Weird Heroes Books in Order

Weird Heroes was built to recapture the feel of old pulp magazines, but with 1970s writers having a little more freedom to be odd. Instead of one fixed protagonist, the series works like a stable of heroes, each with a different gimmick, voice, and tone.

That format suits Farmer. His big contribution is Greatheart Silver, a swaggering, funny pulp riff that loves the old forms without pretending they were ever sensible. The stories are part parody and part tribute, which is often where Farmer was happiest.

The setting is less one place than one publishing mood. Masked men, impossible dangers, wild escapes, secret organizations, exaggerated villains, all of it belongs. A Weird Heroes volume asks you to enjoy velocity and invention first, then worry about neatness later.

So on a Farmer shelf, this page is a reminder that he did not only like dismantling classic adventure. He also liked revving it up, making it louder, and letting the old magazine pulse show through.