Philip Jose Farmer - Passed away

[Rodders]

A sad loss. I haven't read any of his books either, but i've heard a hell of a lot about him and it sounded like he was one of the greats.

 

[blacknorth]

I think that should be The Wind Whales of Ishmael -- and yes, a book worth seeking out, definitely.

Apologies for getting the title wrong - it's been a few years since I read it. Didn't he also write an alternative version of Around The World In 80 Days which accounted for all the mysterious stops and gaps in the original journey?

 

[j d worthington]

Apologies for getting the title wrong - it's been a few years since I read it. Didn't he also write an alternative version of Around The World In 80 Days which accounted for all the mysterious stops and gaps in the original journey?

Indeed he did: The Other Log of Phileas Fogg. Farmer had a fascination with popular (even more than classical) mythology, and tended to rework various themes, characters, ideas, and tales from popular culture, giving them an added resonance and relevance, as well as celebrating his love of all the things in literature which influenced him....

 

[blacknorth]

Indeed he did: The Other Log of Phileas Fogg. Farmer had a fascination with popular (even more than classical) mythology, and tended to rework various themes, characters, ideas, and tales from popular culture, giving them an added resonance and relevance, as well as celebrating his love of all the things in literature which influenced him....

Thanks for the title, that's another one I have in storage somewhere. Now that Farmer has passed on it might be timely to revisit his books.

The premise of Phileas Fogg reminds me of Nabokov's novel Pale Fire and the whole concept of literature as folklore or myth, as you say. Nabokov's novel take the form of a commentary, Farmer opts for a narrative, but they are similar in spirit and even technique. Nabokov is well-known as a fine prose stylist but no-one looks to SF authors for that kind of writing which is a pity because, often, it is there.

 

[j d worthington]

Thanks for the title, that's another one I have in storage somewhere. Now that Farmer has passed on it might be timely to revisit his books.

The premise of Phileas Fogg reminds me of Nabokov's novel Pale Fire and the whole concept of literature as folklore or myth, as you say. Nabokov's novel take the form of a commentary, Farmer opts for a narrative, but they are similar in spirit and even technique. Nabokov is well-known as a fine prose stylist but no-one looks to SF authors for that kind of writing which is a pity because, often, it is there.

You're welcome. It's been a good while since I went through reading Farmer, but I'm afraid it's going to be an even longer period before I have the chance to again. However, I agree with your other statements, save for a slight demurrer with the last; I think this is an element which, over time, has come to be expected by at least the more literate readers; and I would agree that it is there more often than noted. It is still lacking more than it should be, but it is nonetheless present.

Not to take the thread off-topic too much, but I am wondering: with your noting of such an interest in this aspect of Farmer's work, have you ever read anything of James Branch Cabell? He managed to take both approaches to similar (though not identical) ideas, especially in his Biography of the Life of Manuel. With his ironic, yet insightful and perceptive, manner and tone, he brought some valuable insights to such, while remaining either entertaining, thought-provoking, or both.....

 

[blacknorth]

Thanks for the recommendation on Cabell, I will certainly seek out Biography of the Life of Manuel for reading.

I'm happy to regard SF as the literature of the 20th Century. I don't believe critics have developed a form of literary criticism capable of appreciating the very best SF. For that reason they ignore it. To go back to Nabokov, his only real SF novel, Ada, was lambasted by the critics for being incomprehensible. In fact, it isn't and, by SF standards, is quite tame.

In a way I suppose I was lucky - I came to science fiction through a novel by the wonderful John Boyd, The Rakehells of Heaven, and I still think it has the best opening line I've ever read:

'Astronauts hold few charms for psychiatrists.'

 

[steve12553]

My erratic and intermitant visits to the forums caused me to miss this thread. I also did not see anything in the nes about it. (I read that also erraticly and intermitantly.) I read both the Riverworld series and the World of Tiers series and thoroghly enjoy them both. It is a shame that another of the great ones has passed into an alternate universe.

 

[WizardofOwls]

My favorite was a book called Dark is the Sun.

 

[AE35Unit]

Hmmm I quite fancy The Wind Whales of Ishmael- a futuristic sequel to Moby Dick! I must find a copy!

 

[dask]

It's hard to beat the Riverworld series but THE UNREASONING MASK is right up there.

 

[ghostofcorwin]

World of Tiers is a fine trilogy -- Robert Wolff stepping into his closet after being thrown that horn by Kickaha and entering the world of tiers... a great beginning to a great series. Was very influential with Zelazny by his own account in creating the world of Amber and admired by many of the great SF writers of his time. One of the greats....

 

[J-Sun]

World of Tiers is a fine trilogy

It's actually a quintet to a septet, depending.

 

[Omphalos]

I've been looking in some of my anthology books to see if there's something by him that I could read tonight... no luck so far.

Here is a good place to start searching:

Philip José Farmer - Summary Bibliography

Go down to the short fiction section and click on the stories. Any anthologies that contain the story you are interested in should be easy to find. Collections are noted there too.

 

[GOLLUM]

I've got the Riverworld Series and he will be a sad loss indeed.

 

[ghostofcorwin]

It's actually a quintet to a septet, depending.

Absolutely correct. Funny that I forgot that, but mostly because I stopped at the first three, which come in a single volume now... have you read the remaining three? I was under the impression that the quality fell off in the later volumes...

 

[J-Sun]

Absolutely correct. Funny that I forgot that, but mostly because I stopped at the first three, which come in a single volume now... have you read the remaining three? I was under the impression that the quality fell off in the later volumes...

Yep, that makes sense. And, no, I haven't, but I do have an omnibus of five of them that I'll get to: The Maker of Universes, The Gates of Creation, A Private Cosmos, Behind the Walls of Terra, and the much later The Lavalite World.