Name: Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers)
ISBN: 9780812508901

Philip José Farmer

Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers)

Sarah Sammis

I have no patience for books that are thinly disguised infomercials. The last such abomination I read in this category was Demons Don't Dream by Piers Anthony. Red Orc's Rage was slightly better than Demons but that isn't saying much.

The dedication to, and the Afterword by Dr. A. James Giannini, explains the reason behind this dog's breakfast of a book. Giannini has been using Farmer's Tiers books as therapy since the late 1970s. It's basically a form of role playing. He calls the process "Tiersian therapy" and Farmer got wind of his work.

Rather than smiling politely and moving on, Farmer decided to write a book about a fictional troubled teen who is of course a fan of the Tiers series to begin with so is the perfect candidate for the therapy when he's put in a mental hospital. Of course for him, the journey is real and he gets to have all of his long desired adventures in Farmer's creation.

This wretched thing reads like bad fan fiction. The novel is a complete waste of time. It lacks the edginess of earlier Farmer and it doesn't make up for it with maturity.

Red Orc's Rage (World of Tiers)

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