I’ve just finished Phillip Jose Farmer’s: The Dungeon for the second time, and there are so many reasons why I love this series that each book could probably be it’s own blog post. But, since I’ve already moved on to reading something else, the thought would probably be lost to me before I got into it. So, I’m going to have to cover all six books at once. The primary side effect of this is that I’ll be mostly covering the first five books because, sadly, the last book is as bad as the rumors say.

In short, the story in The Dungeon is that of a hero’s journey. In long…

The Dungeon is a humble story of an imperfect hero. Clive Folliot is imperfect – he is not the strongest, smartest, or most charismatic (his brother, Neville, would loftily claim those titles), but it is this, I think, that makes him a compelling character. It is this humanity that brings out the best in his companions. And these companions are quite the motley crew: his one time batman and sometimes social chameleon, Horace Hamilton Smythe; the enigmatic Indian, Sidi Bombay; the dwarf/bulldog, Finbogg; the giant telepathic spider, Shriek; the cyborg, Chang Guafe; and his own many times great granddaughter, Annie.

While it begins with only Clive on a journey to the interior of Africa to find his missing brother (and heir to the barony of Tewkesbury), Neville; Clive meets up with Horace and Sidi (rather mysteriously) when a series of unfortunate events leave him stranded and without supplies. As they travel inland they find themselves flung through a gate to a many layered wold called The Dungeon. The journey through the Dungeon is the primary backdrop for the story; Clive and his companions must find their way back home while being continually thwarted by the enigmatic Dungeonmasters.

While the plot may not seem that unique, it was the characters that really tied me to this story. At some point, each character selflessly made a major contribution to the group which allowed them to move on. More than that though, at some point each character showed their own humanity through their imperfections – something which inexorably tied them closer to the group, and allowed the reader to become attached to even the most alien of them.

For me, the most powerful of these connections was to Shriek – the gigantic telepathic spider. At one point in the second book, Shriek comes to realize that her feelings toward Clive go beyond that of a simple leader, but instead more closely mirror those of a close friend or lover. For Shriek, the subtlety of the emotions are confusing (she is, after all, from a world where emotions are very direct – there is no privacy when anyone can pick up on your thoughts and emotions at a whim); for Clive however, there is a broad spectrum of thoughts, ranging from revulsion (she’s a giant alien spider that eats her mate) to a distinct emotional attachment (she is the one whom he trusts with his own insecurities and does not judge him, but instead helps and comforts him).

This connection to the characters really keeps the story moving along, but is also why the last book fails so horribly. While the fifth book really gears up for the 6th book to provide the climactic end to the plot, with all the characters moving into the last level of the Dungeon and ready to face the Dungeonmasters, the sixth book starts out with Clive alone, on an ice flow in the Arctic. At once, it looses all the momentum of the series and must start over with Clive acting as though he learned nothing, nor seeming to care at all for the companions he left behind. It’s a frustrating read if only because you know where the story should be going, but it takes too long to get there and there is no good character development to enjoy along the way.

Overall, The Dungeon is one of the best series I have read, especially if you like good character development and a story that really makes you care about the plight of those characters.