To Your Scattered Bodies Go

To Your Scattered Bodies Go
by Philip Jose Farmer

This classic novel is the first in Farmer's multi-volume Riverworld saga. British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton dies, then awakens in a vast alien space, floating with millions of other naked bodies in rows and columns. Attempting to break free from the invisible bonds holding him tight, he then suddenly awakens again, naked, with hundreds of other individuals, all from various time periods in Earth history, on the banks of a river. In an afterworld that no-one expected, it appears that some force has resurrected everyone who has every lived, from all time periods of history, and placed them in a controlled environment along the banks of an apparently-million-mile-long river. Who is behind this? Why are they doing this? How can individuals from different cultures, languages and philosophies possibility co-exist with civility. This first volume focuses on Burton's insatiable need for freedom and exploring the boundaries of his new world, and featurings a small group of the characters who are drawn to his magnetism and/or become his enemies. Later volumes in the series explore in much greater depth the background of the Riverworld and those who created and maintain it. This is truly one of the science fiction genre's most memorable classic entries, and should not be missed by anyone trying to read the SF award winners, although Farmer's handling of female characters leaves something to be desired. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe Scott's monthly book column newsletter -- It's All Geek to Me! -- from the library.]

[ Riverworld entry on Wikipedia ] | [ official Philip Jose Farmer web site ]

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