Customer Reviews

Maker Of Universes

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Note: There are a couple Mormons who are angry over my negative reviews of books written in defense of the Book of Mormon, and they have been slamming my reviews.

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I don't like telling the whole plot of novels. Long reviews are better to read after you've read the novel, itself. A short review that can capture the "hook" can still be a good review. So here it is:

The hero goes into a basement in Arizona and finds a lute in a closet. He strums it, and a gate into another world opens. He finds himself in a land as large and wild as the wild west, but also full of gates that allow him to walk between worlds.

Philip Jose Farmer is probably the most imaginative writer I've ever read. The hero passes through many gates into other worlds in a great series of adventures.

In illustration of Farmer's wonderful imagination, take note of the idea that the stars are NOT suns but actually small dots in the sky. In another case, there is a floating village that travels about thirty feet above the ground. It is held up by gas bags.

I loved this series, and I would rank it the equal to the Riverworld series. I'll write a bit about Riverworld (the first is "To Your Scattered Bodies Go") to encourage you to read it.

In "Riverworld," Farmer probably created the most original fantasy ever written. Everyone who has ever lived wakes up from death on the banks of a ten-million-mile river on a strange planet. They are all young again, and the first thing they do is engage in a vast orgy in this false heaven (where you can die and wake up again).

Each morning a bucket full of toiletries and food appears at these giant mushroom structures--one bucket for each person. Later, the characters go flying around in armchairs--what a way the fly!

The hero is Sir. Richard Burton, and Farmer's choice was perfect. Mark Twain and Alice in Wonderland are also in the story, as well as Hermon Goring (the Nazi). They build a riverboat and set out on a bunch of great adventures.

I don't want to tell too much, but I would rank the "Riverworld" series in the top three fantasies I have ever read. Highly recommended.

Read the World of Tier's first.

This first book in the "World of Tiers" series is a prime example of silly, slap-dash sci-fi. It's set in one of those alternate worlds where women look just like they do on Earth, except that they have purple hair or eyes like cats. Animals are hybrids of Earth animals, like the ridiculous "zebrilla" -- a gorilla with zebra stripes! The whole thing seems to have been written under the influence of some combination of 60s' psychedelics, with more attention paid to being "trippy" than making any kind of sense. There are long passages (poorly) describing hand-to-hand combat in detail, then breezy statements like "And then they traveled for 2,000 miles" that sum up weeks of activity in a few words. At several points, the main characters climb 20,000+ feet cliffs, but somehow engage in fistfights on the cliff face in ways that are never explained. Then there's a bizarre plot twist at the very end of the book that reeks of the worst kind of "deus ex machina" shenanigins.

All in all, this isn't the worst sci-fi you'll ever read, but it's definitely half-baked and silly. A sort of fun, quick read but one that you shouldn't put too much stock in.

If you like non-stop action, decent writing, and fun, you should pick up this novel by Farmer. He develops character enough so you have people to cheer for, and just enough mystery about the world he is creating to keep you going. Bravo! Definitely a master storyteller!