The Song of Kwasin: Khokarsa Series #3

by Philip José Farmer, Christopher Paul Carey, Paul Di Filippo (Introduction)

This first standalone edition of Philip Jose Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey's critically acclaimed novel, The Song of Kwasin--the third volume of the Khokarsa series--contains a host of rare and previously unpublished bonus materials, including: a brand-new introduction by noted author and critic Paul Di Filippo; a preface to the Meteor House edition by Christopher Paul Carey; "Kwasin and the Bear God" by Philip Jose Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey (a 20,000-word novella featuring a lost adventure of Kwasin); The Khokarsan Calendar by Philip Jose Farmer; The Plants of Khokarsa by Philip Jose Farmer; A Guide to Khokarsa by Christopher Paul Carey; Philip Jose Farmer s notes on the Khokarsa series, including his original and alternate outlines to The Song of Kwasin; and correspondence by Philip Jose Farmer to Frank J. Brueckel and John Harwood, authors of "Heritage of the Flaming God," the monumental essay that inspired the Khokarsa series. After years of exile in the Wild Lands, the giant warrior Kwasin of Dythbeth returns to the mighty Khokarsan Empire seeking the oracle's forgiveness, only to find his native land torn asunder in a bloody civil war. The tyrannical King Minruth has usurped the throne from his daughter Awineth and, allied with the priests of the sun god Resu, overturned the beneficent, centuries-old rule of the priestesses of the goddess Kho. His spoiled cousin Hadon having fled with his companions to far-flung Opar, Kwasin soon finds he will have to take up the cause alone against Minruth the Mad. Wielding his massive Ax of Victory, forged from the heart of a fallen star, Kwasin sets out to reconquer the throne of Khokarsa. But when he finds himself caught between a vengeful queen who seeks to control him and a conspiring priest who wants him dead, Kwasin must decide between reining in his unruly passions or unleashing them in a fury that could hurl the empire into oblivion. For the high priestess has decreed that unless Kwasin can master his wild nature and stop King Minruth before he attains immortality in an unholy ritual of the sun god, Great Kho will destroy all the land!"

470 pages, Paperback

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!