The World of Tiers: Volume Two (Paperback)

~ Philip Jose Farmer (Author) "THE SKY HAD BEEN GREEN FOR TWENTY-FOUR YEARS..." (more)
Key Phrases: scaly man, lavalite world, stun power, Red Orc, Manathu Vorcyon, World of Tiers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The greatest science fiction writer ever."--Leslie Fiedler

"Farmer offers his audience a wide-screen adventure that never fails to provoke, amuse, and educate...his imagintaion is certainly of the first rank."--Time

"Philip Jose Farmer owes a fair measure of his fame to the World of Tiers series, based on the notion of immortal Lords whose ancestors made a host of pocket universes (including ours) and then lost the technological skills to make more."--Analog
-- Review

Review

"The greatest science fiction writer ever."--Leslie Fiedler

"Farmer offers his audience a wide-screen adventure that never fails to provoke, amuse, and educate...his imagintaion is certainly of the first rank."--Time

"Philip Jose Farmer owes a fair measure of his fame to the World of Tiers series, based on the notion of immortal Lords whose ancestors made a host of pocket universes (including ours) and then lost the technological skills to make more."--Analog

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Paperback: 512 pages Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (November 15, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312863772 ISBN-13: 978-0312863777 Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #11 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( F ) > Farmer, Philip Jose

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
THE SKY HAD BEEN GREEN FOR TWENTY-FOUR YEARS. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
scaly man, lavalite world, stun power, pocket universes, been gated, native planet

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Red Orc, Manathu Vorcyon, World of Tiers, Zazel's World, Los Angeles, Caverned World, Horn of Shambarimen, Eric Clifton, Black Beller, Paul Janus Finnegan, Afrika Korps, Lord Riven, Beverly Hills, Earth Number One, Terre Haute, Bear People, Earth One, Earth Two, Manathu Vorcvon, Our Lady, San Vicente, Unwanted World, Anana the Bright, Earth Number Two, Kickaha the Trickster

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 14 books:

• The World of Tiers: Volume One by Philip Jose Farmer in Front Matter, and page 191
• Maker Of Universe by Philip Jose Farmer in Front Matter
• Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip Jose Farmer in Front Matter
• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3 by Edward Gibbon on page 187
• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Volumes 1-3 (Everyman's Library) by Edward Gibbon on page 187

See all 14 books this book cites

 

6 books cite this book:

• The World of Tiers: Volume One by Philip Jose Farmer in Front Matter, and page 282
• The Science in Science Fiction: 83 SF Predictions that Became Scientific Reality by Robert Bly on page 110, and page 208
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elves and Fairies by Sirona Knight in Back Matter
• Nothing Burns in Hell by Philip Jose Farmer in Front Matter
• The Disinformation Book of Lists by Russ Kick on page 168

See all 6 books citing this book

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	69% buy the item featured on this page: The World of Tiers: Volume Two 3.9 out of 5 stars (20) $20.51
	8% buy To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Riverworld Saga, Book 1) 4.0 out of 5 stars (79)
	8% buy The Fabulous Riverboat (Riverworld Saga, Book 2) 3.8 out of 5 stars (25) $10.08
	7% buy The Dark Design (Riverworld Saga, Book 3) 3.2 out of 5 stars (24)

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews 5 star:  (9) 4 star:  (6) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (4) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 23 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Silver Age Adventure, February 16, 2005 By  Nathan B. Hyatt "Psychonaut" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    For some reason, Amazon is combining the reviews of both volumes of the World of Tiers instead of storing them separately under the actually-reviewed volume... So don't be confused by reviews of the second volume appearing under the first, and vice versa. The first volume contains the first three books of the series, the Maker of Universes, the Gates of Creation, and A Private Cosmos. People looking for realistic romances or accurate portrayals of human emotion might want to look elsewhere; those in the mood for classic world-spanning science fiction with an emphasis on action have found their grail. The first two books center on Wolff, a man who starts on Earth and is taken through a Gate to another world where strange Lords rule pocket universes of their own creation and wage a cruel and inventive war against each other. In addition to fabulous landscapes and strange beasts, we have many vintage science fiction ideas and death traps galore. The third book introduces the Black Bellers, creations originally intended to store human consciousnesses for transferring to new bodies, which have themselves evolved consciousness and now present a major threat to all life. Farmer's forte is putting characters in horrible situations and letting them work their way out with wits alone. The imagery in this book is amazing as we travel through multiple universes, each conceived by a Lord as either a palace of pleasure or one giant planet of destruction. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great, imaginative thrill ride. The second volume concludes one of the most entertaining and original adventure/science fiction series in history. The emphasis is on action, conflict, and solving puzzles with the mind alone, said puzzles usually involving Gates that take the main characters to different worlds, often landing them squarely in the middle of a mastermind's death trap. How Farmer weaves his characters into and out of these death traps provided immense enjoyment for this reader. The second volume, containing books 4-6 of the World of Tiers, focuses on Kickaha's battle against the Lord of Earth, Red Orc. Behind the Walls of Terra is one long action/chase scene as Kickaha lands on Earth after an absence of 25 years to chase down a threat to all life everywhere (the Black Bellers) and find his friends who may have been captured by Red Orc. In the second book in this volume, the Lavalite World, Kickaha and others have been transported to a shape-changing world where the planet itself molds and morphs and breaks apart (and rejoins) like the globules in a lavalamp. You will also encounter man-eating trees with insectoid eyes set among their branches and other products of Farmer's fertile imagination. The last book, More than Fire, is the showdown between Kickaha and Red Orc. In my opinion, the books just get better and better. Don't expect the prose of Shakespeare or the complex and masterful plots of Ludlum; this is pure action/adventure with a healthy dose of trippy sci-fi ideas. 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Farmer, November 15, 2000 By  Dominic Chappellet "fuzzy logic" (St. Helena, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The World of Tiers: Volume One (Paperback) This book was my introduction to Philip Jose Farmer. Within five pages I knew I'd found something worth reading and by the end I realized that my Sci-fi knowledge was truly lacking prior to having read Farmer. He is undoubtedly a master. Farmer's literary style may seem pulpish but the shear scope of his imagination combined with the unrelenting pace of his naratives leaves one saturated in worlds complex and thoroughly detailed. I've since read the Riverworld Series (a triumph of imaginative literature filled with thought provoking situations and mind expanding metaphisical conotations) and a number of his other works and now consider myself a fan bordering on cult status. Any fan of Sci-fi or fantasy should not be without a collection of Farmer's works. 10 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Breakneck Speed Leads to Fatal Crash, November 6, 2001 By  Annette C. Nelson "webtarkeena" (Gresham, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The World of Tiers: Volume One (Paperback) Meet Robert Wolff: 66, fat, balding, married to a shrew, and ready for retirement - but perhaps not on on earth. Everything starts out promisingly enough when our likeable hero with the unfortunate gap in his past is drawn by a magic horn to a paradise in another universe. Sadly, things go down hill from here as Wolff sort of accidentally gets drawn into a journey and quest of heroic proportions to rescue said horn, win the girl of his dreams, and topple the Lord of the universe. The main problem here is that Farmer bit off more than he could chew, shoving a plot that Robert Jordan would have spun out into a dozen massive volumes (at least 6 of which would have been worth reading) into a bare 270 pages. I kept finding myself looking for the name of the abridiger on the cover! As a result, there is no time or space for niceties such as character development, suspense, or an examination of motivations, let alone some inkling that the book might *mean* something. The plot rushes on and on, with frequent references such as "3 months later" or "after a long hard journey." Foreshadowing, flashbacks, and other key revelations are handled clumsily at best - as if Farmer had forgotten to tell you something earlier (say, about Wolff's near super-human strength) and is slipping it in now in hopes you won't notice the omission. When he stops to deal with motivation or character development at all, his characters are likely to spill in one succinct paragraph their longstanding battle with alcoholism and apathy to a perfect stranger. When he does stop for breath, it is only to describe in gory detail a battle of some sort in which characters are killed off like so many Starfleet Redshirts (except for the important ones, of course, who escape with nary a scratch.) When we reach the inevitable confrontation between Wolff and the Lord, it is as if Farmer suddenly realized he needed to finish up in just 20 more pages, and shoves in the last dozen revelations in anywhere he can cram them, tying up everything in a neat little package as he reaveals that.... no, I won't ruin the plot for you. I'll just say that if you didn't see it coming, it's probably just because like me you were reading too fast so you could finish and pick up something with a little more meat.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 2.0 out of 5 stars Farmer's reputation far exceeds his ability This review covers both World of Tiers, Volume 1 and Volume 2, but with the second volume, the later books don't even seem to mesh well with the rest of the books. Read more Published on December 18, 2007 by Cypherpunk 5.0 out of 5 stars A Super Fantasy Series Farmer's five-book "World of Tiers" series is a classic. What an imagination Farmer has! I loved the village that slowly floats fifty-feet above the ground. Read more Published on May 5, 2007 by Wanderer 4.0 out of 5 stars Great Pulp Storytelling Farmer is a big pulp adventure fan and tried his hand at it a number of times. I think that World of Tiers is his best attempt. Read more Published on June 12, 2006 by pj 4.0 out of 5 stars Worlds Apart The World of Tiers: Vol. One contains books 1, 2 and 3 of the series. What Philip Farmer writes best is strange worlds and strange creatures and action, action, action. Read more Published on February 13, 2006 by D Strick 2.0 out of 5 stars don't ruin the good taste from the first three!!! I read the first three books of the tier world saga, and I really liked it. The characters are interesting, (especially Wolf), and the adventures are gripping and exciting. Read more Published on December 27, 2002 by rotem shkolnik 1.0 out of 5 stars I gave up on it after 100 pages... This is one of the few books that I have outright abandoned. After about 100 pages, I was frustrated with the complete lack of character development and breakneck pace of the... Read more Published on August 6, 2002 by Preston Hunt 2.0 out of 5 stars Never fails to pick the trite cliche This book presents the first three of Philip Jose Farmer's "The World of Tiers" novels. "The World of Tiers" features a host of alternate universes, all... Read more Published on January 3, 2002 by jackaroe 4.0 out of 5 stars Good follow-up to the first volume Not too much really to say about the stories themselves. A reader either likes the series or he/she doesn't. Read more Published on September 9, 2000 by Paul J. Moade 5.0 out of 5 stars Simply - The Best book i've ever read. Hi, This is a must read. The concepts introduced in this book are way ahead of their time. I must commend mr farmer, considering this was wriiten in the 60s! Read more Published on April 12, 2000 by Michael Grasso 4.0 out of 5 stars good clean old fashioned fun Mr. Farmer is one of these guys whose writing i love (for the most part), but yet am sort of irritated with. Read more Published on November 4, 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312863772
• ISBN-13: 978-0312863777
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #11 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( F ) > Farmer, Philip Jose

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Silver Age Adventure, February 16, 2005

By	Nathan B. Hyatt "Psychonaut" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For some reason, Amazon is combining the reviews of both volumes of the World of Tiers instead of storing them separately under the actually-reviewed volume... So don't be confused by reviews of the second volume appearing under the first, and vice versa.

The first volume contains the first three books of the series, the Maker of Universes, the Gates of Creation, and A Private Cosmos. People looking for realistic romances or accurate portrayals of human emotion might want to look elsewhere; those in the mood for classic world-spanning science fiction with an emphasis on action have found their grail.

The first two books center on Wolff, a man who starts on Earth and is taken through a Gate to another world where strange Lords rule pocket universes of their own creation and wage a cruel and inventive war against each other. In addition to fabulous landscapes and strange beasts, we have many vintage science fiction ideas and death traps galore. The third book introduces the Black Bellers, creations originally intended to store human consciousnesses for transferring to new bodies, which have themselves evolved consciousness and now present a major threat to all life. Farmer's forte is putting characters in horrible situations and letting them work their way out with wits alone.

The imagery in this book is amazing as we travel through multiple universes, each conceived by a Lord as either a palace of pleasure or one giant planet of destruction. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great, imaginative thrill ride.

The second volume concludes one of the most entertaining and original adventure/science fiction series in history. The emphasis is on action, conflict, and solving puzzles with the mind alone, said puzzles usually involving Gates that take the main characters to different worlds, often landing them squarely in the middle of a mastermind's death trap. How Farmer weaves his characters into and out of these death traps provided immense enjoyment for this reader.

The second volume, containing books 4-6 of the World of Tiers, focuses on Kickaha's battle against the Lord of Earth, Red Orc. Behind the Walls of Terra is one long action/chase scene as Kickaha lands on Earth after an absence of 25 years to chase down a threat to all life everywhere (the Black Bellers) and find his friends who may have been captured by Red Orc. In the second book in this volume, the Lavalite World, Kickaha and others have been transported to a shape-changing world where the planet itself molds and morphs and breaks apart (and rejoins) like the globules in a lavalamp. You will also encounter man-eating trees with insectoid eyes set among their branches and other products of Farmer's fertile imagination. The last book, More than Fire, is the showdown between Kickaha and Red Orc. In my opinion, the books just get better and better.

Don't expect the prose of Shakespeare or the complex and masterful plots of Ludlum; this is pure action/adventure with a healthy dose of trippy sci-fi ideas.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Farmer, November 15, 2000

By	Dominic Chappellet "fuzzy logic" (St. Helena, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The World of Tiers: Volume One (Paperback)

This book was my introduction to Philip Jose Farmer. Within five pages I knew I'd found something worth reading and by the end I realized that my Sci-fi knowledge was truly lacking prior to having read Farmer. He is undoubtedly a master. Farmer's literary style may seem pulpish but the shear scope of his imagination combined with the unrelenting pace of his naratives leaves one saturated in worlds complex and thoroughly detailed. I've since read the Riverworld Series (a triumph of imaginative literature filled with thought provoking situations and mind expanding metaphisical conotations) and a number of his other works and now consider myself a fan bordering on cult status. Any fan of Sci-fi or fantasy should not be without a collection of Farmer's works.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Breakneck Speed Leads to Fatal Crash, November 6, 2001

By	Annette C. Nelson "webtarkeena" (Gresham, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The World of Tiers: Volume One (Paperback)

Meet Robert Wolff: 66, fat, balding, married to a shrew, and ready for retirement - but perhaps not on on earth. Everything starts out promisingly enough when our likeable hero with the unfortunate gap in his past is drawn by a magic horn to a paradise in another universe. Sadly, things go down hill from here as Wolff sort of accidentally gets drawn into a journey and quest of heroic proportions to rescue said horn, win the girl of his dreams, and topple the Lord of the universe.
The main problem here is that Farmer bit off more than he could chew, shoving a plot that Robert Jordan would have spun out into a dozen massive volumes (at least 6 of which would have been worth reading) into a bare 270 pages. I kept finding myself looking for the name of the abridiger on the cover! As a result, there is no time or space for niceties such as character development, suspense, or an examination of motivations, let alone some inkling that the book might *mean* something. The plot rushes on and on, with frequent references such as "3 months later" or "after a long hard journey." Foreshadowing, flashbacks, and other key revelations are handled clumsily at best - as if Farmer had forgotten to tell you something earlier (say, about Wolff's near super-human strength) and is slipping it in now in hopes you won't notice the omission. When he stops to deal with motivation or character development at all, his characters are likely to spill in one succinct paragraph their longstanding battle with alcoholism and apathy to a perfect stranger. When he does stop for breath, it is only to describe in gory detail a battle of some sort in which characters are killed off like so many Starfleet Redshirts (except for the important ones, of course, who escape with nary a scratch.) When we reach the inevitable confrontation between Wolff and the Lord, it is as if Farmer suddenly realized he needed to finish up in just 20 more pages, and shoves in the last dozen revelations in anywhere he can cram them, tying up everything in a neat little package as he reaveals that.... no, I won't ruin the plot for you. I'll just say that if you didn't see it coming, it's probably just because like me you were reading too fast so you could finish and pick up something with a little more meat.