The Lavalite World

© 1977 by Philip Jose Farmer

When last we saw our hero and heroine, ominous perils poised to crush them on the Lavalite World. Literally. Crush. Y’see, the Lavalite World is a planet, created by the evil albeit petty Lord Urthona, that exists in a continuous state of flux. Hills shrink, mountains move, rivers reroute, the earth ripples – at the pace of about a foot a minute. Because of this even the trees are mobile. And often deadly, armed with bladders that shoot poison darts. Carnivores of all shape and size roam the shifting landscape. Huge birds of prey own the air. And to top it all off, our hero and heroine, Kickaha and Anana, have an uneasy truce with the three men trapped on this world with them: Lords Red Orc and Urthona, and Urthona’s hired killer henchman, McKay. The only thing that keeps the truce, uneasy or otherwise, is Kickaha’s laser beamer quickly fading on energy.

There is a way off this world, back to the World of Tiers, where Kickaha wants to go and which Kickaha deeply loves (along with Anana, it must be stated at this point in the quadrilogy). That way is to locate Urthona’s palace, avoid any lethal traps entering it, and, once inside, figure out how to gate back to wherever home is. Problem is, the castle, like the Lavalite World itself, is in constant motion. Hovering anywhere from a few feet to half-a-mile above the surface, it moves about the small planet at a speed of about a kilometer per hour. (I found this metric reference odd since the rest of the novel incorporates British measurements.)

That’s the setup. But all-too-soon Orc, Urthona, and McKay make a play for the laser beamer – and the world shifts, a tidal wave of water pours down two valleys that weren’t there before – our hero and heroine are separated. Then the book devolves into –

Two anthropological studies.

First, Kickaha is captured by a native tribe, faces dire repercussions, proves his worth to the chieftain, and becomes the tribal pseudo-leader. All in sixty or seventy pages. Then, Anana is captured by a native tribe, faces dire repercussions, proves her worth to the chieftain, and becomes the tribal pseudo-leader. Except Urthona and McKay are with her. Over the next sixty or seventy pages her group has its adventures, eventually hooking up with Orc. Finally, three-quarters through the novel, Kickaha and Anana reunite during a big tribal smack-down, and see Urthona’s castle floating in the distance – a mile up in the air! Oh, and somehow they’re transported to the Lavalite World’s moon, due to crash back down on the surface in 21 days.

Will they survive When-Lavalite-Worlds-Collide? Will they enter Urthona’s airborne castle unscathed? Will they ever make it home?

Hmm?

Like the other four books in the series, The Lavalite World wasn’t a bad read. It just wasn’t a great read. Glad to have it all behind me, so I can move on to more interesting PJF material.

Grade: B.