Science-fiction writer Phillip Jose Farmer has passed away at the age of 91 according to the Associated Press.
Farmer is best known for his “Riverworld” series of novels. The premise of the series is that after an apocalyptic destruction of the Earth at the end of the 20th Century, every human who ever lived is resurrected along the banks of a single river that winds around and around a huge planet. Characters from history including Sir Richard Burton (the Victorian explorer, not the 20th Century actor), Samuel Clemens, and many others have adventures trying to find out the secret of Riverworld and its ultimate purpose. The interaction of people from various periods of history made the series unique and interesting to read.
The first book was made into a movie for SciFi.
The Peoria-based writer had written more than 75 books and was awarded the top honors in his field. That includes the Grand Master Award for Science Fiction in 2001, an award also given to noted authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein.
Farmer had a world-wide following, with fans travelling to Peoria once or twice a year.
He was once quoted as saying that, particular in his early career, he had more fans in France, Italy, Germany and Japan than in the United States. Even after he retired from writing, his fans continued to produce “Farmerphile,” a magazine devoted to his life and works.
I have fond memories of the first two Riverworld books. After that though, they decreased in quality fairly quickly.