Anyone read this series? They tried to make it into a movie (twice), failing miserably both times. Still, the series is rock-solid. Mark Twain and other historical figures wake up in a world with one long river that goes on and on seemingly forever. Will they ever get to the end and find out what's up? The five novels in the series are as follows: To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971) - Hugo Award winner, Locus Award nominee, 1972 The Fabulous Riverboat (1971; the latter two books are now more frequently published together) The Dark Design (1977) The Magic Labyrinth (1980) Gods of Riverworld (1983; later published as The Gods of Riverworld)
Wow. Ages ago. I mean, literally decades ago. Might have to read it again, I only remember bits and pieces of it. I was a huge fan of Philip José Farmer because he created the Wold Newton family group of books like "Tarzan Alive (1972) and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (1973), which adopt the premise that the two were based on real people fictionalized by their original chroniclers, and connect them genealogically with a large number of other well-known fictional characters in a schema now known as the "Wold Newton family."" (Wiki).
I have re-read him many times but I must say that while I loved the Riverworld series, my favourite was the World of Tiers. The Maker of Universes (1965) ISBN 0-441-51627-0 The Gates of Creation (1966) ISBN 0-312-85761-6 A Private Cosmos (1968) ISBN 0-411-67953-8 Behind the Walls of Terra (1970) ISBN 0-312-86377-2 The Lavalite World (1977) ISBN 0-89968-401-7 Red Orc's Rage (1991; series-related, but not in the main sequence) ISBN 0-8125-0890-4 More Than Fire (1993) ISBN 0-8125-1959-0
Bizzare cover got me! You know I love sci fi. Adding to my to be read list. These books look awesome. Never ending river? What's at the end? Aliens, a machine? True purpose? I am sure I will have a great time reading them to find out!
Riverworld had a fantastic premise and is worth reading for that alone. Resurrected, you struggle with the entire human race to establish communities and a reasonable life along a vast river. The more the series went on and the more we discover the - somewhat lame, in my humble opinion - explanation for the set up, the less interesting it gets. You get the impression that PJF had a brilliant idea for the set up but maybe hadn't figured it all out himself when he set out to write it. We're probably all guilty of that
That's a perfect summary of the story arc! They're wonderfully cool novels. I just re-read them (for the half-dozenth time) in the fall.
I've never read the Riverworld series. There are so many books to read anymore, that some books never made it onto the list. Maybe after I'm done with Wildcards I'll grab the first Riverworld book and read it.
From what I remember, the first book in the series - To Your Scattered Bodies Go, isn't a long book. You'd probably get through it in a few hours. By then, you'll be hooked! Such a unique story. At least it was for its time. 1972, I think?
I thought it ended up as a TV series not a movie? Google has a few things. Riverworld (2010 miniseries) - Wikipedia I read the books. It was a fun idea.
You're right. Hard book to convert unless you spent a ton on it? I loved the sense of mystery always lingering just a few pages away as they got further down the river...
Farmer was def fringe. My dad turned me onto him. Another is this series about an engineer who travels back to dark ages. https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Time-Engineer-Adventures-Conrad-Stargard/dp/0345914392
