All those who ever lived on Earth have found themselves resurrected--healthy, young, and naked as newborns--on the grassy banks of a mighty river, ...
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Jul 24, 2011
Bird Brian
rated it: 
This book has enjoyed a spate of recent reviews, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. It features my hero, Sir Richard Francis Burton, so I was favorably inclined to the story from early on. The plot is typical sci-fi fare: an unseen race of superadvanced, practically god-like aliens conducts a social experiment on a truly massive scale: it collects the long-dead souls of all the humans who have ever lived, and resurrects them on an Eden-like planet where each man is immortal, indestructable,
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6 comments
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(20 people liked it)
Nov 05, 2011
Gavin
rated it: 
Let’s say you died in 2005. You wake up on a beach (I am simplifying here for those of that have not read this—the book does not start off on a beach), next to a river that is endless. You have no recollection of this place. You know this can't be possible because next to you are a man dressed in 16th century attire and a bit further down from him is what looks like a Neanderthal. But, hey, you're in a Philip Jose Farmer novel, so anything's possible.
I love the concept that whe More...
I love the concept that whe More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Keely
rated it: 
For me, the appeal of Speculative Fiction is the breadth and depth of its scope. An author is free to explore the most difficult questions and imagine worlds vastly different from anything we have ever experienced. Though all literature is concerned with what it means to be human, few outside of Sci Fi go to such lengths to ask what it means to be capable of thought and self-knowledge
However, there is a drawback. Often, authors succumb to the temptation to create a world so new, so d More...
However, there is a drawback. Often, authors succumb to the temptation to create a world so new, so d More...
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Jan 01, 2009
Manny
rated it:
A very Kilgore Troutish book. Farmer comes up with a phenomenal idea: a world where every human being who's ever lived has been resurrected, to spend the rest of eternity coming to terms with each other along the banks of a gigantic river. Unfortunately, after a few chapters it becomes clear that the author has no real plan about where to go with his concept. I remember some reviewer expressing similar disappointment with "The Matrix". It starts with a metaphysical revelation, an More...
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Apr 15, 2009
Greg of A2
rated it:
The first PJF novel I ever read. His short stories from sci-fi magazines had impressed me but this novel went way beyond that. This novel has one of the most memorable opening sequences in all of sci-fi literature. Even 20+ years since I read this novel, I can still recall the fascinating opening of it with the suspended bodies and our protagonist coming awake. The mix of sci-fi and religion is always fascinating to me but in the hands of PJF, it was doubly fascinating.
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Mar 13, 2009
Christian
rated it:
Philip Jose Farmer's basic premise is both simple and complex: in the far-flung future every person who has every lived and died in Earth's history (up to 2008) is reborn in prime condition at age 25 on the banks of a seemingly endless river. The lead character, adventurer and writer Sir Francis Burton, gathers together a band of fellows and goes looking for answers. Who created this place? How does it work? And what is the reason for this enigmatic experiment? On the way, Farmer toys with ideas
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Nov 01, 2011
Mike
rated it: 
Here's the premise: all of mankind is reborn, all at once, on a planet custom made for the purpose. If you think about this for a few minutes, you'll probably come up with all sorts of possibilities: anthropological exploration, meeting famous historical figures, fights with savages from various time periods. Give it a few minutes more and you'll probably start thinking about your personal interactions: folks you might want to settle a score with, or even people long dead who you'd like to t
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Mar 28, 2011
Pretty obviously there's a need for a matchmaking bureau between people who come up with great ideas and those who are good at storytelling. This book is a prime example: everybody agrees that it's a great concept, poorly realized.
One small correction: it's not everybody who's ever lived who's resurrected. Nobody who died in infancy is included, and there's a cutoff date, though it's not clear what it is--around the 1970s, at best estimate.
Farmer's problem was at leas More...
One small correction: it's not everybody who's ever lived who's resurrected. Nobody who died in infancy is included, and there's a cutoff date, though it's not clear what it is--around the 1970s, at best estimate.
Farmer's problem was at leas More...
Mar 13, 2011
Mark
rated it:
I loved the Riverworld universe; it was such a great idea with plenty of room to run around.
In a nut shell:
Humanity has been resurrected along a never-ending river in a strange alien world.
All humanity is there, politicians, doctors, shop keepers, cave men, everybody. The story revolves around prominent figures of history as they try to escape this strange world.
This means that maybe you get to see what might happen if Stalin were to meet Julius Caesar. Josse manage More...
In a nut shell:
Humanity has been resurrected along a never-ending river in a strange alien world.
All humanity is there, politicians, doctors, shop keepers, cave men, everybody. The story revolves around prominent figures of history as they try to escape this strange world.
This means that maybe you get to see what might happen if Stalin were to meet Julius Caesar. Josse manage More...
Feb 09, 2011
Vegantrav
rated it:
My interest in this novel (and in the entire Riverworld series) was peaked when I ran across an item that mentioned that the story is about another world (Riverworld) where humans are resurrected after death, and this is not a a story about heaven and hell but a sci-fi depiction of the afterlife.
I was not disappointed by the first book in the series and look forward to reading the rest; it's a great adventure story that also addresses a lot of interesting philosophical, religious, More...
I was not disappointed by the first book in the series and look forward to reading the rest; it's a great adventure story that also addresses a lot of interesting philosophical, religious, More...
Sep 03, 2010
Harmonybites
rated it:
This is the opening novel in Farmer's Riverworld and was a fantastic read. I just cracked open the book and hours later I blink having reached the last page--so smooth style and page turner. This was written in 1971 but didn't read as dated, aside from that time's Environmental Doom Fad(tm).
The premise is fantastical: every humanoid being born on the Earth from Homo Erectus to early 21st Century Homo Sapiens to alien visitors, about 35 billion of them, is resurrected along the banks More...
The premise is fantastical: every humanoid being born on the Earth from Homo Erectus to early 21st Century Homo Sapiens to alien visitors, about 35 billion of them, is resurrected along the banks More...
Jul 28, 2010
Ashle
rated it:
This review is for my second read of the book. I would have given it four stars after the first reading simply because its premise, and the strange loop Farmer's Riverworld made of existence, had my mind reeling in a way that few other books have. Farmer addressed so many themes and issues that humans have always faced -- war, slavery, sex, relationships, religion, friendship, racism, politics, morality, culture, and language, to name a few. But I am deducting one star after rereading it beca
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May 08, 2010
Jan
rated it:
I read this book a long time ago. Then I loved it and had memories of a great main character trying to find answers. It deals with Richard Burton (the author not actor) who wakes up on the shore of a large river along with (as we find out) all the humans ever born (plus some neanderthal and aliens). Richard has actually woken up before all this in the apparent place where the bodies were generated and then was put back to sleep and then woke up with all the others. Each person had a "grail"
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Feb 15, 2010
Meg
rated it:
I don't know if this book actually deserves a four star rating, but it has been haunting the back of my mind since senior year of high school, when I had to read it for my "Literature of Science" class. Haunting me not because it is an amazing piece of literature (I recall it being awkwardly written ) but because it is so WEIRD. It's weird in that way that certain low budget movies you catch on t.v. late at night are weird. The progression of events and the unfolding of the story is we
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Jun 26, 2009
Bren
rated it:
"Purgatory is hell with hope."
So says John Collop, one of the few remaining spiritual (read: religious) people left reincarnated in the Riverworld. Although his appearance is rather as brief as a cameo within the novel To Your Scattered Bodies Go, he represents a variety of hope otherwise greatly unseen.
The protagonist of this series is the reborn adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton. Having awakened in a void-of-sorts, surrounded by countless other hairless More...
So says John Collop, one of the few remaining spiritual (read: religious) people left reincarnated in the Riverworld. Although his appearance is rather as brief as a cameo within the novel To Your Scattered Bodies Go, he represents a variety of hope otherwise greatly unseen.
The protagonist of this series is the reborn adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton. Having awakened in a void-of-sorts, surrounded by countless other hairless More...
Mar 31, 2011
Lee
rated it:
I returned to this after reading it in my early teens and always held it in high regard as a sci fi classic. Revisiting after twenty years and it seems I was sorely mistaken.
The idea itself of everyone whoever lived resurrected on the banks of a river is a fantastic concept but the book is let down by clunky dialogue, poor characterisation and the glaringly obvious fact that PJF doesn't know where he is taking this story. Having famous characters from history actually weighs the story More...
The idea itself of everyone whoever lived resurrected on the banks of a river is a fantastic concept but the book is let down by clunky dialogue, poor characterisation and the glaringly obvious fact that PJF doesn't know where he is taking this story. Having famous characters from history actually weighs the story More...
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Nov 30, 2010
Jay
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 05, 2010
Amy
rated it:
Imagine that you wake up and the last thing that you remember is dying. You're lying on a riverbank surrounded by strangers who are naked and hairless just as you are. As you explore your surroundings, you find that you are no longer on Earth and the people around you are all the people from the beginning of time who have lived and died on Earth. Furthermore, there are no animals or insects, but there are plenty of fish in a river that seems never never to end. Meals and wants like cigarettes, a
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Amanda
rated it:
Hugo Award Winner. listening to this on audio in the car
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Wanted to give this a 3.5, but as i'm not able too, i guess it gets a 3 because i don't feel right giving it a 4. Until about halfway through the book i was gonna give it a 5 but then it felt like the the author didn't really know where else to go with the story and wanted to make sure it was a novel not a novella. So it just went on somewhat pointless More...
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Wanted to give this a 3.5, but as i'm not able too, i guess it gets a 3 because i don't feel right giving it a 4. Until about halfway through the book i was gonna give it a 5 but then it felt like the the author didn't really know where else to go with the story and wanted to make sure it was a novel not a novella. So it just went on somewhat pointless More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 27, 2009
Alex
rated it:
I was hugely disappointed by this. I don't know why, does it have a reputation? Maybe my response ought to have been pleasantly surprised that it wasn't diabolically awful.
the praise that I've read regarding this book mostly lies in its premise. Seemingly everyone who has ever died finds themselves resurrected in a place that is most definitely not heaven or hell and we follow the adventures of Sir Richard Burton, Victorian explorer, as he uncovers the mysteries of the new world t More...
the praise that I've read regarding this book mostly lies in its premise. Seemingly everyone who has ever died finds themselves resurrected in a place that is most definitely not heaven or hell and we follow the adventures of Sir Richard Burton, Victorian explorer, as he uncovers the mysteries of the new world t More...
Jun 01, 2008
Travis
rated it:
One of the great sci-fi epics of all time.
Everyone that ever lived on earth has been cloned and deposited on an alien world, dominated by a huge ( you guessed it) river.
What happened? Who did this? What the heck is going on? A band of assorted historical characters are thrown together with the hopes of surviving in this strange new world and discovering the secrets of the Riverworld.
Everyone that ever lived on earth has been cloned and deposited on an alien world, dominated by a huge ( you guessed it) river.
What happened? Who did this? What the heck is going on? A band of assorted historical characters are thrown together with the hopes of surviving in this strange new world and discovering the secrets of the Riverworld.
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Oct 11, 2011
Ethan
rated it:
This is the first in Farmer's Riverworld series and it is a great yarn with a Sci-Fi framework that keeps your mind engaged on a low level philosophical hum while you thoroughly enjoy this action/ pulp/ absurdist/ mystery/ sci-fi tale. "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" follows the exploits of Sir Richard Burton and his various companions (from a 19th century Victorian lady, a Cro-Magnon, an alien and Herman Goring just to name a few) as they awake resurrected in the Riverworld after death
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Sep 01, 2011
Chris
rated it:
After readings A space odyssey: 2001, some Asimov, and Dune I came to the realization that I'm a huge fan of sci-fi. I was looking for my next sci-fi read when a friend sent me this: http://boingboing.net/2011/08/15/ready-p... . I hadn't heard of a single book on this guys list nor had I heard of the reviewer, but I figured what the hell and started with the first on the list, To Your Scattered Bodies Go. Now I want to continue reading this series, Read the biography of Captain Sir Richard Franc
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Dec 29, 2011
Carrie
rated it:
I'm not very far in yet, maybe 20 pages, but I'm liking it. So far I've been introduced to Sir Richard Burton (not the one married to Elizabeth Taylor!), a Neanderthal, and Alice of Alice in Wonderland fame. And the alien that ended civilization as we know it. I've read that this is one of those sci-fi series that people LOVE, which may be true, but so far the writing is kind of amaturish. There's some weird expository stuff, such as (paraphrasing here), "Hey, see those big stone mushroom-lookin
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Feb 19, 2010
Erin
rated it:
I picked this book up in anticipation of the Riverworld series/movie that's set to air on SyFy sometime this year. The premise of the book is interesting - all of mankind that has died at any point on earth wakes to find themselves reincarnated in a practically endless river valley. The individuals immediately set to the task of recreating society in small pockets along the banks of the river. The initial parts read like an installment of Survivor: The Garden of Earthly Delights. However, a
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Jun 10, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
Philip Jose Farmer's strangely Hugo winning novel "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" is mostly notable in that it serves as a perfect example of how exactly not to write a science-fiction novel. The only thing I can think of is that all of the Hugo voters the year of its winning decided they were going to be ironic and vote for the worst sci-fi book released that year, as some kind of post-dada critique on the awards process.
Farmer starts with a great idea: everyone who dies wak More...
Farmer starts with a great idea: everyone who dies wak More...
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Mar 30, 2010
Kathryn
rated it:
This book was just...weird. Fantastic concept (everyone who ever lived finds themselves resurrected all at once on the banks of an endless river. Naked. Without any hair.), and then it just never seems to go anywhere.
I really tried to enjoy this (it was recommended to me by someone who usually has great taste in sci-fi), but I didn't like or sympathise with any of the characters, and I reached the end wanting MORE, but not in a way that made me want to read the sequel. I just felt l More...
I really tried to enjoy this (it was recommended to me by someone who usually has great taste in sci-fi), but I didn't like or sympathise with any of the characters, and I reached the end wanting MORE, but not in a way that made me want to read the sequel. I just felt l More...
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Sep 16, 2011
Bruce
rated it:
A classic more in concept than in execution. The writing is clunky, the characterizations stock. After a lot of meandering, like that 20 million mile river (20 million miles? Really? How big, then, is this planet, and if larger than Earth, how is it the gravity is equal to Earth's?), the story does come take a stab at answering the big questions. The result is moderately satisfying but also a clear setup for sequels.
I read this as a boy and remember liking it, but I never read the sequ More...
I read this as a boy and remember liking it, but I never read the sequ More...
Mar 22, 2010
Adam
rated it:
Fantastic premise with ties to a lot of the stuff I like today, such as the new Battlestar Galactica and Lost. The premise is that everyone who has ever lived on Earth is resurrected on a (distant?) planet next to an everlasting River. It's a survival story for a few pages, before taking off into an adventure to solve the mysteries -- why was humanity resurrected, and by whom, and for what purpose? Many intriguing theories are proposed and promised to be answered (I'd hope) by series end.
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May 14, 2010
Karen
rated it:
I tried. I realy did. The premise of this book is fascinating and right up my alley. I got about 1/4 of the way through and realized I couldn't continute. It wasn't because 1) The protagonist is unlikeable, unsympathetic, possibly a rapist and definitely kind of an @sshole (though, to be honest, I'm sure Farmer was drawing on his knowledge of the real Burton) or 2) It was insanely misogynistic, racist, and possibly homophobic, but mostly because 3) It was written like a 12th grade writing projec
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