The Song of Kwasin: Khokarsa Series #3

by Philip José Farmer, Christopher Paul Carey

The long-awaited conclusion to Philip Jose Farmer's Opar trilogy.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, but spent much of his life in Peoria, Illinois.

Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.

Reviews

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice completion of Kwasin’s adventures during the time Hadon ventured back to Opar. Carey completed the story bases on Phillip Jose Farmer’s manuscript and notes. A bonus adventure is also included by Carey. I had to take away a star because Kwasin was supposed to be the greatest warrior in all of the Khokarasan Empire, yet he was captured multiple times, paraded around in a cage, and spent two years in captivity helping slaves build a tower. A lot of this filler could have gone toward other pursuits.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Jose Farmer is my all-time favorite author, and his Opar books are among my favorite works by him. Christopher Paul Carey, an author and Farmerphile of no small skill, has done a terrific job completing the unfinished third novel in the series. Indeed, it's hard to determine (for me, at least) where the Farmer-penned sections end and Carey's pick up. Kwasin of Dythbeth is a colorful character, in many ways moreso than his cousin Hadon, the protagonist of the first two novels in the series. (I have long felt the same way about Kickaha, the protagonist of the latter three books of Farmer's World of Tiers series, compared to Robert Wolff, the protagonist of the first three books...which is NOT a knock again either Hadon or Wolff, who are great characters in their own right.) Kwasin is a giant and a rogue, yet not without his good side. Farmer and Carey's exploration of the empire that would give rise to the city a certain English lord would visit in the 20th Century and its culture never fails to fascinate me, and I am very glad that Carey is writing new authorized works building on Farmer's novels, as his love for this series and characters always shines through. This particular edition has lots of great extras for the fanatical reader, including two different outlines for the book typewritten by Farmer, correspondence between Farmer and his fellow Burroughs devotee Frank J. Breuckel, and a guide to Khokarsa, including a who's who of people, gods, places, and things in the series, and an explanation of the Khokarsan calendar. I highly recommend this book to Farmerphiles and Burroughsians alike!