Blackness. Nothingness. He did not even know that his heart had given out forever. Nothingness.
Then his eyes opened. His heart was beating strongly. He was strong, very strong! All the pain of the gout in his feet, the agony in his liver, the torture in his heart, all were gone.
It was so quiet he could hear the blood moving in his head. He was alone in a world of soundlessness.
A bright light of equal intensity was everywhere. He could see, yet he did not understand what he was seeing. What were these things above, beside, below him? Where was he?
- Riverworld
Long after he became an internationally recognized science fiction writer, the usually elusive Philip Jose Farmer lent his fame to a favorite project: Peoria’s public libraries.
Fans would come from around the world to attend Farmer-related events, particularly when the Lakeview branch celebrated his Grand Master Award for Science Fiction in 2001. Puzzled local library patrons might wander by to sample the cookies, occasionally asking what was causing all the fuss. Farmer would crack his tight-lipped smile, but seemed unfazed by either global attention or the local lack thereof.
Farmer died at his North Peoria home Wednesday morning. He was 91.
“For all his international fame, he was one of the most humble people I ever knew,” said former Journal Star critic Jerry Klein. “He wasn’t exactly celebrated in Peoria, however, like the prophet being without honor in his own country. He had the most incredible imagination. I hope that what he is experiencing now is wonderful beyond his wildest dreams.”
“For all his international fame, he was one of the most humble people I ever knew,” said former Journal Star critic Jerry Klein. “He wasn’t exactly celebrated in Peoria, however, like the prophet being without honor in his own country. He had the most incredible imagination. I hope that what he is experiencing now is wonderful beyond his wildest dreams.”
UPDATE, 3-11-09
Mary Turzillo, Frederik Pohl, Phil’s nephew Danny Adams, and a few other scribblers have also written tributes, Doc Savage bless ‘em.