The Jungle Rot Kid really is on the nod. RIP.

I was a big fan as a teenager, Riverworld, World of Tiers and countless others, His Tarzan Alive got me into reading pulp heroes like the Shadow and Doc Savage. In my thirteen year old brain is seemed very possible that Lord Greystoke real.  Years later PJF signed a oversized foam core mounted cover of a Tarzan Alive reissue for me at a bookstore appearence.

Thank you Mister Farmer. RIP

RIP.

I am currently reading his Riverworld series (now "the magic labyrinth", and next is "Gods of Riverworld").

RIP Philip Jose Farmer.

I read the Riverworld books and towards the end I had come to two decisions: I had to know what happened and had to read till the end and the second decision; I wasn't going to read another of his books, nor was I going to reread (and I am a habitual rereader) the Riverworld novels.

I have a problem when writers (see Alan Moore) use other writer's characters in ways the original would probably not have intended or appreciated but I found Farmer's use of real world figures even more problematic. The path to enlightenment was a barrier to my enjoyment and the fact that the characters that I could identify with (because I shared characteristics with them) were the ones who were portrayed as the ones not likely to reach enlightment was also an affront. It seemed as if strength and moral courage were anaethema to the collective conscious and the only way for those characters to advance was to deliberately become passive instead of active.

When authors have beliefs that I disagree with I am not normally bothered, but presented in the way he presented it (if you don't become what he believed a good person to be you will not ascend to heaven but will be cast into oblivion) I could not help but be insulted. But, again, the books were so well crafted that even with my misgivings I HAD to finish them.

My other issue (spoiler text) was that Farmer stated characters feelings as if they were somehow historical facts (Samuel Clemens never really loving his wife in real life, even if true, even if he wasn't the first writer to state that, was made worse by the fact he was using the image and the words and the character of a real person to make that argument and that felt very not kosher). It went beyond putting words into others mouths during an argument, to putting words in their mouths that, because they were dead, they could not dispute.

A brilliant piece of work. A brilliant writer.

I hope this is not seen as an indictment of Farmer, I actually believe that a lot of what he was trying to achieve in his work was to create discussions and interesting thought and I hope by raising my objections it can be seen as honoring his work. If not, please disregard.