The Other Log of Phileas Fogg

© 1973 by Philip Jose Farmer

One of Jules Verne’s late 19th-century masterpieces was a little book called Around the World in 80 Days. Alas, I did not read it as a young padawan, nor did I watch the award-winning 1956 flick. Fortunately, Farmer summarizes it for us rarities in an introductory chapter. If you fall into the same category as I, you may associate ballooning with the tale. However, there is no balloon in Verne’s story.

Over a bet, rigid and regimented English gentleman Phileas Fogg, along with his valet Passpartout, embarks on a globe-encircling voyage that must be completed within eleven weeks and three days, to the minute they depart their gentlemen’s club. Along the way, as you can imagine, they encounter many colorful individuals, rescue a damsel in distress, have many breath-taking escapades, including fighting two different types of Indians on two different continents, and come in to win the bet in the nickest of times. Travel is as mundane as train and boat and as exotic as elephant. (But there is no balloon.)

Now, Farmer’s story:

The log book of Fogg’s that Verne allegedly finds to base his tale is actually a deceptive one. Farmer comes across the real book (and that sets up a wonderful revelation in the final sentences of the book worthy of the entire read) and that’s what this is all about.

Note: Mucho spoilers from here on in, most of which Farmer reveals early on in his book …

Turns out things are not quite what they seem in Victorian England. For thousands of years, two warring factions of aliens, the Eridaneans and the Capelleans, have been vying for control over mankind’s destiny. How they arrived is not fully explained (crash? tactics in a long-over battle?); indeed, most of the “Old Ones” have perished; the great game continued on by humans who’ve mixed blood with the aliens, giving them superpowers and extended lifespans. Turns out much of the great literary characters of the 19th century are not born of this world. Phileas Fogg is but one.

The question is – why the race around the world? It’s a cover story, of course, for the real mission. Something involving time-space distorters which would give the owners of such devices an almost unfair advantage in the conflict. Fogg and Passpartout detour in India to reclaim one such distorter from a renegade Indian-Capellan prince. However, hot on their heels is none other than Verne’s other hero, Captain Nemo, here more anti-hero than hero.

There are many side stories not found in the original Verne work for various explained-away reasons. The longest of which may have been the most enjoyable segment of the novel for me: a detour to the Mary Celeste. Yes, the strange, deserted ghost ship from naval yore of yesteryear. Her fate is now revealed to us, Farmer-style. And the crazy thing is, it all makes sense.

So the novel races with its protagonists across the globe, re-arranging facts and details from Verne’s well-worn tale, rushing from one scene to the next. If I had my druthers, I’d have extended it a bit, made the characters (paradoxically) more human, and not pace it so fast that I’m out of breath by novel’s conclusion. PFJ wraps everything up satisfactorily by the final chapter, and then ends the novel with one of the better sentences I’ve read in a long time.

While not my favorite of the half-dozen or so Farmer books I’ve read this year, it did grow on me once I had everything straight in my head regarding who’s who, who’s bad, who’s good, and what’s what. It even encouraged me to check out Verne again (that’s the subject of another post).

My copy also includes two long essays as afterludes by author-fans of Farmer’s. One extrapolates a thesis that Captain Nemo is also Professor Moriarty of Sherlock Holmes fame. The other devotes a bit more space expanding PJF’s thesis of “Wold Newton” – the name of the English town where a very special, powerful meteorite fell, causing genetic mutations which gave powers to such townsfolk descendents as Holmes; Tarzan, Lord of Greystoke; Professor Edward Challenger of Doyle’s The Lost World; Allan Quatermain of H. Rider Haggard’s novels; The Shadow; Doc Savage; Sam Spade; Nero Wolfe; Mr. Moto; The Avenger; and even James Bond, to name but a few. A detailed chronology finishes the entire work.

Verdict: I give The Other Log of Phileas Fogg a solid B-plus.