Dungeon series
Encyclopedia
The Dungeon Series is a series of fantasy novels written under the auspices of Philip José Farmer
, who wrote an introduction for each book in the series. The series is notable for being written by four different authors, with a different author carrying on the story from the previous book.
The aim of the Dungeon series is not to imitate the writing style of Philip Jose Farmer
but, as he notes in the introduction to "The Dark Abyss" :
"The aim of these is to enflesh as it were, the geist infusing my works. Their works are not spinoffs of my fiction. They do not continue the worlds or characters created in earlier books. They do not attempt to imitate my style, which would be difficult anyway, because I have more than one.
These Dungeon authors are feeding on the psyche, the philosophy, the themes of my science fiction adventure stories, though they will, of course, introduce their own during the development of their own works. Every person is unique. He or she, has his/her own brand of amazing grace"
The books follow nineteenth century explorer Clive Folliot as he travels through a multilayered dungeon
world attempting to find his twin brother Neville. Along the way, he forms a group of similarly lost creatures and persons, and must battle the pawns and agents
of the Dungeon's mysterious alien
masters.
In order the books are:
The Dungeon is where beings from countless times and worlds are brought and trapped by mysterious and technologically advanced races---known as the Ren, the Chaffri and the Gamine---for unknowable purposes. The Dungeon is a place of nine levels, each with a widely differing environment ranging from deserted cities to prehistoric wilderness to Hell
itself. Levels can be traversed by traveling through a Gate
, typically located at that level's lowest portion.
The possible nature of the Dungeon world is left mysterious. At various times in the series, the Dungeon's nine levels has been speculated to be:
Throughout Clive's travels, he and his growing group of companions run into many twisted versions and plays on well-known novels such as Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein
, Dante's Inferno
, The Lost World, and various mythologies
.
In Spain
, the series was published as "La Torre Negra" ("The Black Tower") and the first book as "La Mazmorra" ("The Dungeon"), reversing the original titles.
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
, who wrote an introduction for each book in the series. The series is notable for being written by four different authors, with a different author carrying on the story from the previous book.
The aim of the Dungeon series is not to imitate the writing style of Philip Jose 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....
but, as he notes in the introduction to "The Dark Abyss" :
"The aim of these is to enflesh as it were, the geist infusing my works. Their works are not spinoffs of my fiction. They do not continue the worlds or characters created in earlier books. They do not attempt to imitate my style, which would be difficult anyway, because I have more than one.
These Dungeon authors are feeding on the psyche, the philosophy, the themes of my science fiction adventure stories, though they will, of course, introduce their own during the development of their own works. Every person is unique. He or she, has his/her own brand of amazing grace"
The books follow nineteenth century explorer Clive Folliot as he travels through a multilayered dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
world attempting to find his twin brother Neville. Along the way, he forms a group of similarly lost creatures and persons, and must battle the pawns and agents
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
of the Dungeon's mysterious alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
masters.
In order the books are:
- The Black Tower, by Richard A. LupoffRichard A. LupoffRichard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
(1988) - The Dark Abyss, by Bruce CovilleBruce CovilleBruce Coville is an American author of children's and young adult novels. He was born in Syracuse, New York and lives there currently; he has spent most of his life there, leaving to attend Duke University and then to live in New York City....
(1989) - The Valley of Thunder, by Charles de LintCharles de LintCharles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
(1989) - The Lake of Fire, by Robin W. Bailey (1989)
- The Hidden City, by Charles de LintCharles de LintCharles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
(1990) - The Final Battle, by Richard A. LupoffRichard A. LupoffRichard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
(1990)
The Dungeon is where beings from countless times and worlds are brought and trapped by mysterious and technologically advanced races---known as the Ren, the Chaffri and the Gamine---for unknowable purposes. The Dungeon is a place of nine levels, each with a widely differing environment ranging from deserted cities to prehistoric wilderness to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
itself. Levels can be traversed by traveling through a Gate
Gate
A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
, typically located at that level's lowest portion.
The possible nature of the Dungeon world is left mysterious. At various times in the series, the Dungeon's nine levels has been speculated to be:
- A series of separate planetPlanetA planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s linked by dimensional gates. - A hollowed-out asteroid arranged with nine levels, one on top of another.
- Within the Earth's crust, as a series of nine concentric layers, in the manner of a Hollow EarthHollow EarthThe Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
.
Throughout Clive's travels, he and his growing group of companions run into many twisted versions and plays on well-known novels such as Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, Dante's Inferno
Inferno (Dante)
Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as...
, The Lost World, and various mythologies
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
.
In Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the series was published as "La Torre Negra" ("The Black Tower") and the first book as "La Mazmorra" ("The Dungeon"), reversing the original titles.