Sci-fi author Farmer dead at 91

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — Author Philip Jose Farmer died in his sleep Wednesday, according to a message on his Web site.

Farmer was known for his science-fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. He was 91.

The Peoria, Indiana, native’s most popular work was his “Riverworld” series, written in the 1970s.

Joe Lansdale, a critic, writer and friend of Famer’s, credited Farmer with changing the face of science-fiction.

Read more: http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/25/sci-fi-author-farmer-dead-at-91/

[Howardx]

1. too bad

i loved those riverworld books, got one sitting right here as a matter of fact

[The River]

2. Oh Bummer

I really like his work, esp the "Riverworld" series.
I wonder why?

[Tunkamerica]

19. well, he was 91

i would guess "natural causes". Though I guess it could have been a heroin overdose.

[scarletwoman]

3. Oh, man! He was a wonderful storyteller, one of the truly bright lights in the genre.

R.I.P. Philip, the gifts you gave us will live forever. :cry:

sw

[angrycarpenter]

4. I enjoyed the riverworld series.

But the last volume where all of the black people went crazy and had to be killed was kind of disturbing.

[Chovexani]

23. Yeah, that was really WTF for me

It was so out of left field.

I had to go read some Octavia Butler to get the taste of that out of my mouth.

[bmbmd]

5. Wouldn't it be cool

if he woke up young and naked on the beach next to a gigantic mushroom looking thing?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. Hey, it could happen!

:toast:

[urp010]

12. sci fi pulps

Or if you woke up young and naked next to a young and naked oposite.

For those who may not know, all those old sci fi pulps are available on Ebay for a reasonable price.

[NMDemDist2]

17. welcome to DU

:hi:

[tbyg52]

25. Welcome to DU and

thank you for the "reasonable price" info - I'd love to find some that contained my favorite stories!

[tanngrisnir3]

7. To his scattered body may he go.

[IntravenousDemilo]

8. I knew this would happen!

I just mentioned him the other day after not having said his name in decades.

[Mari333]

9. There are no coincidences. :) nt

[Norrin Radd]

10. Peace to PJF.

[Thor_MN]

11. I miss all the old sci fi I read in the 70's

Entirely too much fantasy for my taste these days, I liked the science part of Sci Fi.

RIP, Mr. Farmer, sir.

[AnneD]

26. Me too.....

You don't have to describe the blue prints to me but I love some science fact thrown in and bend them all ever so slightly...THAT is what excites the imagination.

[Frank Cannon]

13. I love the Riverworld Books

If only Hollywood had the huevos to make a movie out of them, with nekkedness and everything.

So long, Don Philip Jose.

[porkrind]

14. RIP PJF

His "world of tiers" was one of my favorites. What an amazing pulp author and storyteller. He will be sorely missed. :( "Venus on the Half-shell," "Dark is the Sun," "Riverworld," (sigh) good stuff! RIP Philip Jose Farmer, you were a part of my childhood.

[OwnedByFerrets]

15. Great writer. RIP

[GregW]

16. Adios, Peter Jarius Frigate

or was that Paul Janus Finnegan???

One of my all-time favorite authors - see you on the Riverworld dude!

[byronius]

18. What a great writer. 91!!!! Holy Cow!!!! I thought he was in his 60's.

[TrogL]

20. Damn, I loved his stuff

[tomreedtoon]

21. His greatest creation: the Wold Newton geneology.

For those not in the know, in the appendixes of his books Tarzan Alive and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, Farmer created a genealogy that proved that those heroes, and James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, the Shadow and others, were all part of the same extended family.

Farmer "proved" that Holmes's greatest enemy, Professor James Moriarty, once operated as the science-pirate Captain Nemo - and proved it effectively. The great joy in the Wold Newton works was discovering long-forgotten characters like Flashman, Mister Moto and The Spider.

[exboyfil]

22. HIs Tarzan Alive served as gateway between Burroughs and

Farmer for this 13 year old. Of course I probably should not have been reading Blown and Image of the Beast at 14 or A Feast Unknown for that matter. Little did the parents of this little boy reading his Tarzan books know.

With rereading his books seem to have lost a lot of their appeal. In my 40s I have reread some of the World of Tiers and all of Riverworld. Also read A Feast Unknown a few years ago. I am not nearly as impressed as I was as a 15 year old. I actually find his attempts at shock sexualism (along with Harlan Ellison) to really have dated his books. It really is not that hard to talk about sex in such an open way. I actually would prefer to not deal with it in my readings. He also went on for 20 pages about the feminist pilot in one of the Riverworld books. I actually screamed come on lets get back to the story.

Still the scene with Doc and Tarzan on the bridge grabbing each others _____ and pulling is one for the ages.

[Howardx]

27. i have that doc savage book

excellent.

[Martin Eden]

24. Celebration is in order ...

... for the life of a great author who lived 91 years :toast:

I read the entire Riverworld series decades ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Venus on the Half Shell (which Farmer penned as Kilgore Trout) is one of my favorites.

RIP, PJF O8)

[Elidor]

28. I thought he died years ago!

And now he's dead all over again. It's just not fair.

Great books. Great writer. It's a shame Vonnegut put the kibosh on his Kilgore Trout career. He was headed for great things.

[DavidDvorkin]

29. I had dinner with him and his wife once, years ago

At the beginning of my own career. A nice, nice man.

Brief description on my blog.

[The abyss]

30. A great talent, a great social commentator!

RIP