The other log of Phileas Fogg

by Philip José Farmer

Other authorsVincent DiFate (Cover artist), Rick J. Bryant (Illustrator)

Paperback, 1982

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Tor Books ; distributed by Pinnacle Books, 1982, c1973.

Description

In a delicious slice of sci-fi whimsy that sits cleverly alongside Verne's original tale, Phileas Fogg's epic global journey is not the product of a daft wager but, in fact, a covert mission to chase down the elusive Captain Nemo - who is none other than Professor Moriarty. A secret alien war has raged on Earth for years and is about to culminate in this epic race. A novel in the Wold Newton universe, in which characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, James Bond and Jack the Ripper are all mysteriously connected.

User reviews

LibraryThing member wmorton38

I was really disappointed with this book. I had read other books by Farmer many years ago (mostly the Riverworld books) and enjoyed them very much but this one just did not measure up. The idea was very interesting and clever (as you would expect): the story that Verne tells in Around the World in

Eighty Days is just a cover for Fogg’s secret mission involving aliens and teleportation devices. The writing, however, was rather flat and colorless (which you would not expect from Farmer). Much of the story reads more like the summary of (or proposal for) a novel rather than the novel itself. There are also numerous instances where a character (or the narrator) mulls over different courses of action. The character could do A (with usually a long explanation of A) or he could do B (explanation of B) until we get to C or D, which he then does. This normally happens in the middle of what should be an action scene which is brought to a halt. You think to yourself: just get on with it. The two afterword essays were really more interesting and readable. As I said, I have enjoyed other works by Farmer and will try more but this one will certainly not go on my “read again” list.

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LibraryThing member memccauley6

I finally had to admit to myself that I had no desire to read any more of this book.

In theory, a behind-the-scenes look at Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days is engrossing. According to Farmer, Fogg really made the trip to further the interests of the Eridani; as part of the secret ongoing

Eridani-Capellan war. However, as I have found with many of Farmer’s books: the idea is genius – but the execution leaves much to be desired.

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LibraryThing member aeceyton

nice premise, dull execution

LibraryThing member brakketh

Novel that fills the gaps of the 80 Days Around the World, didn't really hook me.

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