The Maker of Universes
Encyclopedia
The Maker of Universes is a fantasy
novel by American
science fiction
author Philip José Farmer
. It is the first in his World of Tiers
series.
The story follows Robert Wolff, a man disenchanted with his life and his marriage. One day, while looking at a new house, Wolff discovers a strange horn in the basement. Blowing the horn, Wolff is transported to a strange new world, the World of Tiers. Wolff finds himself initially in an edenic paradise known as Okeanos. This region is the first level of the planet, which contains a number of tiers like a wedding cake, separated by vast mountain ranges. The entire planet is ruled over by a cruel and mysterious lord named Jadawin, who created this world. Okeanos consists of a beach, an ocean, and a small forest and is populated by nymph like humans who originated in ancient Greece
. In this new world, Wolff regains his youth and vigor and falls in love with a local woman named Chrysies who lived in Greece at the time of the Trojan War. When Chrysies is kidnapped, Wolff follows after her, climbing to the next level of the world, Amerind a plains region populated by Native Americans
and centaurs. Along the way he is joined by the adventurer Kickaha, who had also come from Earth, where he was known as Paul Janus Finnegan, some time ago. The two continue their adventure as they ascend the various levels of the World of Tiers including the medieval Dracheland and the jungle Atlantis. When they finally make it to the palace of Jadawin they make a shocking discovery: Robert Wolff is Lord Jadawin, who had lost his memory after betrayal by a sibling and ended up stranded on Earth. At the end, Wolff/Jadawin is reunited with Chrysies and restored to his rightful place as ruler of the World of Tiers, his experiences as a human on Earth having tempered his previous cruelty.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
. It is the first in his World of Tiers
World of Tiers
The World of Tiers is a series of science fiction novels by American writer Philip José Farmer. They are set within a series of artificially-constructed universes, created and ruled by decadent beings who are genetically identical to humans, but who regard themselves as superior, the inheritors of...
series.
The story follows Robert Wolff, a man disenchanted with his life and his marriage. One day, while looking at a new house, Wolff discovers a strange horn in the basement. Blowing the horn, Wolff is transported to a strange new world, the World of Tiers. Wolff finds himself initially in an edenic paradise known as Okeanos. This region is the first level of the planet, which contains a number of tiers like a wedding cake, separated by vast mountain ranges. The entire planet is ruled over by a cruel and mysterious lord named Jadawin, who created this world. Okeanos consists of a beach, an ocean, and a small forest and is populated by nymph like humans who originated in ancient Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In this new world, Wolff regains his youth and vigor and falls in love with a local woman named Chrysies who lived in Greece at the time of the Trojan War. When Chrysies is kidnapped, Wolff follows after her, climbing to the next level of the world, Amerind a plains region populated by Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and centaurs. Along the way he is joined by the adventurer Kickaha, who had also come from Earth, where he was known as Paul Janus Finnegan, some time ago. The two continue their adventure as they ascend the various levels of the World of Tiers including the medieval Dracheland and the jungle Atlantis. When they finally make it to the palace of Jadawin they make a shocking discovery: Robert Wolff is Lord Jadawin, who had lost his memory after betrayal by a sibling and ended up stranded on Earth. At the end, Wolff/Jadawin is reunited with Chrysies and restored to his rightful place as ruler of the World of Tiers, his experiences as a human on Earth having tempered his previous cruelty.