Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for his Riverworld series and his use of unconventional themes and characters.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. A Feast Unknown
The Memoirs of Lord Grandrith
"A Feast Unknown" is a controversial and explicit novel that blends elements of adventure, science fiction, and eroticism. The story follows two immortal brothers, who are thinly veiled analogs of popular pulp fiction heroes, as they are compelled by a mysterious force to engage in a brutal and sexualized conflict with one another. The narrative delves into themes of power, masculinity, and the nature of violence, set against a backdrop of a secret society and a world teeming with danger and intrigue. As the brothers grapple with their fates and the curse of their eternal life, the book pushes the boundaries of traditional genre storytelling, challenging readers with its graphic content and unconventional approach to its characters' legacies.
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2. Venus On The Half Shell
The Life and Times of Kilgore Trout
This novel follows the interstellar adventures of Simon Wagstaff, narrowly escaping the destruction of Earth, as he embarks on a quest for the meaning of life across the cosmos. Along his journey, Wagstaff encounters a myriad of bizarre creatures and civilizations, each offering their own philosophies and ways of life. A satirical homage to the science fiction genre, the narrative is filled with humor, existential inquiry, and a deep dive into the absurdity and wonder of the universe. The protagonist's quest is both a physical and metaphysical one, leading readers through a richly imagined galaxy that mirrors the diversity and complexity of life itself.
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3. The Maker Of Universes
World of Tiers
In this science fiction novel, a disillusioned man named Robert Wolff discovers a mysterious horn that transports him to a fantastical universe known as the World of Tiers. This universe is a series of stacked worlds, each with its own unique environment and inhabitants, all created by a powerful and enigmatic being known as the Maker. As Wolff navigates these diverse realms, he encounters strange creatures, forms alliances, and confronts the Maker's oppressive rule. Throughout his journey, Wolff seeks to uncover the secrets of the World of Tiers and his own mysterious connection to it, ultimately embarking on a quest for freedom and self-discovery.
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4. To Your Scattered Bodies Go
The Riverworld Series
In this science fiction novel, every human who has ever lived is resurrected along the banks of an enigmatic river on an unknown planet. The protagonist, a 19th-century explorer, awakens in this afterlife and quickly discovers that he is not alone. Surrounded by historical figures and ordinary people from all eras and cultures, he must navigate a new existence where basic needs are met but the greater mysteries of this world—such as who is responsible for the resurrection and the purpose of this second life—remain unsolved. As he forms alliances and seeks answers, he also contends with the darker aspects of human nature that persist in this strange hereafter.
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5. The Lovers
A Science Fiction Novel
This science fiction novel explores the boundaries of love, society, and identity through the story of Hal Yarrow, a linguist living in a future Earth governed by a puritanical theocracy. Sent on a mission to translate the language of an alien race on the planet Ozagen, Yarrow encounters Jeanette, a human-alien hybrid, challenging his beliefs and the laws of his society. Their forbidden relationship not only defies the strict moral codes of Earth but also leads Yarrow to question the nature of humanity and love itself. The novel delves into themes of repression, freedom, and the transformative power of love, set against a backdrop of interstellar exploration and cultural conflict.
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6. The Unreasoning Mask
The novel centers around the journey of Ramstan, captain of the al-Buraq, a spaceship capable of interstellar travel through a process that defies the laws of physics. The story unfolds as Ramstan becomes embroiled in a cosmic quest to stop a mysterious, destructive force that threatens the universe. His mission is complicated by personal demons, including his own faith and morality, as well as the diverse and often conflicting motives of his crew. As they traverse exotic locations and encounter alien civilizations, the crew grapples with profound philosophical questions and the very nature of existence, leading to a climax that challenges the boundaries of perception and reality.
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7. The Fabulous Riverboat
The Second Book of the Riverworld Series
In a world where historical figures are resurrected along the banks of a seemingly endless river, a determined Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, embarks on an ambitious quest to build a magnificent riverboat. Teaming up with the enigmatic and resourceful King John of England, Clemens navigates a landscape filled with rival factions, technological challenges, and the mysterious overseers of this afterlife realm. As they strive to achieve their dream of exploration and adventure, they must confront both external threats and internal conflicts, all while unraveling the secrets of their strange new existence.
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8. Dioses Del Mundo Del Rio
In this captivating continuation of the Riverworld saga, the narrative delves deeper into the enigmatic world where every human who has ever lived is resurrected along the banks of a colossal river. As the story unfolds, a diverse group of historical figures, including explorers, warriors, and philosophers, band together to unravel the mysteries of their new existence. They face challenges from both the environment and other resurrected souls, all while seeking the elusive beings known as "Ethicals," who hold the secrets to their resurrection. The tale is a rich tapestry of adventure, intrigue, and philosophical exploration, as the characters grapple with questions of identity, purpose, and the nature of humanity itself.
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9. El Oscuro Designio
Set in a universe where the boundaries between reality and myth blur, the story follows a group of adventurers as they navigate a world filled with ancient secrets and cosmic mysteries. As they delve deeper into the enigmatic forces at play, they uncover a dark design that threatens to unravel the very fabric of existence. With time running out, the protagonists must confront their own fears and desires to prevent an impending catastrophe, all while questioning the true nature of their reality and the roles they are destined to play in the grand scheme of things.
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10. El Fabuloso Barco Fluvial
Set in a fantastical world where the boundaries between life and death blur, the story follows a diverse group of individuals who find themselves resurrected on the banks of a colossal river. As they embark on a journey aboard a magnificent riverboat, they encounter a series of challenges and mysteries that test their resolve and unity. The narrative explores themes of identity, redemption, and the quest for meaning in a universe governed by enigmatic forces, weaving together elements of adventure, intrigue, and philosophical reflection.
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11. El Mundo Del Río Y Otras Historias
Set in a universe where humanity is resurrected along the banks of a seemingly endless river, this collection of stories explores the profound implications of immortality and the quest for meaning in a world where death is no longer an end. The narratives delve into the lives of historical figures and ordinary individuals as they navigate a landscape filled with mystery, adventure, and philosophical dilemmas. Through a tapestry of interconnected tales, the book examines the essence of human nature, the pursuit of knowledge, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
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12. El Laberinto Mágico
In this captivating installment of a science fiction series, readers are transported to a fantastical world where historical figures and fictional characters coexist in a vast, mysterious river valley. As the narrative unfolds, the protagonist embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of this enigmatic realm, encountering a diverse cast of individuals, each with their own motives and desires. The story weaves together themes of identity, power, and the nature of reality, all set against a backdrop of intrigue and adventure that challenges the boundaries of imagination.
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13. Dare
In a world where humans and aliens coexist, a group of rebellious teenagers, disillusioned by the oppressive societal norms imposed by their alien overlords, embarks on a daring journey to reclaim their freedom. As they navigate through a landscape filled with danger and intrigue, they confront not only the external threats posed by their alien rulers but also the internal struggles of identity and belonging. Their quest becomes a powerful exploration of courage, defiance, and the unyielding spirit of youth in the face of overwhelming odds.
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14. Doc Savage
His Apocalyptic Life
A playful, metafictional fictional biography that treats a pulp-era superman as a real man, tracing his secret origins, prodigious intellect and physical prowess, the formation of his loyal team, and globe-spanning adventures while revealing the private flaws and moral ambiguities behind the public legend. Blending action, pastiche and wry analysis, it both celebrates and deconstructs the myths of the larger-than-life adventurer.
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15. The Full Account
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16. The World Of Tiers, Volume 2
A pulp-inflected science-fiction adventure that follows a displaced traveler thrust into a patchwork multiverse of artificially constructed “tiers,” where he must navigate wildly varied cultures, lethal challenges, and shifting physical laws while unraveling the politics and hidden technologies of the godlike architects who shape these worlds; action, intrigue, and speculative invention combine as he pursues survival, allies, and the truth behind the layered realities that trap — and empower — both mortals and their makers.
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19. Riverworld War
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24. Tarzan's Greatest Secret
An aging jungle lord finds himself pulled into a perilous hunt for a long-buried truth about his origins, forced to confront ruthless treasure-seekers, secretive factions, and hidden enclaves deep in the African wilderness; as old loyalties and new dangers collide, he must use every skill of body and mind to protect his family, unravel the conspiracy that threatens his name, and survive a series of daring confrontations that test what he thought he knew about himself.
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28. Prime Time Space Operas And 7 Other Sci Fi Tales From The 1950s
A brisk collection of eight 1950s science-fiction tales that pairs pulpy space-opera spectacle with sharper speculative ideas, featuring fast-paced adventures, colorful protagonists, and twists that range from ironic to unsettling; the stories capture the era’s mix of technological wonder, moral ambiguity, and adventurous energy while showcasing inventive premises, terse plotting, and a sometimes satirical edge that reworks familiar genre tropes into surprising outcomes.
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30. Gods Of Opar
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31. The God Business
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33. Dayworld
Dayworld is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip José Farmer. Published in 1985, it is the first in the Dayworld tetralogy of novels inspired by Farmer's own 1971 short story "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World". There are two sequels - Dayworld Rebel (1987) and Dayworld Breakup (1990) - and one prequel, Dayworld: A Hole in Wednesday, co-authored by Danny Adams (2016).
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34. Tales Of The Wold Newton Universe
A collection of short stories and essays that expand a fictional shared-universe concept tying together many classic adventure and detective characters through a single speculated event, offering pastiches, crossovers and metafictional commentary that trace lineages, adventures and eccentricities across generations; the pieces mix playful scholarship with imaginative storytelling to map out how disparate heroes and villains might be related, and to examine the implications of that interconnected world for genre history and character mythos.
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35. Hadon Of Ancient Opar
Set in the prehistoric, jungle-walled city of Opar, the novel follows Hadon, a restless youth who rises through violence and cunning to become the city’s champion, confronting deadly beasts, rival tribes, and a corrupt priesthood while navigating treachery, forbidden love, and the decaying remnants of a once-great civilization.
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36. The Other Log Of Phileas Fogg
A revisionist, adult-oriented retelling of the famous Victorian round‑the‑world wager presented as the ‘true’ log kept by the traveler’s valet, filling in the untold details behind the public account: dangerous and often brutal encounters, espionage and hidden motives, personal confessions, betrayals and moral ambiguity. The narrative mixes globe‑spanning action, intimate portraiture and dark humor as the protagonists confront unexpected perils and secrets that upend the neat heroic legend.
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38. The World Of Tiers, Volume 1
An ordinary man is swept into a labyrinthine, tiered cosmos—an artificially constructed series of worlds ruled by powerful, godlike beings—and must use wits, courage, and shifting alliances to survive bizarre cultures, engineered ecosystems, and the intrigues of his creators; as he explores the strange laws and hidden technologies of the tiers, he uncovers the truth behind their manufacture and embarks on a daring quest that blends swashbuckling adventure with philosophical puzzles about power, identity, and the nature of creation.
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41. Flight To Opar
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42. The Mad Goblin
A brutal, pulpy thriller in which two engineered supermen—one a feral, jungle-raised avenger and the other a brilliant, weaponized adventurer—discover they are pawns of a clandestine cabal that has manipulated their lives. Forced to confront experiments, betrayal, and their own violent conditioning, they clash and occasionally cooperate in a globe-spanning quest to expose and destroy the secret society that made them, blending lurid action, conspiracy, and a dark, satirical take on pulp-hero mythology.
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43. The Dark Design
The Dark Design (1977) is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip José Farmer (1918-2009), the third in his series of Riverworld books. The title is derived from lines in Sir Richard Francis Burton's poem The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî: And still the Weaver plies his loom, whose warp and woof is wretched Man Weaving th' unpattern'd dark design, so dark we doubt it owns a plan. The Dark Design was the author's first bestseller.
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44. The Gods Of Riverworld
All of humanity has been mysteriously resurrected along a vast, artificial river, and a scattered band of historical and modern figures—explorers, writers, soldiers and schemers—travel upriver toward a fabled tower to confront the beings who engineered their second life; along the way they form uneasy alliances, battle rival factions and grapple with moral and philosophical questions about identity, free will, and the purposes behind resurrection, until startling revelations about the creators and the cost of immortality force decisive confrontations.
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45. A Private Cosmos
An ordinary man is swept into a fabricated multiverse ruled by capricious, godlike creators and must navigate a series of bizarre, engineered worlds, shifting alliances, and deadly intrigues; as he seeks allies, freedom, and a way home, he uncovers the politics and personal vanities behind the Lords’ creations and learns how fragile and dangerous a privately controlled cosmos can be.
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47. Tarzan Alive
A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke
Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan is the story of a real person. The book was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1972, with a paperback edition following from Popular Library in 1973 and a trade paperback edition from Bison Books in 2006. The first British edition was published by Panther in 1974. The book is written on the premise that Tarzan was an actual person with original author Burroughs having written highly fictionalized and romanticized memoirs of Tarzan, which were based on Tarzan's own life stories and adventures. Farmer is then telling the "real story". Farmer examines the psychological make up of John Clayton (Tarzan's real name in the novels) and his peers, based on close readings of the various Burroughs books, accepting some of Burroughs' concepts and rejecting others in an attempt at greater verisimilitude. Among his conceits is that, since the apes described by Burroughs had a spoken language that Tarzan learned, these animals must have been "pithecanthropoids": "a group of rare hominids who are probably now extinct" and "not great apes". A more recent reprint of Tarzan Alive includes a new foreword by Win Scott Eckert and introduction by Mike Resnick, along with "An Exclusive Interview with Lord Greystoke" and "Extracts from the Memoirs of "Lord Greystoke". The text of Tarzan Alive links the characters from the Tarzan mythos to dozens of other fictional literary characters as members of Farmer's "Wold Newton family".
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48. The Black Tower
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