Behind The Walls of Terra - Philip Jose Farmer - cover artist Bart Forbes
comments by CR:
This novel is book four of seven in a series titled "World of Tiers". Farmer wrote these seven books over the period 1965 to 1993. None of the books are in print but are available as used books on the Internet. There have been several collections of the "Tiers" novels published which make it easier for the dedicated fan to obtain all the stories. The question I pose is should you read the books in sequence or what? My answer is read them in sequence if you're truly interested in Phil Farmer's fiction and can track them down. If you have one of the books and need a dose of exciting SF from on the masters read it!
My comments refer to only the novel "Behind the Walls of Terra".
I found this story to be an enjoyable romp through time and space made somewhat logical and reasonably believable by the craftsmanship of Phil Jose Farmer (1918-09). If you have read many of Farmer's book you get the impression that he writes two types of fiction: serious and the stuff just to pays the bills. This is a serious book but you have to "buy in" to his cosmos. The reader is presented with an intriguing, but not original, concept; the universe as we perceive it is an illusion. The Sun and planets are contained within a huge bubble with make believe stars and celestial objects "faked" upon the inside wall of this immense sphere. The Lords [no additional definition is provided] "created" these systems such as the Earth's for their own amusement. The "Lords" in turn come from a universe created by who knows - other higher Lords? We are left with the concept of a shell within a shell etc.
An Earthman, Paul; Finnegan, gets involved with the Lords, the red Orc, the Black Beller and other associated Farmer creations. This reader found the book a very enjoyable tale with a strong foundation of wonder.
Title: Behind The Walls of Terra
Author: Farmer, Philip Jose 1918-2009
Type: paperback, novel
Publisher: Ace Books, Inc.
Copyright: 1970 by author
Pages count: 188
Edition: unknown
Cover artist: Bart Forbes
Publication date: unknown
Cover Price: $1.25
Magazine appearance: none/not listed
Comments: The omission of edition and publication date is typical of many Ace books. Cover shows a blindfolded man immersed in brown stuff with electrodes going into his back…Hmmm Perhaps one of Mr. Forbes earlier efforts.
Culpability: All images are from publications owned by Calwalader Ringgold /\ Weazel. Image scanning, editing and compiling of bibliographic data was performed by Calwalader Ringgold /\ Weazel.
Behind The Walls of Terra - Philip Jose Farmer - cover artist Bart Forbes
comments by CR:
This novel is book four of seven in a series titled "World of Tiers". Farmer wrote these seven books over the period 1965 to 1993. None of the books are in print but are available as used books on the Internet. There have been several collections of the "Tiers" novels published which make it easier for the dedicated fan to obtain all the stories. The question I pose is should you read the books in sequence or what? My answer is read them in sequence if you're truly interested in Phil Farmer's fiction and can track them down. If you have one of the books and need a dose of exciting SF from on the masters read it!
My comments refer to only the novel "Behind the Walls of Terra".
I found this story to be an enjoyable romp through time and space made somewhat logical and reasonably believable by the craftsmanship of Phil Jose Farmer (1918-09). If you have read many of Farmer's book you get the impression that he writes two types of fiction: serious and the stuff just to pays the bills. This is a serious book but you have to "buy in" to his cosmos. The reader is presented with an intriguing, but not original, concept; the universe as we perceive it is an illusion. The Sun and planets are contained within a huge bubble with make believe stars and celestial objects "faked" upon the inside wall of this immense sphere. The Lords [no additional definition is provided] "created" these systems such as the Earth's for their own amusement. The "Lords" in turn come from a universe created by who knows - other higher Lords? We are left with the concept of a shell within a shell etc.
An Earthman, Paul; Finnegan, gets involved with the Lords, the red Orc, the Black Beller and other associated Farmer creations. This reader found the book a very enjoyable tale with a strong foundation of wonder.
Title: Behind The Walls of Terra
Author: Farmer, Philip Jose 1918-2009
Type: paperback, novel
Publisher: Ace Books, Inc.
Copyright: 1970 by author
Pages count: 188
Edition: unknown
Cover artist: Bart Forbes
Publication date: unknown
Cover Price: $1.25
Magazine appearance: none/not listed
Comments: The omission of edition and publication date is typical of many Ace books. Cover shows a blindfolded man immersed in brown stuff with electrodes going into his back…Hmmm Perhaps one of Mr. Forbes earlier efforts.
Culpability: All images are from publications owned by Calwalader Ringgold /\ Weazel. Image scanning, editing and compiling of bibliographic data was performed by Calwalader Ringgold /\ Weazel.