Customer Reviews

Riverworld and Other Stories (The Gregg Press science fiction series)

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I am an admitted Science Fiction junkie, but as far as the Phillip Jose Farmer "Riverworld" series is concerned, likes and dislikes of a particular genre do not enter into it. I bought the first book in the series, "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" on a whim, and began it suspiciously as I do any new book or author. Before I had finished a single page, I was completely immersed in Farmer's world, and I devoured the book whole within two days. Two days later, I found myselef back at the bookstore, racing to the shelf and praying that nobody had bought the next book in the series.

Shortly thereafter, a colleague asked if I had read anything good lately, and I forced the book on him as a fanatic would force a religious text to a prospective believer... and within a week the Riverworld books were tearing through my friends, my family, my girlfriend, and suddenly everyone was buying and reading them, and a whole lot of people were constantly demanding of each other how soon they could borrow the next book in the series, and if delayed, running out and buying a copy.

I have become immersed in many many books before - series like Tolkien's Ring Cycle have drawn me deeply into them, but - and I realize that many will consider this blasphemy- I believe the Riverworld cycle to be far superior.

I will end this review by addressing the plot of the series, or at least the most basic concept: Everyone (with a few exceptions I will not explain) who has ever lived and died on planet Earth wakes up at the exact same moment, naked as the day they were born, and in the body they posessed at age 25, lying on the banks of a vast and winding river bordered on both banks by towering and unsurpassable mountains.

20th century Americans wake up next to pre-historic homo sapiens, next to 14th Century English lords, next to 8th century AD Mongol warlords... The entire spectrum of the human race - EVERYBODY - waking up alive after their deaths, regardless of their religious beliefs, together in this strange land.

Through 'Grails', huge mysterious mushroom shaped mechanical devices spaced evenly one kilometer apart down the length of the River, every human need is provided for; food, drink, cigars, liquor and even marijuana - but this planet is not Heaven, nor is it anything as obvious as what one would expect from any hackneyed twilight-zone episode scenario.

Ordinary people from all periods of human history are the main characters in these novels, as are famous historical figures like the legendary English explorer Sir Richard Burton, or even notorious villains such as King John Lackland and Herman Goering.

As a friend of mine crassly but accurately put it after reading the first book series - "If that stupid Dianetics book could become the basis for a religion, why couldn't this?" - I think I saw the same sentiments echoed in another review on this site, and I don't know about that, but if the concepts Farmer outlined in these novels were a metaphysical reality, I for one would feel better about going to church on Sundays... buy these books and believe; not in a religion, but in ridiculously good writing.

First things first. Phil Farmer is not always the most elegant writer - often, his prose is clumsy and his characters wooden. In all likelihood, you won't like everything you read by him. He's best known for labyrinthine series (Riverworld, Dayworld, World of Tiers) and 'fictional histories' of iconic characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan & Doc Savage, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Okay, enough with the caveats: on the plus side of the ledger, he's an unduplicable and inspired madman with no fear and no restraints upon his literary curiosity. I can't think of anyone even remotely like him, ever. We desperately need more writers in his imaginative weight-class....he may be audacious and outrageous, but he never shatters taboos simply to shock and tittilate (as so many Celebrated Prose Stylists do), but simply to see what might emerge from behind this or that Forbidden Curtain. This paperback, long out of print (WHY??), is not only my favorite Farmer, but one of all time favorite books by anyone. It's the initial Riverworld novella which preceded the series (which incidentally works beautifully as a standalone work - in fact, it's so powerfully surreal and magical that the subsequent series might disappoint you, as it did me), along with a number of Farmer's most unforgettably deranged short stories, many of which sping from premises which would never have occured to anyone BUT Farmer (i.e., 'The Jungle Rot Kid On The Nod' came from Farmer's asking himself: what if WILLIAM Burroughs, rather than Edgar Rice, had written Tarzan?) Usually, in a collection of this type, the novella is the centrepiece and the rest is filler; here, nearly every single collected work is equally indelible. A couple of these stories -'JC on the Dude Ranch', 'The Leaser of Two Evils', 'The Phantom of the Sewer', and the two mentioned previously- have been etched permanently in my mind since I first read them over 25 years ago. (And though I've read quite a bit of Farmer since then, none of it has ever quite equalled this incredible collection - though there've been some close calls.) I'm sure that among sf aficionados, this early version of RIVERWORLD might be considered a nonessential larval-stage curiosity - there never seems to be a shortage of RIVERWORLD novels in print, and that may be keeping this neither-fish-nor-fowl book locked away in obscurity. But please trust me on this one - RIVERWORLD AND OTHER STORIES is Phil Farmer's single greatest collection/definitive statement, and the world needs to see it back in print as soon as possible.

This is one of the best short stories I have ever read! Five stars on humor, this story is a stand-out in this collection.

Prurient, obscene even, Christians should not read this story, but not being Christian myself, J. C. On The Dude Ranch is one of the funniest things ever set to print. Silverberg coulda done Siddhartha vs. Yama with the same plot.

This is not an anti-Christ tract, it's just a hilarious albeit dirty story. Satan appears and is properly vilified, Jesus is definately a Good Guy.

But Christians probably ought not read this story, unless looking for ungodly targets to be pissed off at.

I like Philip Jose Farmer's works, or at least I thought I did until I read Riverworld and Other Stories. I devoured Dark Is the Sun when I was in junior high, and read the Riverworld series a half dozen times in high school. As an adult, I was amused by A Barnstormer in Oz. So, when I saw Riverworld and Other Stories at a book fair I picked it up, figuring the price (25 cents) was right.

Let's start with the non-Riverworld stories first. Several of them are . . . well, there's no other word for it besides obscene. Farmer himself tells us that one of the stories would only published by a hard-porn magazine, and one can see why. These stories must be what the Supreme Court means when they mention "the prurient interest." They're not erotic, just vulgar. And yet, as literary exercises they contain a certain amount of morbid fascination. "The Leaser of Two Evils" and "The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol" in particular show Farmer's remarkable ability to lose himself in a character's dementia. But is the cleverness worth the obscenity? One can't help but think that such pieces as "J.C. on the Dude Ranch" (I'd describe it, but I can't) are better left in Farmer's desk drawer never to see the light of day.

There are some pedestrian stories, too, including the amusing but uninspiring "The Problem of the Sore Bridge" which almost features a Sherlock Holmes cameo. It's the image of Henry Miller on the prowl in a nursing home that lingers in the memory, though, not the pedestrian stories.

As for "Riverworld" itself, the story is not, as the packaging suggests, the first Riverworld story Farmer wrote. His own introduction makes it clear that he wrote the stories that became "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" first. Nevertheless, "Riverworld" is an appropriate foray into the Riverworld. Tom Mix, a character I never cared for in the novels, is much more appealing here. Most provocative, however, is Farmer's take on Jesus - who finds himself resurrected along the river bank with everyone else. Farmer's "Yeshua" is a pacifist in the face of senseless violence, a man struggling to maintain serenity when his life's belief has turned out to, perhaps, be false. There was a reference Jesus in Gods of Riverworld; this story fleshes it out. To my surprise, part of me was offended by Farmer's take on Jesus; yet Yeshua should serve to spark healthy discussion over the nature of Jesus, what he really stood for, and what he would make of the way his teachings have been passed down by Paul and two thousand years. Such spiritual examinations are, in my view, nearly always healthy.

"Riverworld" alone makes this collection worth getting and keeping. As for the other stories . . . . I really don't know. Perhaps if one knows going in that one is going to get X-rated material it would be easier to digest. Perhaps not. Either way, except for "Riverworld", none of these are stories that one would ever want to read a second time.

Another great yarn from Larry Niven. If you like sf, give this classic a try.

While some short story collections form an organic whole that show the author's strong unified vision, others, like this one, present a hodgepodge of varying styles, personae, and quality levels that show the artist to be wild, unruly, and ultimately, out of control. Certainly it is no coincidence that this volume begins with (and is titled after) the powerful short story "Riverworld", from which grew the series of novels so well known to readers of science fiction and fantasy. In this story, every human being that ever walked the earth is suddenly resurrected along the banks of the million-mile river that winds through this unknown planet. The friendship between Tom Mix and the mysterious Yeshua strikes at the heart of the religious implications of the Riverworld, yielding a truly unforgettable conclusion. But segueing from the sublime to the ridiculous, the remaining stories are considerably less deserving fare, starting off with the shockingly sacrilegious "J.C. on the Dude Ranch", where the guests "work" the cowboys. While this story certainly makes a strong impression, some readers might find themselves offended by this ribald science-fiction take on the son of man. And after these first two stories, the remainder of the book is utterly forgettable. Very little of it qualifies as science fiction, and many of the pieces seem more like writing exercises than entertainments. For example, "The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod" is a send-up of William Burroughs writing a Tarzan story. While this may have seemed like a cute enough idea in conception, the result is almost unreadable, and certainly is of no interest to anyone who is not seriously into Burroughs. Farmer also tries his hand at a couple of detective stories, but both "The Volcano" and "The Problem of the Sore Bridge - Among Others" emphasize style rather than substance; no true fan would even consider these detective stories, but rather science fiction fantasies. Perhaps most disturbing are some of the more scatological entries, including the ultimately nonsensical "The Leaser of Two Evils", the excremental mess of "The Phantom of the Sewers", and the sadly wacky "The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol", which details sexual conquests at a retirement home. Farmer is certainly a great talent, but most of this collection shows him at his playful worst. Don't be afraid to give it a miss. And definitely keep this one out of the reach of children.

IF YOU'VE NEVER READ THIS BOOK, SHAME ON YOU. I DEVOURED THIS SERIES AND TO THIS DAY, OFTEN THINK OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF WE DID IN FACT ALL END UP ALONG THE MYSTERIOUS 10 MILLION MILE LONG RIVER WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS EVER LIVED.

UTTERLY, UTTERLY ENGROSSING AND SATISFYING.