The Riverworld Series by Philip José Farmer
The Riverworld Series, created by Philip José Farmer, is a science fiction narrative set on a distant planet called Riverworld, where every human who has ever lived is resurrected along a vast, ten-million-mile river. These humans are reborn a day after their deaths, overseen by twelve ancient beings known as Ethicals, who have a mysterious agenda regarding humanity's evolution. The series begins with "To Your Scattered Bodies Go," which follows the famous explorer Richard Burton as he awakens in this new world and gathers a diverse group of individuals from various cultures to navigate the challenges they face, including encounters with historical figures like Hermann Göring.
Subsequent novels, such as "The Fabulous Riverboat" and "The Dark Design," continue to explore the conflicts and quests of different characters, including the legendary Mark Twain, as they confront the Ethicals' plans and seek answers about their existence. The narrative develops themes of identity, power, and the potential for humanity's spiritual growth, especially as characters work towards repairing the Ethicals’ control systems in "The Magic Labyrinth" and "The Gods of Riverworld." The series ultimately culminates with the group's decision to transcend their current existence and explore new planets. The Riverworld Series is notable for its intricate blend of historical and fictional characters, raising profound questions about life, death, and the nature of civilization.
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The Riverworld Series
First published:To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971), The Fabulous Riverboat (1971), The Dark Design (1977), Riverworld and Other Stories (1979), The Magic Labyrinth (1980), Riverworld War: The Suppressed Fiction of Philip José Farmer (1980), The Gods of Riverworld (1983), and River of Eternity (1983)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—future history
Time of work: c.e. 2246-2307
Locale: Riverworld
The Plot
The Riverworld series is set on the distant planet of Riverworld, where all humans ever born are resurrected along a ten-million-mile river near mushroom-shaped grailstones that provide food and drugs. When humans die, they are reborn a day later at another location. Twelve unseen, ancient Ethicals oversee the system, the purpose and character of which are revealed throughout the series. A rebel Ethical called X chooses human agents to spoil the Ethicals’ plans to limit humankind’s chances to “go on” past terrestrial existence.
To Your Scattered Bodies Go focuses on nineteenth century explorer Richard Burton, who awakes in a chamber. He is one of countless human bodies suspended in mysterious columns. He is put back to sleep, then awakes on the shore of a seemingly endless river with scores of other humans from a variety of cultures and times. Burton gathers a group of friends including the alien Monat. Burton’s group travels down the river, encountering many warlike cultures. Other groups have members that are 60 percent from one Earth culture, 30 percent from another, and 10 percent random choices. Hermann Göring, the notorious Nazi, runs a slave state that captures Burton’s band. Burton’s group kills and overthrows Göring.
The members of Burton’s group learn that Ethicals, agents of their unseen overseers, disguise themselves as humans to monitor the humans’ activities. Burton learns that humankind has been given a second chance and decides to follow the river to its source to find answers to the questions of who is orchestrating the resurrections and why. He also learns that the Ethicals seek him because of his memory of the pre-resurrection chamber. He repeatedly escapes his pursuers and comes close to the river’s headwaters.
The Fabulous Riverboat begins ten years after Resurrection Day, with Sam Clemens, alias Mark Twain, building a riverboat to take him to the Ethicals’ Misty Tower. He learns that he is a chosen agent of X. Clemens and King John Lackland of medieval England create a heavily armed industrial state named Parolando. King John steals the boat after it is launched, and he throws Clemens’ crew overboard.
The Dark Design chronicles three teams’ attempts to reach the Misty Tower after resurrections have mysteriously ceased. Jul Gulbirra, a feminist aviator, goes to Parolando, where Clemens has launched his new riverboat, the Mark Twain. Fellow X agent Milton Firebrass supervises the building of two airships, one to fly to the Misty Tower, the other to destroy King John. Burton’s party travels north, and Burton learns that Monat and Peter Frigate are Ethical spies. They disappear before he can question them. A second Peter Frigate joins actor Tom Mix and author Jack London, both agents of X. The three build a balloon and fly toward the Tower.
One dirigible sails to the Misty Tower, lands, and explores the unyielding walls. On the return trip, an Ethical spy destroys the dirigible. Frigate’s balloon also fails.
The Magic Labyrinth follows the travels of King John’s Rex Grandismus and Clemens’ renamed boat, the Not for Hire. Burton’s group joins King John before Clemens finds the Rex Grandismus. An apocalyptic battle destroys both boats and their captains. Burton and eleven survivors from both boats join together and successfully reach the Tower. Inside, they find bones of dead Ethicals and meet Loga, the Ethical known as X. He reveals that the resurrections stopped when Monat, an alien who helped design Riverworld, shut down the main computer. Burton’s group helps Loga repair the computer, restore resurrections, and give humanity more time to evolve spiritually.
In The Gods of Riverworld, an unknown Ethical traps Burton’s group in the Tower, kills Loga, and overrides his computer commands, stopping the resurrections. Burton’s band explores the vast Tower and kills the unknown Ethical. They unlock the secrets of the Ethicals’ machines and begin resurrecting people into the Tower. Corruption sets in, and an insane woman kills most of the humans and destroys the well containing the souls of all humanity. Loga returns, revealing that the Tower troubles had been a test of Burton’s group’s worthiness to oversee the Tower before the ultimate exodus back to Earth. After resurrecting humanity on Riverworld, Burton’s group decides to leave and explore new planets.
In Riverworld and Other Stories, “Riverworld” is the only tale connected to the series. Tom Mix escapes from Kramer, a sixteenth century Inquisitor. Mix and a despondent Jesus Christ join Stafford, leader of a neighboring colony at war with Kramer. Kramer captures both Mix and Christ, denouncing the latter as a fraud, and puts the pair to the stake.
River of Eternity is a 1983 version of the first Riverworld story. Richard Black and his possessive mate, Phyliss, learn of Joe Caveman, a Stone Age man who had been to the river’s headwaters. Black, aided by Charbrass, fights a war with Murel, a neighboring dictator. Black, Charbrass, Caveman, Murel, and Phyliss are killed.
The group members are resurrected together and discover that Charbrass is an agent of the builders. They follow him into the white Grail Tower, where Charbrass explains Riverworld’s history and the powers of the Tower. Murel kills Charbrass and Caveman, then is killed by Black and Phyliss. Charbrass returns and reveals that the adventure was a test. He sends them to the Transition Planet for further growth.