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News
& What's New - February 2011 |
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Discovered
story by Phil Farmer |
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28
Feb
2011
Exciting
times!
The question is, did Philip José Farmer write the newly
discovered story, "The Many Dooms of Harold Hall" as by Charlotte
Corday-Marat, or did he not?
Last weekend I received my copy of Bizarre!
Mystery Magazine No.2 of November 1965, with the story.
As promised in the previous entry I will let you know what I think of
the story and if Farmer might
have written it.
There is no hard evidence (yet) that Farmer has written the story.
There is only the same pseudonym, Charlotte Corday-Marat, that Farmer
had used with the story "The
Princess of Terra". The magazine gives no information who the
real author is.
I have read the story several times now, and to me it feels like a
Farmer story. It is not a great story, but Farmer could have written
it. But I'm not completely convinced yet that he actually wrote the
story, but as I said, he could have. There are references in the text
that are related to his interests, which he has shown too in other
stories.
But there are some reserves as to if Farmer really wrote this story.
Not only I have my doubts, but also some of the other Farmerphiles,
like Mike Croteau, webmaster of the Official PJF Home Page,
Win Scott Eckert, Paul Spiteri and Christopher Paul Carey.
So, we are searching for more solid evidence to prove if Farmer has
written this story. People have been asked to help us with information
about the story. If such information exists.
To be continued.
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Unknown
story by Phil Farmer?! |
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20
Feb
2011
The
really wonderful and exotic collection Pearls
from Peoria (2006)
contains the previously unpublished story "The Princess of Terra".
Philip José Farmer wrote it using the pseudonym Charlotte Corday-Marat.
The introduction to the story tells that Farmer had chosen this
pseudonym "Just for fun".
The name of Charlotte Corday was not one of a fictional author, as
Farmer had done with many of his later used pseudonyms.
Charlotte Corday was the name of a real living woman who had killed the
physician Jean-Paul Marat. This happened in France in 1793. See the Wikipedia
entry.
The first time we heard about the nom de plume Charlotte
Corday-Marat was with the publication of Pearls from Peoria.
But there exists another story under this byline!
My friend Willem Hettinga told me of a story –also
written as by Charlotte Corday-Marat– that had been added on ISFDB
by one of his co-moderators on the database.
The story "The Many Dooms of Harold Hall" was published in Bizarre! Mystery Magazine
No.2, from November 1965. It has not yet been confirmed as
written by Philip José Farmer, but the coincidence that
someone else had written a story as by Charlotte Corday-Marat is hardly
believable.
I have ordered a copy of the magazine and, as soon as I receive my
copy, will let you know what I think of the story and if Farmer might
have written it.
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Cover of
The Peerless Peer |
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15
Feb
2011
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The Hyper
Hundred: best scifi novels of 2010 |
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9
Feb
2011
The
online Sci-Fi Magazine SF Crowsnest
compiles The
Hyper Hundred: best scifi novels of 2010. The charts are
based on reader votes on the review
pages.
With 1038 votes Philip José Farmer's new collection Up
the Bright River has reached the 26th place in the list.
The book reached this place while it hasn't actually been published
yet. Subterranean Press
received the collection from the printer in December last year, but
they haven't had the time yet to ship it. William Schafer, the
publisher, promised to me that it would be shipped in the next two to
three weeks. Can't wait...
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Bob Eggleton |
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The First
Robot & The Frames |
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6
Feb
2011
The
story pages of "The First Robot" and "The Frames" have been restyled.
Both stories had been written many years before they were actually
published in Farmerphile.
"The First
Robot" was written in the early 1950s, but never
published. The manuscript was in the possession of a fan and friend of
the Farmers, Robert R. Barrett. Thanks to his offer the story got
finally
published in Farmerphile
No. 11 of Janaury 2008.
I instantly loved the science fiction story "The Frames" when it
was published in Farmerphile No.
7, January 2007. It had been written in early 1970 for the anthology Infinity Two
(1971),
edited by Robert Hoskins. But he didn't buy the story. Why he didn't
buy
it or why the story hasn't been published elewhere at the time I have
no idea.
Neither had the publisher of Farmerphile,
Mike Croteau, but he was glad that the story was found in Farmer's
archives to have its first publication in one of the issues of Farmerphile.
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Shannon
Robicheaux |
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Creating
a Book Cover |
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4
Feb
2011
Interested
in the artist's process of creating a book cover? Especially in the
cover of The Worlds of Philip
José Farmer (1): Protean Dimensions by Keith
Howell?
If yes, have a look at the artist's blog where he has a great
post
about this. Howell shows a number of cover proofs that were part of the
creating process. One of them you can see below, of which I like the
red color. But the final cover arrangement, with Farmer's head on the
front cover, looks the best. I'm not sure witch of the cover proofs I
would have chosen as the final one...
The book is still available with the publisher Meteor House.
There are also some special offers with the book.
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Keith Howell |
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Review in
Locus of Up the Bright River |
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3
Feb
2011
A
month ago we received the news from Subterranean Press
that the new collection Up the Bright River was
"...ready to ship...". But since then no further news and we still
haven't received the book. It seems we need more patience.
The current issue of Locus,
Issue 601 of February 2011, has a page long review of this new
collection by
Russel Letson: "...this volume shows the range of Farmer's imagination
over four decades, from straight SF, through various nightmares and
comedies, to the last three Riverworld stories."
Russell Letson
concludes with: "This collection [...] also shows how ambitious
Farmer's reach could be. This might not be the book to give to
Farmerian newbies (that would be the Best collection or Scattered Bodies or Venus on the Half-Shell),
but for those of us who knew him, it is a fitting coda."
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Bob Eggleton |
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