Customer Reviews

Venus on the Half Shell

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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 and so 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 same excitement, adventure, and humor.

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?

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 and Science has no parallel to either. Science and sentience and religion are linked as well as evolution and god. This book encompasses both philosophys and brings meaning to more than both. I enjoyed reading it and would 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 one that can put life and the universe in perspective. He was before his time and should be grouped with Heinlan, Douglas Adams, and Kurt Vonegut.

If you can get a copy either at your local library or at a used bookstore do so. It is well worth reading for a mature or even young soul. Brain candy for us old folks.

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

I read this book as a teen ager at a friends lake side cabinin MA. the visuals that leapt off the page have never left me, and theending has always been one of my favorites. reminded me of the story of helstrom's final essay.

IMO, having read a few thousand titles of 50s-90s SciFi, Philip Jose Farmer wrote two worthwhile books, this one and "The Green Odyssey." Literarily they're pure fluff, but they're fun nonetheless. PJF originally published this under a pseudonym, presumably because of the overridingly sexual nature of the content.

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-fi novel, but now with a few more years' perspective (and I like to think) maturity, I have found much meaning which I missed the first time around.

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 instead typical 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 same time reconsidering your point of view on everything.

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