Customer Reviews

Tarzan Alive

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4 star:		(3)
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The author once indicated that the title was imposed upon him, but outside of the title, the book is thoroughly enjoyable. As with "Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street," this book is a biography of the title character.

In Farmer's case, he had to explain, among other things, how the young Tarzan learned how to speak, when the known great apes don't. Reconciling the history of Tarzan with what was known then, and at the time of the book's writing, was an exercise that took a lot of time and effort, and Mr. Farmer was up to the task.

A family tree, linking Tarzan to other famous literary figures, is included.

At this point, Farmer's (among others) Wolde-Newton Universe is well-established, with a strong fan base. For those not in the know, the Wolde-Newton Universe chronicles the connection between almost every pulp fiction character ever created, in real-world terms, as if the fictions we know are based on a true story. This book, while centered on Tarzan, of course, is a cornerstone of the Wolde-Newton idea. The idea of Lord Greystoke as still alive and kicking today (thanks to friends and family like Doc Savage and Sherlock Holmes), and the attempt to reconcile his pulp chronicles with a real life person makes for a pretty exciting read. Farmer is always good for a read, anyway, but he is a tireless student of the pulps, and has made a strong tapestry of their characters and situations in a real-world reference. Bottom line: i dug it. That having been said, Jane's measurements are a bit hard to swallow. Seriously.

This is great. Almost mind-boggling the effort that Farmer has put in, here. Try and find the men with grey eyes. :) G-8 became schizoid after a breakdown, becoming The Shadow and The Spider. That is just fabulous.

Philip Jose Farmer has a lot of fun with the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs character. This book is a "biography" which supposes that the Tarzan novels tell the story of a real figure, albeit much fictionalized to protect his true identity. Farmer seperates the "fact" from the fiction and also traces the jungle lord's kinship with such other notable figures as Sherlock Holmes, Doc Savage, the Shadow, and the Scarlet Pimpernel. An entertaining read, although often very poorly written.