R.I.P. Phillip Jose Farmer

[Alareth]

Philip Jose Farmer, author of the "Riverworld" series has passed away at 91.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/books/02/25/obit.farmer/index.html

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Like I needed to read this before I headed off to bed.

One of the greats for sure.

"To their scattered bodies go." One can hope there is an afterlife -- or at least a Riverworld. :(

[Brainster]

Here's hoping he ended up on a nice section of the river!

[Darth Rotor]

A Feast Unknown

Iconoclastic? Sure. But a good read when drinking.

[lionking]

I didn't realise how relatively old he was when he wrote the Riverworld series.

And don't forget "Venus in the Half Shell" by Kilgore Trout.

[fuelair]

Too bad - too cool. :(

[dudalb]

I always liked his brilliant short novel, "Riders Of The Purple Wage".

[dudalb]

I also enjoyed his "Biographies" "Tarzan Alive:A Definitive Biography of Lord Graystroke" and "Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life". Nowdays "biographies" of famous ficitional characters are a dime a dozen but when Farmer did it it was new and unusual.
I admit that I think he took the joke a little too far with the whole "Wold Newton" theory.
I

[Gord_in_Toronto]

A good bibliography at:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/philip-jose-farmer/

I enjoyed noting his books and stories that I have read and enjoyed. And happy to see there are a few more that I did not know about and will have to look for.

[dudalb]

And Farmer certainly had a role in the current popular revival of the 1930's Pulp Hero characters,Doc Savage in particular.
At a Sci Fi con, I once hear Farmer express his opinion of the disasterous 1974 Doc Savage film. If you think Harlan Ellison can be rough on a movie. you ain't heard Farmer.

[Skeptic Guy]

'Riders of the Purple Wage' was a great one and so was Mr. Farmer.

[dudalb]

BTW avoid the 2003 Sci Fi Channel movie that is based on Farmer's Riverworld.
It is a good example of why Sci Fi Channels movies have such a deservedly bad reputation.

[Subduction Zone]

I always thoroughly enjoyed his novels. My only complaint is that he could start a very engrossing series or novel, but I found his endings a bit wanting. Much better than I could ever do but there always seemed to be something lacking.

[fuelair]

And Farmer certainly had a role in the current popular revival of the 1930's Pulp Hero characters,Doc Savage in particular.
At a Sci Fi con, I once hear Farmer express his opinion of the disasterous 1974 Doc Savage film. If you think Harlan Ellison can be rough on a movie. you ain't heard Farmer.Well, in all fairness, it was unmitigated feces.

[jj]

***sigh***

There were things about his work that bugged me, but I'm sad to see him go anyhow.

[Roadtoad]

Gonna miss him.

Damn. The legends just keep leaving us.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Gonna miss him.

Damn. The legends just keep leaving us.

I guess I am showing my age. :sniff:

At one time I actually met and talked to a lot of those guys. I just checked and see that Jack Vance is still with us -- though he is 93!

[dann]

Image of the Beast (http://www.amazon.com/Image-Beast-Philip-Jose-Farmer/dp/1902197240), sci-fi horror porn!
The World of Tiers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Tiers-Maker-Universes-1/dp/0312857616) series, science fantasy.

[fuelair]

I guess I am showing my age. :sniff:

At one time I actually met and talked to a lot of those guys. I just checked and see that Jack Vance is still with us -- though he is 93!
Of all of them, it would not surprise me if Jack made it to 100 +. And if he's ok with that, I certainly am!!:)

[Skeptic Guy]

I'm going to be really depressed when Harlan Ellison leaves us.

[fuelair]

I'm going to be really depressed when Harlan Ellison leaves us.
Harlan will write back to us from Hell - where he will have put down Satan and had all the lesser demons writhing from the power of his words! :D

[Skeptic Guy]

Agreed!!!! :D

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I'm going to be really depressed when Harlan Ellison leaves us.

Any idea how he is doing?

I can't find anything current on the WWW. :scared:

[Skeptic Guy]

Any idea how he is doing?

I can't find anything current on the WWW. :scared:

I don't know. Every few months a check into the 'Ellison Webderland' site, but it hasn't been updated since 2007.

However, I did see video of him from last year's WGA strike. He was on the picket lines bitching about the studios, as you would expect.

I think he's doing well but I don't see anything new from him. For quite some time, he or his publisher, has been repackaging his stuff in new books.

ETA: I forgot, last year a documentary came out on him called, "DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH".

[Miss_Kitt]

RIP Philip Farmer. A writer of amazing imagination and sometimes fabulous humor.

One by one, the heroes of my youth are shuffling into the dark. If only we had some writers of that caliber to replace them!

Sad now, Miss Kitt

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I don't know. Every few months a check into the 'Ellison Webderland' site, but it hasn't been updated since 2007.

However, I did see video of him from last year's WGA strike. He was on the picket lines bitching about the studios, as you would expect.

I think he's doing well but I don't see anything new from him. For quite some time, he or his publisher, has been repackaging his stuff in new books.

ETA: I forgot, last year a documentary came out on him called, "DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH".

After a bit of effort -- all the dates on the site are a few years old -- I eventually ended up in the "Visitor Forums" of his web site.

Harlan himself posts there. His most recent post having been made yesterday. :D

[blobru]

"Riders of the Purple Wage": best story in the most famous sf anthology ever.
"The Lovers": (Ladybug, ladybug...) + The Wind Whales of Ishmael; "The Sliced-Crosswise-Only-on-a-Tuesday World", "Sail on! Sail on!" -- many good memories [of things that never happened] there.

Thank you, Mr. Farmer.

[I Ratant]

BTW avoid the 2003 Sci Fi Channel movie that is based on Farmer's Riverworld.
It is a good example of why Sci Fi Channels movies have such a deservedly bad reputation.
.
That was (is) kinda both awful and silly.
The books, I loved those!
All the characters that ever lived for the cast!
A lot like Silverberg's "Gilgamesh in Hell" stories.

[Alareth]

11 Grand Masters remaining.

Jack Vance
Frederik Pohl
Ray Bradbury
Brian Aldiss
James Gunn
Harry Harrison
Anne McCaffrey
Ursula K. Le Guin
Harlan Ellison
Robert Silverberg
Michael Moorcock

[Skeptic Guy]

After a bit of effort -- all the dates on the site are a few years old -- I eventually ended up in the "Visitor Forums" of his web site.

Harlan himself posts there. His most recent post having been made yesterday. :D

I never went to the forum. I'll have to do so.

11 Grand Masters remaining.

Jack Vance
Frederik Pohl
Ray Bradbury
Brian Aldiss
James Gunn
Harry Harrison
Anne McCaffrey
Ursula K. Le Guin
Harlan Ellison
Robert Silverberg
Michael Moorcock

That's about right.

[Seanette]

I like the Dayworld series myself. Riverworld was OK (I thought it got kinda draggy).