In my teenage years, I read a ton of science fiction, but not what people call the classics — no Frank Herbert, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke or even Ray Bradbury. Instead, I was reading people like Alan Dean Foster, Harry Harrison, Roger Zelazny and today’s featured author, Philip José Farmer.

I devoured Farmer’s books in those days. Naturally, my becoming aware of him is comic book-related, and I’ll always remember the day. At my local store, Starship Excalibur, a tiny little hole within walking distance from my home, a customer and the clerk were talking about this book series that dealt with everyone from history all being alive together. And how it all took place on a planet with a giant river.

They went on about huge plot points and the like. And I just knew I had to track down that series. That following weekend, I walked to my local bookstore and picked up the first two books to check it out. It did not take long for me to then get the remaining four. Then, in a few years, a new entry appeared in the series, but more on that later.

So let’s revisit my time in Riverworld, where sadly, that is not where I shot my baby.

TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO by Philip José Farmer — What would happen if all of sudden, you awoke naked and hairless in a place you have never known? Better yet, what if everyone in all of history did too? This is the opening premise to the first book in the Riverworld saga.

In that first book, from 1971, we follow real-life adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton as he finds himself in that situation and wonders why. The only things he sees besides people are these large, upside-down, mushroom-looking stone tables and a never-ending river. It’s slowly discovered that the stones in question emit an electricity that provide for their food needs and, later, clothing.

Burton slowly attracts a group of fellow companions. They include:
• a stand-in for Farmer in the character Peter Jairus Frigate, who is amazed to meet Burton;
• Alice Liddell, a woman from Victorian times who was the inspiration for that other Alice;
• a Neanderthal named Kaz, who can only communicate with drawings and pointing until Burton teaches him English;
• and an alien named Monat, who came to earth in the early 2000s, but sadly was the reason that the human race was wiped out — all due to a misunderstanding.

At the urging of Burton, this group builds a ship of sorts so they can explore this weird world, leading them to make discoveries about this new life. If someone dies, so to speak, they come back the next day, but somewhere completely different on the world. The group has a run-in with Nazi leader Hermann Göring, who has teamed up with a Roman king to enslave people so he can build his own kingdom. This leads into a battle of sorts, with Burton leading a revolt.

Days and years pass throughout this novel, with Burton trying to get close to the river’s mythical end by any means necessary, suicide included. The aliens seem to be behind it all; while some answers are revealed early on, the total plan will become clearer in the next book, which we’ll get to after one more paragraph.

TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO serves as the template for the series that is to follow. Farmer gives us plenty of information that will play into the later novels. The story never feels like he is saying, “Here is all the backstory; now onto the main crux”; rather, it is told with the reader being provided with answers, but then even more questions that are answered as the series progresses.

THE FABULOUS RIVERBOAT by Philip José Farmer — Also from 1971, the second book in this series switches things up in a big way. Richard Francis Burton is no where to be found, other than a super-brief cameo and being mentioned by other characters. Instead, RIVERBOAT focuses mainly on Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain.

Clemens has a dream of building a riverboat he can use to go up the river. He’s one of the chosen people by whom Clemens refers to as the “Mysterious Stranger.” It’s explained that there are 12 people, including him, who are charged with reaching the tower at the river’s end. We meet a few of the dozen, including Odysseus. Clemens is also told that a meteorite that crashed into the world was done for his benefit. The problem is trying to convince the Vikings he’s been with since reawakening to find this iron.

There is a prehistoric humanoid named Joe Miller who speaks with one of the most annoying lisps. Also included is the brother of the Red Baron, but other historical figures pop up. Not only does Clemens find his wife, Livy, but she has been living with and fallen in love with Cyrano de Bergerac.

Then there is the baddie of the story, and he is one of the biggest baddies in all of history: King John of England. Clemens begrudgingly has to deal with John, mainly due to the fact of protection, yet at all times, Clemens is expecting a heel turn like no other. There is plenty of backstabbing and treachery going on in this entry, while again, time flies by in a pretty quick clip as the ship is being built that Clemens will name The Not for Hire.

Farmer knows how to keep the readers glued to the page until the final word. THE FABULOUS RIVERBOAT has one of the greatest kick-in-the-balls endings. If you know your history about King John, you can guess what’s going to happen. Thankfully for me, these books were all out at the time I first read them. I can’t imagine being one of those people who had to wait six years to see what happened next.

Next time: I’ll dive deeper into Riverworld with two more books. —Bruce Grossman

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