46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mastefully done with the utmost care, August 24, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Riverworld Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)
What captures your attention and holds it is not just the brilliantly creative story premise, which by itself would be worth a read, but the quality of research which Philip Jose Farmer clearly put into creating this novel. By using Burton as his main character, a flesh-and-blood anti-hero plucked straight from history, the fantastic action takes on a very believable feel, being no more amazing than anything else Burton accomplished in life. JPF has done an incredible job of researching Burton and painting him in a completely understandable and human way. I'd almost consider this book a hybrid of science fiction and historical fantasy - the historical characters are generally, more fleshed out and better developed than any of the fictional characters. I highly recommend this book, but suggest avoiding the rest of the series - they are just a series of cliff-hangers clearly designed to milk the River World story for everything it's worth. This first story makes a wonderfully self-contained adventure, and the rest of the books add nothing (and subtract much through revisionist plot-adjustment) that I sincerely wish I'd avoided them myself.
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43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars for Concept, Three for Execution, September 5, 2004
This review is from: To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Riverworld Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)
This is the introductory book of Philip Jose Farmer's five volume Riverworld series, books that do not stand alone, and must be read in sequence from beginning to end for the whole story. As an introduction to an outstanding series, 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go' works well, and makes a good beginning.
The premise of the Riverworld books is unique, fantastic, and the hook that will draw you in and hold you. All of humankind, everyone who ever lived, is simultaneously resurrected on an artificially formed world along the banks of a millions mile long river that snakes around and around the planet. Everyone is mid-twenties, ageless, and their needs are supplied by a fantastic technology none of them understand. And everyone is equally ignorant of the who, how, and why of their miraculous resurrection.
Not everyone is equally willing to remain ignorant however. Sir Richard Francis Burton, explorer, adventurer, spy, writer, linguist, swordsman, and self-style rake of the 19th century Victorian British Empire, one of the most restless and adventuring men ever to live, was resurrected naked, along with the rest of humanity. In no time at all, he is off with a group of companions, sailing up river to search for it's source (as he searched for the source of the Nile on Earth) and for the answers to the mystery of their existence in this strange after-life. Slowly, he begins to put together clues that he hopes will lead him to the hidden gnosis of his strange new world.
I would give this book five stars for its concept, but only three for its execution. The scope of the concept is huge, leaving fascinating possibilities to explore throughout the series. (This Farmer exploits well.) The choice of Burton as protagonist was inspired, as the historical Burton was well suited to the task his literary counterpart undertakes here, and he is a most amazing character. The author has studied Burton's life, and provides much biographical material on him throughout the book. (This book was my introduction to Burton when I first read it twenty years ago, and I have since found what a compelling job of capturing him Farmer did.) These are the book's strengths.
The weakness of 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go' is in the writing. Farmer will often break away from the story to give histories on characters (usually actual historic persons of note) or to make philosophical speeches. Though the words are from the character's mouths, and though the information is interesting, the style when he tries this is nearly always stilted. The writing throughout the rest of the book is competent at best. It is only this less than stellar writing which holds this series back from being considered a masterpiece, however, as the concept and characters should rivet your interest throughout the entire series despite any drawbacks the writing style may have.
This is the beginning of as fascinating and unique of a sci-fi series that you will ever run across, and I recommend it despite its flaws.
Theo Logos
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Man abides, August 6, 2003
This review is from: To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Riverworld Saga, Book 1) (Paperback)
Some really scathing reviews here and some quite unfair given that this novel was written 32 years ago. Film, theater, television and, yes, novels all age just as we do. They (like their author)are products of their time. I haven't read this book since the mid-70's and decided to revisit based on some of the reviews here to see if it was all that bad.
Guess what, it's still a pretty terrific book. Science fiction ages a bit less well than most mainstream or contemporary lit. Why? Because you're imagining the future--science fiction is like gambling you know the odds, you know that you could lose or be wrong, yet you do it anyway. Sometimes you're right and sometimes you're wrong. Really, predicting the future isn't the point but observing human behavior because science fiction--the best science fiction--isn't just about doo hickeys and gadets. It's about human behavior.
If Phil Farmer's Rvierworld books are a bit dated, it's because the author wrote the first installment (before it was a novel) in 1966. The only thing that's kept the novel interesting is 1)Farmer's fascinating concept and 2) The general quality of the writing. Sure, it's not the generic formularic writing we've come to expect--it's actually got something missing from much modern writing--character.
That said, the concept and execution are terrific. Sir Richard Francis Burton author of The Arabian Nights and well known explorer is our hero. He dies on the first page. He awakens to what he believes is the afterlife where he sees millions of other bodies suspended in what appears to be hibernation. The next thing he knows he's been resurrected with all of humanity (and one alien creature)along the banks of a great river.
His journey is dictated by his exploring nature; he plans to get to the mouth of the river and discover who has resurrected humanity and why. The journey allows him to encounter many historical figures and some ordinary folks as well (including a well disguised Phil Farmer).
While the series went on a bit too long (Farmer clearly relished the concept and the challenges it presented), the first three books are like a ride down white rapids and just as fun. Their also full of interesting ideas, characters and strong narratives. The last two books in the series drag out a bit but are still worth searching out to provide closure for the series. I'm usually not much of a fan of series books--it's usually a case of the author having one great idea and dragging it on as long as possible. Farmer's first three books are an exception to this rule and are well written journeys.
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