''The Green Odyssey'' is an American science fiction

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by Philip José Farmer. It was Farmer's first book-length publication, originally released by Ballantine in 1957. Unlike Farmer's most prolific earlier short story work, this book contains no sexual themes, though his next book '' Flesh'' returned to these motifs. The novel also appeared in the background of the first episode of '' The Twilight Zone''.

Plot summary

''The Green Odyssey'' is an adventure story, involving an astronaut named Alan Green stranded on a primitive planet, where he is claimed as a gigolo by a duchess and is married to a slave woman. Upon hearing of two other stranded astronauts, he escapes from the duchess, and sets sail to find them. However, because of the peculiar geography of the planet, there is a vast expansive plain, instead of an ocean to cross. Green uses a ship equipped with large rolling pin-like wheels along the bottom to traverse the plains of this world. After his escape from the duchess he is followed by his slave woman wife and her children (one is his). There follow several fairly standard adventure plots with cannibals, pirates, floating islands (that turn out to be giant lawnmowers), and the deus ex machina, a female black cat named Lady Luck.

Reaction and analysis

Floyd C. Gale wrote that ''The Green Odyssey'' seemed "a routine space opera" and that Farmer "''almost'' makes a mishmash of the ending, but doesn't". Other reviews were also mixed. Many were disappointed by this new work after Farmer's widely praised "

The Lovers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

". While that story was almost universally regarded as unique and excellently written, ''The Green Odyssey'' was frequently criticised for being clichéd and generic. For instance, author and critic Damon Knight said in the November 1957 issue of ''

Infinity Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions amo ...

'' that the book was a "pastel pastiche, superficial and generic, of Tarzan, Conan ..and heaven knows what else". However, in hindsight, ''The Green Odyssey'' was perhaps a deliberate pastiche of pulp novels, similar to Farmer's later ''

A Feast Unknown ''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 ' ...

'' and, to a lesser extent, his fictional biographies ''

Tarzan Alive ''Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke'' is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer, that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan, is a story of a real person. The book was first published i ...

'' and '' Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life''.

References

External links

''The Green Odyssey''
at Farmer's official website.

at Farmer's official website. * 1957 American novels 1957 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Ballantine Books books Debut science fiction novels Novels by Philip José Farmer Space exploration novels 1957 debut novels {{1950s-sf-novel-stub