Inside Outside

Philip José Farmer is a groundbreaking writer that in the '50s & '60s starts turmoil in the scene of Sci-fi. Up to that time the genre was almost aseptic, romance: yes, sex: no. PJF launched his short story "The Lovers" (1952) and started a change. "Flesh" (1960) and "Riders of the Purple Wage" (1967) are two interesting examples amongst other of the same kind. The other unconventional thematic he approached is: "What happens after death". A good example of this is his Riverworld Saga initiated with "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" (1971) and an excellent short story as "A Bowl Bigger than Earth" (1967). "Inside/Outside" (1964) pertains to this last group. Here, a strange world named "Hell" is depicted. This cosmos is contained into a sphere with the "sun" in its center. The reader is introduced to this complex universe following the daily life of Jack Cull. Thru his eyes and thoughts, bit by bit of odd and contradictory information is revealed. Supposedly the inhabitants of Hell went there after living a previous life in Earth, but they keep vague memories of such previous life. Cohabitating in Hell there are Demons but Humans are the dominant specie instead of them (isn't that nice?). Among other oddities this world is subject to constant earthquakes in order to expand and make room for more and more inhabitants. Yet another cute characteristic is: no one dies. If by accident a human being dies, his/hers body is collected by an ambulance and he/she reappears unharmed hours after. Well, that is the background where action takes place. Discover the rest by reading the book if it seems to interest you. PJF constructs a grim and stark novel that will affect and may disturb the reader, yet is a fascinating piece of strange sci-fi. Sci-fi addicts will surely enjoy it! Reviewed by Max Yofre.