A fantastic collection of essays and short stories centered around a very talented writer and his works. Fans of science fiction, adventure and pulp will find some great stories within these pages. Additionally, the non-fiction pieces are very interesting.
I haven't read the entire volume, as some stories set in certain universes take place a bit further on than I am within those series. So this collection has won me over without even completing it yet.
"It Could Make A Great Fantasy", a essay by Laura Wilkes Cary discusses Farmer's plans at using the Book of Mormon as a basis for a American Pre-History series, ala the Khokarsa/Opar series was to Africa. This is a must read for some insight into Farmer's world building, containing information on the Mormon religon, and how Farmer planned to include bits he took notes on while reading the Book of Mormon into the series. It sounds like this story would have been cool to read. It seems America gets left out of the Pre-History/ Lost Race tales, why should Africa and Europe get all the fun?
"Is He In Hell", a short story by Win Scott Eckert is a must read for fans of Wold Newton, Crossovers, the Scarlet Pimpernel and.... a certain Cimmerian. This is a espionage type tale set in the Wold Newton Universe with the Scarlet Pimpernel taking center stage flanked by his ladies Marguerite St. Just (his wife) and Alice Clarke Raffles (lover) (it wouldn't be a Scarlet Pimpernel story without some strong women after all). Also included is a character from french literature named Lecoq who acts as the Pimpernel's driver and aide. I was floored by the revelation of who the villain was, as I am a huge Robert E. Howard fan, that alone would have won me over, but I really enjoyed reading the original Scarlet Pimpernel novel and it was great to see Percy and Marguerite at it again, this time with Percy taking the lead role, but Marguerite still having her fun. He also introduces an interesting concept into the Wold Newton Universe of "the One".
Eckert does all this while setting the seeds for the start of the (Classic) Wold Newton Family/Universe.
As a follow up to this story, Eckert also delves into Wold Newton Genealogy in "The Blakeny Family Tree" which clarifies the relationship between Percy, Alice and Marguerite in the Wold Newton Family and the different children each of the ladies have to Blakeny. This includes a genealogical chart that is a must read for Wold Newton historians.
Lastly, the main reason I bought this was "A Kick in the Side" by Christopher Paul Carey. This is a side story to "Flight From Opar" by Philip Jose Farmer and deals with the fate of Hinokly the scribe. I just came off reading the two Opar books and was starving for more, especially in anticipation for the long awaited sequel "The Song of Kwasin" (recently published by Subterranean Press, co-written by Carey from Farmer's original manuscript and notes), I needed more Opar and this story was there to deliver. While Hinokly is far from the strong characters of Hadon and Kwasin, it offers a look at the world of Khokarsa from a different perspective. It picks up after the poor scribe goes overboard in Flight to Opar, but his salvation is anything but. He gets picked up by a brutal pirate, whose need for a scribe doesn't stop him or his crew from abusing Hinokly. The captain of the ship is smart as far as pirates go... he is a pirate hunter-hunter, preying on vessels who have already stolen from other pirates. However, he's not that smart, of course Hinokly, being the unusual hero of this story uses his wits to get the better of him and his crew. He's not Hadon or Kwasin, but he's not that weak either. I really liked this story, it fed my Khokarsa appetite while awaiting "The Song of Kwasin".
Now thats only 4 out of the 19 pieces within this series, so needless to say you will get a lot out of this collection. I believe there is something in here for everyone, but especially those of Farmer, Wold Newton, New Pulp and Adventure all in a great looking package.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Flip to back
Flip to front
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Customers also viewed these products
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
