Maker of Universes

I'm re-reading this now after finally completing the series. It's been almost 40 years since I first read it, so I'll see if it keeps its 4 star rating (I doubt it), but I HAVE to find out how the entire story winds up.The re-read was great. There are some holes in the story, but it still stands as

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a fun, quick read. It's still a fairly unique adventure story that is based on SF, but has some fantasy elements, sort of. -----------For years, I considered it a good, stand-alone, novel. I still think so. However, I got sucked into reading the following books, through the 5th & wanted to scream in frustration since the ending was a cliff hanger. It is now a series of 7 books. The series was completed in the 90's, a 14 year gap between books 5 & 6. I haven't read 6 or 7, yet. Reviews for the last book are not encouraging, but I will get them because I need closure!!! -----------The first book starts out with Wolf on Earth. He falls in with a knave who leads him on a merry chase through a private world of tiers that is inhabited by a bizarre collection of mythological beings that were grown in the labs of the creator of the universe. When I first read this, what impressed me most, was the new (to me, then) idea of private universes & worlds that Farmer came up with & how he handled them. It's really just a fun, action story with an SF basis but really more of a fantasy novel. He's managed to pack so many different genres into one book & tied them all together in a unique (then) & seamless way. ------- Spoiler below ---------Farmer posits a race that humans are descended from & our 'Earth' is just one more private universe. Space travel isn't really possible since the 'stars' aren't really there, they're imperfections in the lining of the bubble universe we inhabit. The makers of the universes aren't even the originators of this, they found out the same thing as they developed. They are now an old, declining race. They've forgotten the science behind the wonders they control & are fighting among themselves - the implication being they are repeating the cycle of those that created them. The main character of the series is Kickaha, the merry knave that first introduces Wolf to the new universe. He's originally from Earth & is now something of a legend & thorn in the side of the 'Lords'. His battle with one lord, Red Orc, in particular is a central theme - the clean cut hero against the decadent villan.

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I've read this book several times now and I am never disappointed. Fast paced and swashbuckling. A wonderfully created world. A great read!

Heartily recommend.

First class science fiction. Incredible fun.

and that's a DNF at 7%. I half expected one of the female characters to "sigh bustily as she breasted the surf, all tits-having and everything."