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Riverworld
Riverworld and Other Stories
Riverworld and Other Stories (A Panther book) Farmer, Philip Jose
303 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1979
123 people are currently reading
490 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 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 5, 2015
Da gusto volver a leer algo de Philip José Farmer, que tanto me asombró con su novela ‘A vuestros cuerpos dispersos’, mi primer acercamiento al Mundo del río. Sin duda, Farmer es un escritor de ideas, con una imaginación sumamente fértil. La presente antología es buena muestra de ello, con relatos muy buenos y otros que no me han gustado tanto.
Estos son los once relatos incluidos en ‘El mundo del Río y otras historias’ (Riverworld and Other Stories, 1979), cada uno de los cuáles está encabezado por una pequeña introducción del propio autor:
El mundo del Río. Tom Mix, junto a Bithniah y Yeshua, huyen por el Río de la persecución de los hombres de Kramer. El combate es inevitable. Primer texto del Mundo del río, que Farmer publicó por entregas en la revista Worlds of Tomorrow. Quien no conozca este planeta, comentar que está constituido por un río de millones de kilómetros, en cuyas orillas conviven los miles de millones de personas que murieron en la Tierra, desde sus inicios hasta el siglo XXI. Pero es mucho más, y es mejor que lo descubra el lector. En cuanto a esta novela corta, decir es una buena historia.
J. C. en el rancho turístico. Que narra el enfrentamiento entre J.C. Marison y Belzeh Buh. Interesante.
El volcán. Curtius Parry, detective privado, llega al maizal de los Catskills para investigar una desaparición. Extraño y muy buen relato, donde destaca ese enigmático volcán.
La patrulla del amanecer de Henry Miller. Ambientada en una residencia de ancianos, narra las aventuras del tal Miller, antiguo piloto de guerra. Una gamberrada de Farmer.
El enigma del puente doliente… entre otros. Harry Manders narra una de las aventuras a la que se enfrentaron él y Raffles, ladrón de guante blanco. En este caso, sus pasos se cruzarán con Holmes y Watson. Excepcional relato, donde Farmer nos da una posible explicación para tres de los casos para los que Holmes no tuvo solución.
Brass y Gold (o Caballo y Zepelín en Beverly Hills). Que narra el lío amoroso entre la señora Gold y el señor Brass. Flojito.
El Niño Podrido de la Jungla pasa de todo. Pastiche sobre Tarzán, pero como si hubiese sido escrito por William Burroughs, en lugar de por Edgar Rice Burrougs. No me ha gustado nada.
La voz del sonar en mi apéndice vermiforme. Otro relato que no me gustó nada.
Monólogo. Relato corto de terror sobre un hijo y su madre. Bueno.
El arrendador de dos males. Otra gamberrada de Farmer, y otro relato que no me ha gustado. En general, me gusta más cuando escribe en serio, y no en plan parodia.
El fantasma de las cloacas. Red y su amigo Ringo trabajan limpiando las alcantarillas, una mal trabajo, que se vuelve aún peor cuando han de enfrentarse a un asesino/monstruo.
Estos son los once relatos incluidos en ‘El mundo del Río y otras historias’ (Riverworld and Other Stories, 1979), cada uno de los cuáles está encabezado por una pequeña introducción del propio autor:
El mundo del Río. Tom Mix, junto a Bithniah y Yeshua, huyen por el Río de la persecución de los hombres de Kramer. El combate es inevitable. Primer texto del Mundo del río, que Farmer publicó por entregas en la revista Worlds of Tomorrow. Quien no conozca este planeta, comentar que está constituido por un río de millones de kilómetros, en cuyas orillas conviven los miles de millones de personas que murieron en la Tierra, desde sus inicios hasta el siglo XXI. Pero es mucho más, y es mejor que lo descubra el lector. En cuanto a esta novela corta, decir es una buena historia.
J. C. en el rancho turístico. Que narra el enfrentamiento entre J.C. Marison y Belzeh Buh. Interesante.
El volcán. Curtius Parry, detective privado, llega al maizal de los Catskills para investigar una desaparición. Extraño y muy buen relato, donde destaca ese enigmático volcán.
La patrulla del amanecer de Henry Miller. Ambientada en una residencia de ancianos, narra las aventuras del tal Miller, antiguo piloto de guerra. Una gamberrada de Farmer.
El enigma del puente doliente… entre otros. Harry Manders narra una de las aventuras a la que se enfrentaron él y Raffles, ladrón de guante blanco. En este caso, sus pasos se cruzarán con Holmes y Watson. Excepcional relato, donde Farmer nos da una posible explicación para tres de los casos para los que Holmes no tuvo solución.
Brass y Gold (o Caballo y Zepelín en Beverly Hills). Que narra el lío amoroso entre la señora Gold y el señor Brass. Flojito.
El Niño Podrido de la Jungla pasa de todo. Pastiche sobre Tarzán, pero como si hubiese sido escrito por William Burroughs, en lugar de por Edgar Rice Burrougs. No me ha gustado nada.
La voz del sonar en mi apéndice vermiforme. Otro relato que no me gustó nada.
Monólogo. Relato corto de terror sobre un hijo y su madre. Bueno.
El arrendador de dos males. Otra gamberrada de Farmer, y otro relato que no me ha gustado. En general, me gusta más cuando escribe en serio, y no en plan parodia.
El fantasma de las cloacas. Red y su amigo Ringo trabajan limpiando las alcantarillas, una mal trabajo, que se vuelve aún peor cuando han de enfrentarse a un asesino/monstruo.
September 19, 2025
After taking a little break from reading the works of Philip Jose Farmer I have made my return to the mind of the wildest man in all of Science Fiction. This short story collection has it all, for better or for worse but overall I’m left amazed and highly entertained.
This short story collection, first published in 1979 looks to compile a handful of Farmer’s stories from the 1960s and 1970s at the height of his success with the Riverworld series. The title story is the first in this collection and is the original novella that spawned his acclaimed Riverworld books. This novella is about 90 pages broken into short chapters, while following different characters we are set firmly in the Riverworld universe.
It was interesting to compare this short novella with the full fledged books that came after. While I still think that the first book, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, is the best work Farmer wrote in this universe, I did like this novella version more than any of the sequels. We get all of the action and world building of these books, just in a more abbreviated manner. I wonder what the reading experience of this would be like for someone new to this world but as someone who has read a handful of books set in this world it was quite enjoyable. I also appreciated that it actually expanded on the world for readers looking for more from this setting. One element I thought was particularly interesting was the philosophical pondering of Jewish characters not wanting to eat meat that was provided for them in their grails, as they didn’t know the source of it.
The Riverworld novella is the longest story in this collection and is followed by ten more stories. How do these fare and what are they about? I won’t describe all of them but I will focus on the ones I found most interesting.
These stories are all very different from each other and look to capture every angle of Farmer’s capabilities as a writer. Every story has a highly imaginative premise and while not all of them worked for me, I was always amazed that he came up with and wrote what was presented to me.
We get a sampling of every facet of Farmer. We get the action stories, the detective stories, the supernatural, the experimental, and the erotic. I think this is a great way to explore all that Farmer has to offer without having to commit to one specific book. While I’m not sure this is the best starting point for new readers, I would suggest this to someone who has read one or two Farmer books, knows they like what they’ve read, and wants to read more. I had only previously only read his Riverworld books and thought this was a great way to try out his other styles.
Some of the stories I enjoyed most were “The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol”,”The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod”, “Brass and Gold”, and “The Leaser of Two Evils”. “Henry Miller” is a story he wrote for Playboy where he describes a nursing home where a WWI fighter pilot veteran is playing the field with the local grandmas. Farmer uses many WWI and aviation terms as innuendos for sexual acts and the overall characterization of this character is great to see him interact with others. “The Leaser of Two Evils” is another erotica story where a detective finds he is sharing his body with his mysteriously deceased sister who by night dresses him in drag and goes out on the town. The surreal and dark body horror of this rather short story really was engaging, especially as this isn’t the sort of thing I usually read or find myself enjoying.
“Brass and Gold” is a rather satirical and absurd story about a Mormon hippie who has an affair with a Jewish housewife in Beverly Hills. There are lots of outrageous situations and this is by far the most humorous of the stories. I loved all of the nonessential digs at the Beverly Hills police that really paint the image that Farmer did not enjoy his time living there. Overall this story has a very late sixties postmodern flare that just hits for a reader like me.
“Jungle Rot Kid” is a story I had heard about before and anticipated reading when I picked up this collection. Many of the stories in this collection have Farmer taking on the persona of a fictional author or impersonating another author's style. This adds an extra layer of metafiction that is seldom seen by his Science Fiction peers. In this story Farmer writes a Tarzan story as if it was written by William S Burroughs instead of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is highly amusing and Farmer really gets the style down. The gimmick does start to wear quickly but luckily this story is only a few pages.
A story of author style impersonation I felt was not as well executed was the last, “The Phantom of the Sewers”. In this story Farmer is writing a story as if he is the character Rod Keen, a minor character in Richard Brautigan’s The Abortion: 1966. Farmer looks to impersonate Brautigan’s style in this story but it feels like a weak imitation. There are some of the same sentence structures and words you might find in something like Trout Fishing in America but this is a standard Farmer story more than anything else. Nothing terrible in its execution but rather disappointing as I had heard about this story prior to reading this book and had high expectations.
Overall, I was really impressed with this collection. While I didn’t love every story in execution, I did love all of them in concept. So many crazy and outlandish ideas that only a man like Philip Jose Farmer could write. Each story is introduced by the man himself, offering a little more context as to why he wrote each story or at what point in his career he wrote them. This really added another level of enjoyment and given how much metafiction Farmer offered in these stories it only added another layer. While To Your Scattered Bodies Go is still my favorite thing I’ve read from him, this is a close second and only makes me want to read more from him.
This short story collection, first published in 1979 looks to compile a handful of Farmer’s stories from the 1960s and 1970s at the height of his success with the Riverworld series. The title story is the first in this collection and is the original novella that spawned his acclaimed Riverworld books. This novella is about 90 pages broken into short chapters, while following different characters we are set firmly in the Riverworld universe.
It was interesting to compare this short novella with the full fledged books that came after. While I still think that the first book, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, is the best work Farmer wrote in this universe, I did like this novella version more than any of the sequels. We get all of the action and world building of these books, just in a more abbreviated manner. I wonder what the reading experience of this would be like for someone new to this world but as someone who has read a handful of books set in this world it was quite enjoyable. I also appreciated that it actually expanded on the world for readers looking for more from this setting. One element I thought was particularly interesting was the philosophical pondering of Jewish characters not wanting to eat meat that was provided for them in their grails, as they didn’t know the source of it.
The Riverworld novella is the longest story in this collection and is followed by ten more stories. How do these fare and what are they about? I won’t describe all of them but I will focus on the ones I found most interesting.
These stories are all very different from each other and look to capture every angle of Farmer’s capabilities as a writer. Every story has a highly imaginative premise and while not all of them worked for me, I was always amazed that he came up with and wrote what was presented to me.
We get a sampling of every facet of Farmer. We get the action stories, the detective stories, the supernatural, the experimental, and the erotic. I think this is a great way to explore all that Farmer has to offer without having to commit to one specific book. While I’m not sure this is the best starting point for new readers, I would suggest this to someone who has read one or two Farmer books, knows they like what they’ve read, and wants to read more. I had only previously only read his Riverworld books and thought this was a great way to try out his other styles.
Some of the stories I enjoyed most were “The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol”,”The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod”, “Brass and Gold”, and “The Leaser of Two Evils”. “Henry Miller” is a story he wrote for Playboy where he describes a nursing home where a WWI fighter pilot veteran is playing the field with the local grandmas. Farmer uses many WWI and aviation terms as innuendos for sexual acts and the overall characterization of this character is great to see him interact with others. “The Leaser of Two Evils” is another erotica story where a detective finds he is sharing his body with his mysteriously deceased sister who by night dresses him in drag and goes out on the town. The surreal and dark body horror of this rather short story really was engaging, especially as this isn’t the sort of thing I usually read or find myself enjoying.
“Brass and Gold” is a rather satirical and absurd story about a Mormon hippie who has an affair with a Jewish housewife in Beverly Hills. There are lots of outrageous situations and this is by far the most humorous of the stories. I loved all of the nonessential digs at the Beverly Hills police that really paint the image that Farmer did not enjoy his time living there. Overall this story has a very late sixties postmodern flare that just hits for a reader like me.
“Jungle Rot Kid” is a story I had heard about before and anticipated reading when I picked up this collection. Many of the stories in this collection have Farmer taking on the persona of a fictional author or impersonating another author's style. This adds an extra layer of metafiction that is seldom seen by his Science Fiction peers. In this story Farmer writes a Tarzan story as if it was written by William S Burroughs instead of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is highly amusing and Farmer really gets the style down. The gimmick does start to wear quickly but luckily this story is only a few pages.
A story of author style impersonation I felt was not as well executed was the last, “The Phantom of the Sewers”. In this story Farmer is writing a story as if he is the character Rod Keen, a minor character in Richard Brautigan’s The Abortion: 1966. Farmer looks to impersonate Brautigan’s style in this story but it feels like a weak imitation. There are some of the same sentence structures and words you might find in something like Trout Fishing in America but this is a standard Farmer story more than anything else. Nothing terrible in its execution but rather disappointing as I had heard about this story prior to reading this book and had high expectations.
Overall, I was really impressed with this collection. While I didn’t love every story in execution, I did love all of them in concept. So many crazy and outlandish ideas that only a man like Philip Jose Farmer could write. Each story is introduced by the man himself, offering a little more context as to why he wrote each story or at what point in his career he wrote them. This really added another level of enjoyment and given how much metafiction Farmer offered in these stories it only added another layer. While To Your Scattered Bodies Go is still my favorite thing I’ve read from him, this is a close second and only makes me want to read more from him.
May 28, 2022
I struggled with rating this. It’s a short story collection that is dreadfully uneven, and the lows are real low, with sexism, racism and anti-semitism ahoy.
Just reading what I just wrote made me realize it needed to be two stars instead of three, although I’d give it two and a half if I could.
Just reading what I just wrote made me realize it needed to be two stars instead of three, although I’d give it two and a half if I could.
August 3, 2022
*The leaser of two evils
Leído para el club Clásico es leerte
Este relato tiene todo lo que aprecio en una historia corta, un inicio intrigante, un desarrollo enganchante y un final sorprendente que te deja pensando en posibilidades.
La historia sigue al detective John Healey, un mojigato alejado de todo vicio quien sufre de trastorno de identidad disociativo, su contraparte es una mujer con total libertad sexual que se apodera de su mente y cuerpo, principalmente por las noches, haciendo que cometa actos impensables para él. Esto hará que busque ayuda revelándonos lo que su mente esconde.
Me ha gustado todo en la historia, empezando por el título haciendo referencia a "the lesser of two evils", la crítica a la moralidad o, más bien, a la falsa moralidad y la hipocresía que muchas veces esconden las personas que se precian de vivir bajo altos valores.
Totalmente encantada con este autor y definitivamente me gustaría leer más de él.
Consejo: Si tienen la posibilidad de leer el libro en inglés háganlo ya que la traducción en español tiene muchos términos y expresiones cambiados.
Leído para el club Clásico es leerte
Este relato tiene todo lo que aprecio en una historia corta, un inicio intrigante, un desarrollo enganchante y un final sorprendente que te deja pensando en posibilidades.
La historia sigue al detective John Healey, un mojigato alejado de todo vicio quien sufre de trastorno de identidad disociativo, su contraparte es una mujer con total libertad sexual que se apodera de su mente y cuerpo, principalmente por las noches, haciendo que cometa actos impensables para él. Esto hará que busque ayuda revelándonos lo que su mente esconde.
Me ha gustado todo en la historia, empezando por el título haciendo referencia a "the lesser of two evils", la crítica a la moralidad o, más bien, a la falsa moralidad y la hipocresía que muchas veces esconden las personas que se precian de vivir bajo altos valores.
Totalmente encantada con este autor y definitivamente me gustaría leer más de él.
Consejo: Si tienen la posibilidad de leer el libro en inglés háganlo ya que la traducción en español tiene muchos términos y expresiones cambiados.
November 18, 2018
On Riverworld, no one ever dies… well, at least not permanently. Those who do are resurrected a few hours later elsewhere on the planet. Former western movie star, Tom Mix, found himself on Riverworld after his Earthly demise, along with billions of others from various eras in human history. Mix, along with his companions Yeshua and Bithniah, are on the run from a marauding conqueror Kramer when they join forces with John Wickel-Stafford, the lord mayor of New Albion and enemy of Kramer. Together, Mix and Stafford lead their forces in an attempt to stop Kramer’s next invasion…
“Riverworld” is, of course, one of the better stories in this collection of eleven. My other favorites include:
“J.C. on the Dude Ranch” – At the XR Dude Ranch in Big Wash, Arizona, two imposing cowboys—the heroic J.C. Marison and the sinister Mr. Bales Bub—square off against one another, but it is truly a battle of Biblical proportions or something more cosmic?
“The Volcano” – Detective Curtius Parry investigates an impossible volcano recently formed in the backyard of Henry and Bonnie Havik. The eruption occurred shortly after hired hand and Mexican immigrant Juan Tizoc vanished. Could there be a burning connection between the two?
“The Problem of the Sore Bridge” – In Victorian England, journalist Harry Manders and gentleman burglar A.J. Raffles team up to investigate the disappearance of enigmatic rare gem dealer James Phillimore. At every turn, Manders and Raffles are merely seconds ahead of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, who are also on the case. Manders and Raffles soon learn that Phillimore is not at all what he appeared to be, nor are teardrop sapphires in his collection…
“Brass and Gold” – A hilarious romp focusing on a love affair between a Jewish wife and her eccentric Gentile artist neighbor that begins after her husband locks her in the bedroom with three meals per day in order to curb her gluttony and force her to lose weight…
Other stories include “The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod,” “Monolog,” “The Leaser of Two Evils,” “The Phantom of the Sewers,” “The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol,” and “The Voice of the Sonar in My Vermiform Appendix.”
“Riverworld” is, of course, one of the better stories in this collection of eleven. My other favorites include:
“J.C. on the Dude Ranch” – At the XR Dude Ranch in Big Wash, Arizona, two imposing cowboys—the heroic J.C. Marison and the sinister Mr. Bales Bub—square off against one another, but it is truly a battle of Biblical proportions or something more cosmic?
“The Volcano” – Detective Curtius Parry investigates an impossible volcano recently formed in the backyard of Henry and Bonnie Havik. The eruption occurred shortly after hired hand and Mexican immigrant Juan Tizoc vanished. Could there be a burning connection between the two?
“The Problem of the Sore Bridge” – In Victorian England, journalist Harry Manders and gentleman burglar A.J. Raffles team up to investigate the disappearance of enigmatic rare gem dealer James Phillimore. At every turn, Manders and Raffles are merely seconds ahead of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, who are also on the case. Manders and Raffles soon learn that Phillimore is not at all what he appeared to be, nor are teardrop sapphires in his collection…
“Brass and Gold” – A hilarious romp focusing on a love affair between a Jewish wife and her eccentric Gentile artist neighbor that begins after her husband locks her in the bedroom with three meals per day in order to curb her gluttony and force her to lose weight…
Other stories include “The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod,” “Monolog,” “The Leaser of Two Evils,” “The Phantom of the Sewers,” “The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol,” and “The Voice of the Sonar in My Vermiform Appendix.”
July 17, 2017
Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer- This is a collection of Philip Jose Farmer stories including the title novelette and a couple of other Riverworld stories, along with different stories and an essay about Riverworld from his long career. As with much of his work, Farmer likes to mix religion with action and does so here with the title story as well as "J. C. on the Dude Ranch" about Jesus and Satan as two cowpokes in the Wild West. "The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol" finds the real-life racy author living in a nursing home and dealing with it his way. A lot of the stories, Farmer explains in his intros, are "fictional author stories", where the writer of the story is supposedly a character in another story, a la Kilgore Trout. One of the best things about the collection, I found, was the intros or forwards for most of the stories. Him telling us why he did it this way and how the whole thing came about is fascinating. The stories are much like those for any anthology in that some are great and others so-so, but each to his own. If you haven't read any Philip Jose Farmer, this might be a good introduction, but even if you not thrilled you owe it to yourself to at least read the first Riverworld novel "To Your Scattered Bodies Go", and maybe the first and second World of Tiers novels. There's magic out there
September 9, 2018
3 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary:
A collection of speculative stories from Philip Jose Farmer, including three from the Riverworld series.
Review:
Here, at last, my long journey into Philip Jose Farmerworld comes mostly, and gratefully, to an end. I first encountered Farmer through his Riverworld books, which I continue to think are a great achievement in SFF, and deservedly qualify as classics. After extensive reading, though, the sad fact is that his other work – including stories for which he won prizes – doesn’t come close. The bulk of it is slipshod, far-fetched, and thinly characterized.
This collection, fairly enough, captures all facets of Farmer’s writing, from three reasonably solid Riverworld stories to stories that received acclaim to stories that are outright juvenile – and not in a fun way. In brief, I’d have to say that the only reason to buy the collection is for the Riverworld stories. They’re not essential, but they do flesh out a Tom Mix side story, and some of them show the good side of Farmer’s work.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2025
The best stories in this collection are "The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol," "The Problem of Sore Bridge --Among Others" and "Brass and Gold". The first and last are, respectively, humorous and bittersweet looks at the life among the elderly. The middle is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche where Holmes is only glimpsed in one or two scenes, but a parallel set of investigators, "Bunny" Manders and Arthur Raffles, two former minor (but observant) criminals, work to solve a mystery mentioned in the original story that Holmes had never solved. I recommend reviewing Arthur Doyle's "The Problem of Thor Bridge" immediately prior to reading this one to get the most entertainment value from seeing where the two stories intersect.
October 18, 2009
One of the more consistently well done anthologies I've read. The good way outweighs the few mis-steps. I'd go so far to say there are no bad stories here. Even the weakest ones only got as low as 'pretty good' or a great idea with so-so execution.
The author's notes on each story we equally entertaining.
Riverworld was of course my favorite, as it is one of my all time fave sci-fi series.
I also enjoyed his fake Sherlock Holmes tale and 'JC on the ranch'.
The author's notes on each story we equally entertaining.
Riverworld was of course my favorite, as it is one of my all time fave sci-fi series.
I also enjoyed his fake Sherlock Holmes tale and 'JC on the ranch'.
April 2, 2025
This author is really horny
August 17, 2021
Отличный, типично фармеровский сборник.
Заглавная повесть, как положено, самая ударная - про жизнь и страдания Иисуса Христа на берегах бесконечной Реки. Это чудовищно тяжело, когда ты с детства даже не верил, а ЗНАЛ, что за гранью мира есть Рай и Ад, есть Господь и Сатана, а сам ты Сын Божий – а после мучительной смерти просыпаешься на берегу Реки и понимаешь, что всю жизнь обманывал себя пустыми сказками, и нет ни рая, ни ада, ни греха, ни праведности, и все то зло, которое совершают люди, это не "козни дьявола", а сознательные поступки, от души, от самого сердца. И в горьком финале окончательно разочаровавшийся Иисус вопиет, "Отец... они ведают, что творят!"
"The Problem of the Sore Bridge" — блистательный трибьют Конан Дойлу, который в одном из поздних рассказов бросил вызов подражателям, упомянув про три дела, которые не смог раскрыть сам великий Холмс: дело бизнесмена, вышедшего из дома, вернувшегося за зонтиком и бесследно исчезнувшего; дело журналиста, который сошел с ума, глядя на спичечный коробок с личинкой неизвестного науке насекомого; и дело катера на Темзе, ушедшего в туман и не вернувшегося. "Вызов принят! Но надо бы повысить сложность!" воскликнул Фармер и объединил все три дела в одно, абсолютно головокружительное.
"Вулкан" - неплохая короткая вещь, в которой намешаны сельская бытовуха, детектив, техасский расизм, мистицизм а-ля "Кэрри" и еще бог знает что. Не шедевр, но неплохо.
"J.C. on the Dude Ranch" опять про Иисуса. На этот раз — развеселая хохма про Христа и Дьявола на диком западе. Сын божий арканит лошадей своим нимбом, превращает воду в бурбон, сражается с Вельзевулом на, эээ, пенисах... и побеждает! Сейчас такое, конечно, непозволительно не только издавать, но даже сочинять – а в веселые семидесятые было можно. Другая, ушедшая эпоха.
"Рассветный патруль Генри Миллера" – еще одна несомненная жемчужина сборника. Генри Миллеру, бывшему военному летчику, сильно за 80 и он выраженно слаб умом (хоть и крепок по части утреннего стояка, чем сильно гордится). Дочь сдала его в дом престарелых, но мистер Миллер не теряется и по ночам прокрадывается в женское крыло, где совершает набеги на симпатичных бабулек. При этом все происходящее он воспринимает как очередной боевой вылет на своем "спаде": набор высоты, поиск противника, маневрирование, воздушная дуэль. Спаренный "виккерс" с трудом плюется свинцом, "испано-сюиза" в груди стучит с перебоями, израненный пилот едва дотягивает до своего аэродрома. Чудовищно похабная и одновременно очень трогательная вещь; чистый Фармер.
"Монолог" — очень крепкий ужастик на пять страниц, реально монолог от лица прикованного к постели инсультника, за которым ухаживает пожилая мать с замашками тирана.
Остальные рассказы подробно описывать не буду, юмористический сюрреализм — та часть творчества Фармера, которая мне совсем непонятна и чужда. Женщины рожают тысячедолларовые купюры, старики летают на игрушечных дирижаблях, из аппендикса больного доносятся голоса, армия крыс сражается с фекаломонстром из канализации. Не люблю, не понимаю, оценивать не буду.
8/10 (а без этих абсурдистских баек была бы уверенная девятка)
Заглавная повесть, как положено, самая ударная - про жизнь и страдания Иисуса Христа на берегах бесконечной Реки. Это чудовищно тяжело, когда ты с детства даже не верил, а ЗНАЛ, что за гранью мира есть Рай и Ад, есть Господь и Сатана, а сам ты Сын Божий – а после мучительной смерти просыпаешься на берегу Реки и понимаешь, что всю жизнь обманывал себя пустыми сказками, и нет ни рая, ни ада, ни греха, ни праведности, и все то зло, которое совершают люди, это не "козни дьявола", а сознательные поступки, от души, от самого сердца. И в горьком финале окончательно разочаровавшийся Иисус вопиет, "Отец... они ведают, что творят!"
"The Problem of the Sore Bridge" — блистательный трибьют Конан Дойлу, который в одном из поздних рассказов бросил вызов подражателям, упомянув про три дела, которые не смог раскрыть сам великий Холмс: дело бизнесмена, вышедшего из дома, вернувшегося за зонтиком и бесследно исчезнувшего; дело журналиста, который сошел с ума, глядя на спичечный коробок с личинкой неизвестного науке насекомого; и дело катера на Темзе, ушедшего в туман и не вернувшегося. "Вызов принят! Но надо бы повысить сложность!" воскликнул Фармер и объединил все три дела в одно, абсолютно головокружительное.
"Вулкан" - неплохая короткая вещь, в которой намешаны сельская бытовуха, детектив, техасский расизм, мистицизм а-ля "Кэрри" и еще бог знает что. Не шедевр, но неплохо.
"J.C. on the Dude Ranch" опять про Иисуса. На этот раз — развеселая хохма про Христа и Дьявола на диком западе. Сын божий арканит лошадей своим нимбом, превращает воду в бурбон, сражается с Вельзевулом на, эээ, пенисах... и побеждает! Сейчас такое, конечно, непозволительно не только издавать, но даже сочинять – а в веселые семидесятые было можно. Другая, ушедшая эпоха.
"Рассветный патруль Генри Миллера" – еще одна несомненная жемчужина сборника. Генри Миллеру, бывшему военному летчику, сильно за 80 и он выраженно слаб умом (хоть и крепок по части утреннего стояка, чем сильно гордится). Дочь сдала его в дом престарелых, но мистер Миллер не теряется и по ночам прокрадывается в женское крыло, где совершает набеги на симпатичных бабулек. При этом все происходящее он воспринимает как очередной боевой вылет на своем "спаде": набор высоты, поиск противника, маневрирование, воздушная дуэль. Спаренный "виккерс" с трудом плюется свинцом, "испано-сюиза" в груди стучит с перебоями, израненный пилот едва дотягивает до своего аэродрома. Чудовищно похабная и одновременно очень трогательная вещь; чистый Фармер.
"Монолог" — очень крепкий ужастик на пять страниц, реально монолог от лица прикованного к постели инсультника, за которым ухаживает пожилая мать с замашками тирана.
Остальные рассказы подробно описывать не буду, юмористический сюрреализм — та часть творчества Фармера, которая мне совсем непонятна и чужда. Женщины рожают тысячедолларовые купюры, старики летают на игрушечных дирижаблях, из аппендикса больного доносятся голоса, армия крыс сражается с фекаломонстром из канализации. Не люблю, не понимаю, оценивать не буду.
8/10 (а без этих абсурдистских баек была бы уверенная девятка)
August 28, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a huge fan of Philip Jose Farmer's monumental Riverworld series, I cannot help but be a bit disappointed by this short book, as it only includes a couple of Riverworld short stories and a bit of essay-like writing. On second thought, this book may serve to introduce new readers to Riverworld and all its riches.
As a huge fan of Philip Jose Farmer's monumental Riverworld series, I cannot help but be a bit disappointed by this short book, as it only includes a couple of Riverworld short stories and a bit of essay-like writing. On second thought, this book may serve to introduce new readers to Riverworld and all its riches.
May 20, 2014
The volume begins well , with an interesting riverworld story ( have not read the novels though ) but went downhill later on . A good read generally.
The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol is especially funny though.
The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol is especially funny though.
June 11, 2018
This was like a box of chocolates, some that were really, really good and others you wish you could have spat out. I had to skim three as they were too disgusting for me but the imagery, style and content of a few were amazing.
May 2, 2022
Life is too short. I don't care about the protag, so I won't be continuing this past page 72.
January 8, 2023
An interesting Sci Fi fantasy mixing different time periods. The movie didn't do it justice.
September 8, 2022
El arrendador de dos males - Philip José Farmer
Un detective que lucha constantemente con su hermana quien, al caer la noche, realiza actos que él desaprueba totalmente y le traen consecuencias que el no quiere padecer y lo pueden perjudicar social y profesionalmente.
¿Porqué lo que su hermana hace le afecta tanto? ¿Porqué simplemente no se aleja de ella?
*Alerta de spoiler*
Este relato me hizo recordar mucho al Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, cuando el protagonista intenta desesperadamente deshacerse de un lado suyo que considera deplorable, inmoral, vulgar; situación que se intensifica debido a que él pertenece a un curioso grupo encargado de verificar que en la sociedad todo se reealice de la manera correcta y según los dictados de las buenas costumbres y lo pudoroso. En un primer vistazo podría decirse que lo que representa el cuento es que todos en nuestro interior tenemos un lado positivo y un lado negativo que debemos saber equilibrar pues ambos lados es lo que hace lo que somos. Y que, teniendo ello como premisa, no se podría buscar una sociedad en la que todos adecuen su comportamiento a un "deber ser" en extremo pudoroso, cucufato dejando atrás actitudes o actividades que, hasta cierto punto, es normal en un ser humano.
Pero el cuento va más allá. Veremos que tiene un trasfondo psicológico cuyo origen se remonta a la infancia del detective y a un hecho particular que, en definitiva, necesitaba ser tratado desde hace años. En ese aspecto, se desliza una pequeña crítica a aquellos profesionales de la salud mental que, lejos de buscar ayudar a sus pacientes, buscan el beneficio propio.
Definitivamente un relato atrapante, en una redacción ágil y muy amena que les arrancará más de una risa llevándolos en pocas líneas de la carcajada a la reflexión.
5 estrellas
Lectura realizada con el Club #ClasicoEsLeerte
Un detective que lucha constantemente con su hermana quien, al caer la noche, realiza actos que él desaprueba totalmente y le traen consecuencias que el no quiere padecer y lo pueden perjudicar social y profesionalmente.
¿Porqué lo que su hermana hace le afecta tanto? ¿Porqué simplemente no se aleja de ella?
*Alerta de spoiler*
Este relato me hizo recordar mucho al Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, cuando el protagonista intenta desesperadamente deshacerse de un lado suyo que considera deplorable, inmoral, vulgar; situación que se intensifica debido a que él pertenece a un curioso grupo encargado de verificar que en la sociedad todo se reealice de la manera correcta y según los dictados de las buenas costumbres y lo pudoroso. En un primer vistazo podría decirse que lo que representa el cuento es que todos en nuestro interior tenemos un lado positivo y un lado negativo que debemos saber equilibrar pues ambos lados es lo que hace lo que somos. Y que, teniendo ello como premisa, no se podría buscar una sociedad en la que todos adecuen su comportamiento a un "deber ser" en extremo pudoroso, cucufato dejando atrás actitudes o actividades que, hasta cierto punto, es normal en un ser humano.
Pero el cuento va más allá. Veremos que tiene un trasfondo psicológico cuyo origen se remonta a la infancia del detective y a un hecho particular que, en definitiva, necesitaba ser tratado desde hace años. En ese aspecto, se desliza una pequeña crítica a aquellos profesionales de la salud mental que, lejos de buscar ayudar a sus pacientes, buscan el beneficio propio.
Definitivamente un relato atrapante, en una redacción ágil y muy amena que les arrancará más de una risa llevándolos en pocas líneas de la carcajada a la reflexión.
5 estrellas
Lectura realizada con el Club #ClasicoEsLeerte
August 5, 2024
Contents of this collection:
Stories That Will Not Appear in This Volume [introduction by Philip José Farmer]
Riverworld (1966)... rating "B - - -" = 2 stars
J. C. on the Dude Ranch (1979)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Volcano (1976)... rating "D+" = 1 star
The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol (1977)... rating "C++" = 2 stars (not SF)
The Problem of the Sore Bridge -- Among Others (1975)... rating C = 2 stars
Brass and Gold (or Horse and Zeppelin in Beverly Hills) (1971)... rating "C -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod (1970)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Voice of the Sonar in My Vermiform Appendix (1971)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
Monolog (1973)... rating "C" = 2 stars
The Leaser of Two Evils (1979)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Phantom of the Sewers (1978)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!) Not recommended at all!!!!
As will be obvious from my ratings above for individual stories, I did NOT enjoy this collection.
NOT recommended!
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
The only reason that my Goodreads rating is 1 star is that there is no rating of 1/2, or zero, or negative stars.
AVERT AVERT!
Stories That Will Not Appear in This Volume [introduction by Philip José Farmer]
Riverworld (1966)... rating "B - - -" = 2 stars
J. C. on the Dude Ranch (1979)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Volcano (1976)... rating "D+" = 1 star
The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol (1977)... rating "C++" = 2 stars (not SF)
The Problem of the Sore Bridge -- Among Others (1975)... rating C = 2 stars
Brass and Gold (or Horse and Zeppelin in Beverly Hills) (1971)... rating "C -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod (1970)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Voice of the Sonar in My Vermiform Appendix (1971)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
Monolog (1973)... rating "C" = 2 stars
The Leaser of Two Evils (1979)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!)
The Phantom of the Sewers (1978)... rating "D -" = 1 star (unfinished - poor!) Not recommended at all!!!!
As will be obvious from my ratings above for individual stories, I did NOT enjoy this collection.
NOT recommended!
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
The only reason that my Goodreads rating is 1 star is that there is no rating of 1/2, or zero, or negative stars.
AVERT AVERT!
December 19, 2019
The Riverworld stories collected here assume that you have read other Riverworld stories not included here. Most of these stories were first published in the 1970s and I didn't get a lot of the references. Farmer was an inventive writer but unfortunately to really enjoy this collection you need to read a lot of other books. For example, there are several stories written by what Farmer calls 'fictional authors' i.e. characters from other writers books that Farmer enjoyed. Kilgore Trout is familiar to most sf fans, but I had no idea who Harry Manders or Rod Keen were. The stories probably would have been more impactful if I were familiar with the source material.
The real gems here were not the Riverworld stories, but rather two of the pastiches written by 'fictional authors': 'The Volcano' and 'The Problem of the Sore Bridge-- Among Others'.
The real gems here were not the Riverworld stories, but rather two of the pastiches written by 'fictional authors': 'The Volcano' and 'The Problem of the Sore Bridge-- Among Others'.
October 6, 2022
Leído para el club #Clásicoesleerte
"The Leaser of Two Evils" o El arrendador de dos males.
Si bien se trata de una sátira que busca la ridiculización de la moralidad estricta, se me hizo algo tosco en su elaboración, algunos chistes pueden resultar sobrantes y no aportan a la historia.
Si bien el giro es interesante algunas cosas pueden ser incluso predecible. Hay algún par de huecos argumentales que si se dejan sentir y siento que no se aprovecha el personaje del psiquiatra ya que bien podría haber sido remplazado por cualquier cosa.
Creo que cumple su objetivo de sátira, pero no lo considero un infaltable a ser leído.
"The Leaser of Two Evils" o El arrendador de dos males.
Si bien se trata de una sátira que busca la ridiculización de la moralidad estricta, se me hizo algo tosco en su elaboración, algunos chistes pueden resultar sobrantes y no aportan a la historia.
Si bien el giro es interesante algunas cosas pueden ser incluso predecible. Hay algún par de huecos argumentales que si se dejan sentir y siento que no se aprovecha el personaje del psiquiatra ya que bien podría haber sido remplazado por cualquier cosa.
Creo que cumple su objetivo de sátira, pero no lo considero un infaltable a ser leído.
August 29, 2024
Just before this book, I read another of collection of Farmer's short stories: Down in the Black Gang, which I enjoyed. This book is another collection of Farmer's short stories and I absolutely hated it. If there is anything in these stories that is interesting at all, it's that The Riverworld story which appeared in Down in the Black Gang was revised for this collection and made twice as long (and about half as good as it was). Farmer can write well and I guess he had fun writing these stories but I did not have any fun reading them.
October 3, 2025
2 1/2 stars. I read this because it includes the initial story behind the Riverworld series. But it didn't really grab me - his style was somewhat basic at times - and the other short stories included in the collection were also wanting. I actually contemplated giving up after the title story but persevered and found some of the other short stories to be mildly amusing. He's clearly not my type of writer, although he does have a good imagination. Try and see - maybe you will enjoy it.
January 19, 2023
Come for the Riverworld, stay for the other awesome fiction.
First picked up this volume in high school over 40 years ago. Reading again it is still magical and holds up well after all that time. Farmer's wit and artistry with words are without peer. From mundane capers to aliens visit earth, you will find it here.
First picked up this volume in high school over 40 years ago. Reading again it is still magical and holds up well after all that time. Farmer's wit and artistry with words are without peer. From mundane capers to aliens visit earth, you will find it here.
September 16, 2025
The Riverworld "novelette" that makes up the first third of this collection is great. The rest of the collection is made up of some of the most awful sci fi I've ever read in more than 4 decades as a fan.
Read
August 27, 2022- "El arrendador de dos males"
Club de lectura Clásico es leerte (agosto incomprendidos) - Agosto 2022
Club de lectura Clásico es leerte (agosto incomprendidos) - Agosto 2022
March 1, 2024
Muy entretenido, como todo lo de Farmer.
April 24, 2016
This is my first proper encounter with Farmer's writing, though it's not the first thing by him that has caught my eye. In fact, both the first Maker of Universes Omnibus and his fictional Tarzan biography have been sitting on my shelf for quite some time now, though I've not yet got around to reading either. This collection of short fiction, including the original Riverworld novelette, was a recent present from my girlfriend and as I felt in the mood for something shorter, I opted to try it out. And I was blown away by it.
First of all, the lengthier title piece presents an awesome idea, the concept of the Riverworld; a world sized river valley where all of humanity from all time have been reincarnated, a world which he wrote five more books about (all of which I went out and bought fairly soon after finishing the novelette, and while still reading the rest of the collection).
The rest of the stories, ten in all, are of varying length and quality (which is not to say any of them are bad, just less good than some of the others). Farmer's writing is filled with ideas, which can be seen from the obvious playfulness in his titles (punning and allusion clearly being things he enjoyed) to his concept of "fictional authors", i.e. writings as an author or character found in the fictional works of other writers (a couple of examples are included) or his willingness to try to for example conceptualise what Tarzan would have been like if written by William S. instead of Edgar Rice (the latter, while not really being one of my favourite stories in the collection, certainly being an interesting idea and take on the two Burroughses).
If I have to list favourites (apart from the obvious, i.e. the Riverworld novelette), I would probably pick "J.C. on the Dude Ranch", which in parts seems to look at some of the same things the novelette looks at, though from an entirely different perspective; "The Problem of Sore Bridge – Among Others", which is one of the fictional author stories, written as Harry Manders and telling a story about events that even involves the Great Detective; "Monolog", a frightening little piece, to be sure; and "The Phantom of the Sewers", which is also a fictional author piece, this time by Rod Keen.
All in all, I have to say that Farmer is an author that deserves to be read, in fact ought to be read. My own reading him was a great enjoyment and experience, and only somewhat saddened by the fact that Farmer passed away while I was still reading the book. One of those weird coincidences life sometimes throws our way.
Although, I would like to think that he's now in Riverworld, and through his writing he will live on in this world too, for quite some time I am sure.
First of all, the lengthier title piece presents an awesome idea, the concept of the Riverworld; a world sized river valley where all of humanity from all time have been reincarnated, a world which he wrote five more books about (all of which I went out and bought fairly soon after finishing the novelette, and while still reading the rest of the collection).
The rest of the stories, ten in all, are of varying length and quality (which is not to say any of them are bad, just less good than some of the others). Farmer's writing is filled with ideas, which can be seen from the obvious playfulness in his titles (punning and allusion clearly being things he enjoyed) to his concept of "fictional authors", i.e. writings as an author or character found in the fictional works of other writers (a couple of examples are included) or his willingness to try to for example conceptualise what Tarzan would have been like if written by William S. instead of Edgar Rice (the latter, while not really being one of my favourite stories in the collection, certainly being an interesting idea and take on the two Burroughses).
If I have to list favourites (apart from the obvious, i.e. the Riverworld novelette), I would probably pick "J.C. on the Dude Ranch", which in parts seems to look at some of the same things the novelette looks at, though from an entirely different perspective; "The Problem of Sore Bridge – Among Others", which is one of the fictional author stories, written as Harry Manders and telling a story about events that even involves the Great Detective; "Monolog", a frightening little piece, to be sure; and "The Phantom of the Sewers", which is also a fictional author piece, this time by Rod Keen.
All in all, I have to say that Farmer is an author that deserves to be read, in fact ought to be read. My own reading him was a great enjoyment and experience, and only somewhat saddened by the fact that Farmer passed away while I was still reading the book. One of those weird coincidences life sometimes throws our way.
Although, I would like to think that he's now in Riverworld, and through his writing he will live on in this world too, for quite some time I am sure.
February 22, 2010
Although I've read this collection before, it was many years ago and coming to it afresh, particular after I've read more of Farmer's work, was a satisfying experience. Re-reading Riverworld after To Your Scattered Bodies Go, makes for a very good read, since I had more of an idea of what the Riverworld was and how the rules of the world worked and the story itself still holds up.
The other stories in the collection also mostly stand up. The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol is a hilarious story set in an old-people's home while The Problem of Sore Bridge - Among Others is a pseudo-Holmesian story, although the protagonists are rather on the opposite side of the law. I couldn't quite get into his William-Burroughs-does-Edgar-Rice-Burroughs Tarzan pastiche but most of the others hit their mark. A good collection.
The other stories in the collection also mostly stand up. The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol is a hilarious story set in an old-people's home while The Problem of Sore Bridge - Among Others is a pseudo-Holmesian story, although the protagonists are rather on the opposite side of the law. I couldn't quite get into his William-Burroughs-does-Edgar-Rice-Burroughs Tarzan pastiche but most of the others hit their mark. A good collection.
September 14, 2024
Philip José Farmer was one of the leading lights of mid-twentieth century science fiction and his Riverworld series is considered some of his best writing. Unfortunately, mid-twentieth century science fiction has not aged well and this collection, Riverworld and Other Stories, contains only two Riverworld stories and a bunch of previously unpublished and unfinished standalone stories. I was disappointed in this collection...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
April 28, 2010
I was kind of disappointed at the narrow scope of the original Riverworld story by Farmer, but i guess i shouldn't complain since it was in fact expanded by almost 200% from the original draft. The other short stories in this edition were really fun to read, especially the handful of stories he wrote in the name of fictional authors who were creations of other real life authors. I do have the subsequent Riverworld novels on deck and can't wait to give them a thorough "what's-all-this-then"ing.
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