Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Philip Jose Farmer (Author)

Book Description

Series: World of Tiers | Publication Date: December 15, 1992

Sent into the world of Tiers by a well-meaning doctor in the mental hospital where he is incarcerated, teenage troublemaker Jim Grimson finds himself in a world of fantasy and danger. Reprint.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (December 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812508904
• ISBN-13: 978-0812508901
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,256,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How was this published?, February 16, 2004

By 

"seshat21" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers) (Mass Market Paperback)

Perhaps I bought a beta version of this novel (After all, the cover fell off before I started reading, and the teaser page breaks off mid-sentence). That would explain the preponderance of rookie mistakes in a veteran writer's novel.

This book is phenomenally bad. It is weak writing like this which gives science fiction a bad image. The worst is Philip Jose Farmer has written many good books and stories. Where did he go wrong?

To begin, the story centers on a form of psychology that uses Farmer's World of Tiers series to resolve personality problems in teenagers (This is apparently based on an actual test study). But Farmer's first misstep is in letting his characters slavishly praise his literary genius--over and over. Second, the dialogue is unbelievable. When father and son are arguing, they take time to list as many nasty names as they can come up with (e.g. "you drunken bum, hopeless welfare case, parasite, loafer, loser"). This doesn't display anger. It displays bizarre and casual forethought. Third, while the pocket universes are a fascinating concept the description is awkwardly done. Too many things in Anathema, the first of several worlds explored by Orc, smell and taste "like rotten potatoes," and having Orc rhapsodise (aka explain to the reader) that the kamanbur are a genetically engineered mix of dog, monkey, spider, and termite should be unnecessary.

Then there is the overall confusing sensation of whether or not _Red Orc's Rage_ is in fact supposed to be the long-awaited WOT book that every character seems to wonder about while seething irony. It is very disconcerting to read about Farmer writing about a character thinking about Farmer himself. As with much of this book, it could be clever, but it hasn't quite gotten there.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Idiotic is the best thing I can say about, January 12, 2009

By 

General Pete (SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers) (Mass Market Paperback)

I absolutely love Farmer and that is why it came as something of a shock to me to read this. Everything is just wrong with this book but if I had to nail down a few specific things my criticism would start off saying something like this. Constantly having a character that is SO smart and SO intelligent and SO insightful that characters CONSTANTLY have to tell him about it is something I would expect from Clive Cussler or some of the really bad Ken Fosiet books. I guess even Farmer is not above stroking his ego.

The parts with the therapy in the "real" world is actually the good part, the other parts of the book that take place in the pocket universes are nonsensical to the point of lunacy. I couldn't read this part and skipped to the end hoping for some improvement there had not been.

Overall-When a main character starts crapping diamonds it is time for this reviewer to put the book back on the self after he stops laughing. If you're a Farmer fan stick to Riverworld and the first five books of this series pass on this one.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Let's just put it this way, August 9, 2011

By 

Mr. Jared C. Serra "Fathers Face Remembered" (st. louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red Orc's Rage (Tor Fantasy) (Hardcover)

The opening line of the book goes like this "Jim Grimson had never planned to eat his fathers balls." I swear to you this is the first line of the book!!! How does this get published?