''The Other Log of Phileas Fogg'' is a science fiction written by American author

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...

in 1973. Reviving the

Phileas Fogg Phileas Fogg () is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel ''Around the World in Eighty Days''. Inspirations for the character were the American entrepreneur George Francis Train and American writer and adventurer William Perry Fogg. ...

character created by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, the novel has also been classified as

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...

and a

parallel novel A parallel novel is an in-universe (but often non-canonical) pastiche (or sometimes sequel) piece of literature written within, derived from, or taking place during the framework of another work of fiction by the same or another author with resp ...

. It was originally published by DAW Books and later reprinted in 1979 by Hamlyn and again in 1982 by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

. Tor has subsequently reissued the novel in 1988 and 1993.

Plot introduction

The story takes place within the internal reality first imagined in the 1872

novel, ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

''. Farmer includes many of the story's original characters, including

and his French valet, Passepartout. He establishes that all of Verne's published works take place within the same shared continuity. He includes elements of

crossover fiction A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, unofficial efforts by ...

, incorporating the

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

characters of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

and James Moriarty into his setting. These elements place Phileas Fogg and his entire supporting cast into the

Wold Newton family The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the American science fiction writer Philip José Farmer. Origins In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorite, fell near Wold New ...

of literary characters. In an introduction, Farmer posits that Verne's story was not simply an article of fiction, but the chronology of actual events, which Verne later decided to adapt into a fictional setting. In the book's epilogue, Farmer playfully alludes to the notion that Phileas Fogg is still alive, and may in fact be the actual author of the story (Farmer notes that they both share the same initials, suggesting that Philip Farmer is actually an alias for Phileas Fogg). From Farmer's perspective, Jules Verne revealed only a small and significantly subdued portion of the actual background and exploits of Phileas Fogg. He establishes that the events surrounding ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' is actually a singular aspect of a greater conflict taking place between two immortal alien races, the Eridani and the Capellas. Farmer's story does not challenge any of the elements of the original text, but rather it adds an ambitious secondary tale taking place behind (and often in between) the scenes of Verne's material.

Plot summary

Phileas Fogg is a mysterious British gentleman who lives with his valet Passepartout at No. 7 Saville-Row in

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and V ...

during the latter half of the 19th century. Unbeknownst to his peers, he is also the immortal foster child of a race of humanoid aliens known as the Eridani. A man of great intellect and affluence, Fogg enters into a wager with a fellow Eridanian citing that he can circumnavigate the globe in exactly eighty days. Although witnesses feel that his claim is little more than the boasting of a rich eccentric, Fogg is in fact undertaking a secret mission on behalf of his Eridanian colleagues. Along with Passepartout, Fogg begins a quest to find a piece of stolen alien technology – a teleportation device that had recently fallen into the hands of the Eridani's rivals, an alien race known as the Capellas. His journey brings him face to face with the infamous sea scourge

Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ( ...

, a Capellan agent who is also known in British circles by his

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

– James Moriarty. The two combatants match wits with one another at several key locations, including the mysterious ghost ship known as the ''

Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was an American-registered merchant brigantine, best known for being discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Cana ...

''. The journey climaxes with a final battle at Fogg's home in London, mere moments before meeting the deadline required to win his world-spanning wager.

Notes

The novel concludes with a twenty-one page addendum written by H.W. Starr entitled "A Submersible Subterfuge or Proof Impositive". It originally appeared in ''Leaves from the Copper Beeches'' and published for the Sons of the Copper Beeches Scion Society of the

Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters who appear in three Sherlock Holmes stories, specifically two novels and one short story, by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are street boys who are employed by Holmes as intelligence agents. The na ...

; Livingston Publishing Company, Narberth, 1959. Starr exhaustively details the irreconcilable inconsistencies that take place within Verne's ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'', and its companion novel, ''

The Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...

'' (which likewise features the character of Captain Nemo). He further contrasts the life and personality of Nemo, as originally presented by Verne, with that of James Moriarty – nemesis of

. Information contained within the addendum actually challenges Farmer's merging of both characters, citing specific comparisons of age, personality and lineage.

References

Phillip Jose Farmer Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Other Log Of Phileas Fogg, The 1973 American novels 1973 science fiction novels Novels by Philip José Farmer American science fiction novels Works based on Around the World in Eighty Days American steampunk novels Wold Newton family Sherlock Holmes novels Sherlock Holmes pastiches Crossover novels Parallel literature DAW Books books Novels set in the 19th century Novels set in London Novels about extraterrestrial life

Plot introduction

Plot summary

See also

Notes

References