Conference noted::sf

823.0. "Farmer's Dungeon series" by PENUTS::BLAKE (Reggie's fan club) Wed Sep 06 1989 15:02

Has anyone read the Dungeon series of fantasy books by Jose Farmer?
The books aren't actually by him, but by 3 authors who, I guess, get
their guidance from him.  There are 5 books in all.  The first 3 are
out, and the fourth supposedly hit the bookstores this month.

The basic plot is there is a 9 level dungeon on a distant planet (or
so the characters believe) with entryways to various other planets at
various points in time.  As a result, the inhabitants are a mixture of
different races from different worlds.  The main character is Clive
Folliot, a Major in 19th century Britain's cavalry, who, while searching
in Africa for his lost older brother Neville, gets lured into or accidently
falls into this dungeon.

The series follows him through the Dungeon as he pursues his brother.
He has to find out if his brother is alive or dead so he can insure his
inheritance (he's the #2 son in a noble's family).

An interesting series so far.  But there doesn't appear to be any ground
rules to what occurs.  Anything can happen, and does, much like one of
those old serial cliffhanger movies.  Farmer admits that was his goal,
but I prefer a novel based in some kind of framework where there are
reasons for things happening - even if the reasons given are magical or
whatever, as long as they're consistant.

The series writers aren't consistant in focus.  The first book focuses
on Clive and his companions Sidi Bombay and Horace, while the second
focuses more on User Annie and Finbogg, and the third on Chang Guaffe.
The abilities of the various characters aren't consistant, either, leading
me to believe Farmer handed out the rough story sketches and the lists
of characters to the 3 authors and had them write their piece of the series
concurrently.  The shifting viewpoint can be a good angle, but the few
rules the series sets up are always changing with the author.  At one
point the group is in the dark, and a character produces a lighter.  Later,
in a different book, the same characters are again in a dark room and noone
has a lighter or even looks to see if they have one.  The little details
just aren't there.  Maybe if they worked more closely together, or at least
had Farmer proofread the stories to smooth them out.  Even the characters'
names change.

Spunk

	Sounds like it might be more fun to play as a game, than to sit and
read??????

Mike J