is easily the most memorable section of the book; Farmer gives his playful imagination free rein in a reunion of major adventure heroes and villains from the past century, including not-so-subtle variations of Doc Savage, James Bond, the Lone Ranger, and countless others.Comic effect is heightened by presenting all these characters as past their prime physically, and down on their luck financially, but the end result is more humorous for its madcap concept than for the quality of its execution.Still, it cannot be denied that Farmer handles this kind of mass combat scene as well as any writer in the field, and the pleasure he takes in gathering all these characters together for one final mad brawl comes across well, especially if the reader is also (like Farmer) an aficionado of the action/adventure/detective thrillers of the past.Part Two is a fairly straight kidnapping yarn, although the mad scientist who plans to take over the world via the high-tech distribution of pornography is somewhat over the top, and the publishing house where writers are shackled to their typewriters must have struck a chord with Farmer's writer friends.In Part Three the technical details of the airship come to the fore as several gangs of ne'er-do-wells simultaneously attempt to wrest control of the ship from newly promoted Captain Silver.Since neither of these sections is quite as funny as its predecessors, the book does not so much build to a climax as drift until it collapses.Farmer demonstrates a good command of parody, a rare skill with action, and some facility with mystery/detective stories, but serious science fiction fans will find little to maintain their interest, and the book's weak technical structure undercuts the overall effect.Fans of action/adventure classics will find some delightfully droll moments in this book, but many other readers will not be amused. ... Read more

Product Description
Jack London's fabled powers to entertain and enthrall are in full evidence in this collection of 15 fantastic tales. The restless energy of London's vision ranges far in time and space, from the tall tale of a frontier trapper hunting a mammoth to an extraterrestrial encounter to new worlds of the future (our present?) wherein the world is ravaged by an alien virus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Readable, entertaining, vintage sci-fi and fantasy
Well, I bought it for "The Shadow and the Flash."

I readthis story years ago and loved it.It's not well known and not frequentlyanthologized.I see that it was written in 1902 and that H. G. Well's"The Invisible Man" was written in 1897, and possibly Jack Londonsort of borrowed the theme as he was wont to do--the editor of this volumethinks so--but "The Shadow and the Flash" is neverthelessbrilliantly original.It is about two competitive brothers, both seriousamateur scientists of the kind you run across in Victorian fiction--whodecide to tackle the problem of becoming invisible, in two different ways. You can almost make out a case for its' being "harder" SF thanWells, because he explains the physics of how they do it.The explanationis sort of cockamamie, but the story carries you along.

(The titlecomes from the fact that each method has a flaw.Neither produces totalinvisibility.One brother casts a shadow, the other produces prismaticrainbow flashes when he catches the light at the right angle).

Theother fourteen stories are equally entertaining, and some are more thanthat."A Thousand Deaths" was written very early in his careerand is a haunting piece of fantasy."The Unparalleled Invasion"has been anthologized frequently because of the prophetic way itanticipates bacteriological warfare.

Jack London was indeliblyimpressed with what he saw in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and someof this may have found its way into a number of stories about the breakdownof civilization after a disaster. "The Scarlet Plague" calls tomind the after-the-atom-bomb-has-fallen stories of a later day.

"TheRed One," with which the book closes, possibly deserves the adjectives"great" and "classic."And if one suspects that JackLondon had been reading H. G. Wells, after reading "The Red One"I certainly suspect that Stephen King has been reading Jack London.

Thecollection is well chosen. The editor's commentary is good.This is a veryreadable book. And it looks like it's put out by a brave little tinypublisher, and I always like to support brave little tiny publishers.

Oh,none of the stories are about dogs or snow. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent book which would make a great film
This is one of Phil's strangest books as it contains few , if none of his themes or trademarks. It is a simple story of a man, Paul Eyre, who accidentally kills an alien and through this becomes transformed.

Philmanages to squeeze in one pun and a sly dig at science fiction writersthrough his character Leo Queequeg Tincrowdor. It is a simply plotted andquick read but like Phil's best work some ideas and images will stay withyou forever, especially in the final part where Phil describes Paul Eyre'sflight around Earth after he is transformed into an alien.

All in all avery good read which is just dying to be filmed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Jesus on Mars - what a wonderful title!
On the short bookshelf labeled Science Fiction Novels About Religion this interesting story will be found, well worn from repeated readings by the curious and by admires of Philip Farmer. If you have read any of the author's other books you already know that religion, the afterlife, speculation about individual faith and the Deity are common themes in his works. Sometimes these topics are in the foreground sometimes in the background but always a hovering presence.

The premise for this story is, well, somewhat contrived and hard to swallow. The author makes a valiant attempt to rationalize it and in the end, I believe, succeeds. A Jew, a Moslem a Baptist and a lapsed Catholic are sent to Mars to investigate artifacts found by unmanned rovers. They are taken captive by beings from another star; the Krsh. 2000 years ago these same beings had captured a number of Jewish men and women from earth for study and observation. Another space faring race, The Sons of Darkness, attacked the Krsh, were defeated but caused the Krsh star ship to crash landing on Mars. The Krsh and the captives set up an integrated society in underground caverns. One of the captives is Jesus and everyone, including the Krsh believes he is God's anointed. Discussing any more of this story would spoil the pleasure for potential readers. I will only say that Farmer is very respectful of religious beliefs and exhibits a keen knowledge of the bible, ancient sects and Judaism. The real accomplishment is that he provides us a very interesting story with believable characters and does not get trapped in endless debates about religion.

JESUS ON MARS by Philip José Farmer
Jesus on Mars is a 1979 science fiction novel by Philip José Farmer, author of the magnificent Riverworld series. The title is also the premise: An expedition from Earth lands on Mars to investigate a crashed spaceship, and discovers a large society comprised of aliens and Jews, whose ancestors were brought to Mars around the time of Christ. The leader of this group claims to be Jesus Christ, has miraculous powers, and has been with them for two thousand years. Is this Jesus real, an impostor, or the antichrist?

Farmer's Jesus and his Martian society reject the traditionally accepted Christology - that Jesus was fully God and fully man. This Jesus is man only, an imperfect "adopted son" of God. This Jesus says he did no miracles during his life on Earth (the biblical Gospel writers made that up afterward), he died, was resurrected and appeared on Mars, where he gained his miracle-working powers. For this and other reasons, Farmer's Jesus doesn't ring true, nor does his society of Martian Jews. They are billed as a God-fearing, good people, but it never feels like there's much love in them. As such, the reader is never in much danger of accepting Farmer's Jesus as the "real" Jesus. And somewhere, Saint Paul is rolling over in his grave.

Farmer's writing has some problems. The main character's romance doesn't feel natural. None of the characters are particularly well-developed, and Farmer missed a wonderful opportunity to explore his themes more deeply by not including a committed Christian in the crew. Everyone comes to faith in this Jesus rather easily - all it takes is a few tossed-around allegations that the biblical Gospels were fabricated and a circus performance by Jesus, and everybody's on the wagon. Further problems - every female character in the entire book is specifically described as having a large bust. Busty women are well and good, but come on, Farmer. And if you want to play a Jesus on Mars drinking game, your word is "aquiline".

Farmer does raise some valid issues as he pursues his theme of skepticism versus faith. Certainly, if Jesus appeared on Mars as he does in this novel, then yes, Christianity as we understand it would be bogus. But that isn't really the issue - the real issue is the nature of Jesus himself, and by implication, God. The fundamental issue of who Jesus is is relevant to anyone, something that Farmer makes abundantly clear in Jesus on Mars (whether he was trying to or not).

Any way you slice it, Jesus on Mars discredits the biblical Jesus. Farmer's Jesus, his Martian society, and the ship's crew all endorse and/or buy into the idea that the Gospels were tampered with when they were initially written, a concept that Farmer throws out as accepted fact but offers no real evidence for.

Jesus on Mars is hardly Farmer's finest work, as his writing and execution of the premise are both somewhat lacking. And while the novel raises some legitimate questions on faith and skepticism, Farmer doesn't handle these weighty issues as well as he might have, or as thoroughly.

JESUS ON MARS by Philip José Farmer
Jesus on Mars is a 1979 science fiction novel by Philip José Farmer, author of the magnificent Riverworld series. The title is also the premise: An expedition from Earth lands on Mars to investigate a crashed spaceship, and discovers a large society comprised of aliens and Jews, whose ancestors were brought to Mars around the time of Christ. The leader of this group claims to be Jesus Christ, has miraculous powers, and has been with them for two thousand years. Is this Jesus real, an impostor, or the antichrist?

Farmer's Jesus and his Martian society reject the traditionally accepted Christology - that Jesus was fully God and fully man. This Jesus is man only, an imperfect "adopted son" of God. This Jesus says he did no miracles during his life on Earth (the biblical Gospel writers made that up afterward), he died, was resurrected and appeared on Mars, where he gained his miracle-working powers. For this and other reasons, Farmer's Jesus doesn't ring true, nor does his society of Martian Jews. They are billed as a God-fearing, good people, but it never feels like there's much love in them. As such, the reader is never in much danger of accepting Farmer's Jesus as the "real" Jesus. And somewhere, Saint Paul is rolling over in his grave.

Farmer's writing has some problems. The main character's romance doesn't feel natural. None of the characters are particularly well-developed, and Farmer missed a wonderful opportunity to explore his themes more deeply by not including a committed Christian in the crew. Everyone comes to faith in this Jesus rather easily - all it takes is a few tossed-around allegations that the biblical Gospels were fabricated and a circus performance by Jesus, and everybody's on the wagon. Further problems - every female character in the entire book is specifically described as having a large bust. Busty women are well and good, but come on, Farmer. And if you want to play a Jesus on Mars drinking game, your word is "aquiline".

Farmer does raise some valid issues as he pursues his theme of skepticism versus faith. Certainly, if Jesus appeared on Mars as he does in this novel, then yes, Christianity as we understand it would be bogus. But that isn't really the issue - the real issue is the nature of Jesus himself, and by implication, God. The fundamental issue of who Jesus is is relevant to anyone, something that Farmer makes abundantly clear in Jesus on Mars (whether he was trying to or not).

Any way you slice it, Jesus on Mars discredits the biblical Jesus. Farmer's Jesus, his Martian society, and the ship's crew all endorse and/or buy into the idea that the Gospels were tampered with they were initially written, a concept that Farmer throws out as accepted fact but offers no real evidence for.

Jesus on Mars is hardly Farmer's finest work, as his writing and execution of the premise are both somewhat lacking. And while the novel raises some legitimate questions on faith and skepticism, Farmer doesn't handle these weighty issues as well as he might have, or as thoroughly.

Old Testament Martians
This is probably one of the better examinations of religion to be found in the sci-fi universe, but it's only partially fulfilling. Philip Jose Farmer does a fine job here integrating theological exploration with space exploration, via a pretty interesting premise. In the story, the first manned mission to Mars finds that the planet is inhabited, by humans and some affiliated aliens, in large underground cities. And amazingly, these Martians are Orthodox Jews who live in a highly structured and ethical Old Testament society. It turns out that aliens visited Palestine in A.D. 50, perhaps explaining some of the more supernatural stories in the Bible, collected some of the revered Jewish and early Christian personalities of the time, and took off for Mars. Also, the underground Martian city is ruled by an all-powerful immortal who claims to be Jesus Christ. But is He the real deal, or some alien impostor?

Farmer utilized this interesting premise for many ruminations on the nature of Jewish and Christian belief. There are some especially good discussions on how Christianity has severely diverged from its original tenets and how its modern aspects are flawed by conjecture and misinterpretation. However, Farmer's explorations of these intriguing topics run out of steam in the second half of the book and start meandering. Another problem here is the characters, especially Danton, a cloying and stereotypical mouthpiece for unyielding intellectualism; and Bronski, the conveniently-placed science fiction standby – the mission member who just happens to know ancient languages and multiple scientific disciplines, in order to conveniently explain things to other characters and to the reader. Meanwhile, several main characters tend to speak in portentous monologues that keep going for paragraphs and paragraphs. And finally, the novel ends in a rather unsatisfying "decide for yourself" fashion (as other reviewers have noted), but in the end you are left with some pretty good food for thought. [~doomsdayer520~]

Could have been better
Although the story was quite enjoyable, the level of realism was reduced by the swiftness with which ideas are run through and the lack of detail given. For example the main protagonist watches lots of videos but we never get any details of what's in the videos, merely overviews or generalities. In this way it was hard to read, because so much simple stuff you wanted to read about is kept at arm's length.

The ending is dubious, like the first review said it is an ending of the "make your own mind up" type, but it does imply that if something is good what does it matter what the truth is behind it.

Only got two stars because of the concept, I did not find this book fulfilling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Anagrams ,anagrams
I have never seen anybody else talk about anagrams in this book. So I'll give some of my observations. Robot "Chworktap"=Patchwork is an easy one. Not so much harder are "Tunc" and "Angavi" (These I can not post here obviously). And then comes "Utapal" ( Remember Gulliver's Travels and Laputa?) . And my favorite is dog Anubis ( Remember he named the dog Anubis after the dog ate Rameses mummy and had diarrhea and vomited at the same time, so now "Bi ...." should be obvious. What are your observations?

Venus on the Half Shell was written by Philip Jose Farmer
Hi, I just wanted to try and set some people strait on who was/is the author of Venus on the Half Shell. It was written by Philip Jose Farmer under the name of Kilgore Trout. Trout was a character of Kurt Vonnegut andso many people think it was written by Vonnegut.If you liked Venus,please try any of Farmers 6o sum books. They are all written with the sameexcitement, adventure, and humor.

The funniest book you'll ever read, and more...
Written by Kurt Vonnegut under the name of his alter-ego Kilgore Trout, this book is an absolute masterpiece.When I first read it a couple of years ago, I thought it was simply a great comedy and parody of a sci-finovel, but now with a few more years' perspective (and I like to think)maturity, I have found much meaning which I missed the first timearound.

This book comments on everything -- morals, ethics, philosophy,religion, creation, sexism, racism, politics, government, friendship, love,the past, the future, and everything.And it isn't boring, it's insteadtypical of Vonnegut in that it's a fast-paced romp through the materiel. This book will leave you rolling on the floor laughing, while at the sametime reconsidering your point of view on everything.

This book is a mustread, and I hope they reprint it soon.

Religion and Science Whow What a Concept
I don't know if Kilgore Trout is still writing or even alive but his view or life's questions are refreshing and very thought provoking in at least the fact that Religion and Politics loose perspective in any culture andScience has no parallel to either.Science and sentience and religion arelinked as well as evolution and god.This book encompasses bothphilosophys and brings meaning to more than both.I enjoyed reading it andwould strongly hope that in this day it will be brought back into print. We need a very clear mind to face the next milennium and this story is onethat can put life and the universe in perspective.He was before his timeand should be grouped with Heinlan, Douglas Adams, and Kurt Vonegut.

Ifyou can get a copy either at your local library or at a used bookstore doso. It is well worth reading for a mature or even young soul.Brain candyfor us old folks.

Like all of Farmers works, this is a masterpeice...
Like all of Farmers works, this is a masterpeice of the imagination.Iwas lucky enough to find a first printing copy of this book written asKilgore Trout in a small used bookstore in Rockland Maine, way down in thebasement. It cost me a whole dollar. It is now safely resting with theother 60 or so books I have by Mr. Farmer. I am also excited to say thatMr. Farmer was so kind in signing this and a few other books for me.Vesunon the Half Shelf, like all of his works, transports you to a better timeor place (or at least a more exciting time or place). Thank you for beingyou Mr. Farmer. ... Read more

Product Description
This one is for fans of Quentin Tarantino and of the ever-present gratuitous violence of Robert Altman. It is a direct descendant of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and the mystery action pulps epitomized by Black Mask. Philip José Farmer, now one of the great living SF writers, who has published many varieties of pulp fiction, who has written novels of Tarzan, Doc Savage, and Oz, now turns his hand to the detective novel, with colorful, violent results.

A self-obsessed private detective married to a sincere wiccan is hired to witness an illegal transfer of money in a rainy cemetery that goes bloody wrong.Chasing the bad guys, he ends up the prisoner of a grusome threesome in their Dogpatchy cabin in the woods. His escape involves nudity, blood, death, and a terrible snapping turtle.

That's how the mystery begins, leading him through all the levels of Peoria society, geography, and history. Absurdly funny things happen continually in the peripheral vision of the story. No violence is left out. Greed, venality and hatred are unleashed. Unpleasant family history is brought to light.All the sex is offstage. The body count mounts steadily, with occasional mutilations. Nothing Burns in Hell is pulp fiction at its most gorgeously excessive.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Nothing reads like Farmer
PJF said that before he died he wanted to write a Tarzan novel and a Detective Noir novel. We should all be grateful that he was able to do both.Though this is not a 'true' noir, Farmer does a great job of developing the characters and the mystery, and bringing it to a satisfying denouement.

Why isn't it a noir?? First of all, it seems to always be sunny, and most of the action happens in and around a rich guys mansion. Second, his damsel in 'distress' is really a ninety-two year old ex-flapper who spent the twenties in Paris.Third, it's set in Peoria, Peoria!!!!.Fourth, he's married and faithful.Fifth, he really doesn't have a great wit, though he does have a knowledge base that would get him on Jeopardy.Enough said.

I'm glad that Farmer seems to have spent many happy years in Peoria and that he has a good feel for the character (though we never really see the "unseemly" side) and history of the city; but it doesn't play in a detective noir and therefore weakens the book.

As to the story, it has all the twists and turns you would want except that the people are so cliched that he missed the following:dwarf, midget, clown, police or politician on the take, mean black (either criminal, pimp, pro-athlete or drug dealer), latino (either criminal, pimp, gang member or drug dealer), jewish lawyer, doctor, judge or accountant, italian mafia don or enforcer, yakuza or asian mafia, russian mafia.

Though in the end, it's a fun read for those of us who have read his Sci-Fi for years.

Hilarious, mixed up tale
Tom Corbie is a private investigator, desperate to make it, picks up a simple assignment to backup another operative on a payoff at a cemetery results in gunplay.

Corbie finds himself drawn into a circle of escalating mayhem, violence, intrigue and murder. The snapping turtle, and his way of talking his way out of things rather than shooting it out.

Laugh your way through this book at times feeling sympathetic for our hero. Enjoyable book to get out of a hectic day at the office.

Quirky blend of humor, violence and noir
There's shooting, there's cutting, there's treachery, there's a snapping turtle used as a defensive weapon. And then, the violence begins.

Tom Corbie is a private investigator plying his trade on the mean streets of (ahem) Peoria, Illinois. When a simple assignment to backup another operative on a payoff at a cemetery results in gunplay, Corbie finds himself drawn into a circle of escalating mayhem, violence, intrigue and murder.

Corbie's character is unique in the genre.He's married to a practicing Wiccan and carries enough literary references in his head to earn a doctorate degree. While he shoots well, he prefers to talk his way out of most bad situations.

Farmer loves his hometown of Peoria and gleefully presents it and its history to us, warts and all.He also flits in unique philosophical and metaphysical observations while detailing how to arm oneself when slipping into a marshy area to do battle with in-bred hooligans.

NOTHING BURNS IN HELL is a fine example of a dying genre -- hard-boiled pulp fiction. Recommended!

2 1/2 stars
On the inside of the dust jacket, the publishers say this book should be a good read for fans of Quentin Tarantino. It is a BIG lie. The publishers must have owed this author a favor. This book is just not good.

However, having said that, I am not upset I spent my time reading it. If you like crime-noir, read Ellroy. But, if you have this book, and have to spend a few hours on a plane or waiting to be picked for jury duty, then give it a try.

Fast, Fun and very violent
PJF's foray into the realms of pulp fiction is a blast. Away from his normal genre Phil proves he is a very talented writer. Loads of weirdly named characters and some great funny lines fill this book. The plot is labyrinthine but somehow very simple. Phil manages to insert a few ideas which are normally present in his science fiction and fantasy novels... a wiccan, a femme fatale and some deformed humans. Be warned though the book is very light hearted and tongue in cheek it still has one of the most violent scenes ever in a book Buy it. read it and enjoy it ... Read more

Product Description
A struggling art student on a distant world, trapped in the middle of an intergalactic battle against a tyrannical empire, looks for his salvation in an immortal, immensely powerful spirit called The Imago. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A fun ride
As an adolescent I got this book from the library many times.I loved it!And now as a teacher I seek to have this book in my classroom.The imagery in the story is fantastic.The narration is extremely descriptive; you get the feeling you're there with them.While reading this book, one of my favorite elements was the relationship that develops between Tappy and Jack.I think that the problem that the reviewers had with this book is that they are not reading it through the eyes of the audience for which it is intended.I did, and loved it.I loved it enough to read it four or five times while in middle school.

A Great Ride for the Imagination
As an adolescent I got this book from the library many times.I loved it!And now as a teacher I seek to have this book in my classroom.The imagery in the story is fantastic.The narration is extremely descriptive; you get the feeling you're there with them.While reading this book, one of my favorite elements was the relationship that develops between Tappy and Jack.I think that the problem that the reviewers had with this book is that they are not reading it through the eyes of the audience for which it is intended.I did, and loved it.I loved it enough to read it four or five times while in middle school.

Yuck.
I am not a prude, but I don't go for grown men sleeping with thirteen year old girls and rationalizing it to themselves.Between this book and Muse of Art I've developed a distaste for Anthony and his growing taste for stories about sex between prepubscent nymphos and adult men.

The story itself was not very exciting.It has twists and turns, but it all falls rather flat.It wanders around, and creates a story without any grip or drive.

A modest entertainment for a very narrow audience
In this inter-dimensional fantasy, Jack, a college-age art student, falls in love with, and eventually has relations with, the thirteen-year-old physically challenged girl he was supposed to deliver to a medical clinic. If that simple fact doesn't send you off book-burning right from the start, then you might find some small entertainment value in this mildly interesting story.People and things are rarely what they seem in this convoluted, but still easy to follow book, starting with the girl, Tappy.Blind,(although doctors say there's nothing wrong with her eyes), and mute, (although she talks in her sleep), and all the while wearing a leg brace, Tappy eventually takes Jack on a hike up a mountain side, walks right into a large rock, and leads him through it into another world.There they encounter a race of primitives (who nonetheless have some useful technologies), as well as some helpful androids, who explain that Tappy is actually the human host for the Imago, a sentient being that promotes empathy for all life.This makes her supremely dangerous to the Gaol, a race of brutal conquerors who rule the galaxy, and who intend to continue ruling it by imprisoning Tappy.Although there are some slow spots in the first half of the book, there are also lots of twists and surprises; but as is often the case with fantasies, the successive shocks become less and less impressive as you go along.Anthony has a good eye for description, and Farmer's sections are quickly discernable by their more scientific rationalizations, so that as a whole the book reads pretty well.Perhaps instead of asking "Who are you?" the Caterpillar should be asking "Who is your target audience?"The sexual content guarantees that this book can't be recommended to young readers, despite the fact that the authors try to assuge Jack's guilt by showing his remorse, Tappy's need, and the effect of the Imago living inside of her.On the other hand, there's little in the way of truly deep philosophical thought or sophisticated scientific speculation to lure the more experienced adult readers.So while this is not in all ways a bad book, the number of people who will really just love it is probably very small. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Long Live the Man of Bronze!
While one can quibble with Farmer relating Doc to every fictional character known to man, this book is a loving look at the character, his incredible 181 adventures and the Missouri author who wrote the bulk of his exploits.A pity it's not available in a more economical version for the general publ;ic -- you just have to decide if you to spend a little more for the original DOubleday edition or a little less for the Bantam reprint.Whichever you choose, a good addition to the shelf of any fan of the pulp heroes of the 1930's.

Background story on the Man of Bronze
This book is an incredible piece of work.The author read all 181 of the Doc Savage novels before writing this one.This book contains information about Doc's skyscraper, the Hidalgo Trading Company, the Fabulous Five, and more.

Super Reader
There is a wealth of knowledge here for the Doc Savage fan. This is on top of another fabulous excursion by Farmer into creative mythography. the Wold Newton family tree is expanded herein, as well.

Pretty Boring
As a guy that's interested in Doc Savage, I thought this book would have been great. I think the idea of writing a definitive biography for a fictional adventure hero is great, and could be used for other legends like Superman, Batman, James Bond, etc.

However, I got this and read most of it through great effort and found it all to be dull as dishwater. Instead of telling a linear story about Savage's life as if his adventures were events in a man's life, this books breaks up various aspects of Doc's life and speculates on them. A chapter for Monk, a chapter for Ham, a chapter devoted to examining the 86th floor.

What's most odd is that the writer has chosen to treat Doc as an actual person and his pulp adventures as fictional accounts, even going so far as to say that Doc Clark Savage JR. isn't his real name. This is a bizarre and odd conceit for the writer to ask, and I'm not really sure what the point of it is. If it's to make up for inconsistancy within the pulp yarns, it's taking things a bit too far. Jose should have just picked the most prevalent of things mentioned thoughout the pulps and stuck to those as canon.

There are some interesting moments, but you have to dig through boring paragraph after boring paragraph to get to them.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a writer to act as if Doc Savage was a different person in real life and act as if the stories were ficitonalized accounts of actual events, and then speculate on what's "real" and what isn't, then this is for you. If you're looking for something less nonsensical and masturbatory, I'd stick to some of the pulps to try out Doc. Nostalgia Ventures has begun republishing them. Fortress of Solitude/Devil Genghis is a good place to start.

Really fun to read and think about...
I first read Doc Savage's adventures in the 60s, as did many others.I found the books to be of varying quality, and that they were very dated.They might have been good for kids of the 1930s, but by the 60s, there was much more sophisticated fare available.However, there is something about Doc and his crew.That "something" is the fact that anybody can see their favorite superhero in there...somewhere.Superman, Batman, Hercules, Bruce Lee, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, even Mr. Spock.They are all there. Farmer does a wonderful job relating literary characters to one another and linking their superheroness to radiation exposure experienced by an ancestor.This book follows Doc's life and attempts to thread the adventures togther, biography fashion, with illuminations here and there.It is a wild adventure, and one to be savored.Read "Tarzan Alive", sort of a companion volume, for Tarzan's "genealogy".I, for one, would love to see Doc Savage given a more adult treatment by a good writer.Farmer attempts this here, and in "Lord of the Trees" and "The Mad Goblin", but falls short, for reasons that should be clear to anybody that has read those books.Anyway, I only gave this four stars because one should be a Doc Savage fan to really get the meat out of it.It is a good, fun read. ... Read more