A Feast Unknown
Encyclopedia
A Feast Unknown is a novel
written by American
author Philip José Farmer
. The novel is a pastiche of pulp fiction, erotica
, and horror fiction
. It was originally published in 1969, and was followed by two sequels, Lord of the Trees
and The Mad Goblin
.
The book contains many elements in common with Farmer's Wold Newton family
concept, but there is some dispute as to whether it actually takes place in the same setting with Farmer's other Wold Newton fiction. In addition, the novel is infamous for its graphic depictions of sex and violence, and especially the combination of the two.
and Doc Savage
. Called "Lord Grandrith" and "Doc Caliban," respectively, the two are recognizable as the iconic characters, but still unique.
The two, half-brothers with the same father (the infamous Victorian era
serial killer
, Jack the Ripper
) share a horrible affliction thanks to the powerful elixir that gives them near-eternal life. Neither one can engage in sexual activity except during acts of violence; their penises become erect during an act of violence, and they ejaculate after taking lives.
Grandrith and Caliban each think that the other has killed a loved one, and are hell-bent on taking revenge. The two are seemingly unstoppable, ferocious killers attack from every angle, in every way. They even go so far as to grapple with each other in the nude, punching, clawing and biting, each of them sporting massive erections.
However, even with this fuming, smoldering intensity between Grandrith and Caliban, they ultimately find a common enemy among the Nine, a powerful group of near immortals, that is revealed to be controlling the world, and to have been manipulating their own lives, and indeed, the entire preceding battle between the two. The two iconic warriors vow to defeat the Nine together—that tale is told in the intertwining sequels, Lord of the Trees
and The Mad Goblin
.
in the United States in 1969. It was released only in paperback
form, and saw limited release. As such, its readership was mostly confined to collectors of erotic horror fiction and those who enjoyed Farmer's previous work.
Another paperback edition was published in the United Kingdom
by Quartet in 1975, featuring cover art by Patrick Woodroffe
. A hardcover
, limited to 200 copies signed by Farmer, along with a trade paperback limited to 800 copies, were released by Fokker D-LXIX Press in the U.S., also in 1975. Both featured cover art and interior illustrations by Richard Corben
. Two paperback editions were published by Playboy Press in 1980 and 1983, and Rhinoceros
released a paperback edition in the U.S. in 1995. An excerpt from Feast appeared in the short story collection Jack The Knife under the title "My Father the Ripper". These publications allowed the book to gain more mainstream success.
The book was also published in languages other than English. The French
edition was titled "La Jungle Nue", roughly "The Nude Jungle." The Italian
was titled "Fiesta Di Morti", or "Feast of Dead Men". It was also published in Russian
, as part of a collected edition of Farmer's works.
by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon
, in which he says that the message A Feast Unknown is intended to send to the reader is that "ultimate sex combined with ultimate violence is ultimate absurdity." This is on par with the idea that Farmer intended the novel largely as satire of pulp fiction, deliberately exaggerated to the point of absurdity, as Sturgeon puts it. This fact was lost on both the original publisher, Essex House
, who produced "quality porn" novels, and many reviewers, including one who condemned A Feast Unknown as "drivel" and "a worthless book".
and universe; indeed, their "biographies", Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life
and Tarzan Alive are the cornerstones of the concept.
However, Farmer never explicates whether Caliban and Grandrith are, in fact, the same individuals as the Tarzan and Savage he writes about in his Wold Newton fiction. They share many similarities due to the fact they are based upon the same fictional characters, but they also share properties unique to Farmer, such as being relatives (half-brothers here, cousins in the Wold Newton universe) and gaining an elixir that grants long life and eternal youth.
At the same time, their father is not Jack the Ripper, nor do they suffer, visibly, the sexual aberration that Grandrith and Caliban do. This has led to most classifying the book as neither explicitly within the Wold Newton universe, nor explicitly outside of it. Farmer himself said that the best route was to "let the reader decide", but Wold Newton fan and "scholar" Dennis E. Power has written three essays relating to the subject. He hypothesises that Grandrith and Caliban are in fact children bred by the Nine to duplicate and appear strikingly similar to Doc Savage and Tarzan, to fulfill an ancient destiny prophesised by "The Undying God", in fact the original Tarzan, who travelled to prehistory
in Farmer's Time's Last Gift. He doesn't return, instead living out his life throughout history. Power surmises that he became numerous figures from history, myth, and legend, and the Nine bred Lord Grandrith specifically to live out the destiny as foretold by The Undying God, which was, of course, the story of Tarzan himself. He also claims that Lord Grandrith was the individual who did some of the deeds and participated in the adventures of "Tarzan", when these adventures clash too greatly with established Wold Newton continuity. Specifically, he argues that the lead character of the film version of Tarzan in the Valley of Gold, which differs greatly from the original literary version, was Grandrith.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
. The novel is a pastiche of pulp fiction, erotica
Erotica
Erotica are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions...
, and horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
. It was originally published in 1969, and was followed by two sequels, Lord of the Trees
Lord of the Trees
Lord of the Trees is an American novel by Philip José Farmer. Originally released in 1970, it was one of two intertwining sequels to Farmer's previous A Feast Unknown, along with The Mad Goblin...
and The Mad Goblin
The Mad Goblin
The Mad Goblin is an American novel by Philip José Farmer. Originally released in 1970, it was one of two intertwining sequels to Farmer's previous A Feast Unknown, along with Lord of the Trees...
.
The book contains many elements in common with Farmer's Wold Newton family
Wold Newton family
The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer...
concept, but there is some dispute as to whether it actually takes place in the same setting with Farmer's other Wold Newton fiction. In addition, the novel is infamous for its graphic depictions of sex and violence, and especially the combination of the two.
Plot summary
The two main characters are thinly-veiled versions of two of Farmer's favorite characters, TarzanTarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and Doc Savage
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
. Called "Lord Grandrith" and "Doc Caliban," respectively, the two are recognizable as the iconic characters, but still unique.
The two, half-brothers with the same father (the infamous Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
) share a horrible affliction thanks to the powerful elixir that gives them near-eternal life. Neither one can engage in sexual activity except during acts of violence; their penises become erect during an act of violence, and they ejaculate after taking lives.
Grandrith and Caliban each think that the other has killed a loved one, and are hell-bent on taking revenge. The two are seemingly unstoppable, ferocious killers attack from every angle, in every way. They even go so far as to grapple with each other in the nude, punching, clawing and biting, each of them sporting massive erections.
However, even with this fuming, smoldering intensity between Grandrith and Caliban, they ultimately find a common enemy among the Nine, a powerful group of near immortals, that is revealed to be controlling the world, and to have been manipulating their own lives, and indeed, the entire preceding battle between the two. The two iconic warriors vow to defeat the Nine together—that tale is told in the intertwining sequels, Lord of the Trees
Lord of the Trees
Lord of the Trees is an American novel by Philip José Farmer. Originally released in 1970, it was one of two intertwining sequels to Farmer's previous A Feast Unknown, along with The Mad Goblin...
and The Mad Goblin
The Mad Goblin
The Mad Goblin is an American novel by Philip José Farmer. Originally released in 1970, it was one of two intertwining sequels to Farmer's previous A Feast Unknown, along with Lord of the Trees...
.
Publishing history
The original edition was published by Essex HouseEssex House
-Buildings:* Essex House - a historic house in London* Jumeirah Essex House - a luxury hotel in New York City...
in the United States in 1969. It was released only in paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
form, and saw limited release. As such, its readership was mostly confined to collectors of erotic horror fiction and those who enjoyed Farmer's previous work.
Another paperback edition was published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Quartet in 1975, featuring cover art by Patrick Woodroffe
Patrick Woodroffe
Patrick James Woodroffe is an English artist, etcher and drawer, who specialises in fantasy science-fiction artwork, with images that border on the surreal...
. A hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
, limited to 200 copies signed by Farmer, along with a trade paperback limited to 800 copies, were released by Fokker D-LXIX Press in the U.S., also in 1975. Both featured cover art and interior illustrations by Richard Corben
Richard Corben
Richard Corben is an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine...
. Two paperback editions were published by Playboy Press in 1980 and 1983, and Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
released a paperback edition in the U.S. in 1995. An excerpt from Feast appeared in the short story collection Jack The Knife under the title "My Father the Ripper". These publications allowed the book to gain more mainstream success.
The book was also published in languages other than English. The French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
edition was titled "La Jungle Nue", roughly "The Nude Jungle." The Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
was titled "Fiesta Di Morti", or "Feast of Dead Men". It was also published in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, as part of a collected edition of Farmer's works.
Critical reception
All of these editions include a postscriptPostscript
A postscript, abbreviated P.S., is writing added after the main body of a letter . The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning "written after" .A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and...
by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
, in which he says that the message A Feast Unknown is intended to send to the reader is that "ultimate sex combined with ultimate violence is ultimate absurdity." This is on par with the idea that Farmer intended the novel largely as satire of pulp fiction, deliberately exaggerated to the point of absurdity, as Sturgeon puts it. This fact was lost on both the original publisher, Essex House
Essex House
-Buildings:* Essex House - a historic house in London* Jumeirah Essex House - a luxury hotel in New York City...
, who produced "quality porn" novels, and many reviewers, including one who condemned A Feast Unknown as "drivel" and "a worthless book".
Connections to Wold Newton family
Tarzan and Doc Savage are primary components of Farmer's Wold Newton familyWold Newton family
The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer...
and universe; indeed, their "biographies", Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life is a fictional biography by Philip José Farmer about pulp fiction hero Doc Savage.The book is written with the assumption that Doc Savage was a real person. Kenneth Robeson, the author of the Doc Savage novels, is portrayed as writing fictionalized memoirs of the...
and Tarzan Alive are the cornerstones of the concept.
However, Farmer never explicates whether Caliban and Grandrith are, in fact, the same individuals as the Tarzan and Savage he writes about in his Wold Newton fiction. They share many similarities due to the fact they are based upon the same fictional characters, but they also share properties unique to Farmer, such as being relatives (half-brothers here, cousins in the Wold Newton universe) and gaining an elixir that grants long life and eternal youth.
At the same time, their father is not Jack the Ripper, nor do they suffer, visibly, the sexual aberration that Grandrith and Caliban do. This has led to most classifying the book as neither explicitly within the Wold Newton universe, nor explicitly outside of it. Farmer himself said that the best route was to "let the reader decide", but Wold Newton fan and "scholar" Dennis E. Power has written three essays relating to the subject. He hypothesises that Grandrith and Caliban are in fact children bred by the Nine to duplicate and appear strikingly similar to Doc Savage and Tarzan, to fulfill an ancient destiny prophesised by "The Undying God", in fact the original Tarzan, who travelled to prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
in Farmer's Time's Last Gift. He doesn't return, instead living out his life throughout history. Power surmises that he became numerous figures from history, myth, and legend, and the Nine bred Lord Grandrith specifically to live out the destiny as foretold by The Undying God, which was, of course, the story of Tarzan himself. He also claims that Lord Grandrith was the individual who did some of the deeds and participated in the adventures of "Tarzan", when these adventures clash too greatly with established Wold Newton continuity. Specifically, he argues that the lead character of the film version of Tarzan in the Valley of Gold, which differs greatly from the original literary version, was Grandrith.