Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke Book

This is the first of two "biographies" (the second being DOC SAVAGE: HIS APOCALYPTIC LIFE) in which Farmer established the "Wold Newton family," it being a conceit whereby a great many fictional characters are claimed to have been based on real people all of whom shared a complex family tree. It's actually a brilliant idea, opening the way, as it does, for endless speculation and innumerable crossover tales. Probably, it's the greatest service ever paid to fan communities. Quite apart from the seed it sows, TARZAN ALIVE is also a thoroughly entertaining read. Farmer's ability to explain away the inconsistencies and sillier parts of the Tarzan novels is always enjoyable, as is his "accurate" chronology. Admittedly, some of his assertions don't sit well with me … the notion that Korak was actually adopted, and the brother of Bulldog Drummond, rather knocks the wind out of THE SON OF TARZAN, which is one of the best in the series … but nothing here can be taken too seriously, better to just allow Farmer's ingenuity to wash over you (and ERB really screwed up his timeline with SoT, so Farmer wasn't left with many options). All in all, a fascinating faux biography that was probably much more convincing in 1972 (when it was written) than it is now, but which still has strength enough to make it a very worthwhile read for Tarzan fans.