Coming Oct 8: TALES OF THE WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE

Tales of the Wold Newton Universe

A collection of Wold Newton-inspired short stories by Farmerphiles, experts, and the Grand Master of SF himself.

Titan Books' Wold Newton Anthology, Tales of the Wold Newton Universe, will be released on October 8, 2013. Edited by Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey, the book collects, for the first time ever in one volume, Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton short stories. The volume also includes tales by other writers.

The Introduction by Eckert (coauthor with Farmer of the Wold Newton novel The Evil in Pemberley House) and Carey (coauthor with Farmer of the Khokarsa novel The Song of Kwasin) provides an overview of Farmer's Wold Newton Family and Mythos. In addition, the editors provide brief introductions to the stories themselves, explaining why each entry is a Wold Newton tale.

Tales of the Wold Newton Universe is available for preorder at Amazon, AmazonUK, and B&N. As with all the Farmer books from Titan, there will also be an eBook version.

Contents

Introduction: "The Wold Newton Tales of Philip José Farmer" by Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey

The Great Detective and Others
“The Problem of the Sore Bridge--Among Others”	Harry Manders (Philip José Farmer)
"A Scarletin Study"	Jonathan Swift Somers III (Philip José Farmer)
"The Doge Whose Barque Was Worse Than His Bight"	Jonathan Swift Somers III (Philip José Farmer)
Pulp Inspirations
“Skinburn”	Philip José Farmer
“The Freshman”	Philip José Farmer
“After King Kong Fell”	Philip José Farmer
Wold Newton Prehistory: The Khokarsa Series
"Kwasin and the Bear God"	Philip José Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey
Wold Newton Prehistory: John Gribardsun & Time's Last Gift
"Into Time's Abyss"	John Allen Small
"The Last of the Guaranys"	Octavio Aragão & Carlos Orsi
Wold Newton Origins / Secrets of the Nine
"The Wild Huntsman"	Win Scott Eckert

TOC: Tales of the Wold Newton Universe by Philip José Farmer and Others

Tales of the Wold Newton Universe

A collection of Wold Newton-inspired short stories by Farmerphiles, experts, and the Grand Master of SF himself.

I am pleased to announce that Titan Books has settled on the final Table of Contents for the Wold Newton Anthology, Tales of the Wold Newton Universe. The book collects, for the first time ever in one volume, Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton short stories, and also includes tales by other writers.

The Introduction by Win Scott Eckert (coauthor with Farmer of the Wold Newton novel The Evil in Pemberley House) and Christopher Paul Carey (coauthor with Farmer of the Khokarsa novel The Song of Kwasin) will provide an overview of Farmer's Wold Newton Family and Mythos. In addition, Eckert and Carey will provide brief introductions to the stories themselves, explaining why each entry is a Wold Newton tale.

Tales of the Wold Newton Universe is available for preorder at Amazon, AmazonUK, and B&N. As with all the Farmer books from Titan, there will also be an eBook version.

Contents

Introduction by Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey

The Great Detective and Others
“The Problem of the Sore Bridge--Among Others” by Harry Manders	Philip José Farmer
"A Scarletin Study" by Jonathan Swift Somers III	Philip José Farmer
"The Doge Whose Barque Was Worse Than His Bight" by Jonathan Swift Somers III	Philip José Farmer
Pulp Inspirations
“Skinburn”	Philip José Farmer
“The Freshman”	Philip José Farmer
“After King Kong Fell”	Philip José Farmer
Wold Newton Prehistory: The Khokarsa Series
"Kwasin and the Bear God"	Philip José Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey
Wold Newton Prehistory: John Gribardsun & Time's Last Gift
"Into Time's Abyss"	John Allen Small
"The Last of the Guaranys"	Octavio Aragão & Carlos Orsi
Wold Newton Origins / Secrets of the Nine
"The Wild Huntsman"	Win Scott Eckert

My PulpFest / FarmerCon schedule

I'm heading for PulpFest 2012 / FarmerCon VII in Columbus, OH, next Wednesday.


Here's my schedule; my highlights are in bold/italics below:

Thursday, August 9

4:00 PM – 11:00 PM – Dealer Set-Up – the dealers’ room will be open only to dealers to assemble their displays.  

I'll be helping my friends at Meteor House sent up the table, and this is where you can find me when I'm not participating in or attending other scheduled programming

Friday, August 10

9:00 AM – 5 PM – Wheeling and Dealing – the dealers’ room will be open to all.

11:00 AM – Exiles of Kho Book Launch – author Christopher Paul Carey will be signing the limited edition release of his book.

1:00 PM – The New Fictioneers – Christopher Paul Carey will read from his novel co-authored with Philip José Farmer, The Song of Kwasin, part of the Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa omnibus from Subterranean Press.

Evening Programming

6:55 PM – Welcome to PulpFest – Jack Cullers offers an official welcome.

7:00 PM – Lord Tyger, Time’s Last Gift, and the Gods of Opar – our FarmerCon VII panelists discuss a sampling of the Burroughs and Verne-inspired works of Philip José Farmer. Moderated by Paul Spiteri, editor of Pearls from Peoria and featuring authors Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey.

11:00 PM – Tarzan on Mars – film program includes Bob Clampett’s 1936 animated footage from Warlord of Mars and the United States premier of Last Flight, a short film made in New Zealand that is set on Mars.  I, Tarzan features George McWhorter, editor emeritus of The Burroughs Bulletin, Philip José Farmer, Grand Master of Science Fiction, and popular culture expert Francis Lacassin in a discussion about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous creation, Tarzan.

Saturday, August 11

9:00 AM – 5 PM – Wheeling and Dealing – the dealers’ room will be open to all.

2:30 PM - The New Fictioneers - one of the founders of the New Pulp movement, Win Scott Eckert, will read from works written for The Green Hornet: Still at Large, The Avenger: Tales from the Roaring Crucible, and The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 3.

3:30 PM – A Tribute to Howard Hopkins and David Burton – author and editor Win Scott Eckert and Wild Cat Books publisher Ron Hanna will lead a celebration of the lives and works of these two creative pulp fans, recently departed.

I'm looking forward to seeing many old friends and colleagues. Hope to see you there!

Philip José Farmer RIP, 1918--2009

So, it's taken me over twelve hours to sit down for this, because...that's what happens when you lose someone to whom you're close.

I started as a fan, waaay back when I was 8 years old and had my first taste of Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life. Then Tarzan Alive, and The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, and The Grand Adventure, and Peerless Peer. Time's Last Gift— time traveling Jungle Lord, holy cow!

Then, over 10 years ago, the Wold Newton Universe website, and several more years of fandom, followed by a book (thank you, Chris Roberson), and... an invitation to meet the man himself.

I had a sleepover at Phil Farmer's house.

And I set off the burglar alarm at 2 am.

Since then I've visited Phil and Bette once or twice a year. The great thing about Phil is how many friendships he created, by bringing together so many people who otherwise never would have met.

Well, that, and his mind-blowing imagination and captivating prose.

Phil, you are responsible for this overflowing library (my wife also thanks you for that), for my varied reading tastes (hard boiled detective to adventure pulp to sf to...Pride and Prejudice?? Seriously?

Yes, seriously. Because that's the kind of well-rounded guy Phil was. And he passed it on.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Because of you, and that book when I was 8, and your generosity 30 years after that, I am a writer.

I've gotten so many notes today that read something like, "I didn't know him as well as you, but this still hit me hard..." or "I never had the chance to meet Phil in person, but he helped shape me as a writer..."

The thing about a writer like Phil, whose work spoke to so many people in so many different ways, is that you didn't need to know him personally to be hit hard by this. His books have been a part of our lives for so long, his ideas and curiosity have permeated our beings, and his envelope-pushing—or breaking—imagery is seared indelibly into our brains.

That's what counts.

I last saw Phil Farmer one month ago today, on January 25. His 91st birthday fell on a Monday, and we had come in the preceding weekend to celebrate with him and Bette. "The boys" (Bette's affectionate term for us Farmerphiles) were there: Mike Croteau, Chris Carey, Paul Spiteri, and Dennis Power. Phil and Bette's family came in and out at various times. Their close friends were there. Sandwiches and cake and laughter and great conversation ensued.

I showed Phil the Doc Savage Coat of Arms drawn up by Keith Howell for Farmerphile and for the chapbook for The Evil in Pemberley House, from Phil's description and notes. He loved it; he didn't say much, but he got the biggest grin. And although he didn't talk much that weekend, he'd smile and give a little wave to let us know he was listening in and enjoying it all.

When it came time to leave, I said my goodbyes, I waved at Phil and smiled. He waved back, smiled, and thanked us for coming. Him thanking us, our hero, thanking us. Because that's how he was.

We hugged Bette and left, and I knew I wouldn't see Phil again. Just knew it. And at the airport, by myself, I cried.

And again today, more tears.

Exit Phil Farmer, smiling.

FarmerCon VII / Pulpfest 2012

I've finalized my plans to be at FarmerCon VII  / Pulpfest 2012 in August. I'll be at the Meteor House table, where I'll have copies of the new Titan Books editions of Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton books The Other Log of Phileas Fogg and Time's Last Gift, as well as Lord Tyger. I imagine I'll also have news about more Farmer reissues from Titan (hint, hint). My friend Christopher Paul Carey will be there promoting Gods of Opar.

I'll also have copies of the recent Tales of the Shadowmen 8: Agents Provocateurs (Black Coat Press) and I imagine Moonstone Books' Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook will be out by then, so I'll bring copies. Lots of Wold-Newtony goodness in my stories in those volumes.

I also have hopes that Moonstone's The Green Hornet: Still at Large, which I'm co-editing with Joe Gentile and Matthew Baugh, will be out by then, although that's not confirmed yet. If it's available, of course I'll have copies with me.

Hope to see you there!

P.S. Stay tuned to this space; I hope to have an announcement about the new edition of The Other Log of Phileas Fogg soon!

The Evil in Pemberley House - Amazon listing

The Evil in Pemberley House is now listed on Amazon.

Flap copy:
"For over thirty years, readers have marveled at Philip José Farmer's inventive integration of popular fiction and literature's most beloved characters, in a mythical web known as the Wold Newton Family. First described in the fictional biographies Tarzan Alive: The Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, Farmer expanded his Wold Newton mythos in novels such as The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, The Adventure of the Peerless Peer, Time's Last Gift, Hadon of Ancient Opar, Flight to Opar, The Dark Heart of Time: A Tarzan Novel, and Escape from Loki: Doc Savage's First Adventure.

The Evil in Pemberley House, an addition to the Wold Newton cycle, plays with the Gothic horror tradition. Patricia Wildman, the daughter of the world-renowned adventurer and crimefighter of the 1930s and '40s, Dr. James Clarke "Doc" Wildman, is all alone in the world when she inherits the family estate in Derbyshire, England, old, dark, and supposedly haunted.

But Farmer, characteristically, turns convention on its ear. Is the ghost real, or a clever sham? In Patricia Wildman, Farmer creates an introspective character who struggles to reconcile the supernatural with her rational scientific upbringing, while also attempting to work through unresolved feelings about her late parents. He sets the action at Pemberley from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and ingrains the various mysteries in the Canon of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The Evil in Pemberley House is a darkly erotic novel with broad appeal to readers of pulp and popular literature, particularly followers of Doc Savage, Sherlockians, and fans of Farmer's own celebrated Wold Newton Family."

Looks like Subterranean Press' projected release date for the Trade hardback edition is September 2009, with a list price of $35.

ISBN-10: 1596062495
ISBN-13: 978-1596062498

More info about cover art, the Limited edition with Chapbook, etc., as it becomes available.

Best,

-Win

Everything Is Connected: The Wold Newton Cycle of Win Scott Eckert

While I would prefer that readers discover on their own the deeply interconnected nature of my seemingly unrelated tales, I’ve come to realize that this is not the wisest marketing strategy in terms of enticing new readers to take a chance on my stories, so I’ve created an outline illustrating how my tales are linked, both to each other and to the works of Philip José Farmer (I’ve noted the latter to avoid confusion). 

It should go without saying that all are connected in varying degrees to Farmer’s Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, but there you go, I’ve said it anyway.

Publication info is available on my site’s bibliography.

I’ve tried to keep this relatively spoiler free, but in identifying the connective tissue, there’s no avoiding mild spoilers. The vast majority of readers are not picking up on the links anyway, so really, what do I have to lose by disclosing some high-level spoilers?

Each and every crossover is not listed. That’s what my Crossovers, Volumes 1 & 2, and Sean Lee Levin’s Crossovers Expanded, Volumes 1 & 2, are for.

Following are recurring antagonists and the aliases used in various stories (if a character is unlicensed, aliases or descriptive hints are used):

·         XauXaz / Wolf Larsen / Baron Ulf von Waldman / Baron von Hessel / Doctor Karl Walden  / Doctor Karl Stipier

·         Doctor Natas / Doctor Shan Ming Fu (Doctor Fu Manchu)

·         Lili Bugov, the Countess Idivzhopu / “The Countess” / Lilya Zarov

·         Madame Inga (Fah Lo Suee)

·         Dame Sinestre (Sumuru)

_________________________________

2070–12,000 BCE–2140

Time’s Last Gift (Farmer)

Protagonist: John Gribardsun

Other: time travel

Approximately 10,000 BCE

The Khokarsa/Ancient Opar cycle by Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey. I won’t recap all the tales here, since Carey has already created a handy checklist.

1795

“Is He in Hell?”

Protagonist: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Sir Percy Blakeney)

Antagonist: Leonox

Other: Eridaneans; the Heart of Ahriman

“Nadine’s Invitation”

Protagonists: the first generation of the Wold Newton Family

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

“The Wild Huntsman”

Protagonist: John Gribardsun

Antagonist: XauXaz

Other: the first generation of the Wold Newton Family; the Eridaneans and Capelleans; distorters; time travel; the Secrets of the Nine series

1798

“Marguerite’s Tears”

Protagonists: Doctor Siger Holmes and the first generation of the Wold Newton Family

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

1815

“Violet’s Lament”

Protagonists: Doctor Siger Holmes and Violet Blakeney

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

1820

“Zorro’s Rival”

Protagonist: Zorro (Don Diego de la Vega)

Antagonist: El Halcón (Violette Durand aka Violet Blakeney)

1872

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg (Farmer)

Protagonist: Phileas Fogg

Antagonist: Captain Nemo/Professor Moriarty

Other: the Eridaneans and Capelleans; distorters

“Being an Account of the Delay in Green River, Wyoming of Phileas Fogg, World Traveler”

Protagonists: Phileas Fogg and the Lone Ranger

Antagonist: Doctor Shan Ming Fu

1893
The Sea Wolf (Jack London)
Antagonist: Wolf Larsen


1895

“The Problem of the Sore Bridge—Among Others” (Farmer)

Protagonists: A. J. Raffles and Harry “Bunny” Manders

Antagonist: alien shapeshifter (“a worm unknown to science”)

1899

“No Ghosts Need Apply”

Protagonists: The Phantom; Barker and Nash

Antagonist: Colonel Sebastian Moran

Other: John Gribardsun

1916

The Adventure of the Peerless Peer (Farmer)

Protagonists: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson

Antagonist: Von Bork

1917

“The Adventure of the Fallen Stone”

Protagonists: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson

Antagonists: Von Bork and Baron Ulf von Waldman

1918

Escape from Loki: Doc Savage’s First Adventure (Farmer)

Protagonist: Clark Savage (James Clarke Wildman)

Antagonists: Baron von Hessel and Lili Bugov, the Countess Idivzhopu

Other: “a worm unknown to science”

Tarzan and the Dark Heart of Time (Farmer)

Protagonist: Tarzan

Antagonists: Jelke Helmson and James D. Stonecraft

Other: The Crystal Tree; time travel

1920–1921

Ironcastle (J.-H. Rosny and Farmer)

Protagonist: Hareton Ironcastle

1929

“Iron and Bronze” (with Christopher Paul Carey)

Protagonists: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman) and Hareton Ironcastle

Antagonists: Harry Killer and Antinea

1937

“Captain Midnight at Ultima Thule”

Protagonist: Captain Midnight
Antagonists: Sun Koh and Madame Inga

1939

Tarzan and the Castaways (Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Antagonist?: Captain Larsen

1941

“Shadows Over Kunlun”

Protagonist: Lance Star
Antagonist: Doctor Natas
Other: Madame Inga

1944

“The Glass Lady”

Protagonists: Richard Benson (The Avenger) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Werner Conrad, the Iron Skull, and the Iron Skull’s daughter, Lenni Blau-Montag

“Death and the Countess”

Protagonist: Richard Benson (The Avenger)

Antagonist: The Countess

1945

“Happy Death Men”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Doctor Karl Walden and the Countess (aka Lilya Zarov)

“According to Plan of a One-Eyed Trickster”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Doctor Karl Walden and the Countess (aka Lilya Zarov)

Other: alien shapeshifter/human hybrid (see “Sore Bridge”)

1946

“Toil and Trouble”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: The Iron Skull, Lenni Blau-Montag, and Doctor Karl Walden

“The Eye of Oran”

Protagonists: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman), “Shrinking” Violet Holmes, and Adélaïde Lupin

Antagonist: Doctor Natas

“Les Levres Rouges”

Protagonist: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman) and Adélaïde Lupin

Antagonist: Madame Elisabeth (Countess Erzsébet Báthory)

1948

“Dame Sinestre”

Protagonists: The Green Ghost (George Chance) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Leonox and Dame Sinestre

Other: the Heart of Ahriman

1949

“The Vanishing Devil”

Protagonist: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman)

Antagonist: Doctor Natas

1964

“Fang and Sting”

Protagonists: The Green Hornet and Kato

Antagonists: Doctor Shan Ming Fu and his granddaughter, Doctor Isabella Fang

1965

“The Atomos Affair”

Protagonists: Alexander Waverly, Napoleon Solo, and Illya Kuryakin (hinted, not named)

Antagonist: Mme. Atomos

1967

A Girl and Her Cat (with Matthew Baugh)

Protagonists: Honey West and T.H.E. Cat

Antagonists: Shan Ming Fu, Isabella Fang, and Doctor Karl Stipier

Other: Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin (hinted, not named); distorters

1973

“Progress”

Protagonists: The Green Hornet and Kato

Antagonists: Shan Ming Fu and Isabella Fang

 

1973

The Evil in Pemberley House (Farmer and Eckert)

Protagonist: Patricia Wildman

Antagonists: The Dowager Duchess of Greystoke, Doctor Augustus Moran, other family members

Other: Doctor James Clarke Wildman and Adélaïde Lupin Wildman; Violet Holmes; Helen Benson; Jelke Helmson

1974

The Scarlet Jaguar

Protagonists: Pat Wildman, Parker, and Helen Benson

Antagonist: The Scarlet Jaguar

Other: Doc Wildman and Adélaïde Wildman; Violet Holmes; Doctor von Hessel