The Suppressed Fiction of Philip José Farmer?

by · Published

Meteor House is thrilled to celebrate Philip José Farmer’s 105th birthday by debuting our first title for 2023, Jesus on Mars!

Paperback Art by Keith Howell

Originally only published in paperback (Pinnacle Books, 1979), Jesus on Mars, like last year’s first hardcover edition of The Stone God Awakens, is also thoroughly deserving of a first hardcover edition. This may be one of Farmer’s lesser-known novels but all who read it will marvel at the imagination and innovation of our favorite Grand Master. Who else but Farmer could conceive a tale where aliens and ancient Jews live in peace on Mars, under the watchful eye of a man they know as Jesus Christ.

Meteor House is proud to give Jesus on Mars the hardcover limited edition it deserves, with beautiful wraparound cover art, variant paperback art, and interior illustrations by the illustrious Keith Howell. This edition will also feature some amazing bonus material:

  • An introduction by psychologist, and long-time Farmer friend, Tracy Knight, ruminating on themes close to Farmer’s psyche—religion, immortality, and the quest for unknowable answers.
  • An afterword by Meteor House art director and Farmer expert, Keith Howell, examining Farmer’s use of Trickster mythology and how this novel possibly exposes the greatest trickster of all time.
  • A 26,000-word abridgment of the novel that Farmer prepared for publication in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. The story behind this failing to materialize, and how the abridgment came to be published in Riverworld War: The Suppressed Fiction of Philip José Farmer, is told in Farmer’s own words.

Hardcover Art by Keith Howell

This book is available in Trade Paperback and Signed Hardcover Limited Editions (signed by Keith Howell and Tracy Knight). The hardcover features a leatherette cover with gold foil stamping and custom printed endsheets—a high quality collectible in the tradition of Meteor House’s prior limited-edition hardcovers.

We’re taking preorders now and both editions will ship as early as June 2023. The print run of the hardcover will be determined by the number of preorders, so reserve your copy today!

Special Limited Time Preorder Pricing:

  • The trade paperback edition is $23 (plus shipping) — Save $2 off the cover price!
  • The signed hardcover limited edition is $56 (plus shipping) — Save $4 off the cover price!
  • Or you can buy them together for only $77 (plus a further discount with combined shipping) — Save $8 off the cover prices!

While we normally offer a discount if you purchase both the Trade Paperback and Hardcover editions together, this is the first time we’ve offered preorder discounts on individual books. But these discounts are only good through the end of February, so preorder today!

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