science fiction

Venus on the Half Shell - Philip Jose Farmer Book Review

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Review Summary
Simon Wagstaff is a musician seeking universal truth. After an universal deluge, he sets to explore the Universe searching for the answer to the problem of suffering and death. In so doing, accompanied by a dog, an owl and a woman companion Cworktap,he visits many planets and cultures. This is space-existentialist satire. Very funny and cynical.
ANGELO VENTURA, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Venus on the Half Shell
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Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%




Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - info about lifeform(s)/society/phenomena
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - artist
Age: - long lived adults
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric - obsessed
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Water - Space, need spacesuit
Spaceship setting: - futuristic human freighter/transport
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - inhabited by friendly aliens - neutral aliens - primitive aliens - very controlled society
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - descript of touching personal anatomy - weird alien sex - doing it with a robot/computer
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Venus on the Half Shell
Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven
Neverness by David Zindell
Coalescent - Destiny’s Children 1 by Stephen Baxter
Dancing Suns by Karen Daniels
The Practice Effect by David Brin




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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