Lord of the Trees & The Mad Goblin

Secrets of the Nine #2,3

by Philip José Farmer

Ace Books, 1980. Reprints the back-to-back Ace Double from 1970. Along with "A Feast Unknown" these are part of Farmer's Grandrith/Caliban series involving characters meant to mirror Tarzan and Doc Savage.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Pulp, Action, Pulp Adventure

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

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

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the classic Ace Double volumes, two different books with individual covers printed back-to-back and in opposition to one another in tête-bêche format, and I believe it's the only one in their entire long-running series that included two original novels by the same author. Lord of the Trees is a Tarzan (as Lord Grandith) pastiche, and The Mad Goblin is a Doc Savage (as Doc Caliban) pastiche, though the stories are connected and interlock to an extent. They are sequels of a sort to Farmer's offensive (to me, at least) erotic novel A Feast Unknown, though you don't have to read that one in order to enjoy these. (In fact, I can't think of any reason for anyone to ever read the earlier book...but I digress...) I'd suggest starting with Lord of the Trees, which is a better written book (The Mad Goblin is, on the other hand, more fun), but it doesn't really matter. Farmer's affection for the pulps and for these characters in particular is on full display, though his preoccupation with folding them all into his fictional construct of The Immortal Nine is needless and annoying. (A few years later he would begin the Wold-Newton sequence, into which he incorporated all fictional heroes ever, and I don't think anyone ever managed to keep all of that straight in their heads.) Gray Morrow did the wonderful covers for both of these books, capturing the Bama torn-shirt and pointy-hair look for Doc and more of a Roy Krenkel look for Lord of the Trees. I re-read them some years ago and did not enjoy them nearly as much as did that eleven-year-old I was when I thought it had been maybe the best 75 cents I'd ever spent, but they're still a lot of fun.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1969, Farmer published "A Feast Unknown," an erotic pastiche in which Doc Caliban (Doc Savage) meets Lord Grandrith (Tarzan). These two novels follow up, each pitting one of the heroes against the immortal conspiracy known as the Nine. Lord of the Trees is dreadful, stodgy and tedious. Mad Goblin is much livelier, as a Doc Savage pastiche allows for a wilder story — but it's easy to see why Farmer's name isn't associated with action thrillers. The final volume in this series wrapping up the battle never came out; instead Farmer launched the "Wold Newton" mythos in which Doc and Tarzan are real, but not the same real ones as in this book.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two novels which can be read seperately, but when put together, basically tell the same story from two different POV.
These two heroes are Farmer's versions of Tarzan and Doc Savage. Both stories are sequels to the weaker 'A Feast Unknown' novel. If you haven't read 'Feast' you can still enjoy this book.

Great attempt at recreating the feel of a pulp novel, while bumping the characters into more modern times. 'Lord of the Trees' is the stronger of the two stories.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good couple of linked pastiches of Tarzan and Doc Savage, and their battle against The Nine. Lots of adventure and other good stuff. I think I like the Tarzan pastiche better.

I'm not as big a fan of the Wold Newton theory as a lot of people I know, so I don't give it as high a rating as some of them.

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it when I read it growing up. Have to read it again to comment though.

[Prospero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This two-fer is a latter day nod to the Ace Doubles (two novels or novellas printed tête-bêche) that Ace published mainly in the 50's and 60's. Fairly good stories both.

[Chris Gager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pulled this one off the rescued shelves searching for some sci-fi. I've read plenty of Farmer's stuff, all in the World of Tiers series(all of it), and enjoyed it. We'll see... And NOW... my currently reading list is VERY full so I need to get after it.

One of the Goodreads reviewers takes a full-on dump on this story and I have to say he's about right. My impression is of a comic book turned into a novel - unsuccessfully. The action is non-stop as this super-duper jungle guy(i.e. Tarzan) goes about an endless path of destruction and killing. I used to enjoy Tarzan comic books back in the 50's(AIEEEEE!), but they seemed to have more plot than this turkey. If you like violence in print this one's for you. The companion "novel" will feature Farmer's take on Doc Savage, whom he calls Doc Caliban, about whom I know very little. The title refers to one of The Nine, a very and creepy dude named Iwaldi.

And so... we're back in the max action zone, only this time it's not Central Africa, but rather alpine Germany. Otherwise, the action is pretty much the same, as in non-stop, with very little plot development.

- Farmer resorts to the occasional "whip" - ing. Very clear giveaway to mediocre prose. We also get ski "slides" instead of ski "slopes" or "trails." Olympic "dasher' instead of "sprinter" or "runner." "Vulture turkey" instead of "turkey vulture."

- Farmer can't seem to get over how beautiful a female British archaeologist is.

- This story features an endless stream of repartee between Doc Savage's two sidekicks. Weird, and NOT FUNNY!

- The manipulation of the wildlife into vicious killers suggests "The Hunger Games" muttations.

- The Nine, though mostly a bunch of near-immortal creeps, have a kind-of admirable eco--mission to save the earth from human bio-destruction.

And in the end... this second book was about as crappy as the first. The Farmer style of non-stop violent action that I encountered in all those "World of Tiers" books is taken to the max here.

- "He awoke them..." S.B. either "woke" or "awakened" - this boo-boo might have been in one of the Narnia books I've been reading and not this one. My 'note to myself" doesn't specify.

- 2.5* rounds down to 2*.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A two for one from Ace Publishers. Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin are two short novels featuring the characters of Lord Grandrith and Doc Caliban, who are thinly disguised surrogates for Lord Greystoke (Tarzan) and Doc Savage. The books are a sequel to Farmer's A Feast Unknown. however, they are very different in tone. A Feast Unknown has a lot of somewhat bizarre erotic elements while Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin are straightforward adventure novels. They are both good examples of that genre, with nearly constant action. I liked Lord of the Trees the best but both were fun. I've always been more of a Tarzan than Doc Savage fan.

[Julian]

Fast-paced pulpy action -- Lord Grandrith (Farmer's Tarzan analog) and Doc Caliban (Farmer's Doc Savage analog) each get a short 120 page novel full of thrills, fights and explosions as they fight the mechanations of the immortal Nine. Both novels and both characters come together (almost) in a climactic battle at the end. The style is so flat and pulpy as to be slightly comical, yet I honestly found it to be pretty addictive and pulling me back in and in to the narrative like watching an action movie. This might be of most interest to those who liked "A Feast Unknown" + Doc Savage/Tarzan fans, but it was very readable if you want and enjoy the pulp stuff.

[Per-Olof · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lord of the trees wasn't very good so I can't really explain why I bothered to read The mad goblin which was absolutely awful. One of the great mysteries of life I guess.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pair of two-fisted, straightforward pulp action books

[Brett]

Science Fiction