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World of Tiers #5
The Lavalite World
Urthona's private world was a place of sudden land shifts...of mountains that sank into valleys, and plans that rose into peaks. Kickaha was trapped there with Anana and they were all in desperate straits. Because there was only one gate out of that world, located within Urthona's palace. And finding that palace, which moved as often as the landscape itself, was by no means a simple task.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
6 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Philip José Farmer
620 books882 followersPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, but spent much of his life in Peoria, Illinois.
Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.
Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 14, 2024
In a world where everything is always changing, Kickaha must make to a palace, despite the best efforts of powerful foes.
Reminded me somewhat of Planet Mongo.
Reminded me somewhat of Planet Mongo.
October 18, 2018
I'll give The Lavalite World a 4.4 or so. Philip Jose farmer writes some great action and adventure and this is my second series by him. I find his series tend to ramble and become repetitive. This finishes up The World of Tiers series, for me. I know that there are a couple more novels in this series, but if I do read them it will be a while. This series also rambled and was repetitive, especially the first three novels. Books four and five were the best, in my opinion. It took me about a year to read this series. There are still some loose threads to be picked up, but as I've said, I'm not as curious anymore. I am glad that I read it, but do not see me ever reading it again.
February 17, 2018
Metaphorosis Reviews
1.5 stars
Trying to track down their friend and Lord Jadawin-Wolff, Kickaha and Anana find themselves in a changing, chaotic world, along with its creator, Urthona, Earth's Lord, Red Orc, and one of Red Orc's thugs. They must adapt quickly, while searching for an escape.
With this fifth book, Farmer demonstrates conclusively that he's out of plot ideas, but can still work up an unusual setting. Happily, he's largely given up on his awkward gating device, and made the myriad gates more easily operated. Unhappily, he offers nothing new to go with them. As with most of the prequels, the entire book continues to be a search for gates, which then must be checked for ubiquitous traps, and then never quite lead to where they should. In other words, it's the same story over and over and over again.
Farmer has made an effort with the setting - literally based on a lavalite, with lumps splitting off a main mass and eventually re-merging. The science is barely there, and even the central characteristic of the word, its mutability, gets shunted aside in places. Aside from a nod to immortal ennui, there's no attempt to explain just why anyone would create such a world - going to great lengths to design interesting, dangerous, and ultimately pointless creatures to inhabit it and make things hard on the humans the designer imported.
I found the book trying and dull. At one point, Farmer, perhaps irritated by criticism of shallow characters, or simply with a character sketch on hand, suddenly plunges needlessly into a chapter-long discussion of Kickaha's upbringing, apropos of nothing at all. Anana, while much the more interesting character, continues to be a tag-along helpmeet, existing largely to motivate Kickaha's machismo and coo at his cleverness.
I wish Farmer had done more with his setting, including populating it with more interesting and genuine characters, and that he'd made more of an effort in the way of plot.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1.5 stars
Trying to track down their friend and Lord Jadawin-Wolff, Kickaha and Anana find themselves in a changing, chaotic world, along with its creator, Urthona, Earth's Lord, Red Orc, and one of Red Orc's thugs. They must adapt quickly, while searching for an escape.
With this fifth book, Farmer demonstrates conclusively that he's out of plot ideas, but can still work up an unusual setting. Happily, he's largely given up on his awkward gating device, and made the myriad gates more easily operated. Unhappily, he offers nothing new to go with them. As with most of the prequels, the entire book continues to be a search for gates, which then must be checked for ubiquitous traps, and then never quite lead to where they should. In other words, it's the same story over and over and over again.
Farmer has made an effort with the setting - literally based on a lavalite, with lumps splitting off a main mass and eventually re-merging. The science is barely there, and even the central characteristic of the word, its mutability, gets shunted aside in places. Aside from a nod to immortal ennui, there's no attempt to explain just why anyone would create such a world - going to great lengths to design interesting, dangerous, and ultimately pointless creatures to inhabit it and make things hard on the humans the designer imported.
I found the book trying and dull. At one point, Farmer, perhaps irritated by criticism of shallow characters, or simply with a character sketch on hand, suddenly plunges needlessly into a chapter-long discussion of Kickaha's upbringing, apropos of nothing at all. Anana, while much the more interesting character, continues to be a tag-along helpmeet, existing largely to motivate Kickaha's machismo and coo at his cleverness.
I wish Farmer had done more with his setting, including populating it with more interesting and genuine characters, and that he'd made more of an effort in the way of plot.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2014
A pretty good read, Farmer explores a very different environment. A pocket universe where a world is not stable, but moves about, even spawns moons for itself, which last a few months & then merge back with the main body. He explores odd types of life that lives there & sets an adventure among it all.
I had remembered the book ending on a cliff hanger, but it doesn't. There's certainly room for another book - he eventually wrote two more - but the series could end there, although I'm glad he FINALLY continued it. I'm going to start the next book, "Red Orc's Rage" today.
I had remembered the book ending on a cliff hanger, but it doesn't. There's certainly room for another book - he eventually wrote two more - but the series could end there, although I'm glad he FINALLY continued it. I'm going to start the next book, "Red Orc's Rage" today.
October 30, 2014
I have "The Word of Tiers Vol. Two", of which this is the last part. Another Boris Vallejo cover. The one pictured here's pretty sexy too. The newest world for Kickaha is the craziest so far. The plot is pretty much the same. Lots of chasing around and survival challenges. Speaking of challenges, it's a challenge to the reader to come up with a mind-picture of PJF's worlds. The main attraction here is the author's fertile imagination. On it goes!
Almost done now. The Lavalite world is somewhat like Great Plains world of the World of Tiers. Except for the crazy thunderstorms and the wobbly surface. Now Kickaha is stranded on a breakaway "satellite". What's next!?!
- Kickaha's travels and the weird creatures he encounters remind me of "Martian Odyssey", a classic sci-fi story. I'll bet PJF's read it too.
- Kickaha's time with the Thana reminded me of "The Man Who Would Be King"(movie).
- And more of the old ultra-violence: man on man(woman), man on beast, beast on beast...
Finished last night but not really. More like to be continued... It's a bit strange how the author abandoned Wolff and Chryseis to follow Kickaha. Nothing wrong with these adventures(repetitive as they are) but he refers occasionally to the "other" two adventurers from time to time and then we never see them. I assume they'll come back at the end in the next book but I'm not counting on it. One character in this story just disappeared! Maybe he'll show up again in the last installment.
- Urthona's palace reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle...
- 2.75* rounds up to 3*
Almost done now. The Lavalite world is somewhat like Great Plains world of the World of Tiers. Except for the crazy thunderstorms and the wobbly surface. Now Kickaha is stranded on a breakaway "satellite". What's next!?!
- Kickaha's travels and the weird creatures he encounters remind me of "Martian Odyssey", a classic sci-fi story. I'll bet PJF's read it too.
- Kickaha's time with the Thana reminded me of "The Man Who Would Be King"(movie).
- And more of the old ultra-violence: man on man(woman), man on beast, beast on beast...
Finished last night but not really. More like to be continued... It's a bit strange how the author abandoned Wolff and Chryseis to follow Kickaha. Nothing wrong with these adventures(repetitive as they are) but he refers occasionally to the "other" two adventurers from time to time and then we never see them. I assume they'll come back at the end in the next book but I'm not counting on it. One character in this story just disappeared! Maybe he'll show up again in the last installment.
- Urthona's palace reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle...
- 2.75* rounds up to 3*
April 29, 2021
On an artificial world created by the immortal Lord Urthona, the landscape is forever shifting. Mountains crumble into plains, flesh-eating trees roam the surface, chunks of the planet are ejected into orbit as temporary moons only to fall back and crash into the surface. It is on this world that Earthman Paul Janus Finnegan—known as Kickaha among other aliases—and his companion, the Lady Anana, find themselves stranded with the devious Urthona, Red Orc, and their human henchman, McKay. Somewhere on this vexing planet floats Urthona’s palace and the means for finding a gateway to another world. Before Kickaha and Anana can find it, however, they must survive the treachery of the other three—not to mention the dangerous plants, animals, and natives.
In this fifth and penultimate volume in his Word of Tiers series, Farmer provides enough detail about previous events involving the characters that you don’t need to read the previous books to enjoy The Lavalite World. However, what this story fails to mention is that the series began with a character named Robert Wolff also known as Jadawin, one of the immortals lords. Thus, to grasp the full scope and breadth of the World of Tiers, it is advisable to begin with book one, The Maker of Universes.
I can’t help but to compare Farmer’s World of Tiers to Jack Vance’s Planet of Adventure series or to some of Farmer’s other works such as The Stone God Awakens, The Green Odyssey, or even Riverworld. In all cases, a human finds himself (by whatever means) in a strange world and in order to escape, must venture across the planet, battling dangerous tribes, animals, and the environment along the way, all while earning the companionship of a beautiful woman and making a few unlikely allies. There is nothing wrong in these comparisons and each story puts its own spin on that basic premise, making every one a rip-roaring adventure.
In this fifth and penultimate volume in his Word of Tiers series, Farmer provides enough detail about previous events involving the characters that you don’t need to read the previous books to enjoy The Lavalite World. However, what this story fails to mention is that the series began with a character named Robert Wolff also known as Jadawin, one of the immortals lords. Thus, to grasp the full scope and breadth of the World of Tiers, it is advisable to begin with book one, The Maker of Universes.
I can’t help but to compare Farmer’s World of Tiers to Jack Vance’s Planet of Adventure series or to some of Farmer’s other works such as The Stone God Awakens, The Green Odyssey, or even Riverworld. In all cases, a human finds himself (by whatever means) in a strange world and in order to escape, must venture across the planet, battling dangerous tribes, animals, and the environment along the way, all while earning the companionship of a beautiful woman and making a few unlikely allies. There is nothing wrong in these comparisons and each story puts its own spin on that basic premise, making every one a rip-roaring adventure.
December 4, 2019
In The Lavalite World we finally return to the wonky world exploration that drew me into the series. Starring: the author's self insert, a sex fantasy, the least convincing villain, the villain's foil, and a token black man that gives the author to write the odd chapter in hip urban slang.
The pizzaz of this world is that the terrain constantly shifts and reforms itself, up to and including pieces of the world breaking off to form temporary satellites, before coming back down. It's filled with the usual array of hilariously deadly fauna, but since Farmer wants to keep his characters alive until the end this comes off as unconvincing because nobody dies when, by all rights, they should have. Still, it's an improvement on the last book. The idea of a world where it's impossible to navigate due to a lack of constant astronomical or geographic features is an interesting one.
We still have to put up with Kickaha, however. Kickaha who bangs three gorgeous natives while his woman gets raped in the background. Kickaha who spends an entire chapter telling us about his lachrymose childhood of success in scholarship, athletics, society, love, with none-too-subtle hints about his otherworldly origins. Kickaha who ends the book by reminding us that we haven't seen the hero for three books, and if he has his way we never will.
The pizzaz of this world is that the terrain constantly shifts and reforms itself, up to and including pieces of the world breaking off to form temporary satellites, before coming back down. It's filled with the usual array of hilariously deadly fauna, but since Farmer wants to keep his characters alive until the end this comes off as unconvincing because nobody dies when, by all rights, they should have. Still, it's an improvement on the last book. The idea of a world where it's impossible to navigate due to a lack of constant astronomical or geographic features is an interesting one.
We still have to put up with Kickaha, however. Kickaha who bangs three gorgeous natives while his woman gets raped in the background. Kickaha who spends an entire chapter telling us about his lachrymose childhood of success in scholarship, athletics, society, love, with none-too-subtle hints about his otherworldly origins. Kickaha who ends the book by reminding us that we haven't seen the hero for three books, and if he has his way we never will.
January 9, 2022
I am so done with this series. This one was a slog to get through. Don't think of this as a story unto itself. It's actually the second half of the last story. The characters spend almost the entire story trying to escape this world. And there is nothing really interesting about it. They spend their time doing the things characters do in so many Farmer books: try to adapt to other-dimensional alien cultures and build impossible flying machines with twigs, feathers, and leather straps. You would think those are unusual things that don't happen often. But they do in Farmer's stories.
And the protagonists Kickaha and Anana never actually accomplish their goal. They were trying to find and save Kickaha's best friend and his wife. But they never really got around to that. Maybe Farmer planned to get them to their destination in another couple of books. But I think that he got tired of this and gave up. It was a very interesting fantasy concept told in the most boring way. I know there are a couple more books in the series. But I researched and found that they don't really advance this plot. Which means I am done.
And the protagonists Kickaha and Anana never actually accomplish their goal. They were trying to find and save Kickaha's best friend and his wife. But they never really got around to that. Maybe Farmer planned to get them to their destination in another couple of books. But I think that he got tired of this and gave up. It was a very interesting fantasy concept told in the most boring way. I know there are a couple more books in the series. But I researched and found that they don't really advance this plot. Which means I am done.
November 25, 2022
A portal fantasy with artificial worlds, populated with creatures from fantasy, created by a super-powered technologically advanced family who sometimes ally with but largely loathe each other - this series is one of Zelazny's major inspirations for his Chronicles of Amber.
The flavor of these lie closer to pulp adventure than Zelazny's tales but is just as fantastical.
The Lavalite World is the last in the initial run of five books in this six and a half book series, itself coming a good seven years after the previous one.
The initial printing in 1977 promised a followup "Kickaha's world" but nothing materialized before the meta-series novel "Red Orc's Rage" in 1991 with the series formally wrapping up in 1993 with "More Than Fire"
The flavor of these lie closer to pulp adventure than Zelazny's tales but is just as fantastical.
The Lavalite World is the last in the initial run of five books in this six and a half book series, itself coming a good seven years after the previous one.
The initial printing in 1977 promised a followup "Kickaha's world" but nothing materialized before the meta-series novel "Red Orc's Rage" in 1991 with the series formally wrapping up in 1993 with "More Than Fire"
April 1, 2023
Heute beendet. Nach dem enttäuschenden vierten Buch wieder ein Highlight. Man merkt die 7 Jahre, seit dem der Vorgänger veröffentlicht wurde, haben der Geschichte gut getan. Auch der Autor beweist wieder Stärke beim Schreiben. Die Geschichte ist kreativ und spannend.
Leider hat die Reihe an sich starke Abnutzungserscheinungen, denn jedes Buch hat einen beinahe identischen Ablauf und die Charaktere entwickeln sich auch nicht wirklich weiter. Und wenn plötzlich größere Zeitsprünge gemacht werden wird die Glaubwürdigkeit auch gern mal außen vor gelassen.
Ich bin gespannt, ob sich das bei den beiden letzten Büchern noch ändern wird. Ich vermute aber nicht.
Band 6 und 7 werde ich mir aber noch aufheben, erstmal habe ich genug.
Leider hat die Reihe an sich starke Abnutzungserscheinungen, denn jedes Buch hat einen beinahe identischen Ablauf und die Charaktere entwickeln sich auch nicht wirklich weiter. Und wenn plötzlich größere Zeitsprünge gemacht werden wird die Glaubwürdigkeit auch gern mal außen vor gelassen.
Ich bin gespannt, ob sich das bei den beiden letzten Büchern noch ändern wird. Ich vermute aber nicht.
Band 6 und 7 werde ich mir aber noch aufheben, erstmal habe ich genug.
June 23, 2021
Returning to a strange and alien world from the previous book set on terrestrial earth was a welcome return to form for the series. I still prefer the Jadawin/Wolff tales to Kickaha. Sometimes the breeziness of the Kikaha tales blunts the impact of events, and that is on display in particularly callous fashion here. Parts of it feel grossly dated, even for 1977.
November 28, 2024
5.5/10
A book of its time in terms of language & stereotypes, although it reads more like it was written in the late 1950s rather than the late 1970s. Lots of action, complicated plans, alliances & double-crosses. Thad characters are pretty much cartoon cutouts, although Kickaha & Anana are pretty clever.
A book of its time in terms of language & stereotypes, although it reads more like it was written in the late 1950s rather than the late 1970s. Lots of action, complicated plans, alliances & double-crosses. Thad characters are pretty much cartoon cutouts, although Kickaha & Anana are pretty clever.
June 3, 2025
I have read the world of tiers in the past, with the exception of this one, which I enjoyed. A romp through a world where the very ground moves on a timescale of hours, coupled with aggressive vwildlife and natives. Kiskaha and his companions have been stranded, and are trying to escape to somewhere safer. A good tale.
December 15, 2017
Another great read in Farmer’s fantastic World of the Tiers Series.
March 23, 2018
come per Fabbricanti di universi. solo fughe impossibili
December 28, 2024
Book 5 was just as exciting as the ones that came before it. I love reading Farmer !!! Fun for all !
June 9, 2010
This starts off rather fast, I like that. It does not stop, a run through this world with little sleep. That part, the fast run, reminds me of Deathworld which I loved. However, Mr. Farmer spends a lot of time talking about how the inhabitants are "like" earth animals and plants but not like them. That got a little tiring. I thought the main characters were good and I approve of the moral line the author drew to what is right and wrong. The designer of this world and the ones mentioned of the other designed worlds were quite amoral and it seemed only the contact with the lowly "leblabbiy"(a non designer, a native) could possibly give you any moral compass. Smacks too much of poking fun at God and at anybody that has power and money. I do not believe that becoming rich automatically makes you corrupt, though I have to admit there is temptation there, only I do not think the "natives" are all that holy either. I would have like more things in the world to "see" instead always the same sky and ever changing landscapes. Overall the book was OK. I rate the "run" part of the book a 3 and the description a 2.
July 1, 2015
This book has a great premise where people are trapped on a planet where the ground is constantly shifting like globs in a lava lamp. One of my favorite things in Farmer’s books is the crazy fauna that he comes up with. This book has an animal called the Canonlabra which crawls around like an old fallen tree trunk. Its limbs look like stubby branches. Its head has an appendage that looks like a candelabrum with a bunch of human eyes on the ends. This animal’s metabolism produces gunpowder and it can shoot stuff out like a canon. I love imaginative ideas like that.
I thought this book was a little weak in the sections where the characters got split up and then captured by the local tribes on the planet. I thought the tribes were too normal. I would have hoped that people living on this crazy planet with weird animals would be weirder than they were in this book. The last hundred pages had a lot of good action, but it never got as creative or spectacular as the action in The Gates of Creation, which is still by far my favorite book in this series. Also this book didn’t expand on the overall worlds of this series very much. It was still a pretty fun, brisk read.
I thought this book was a little weak in the sections where the characters got split up and then captured by the local tribes on the planet. I thought the tribes were too normal. I would have hoped that people living on this crazy planet with weird animals would be weirder than they were in this book. The last hundred pages had a lot of good action, but it never got as creative or spectacular as the action in The Gates of Creation, which is still by far my favorite book in this series. Also this book didn’t expand on the overall worlds of this series very much. It was still a pretty fun, brisk read.
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December 22, 2009Farmer had a fertile imagination, but I never much cared for the narratives. This description of a protean world is fun--but after I got the idea, I didn't care much about what happened to the characters.
July 27, 2012
After the conflict leaves Earth, Kikkaha and Anana are trapped
on the constantly changing Lavalite world with two of her uncles.
Details their fight to survive and find one uncle's palace.
on the constantly changing Lavalite world with two of her uncles.
Details their fight to survive and find one uncle's palace.
June 12, 2009
Like I say, I loved the first five volumes.
April 30, 2011
loved it years ago
January 13, 2012
Grade C. Book T5.
May 11, 2012
In some ways this was the best of the World of Tiers series - in others it was the worst.
January 1, 2024
Revisited this series after decades. Still enjoyed the world building and the story.
June 13, 2013
More of a chore than entertainment, the story draggs you through the unpleasant scenery and slow-paced plot to an unexpectedly fast ending.
January 27, 2016
Great fantasy/SiFi series. Farmer is one of my top 5 favorite writers. Very recommended
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews