Riverworld Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Riverworld is the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer. The five books in the series are as follows :
- To Your Scattered Bodies Go
- The Fabulous Riverboat
- The Dark Design
- The Magic Labyrinth
- The Gods of Riverworld
The whole of humanity from the time of early humans through to the early 21st century appear to have been resurrected along the banks of the river, an estimated thirty-five to thirty-seven billion people ("thirty-six billion, six million, nine thousand, six hundred and thirty-seven"). Everyone has the same body they possessed at the age of twenty-five, and further aging does not seem to occur. No children under the age of five were resurrected; those children older than 5 grow on Riverworld to the age of about 25, then no further aging occurs. All the people are healthy and free from congenital or other defects. There is no disease. Should an individual die on Riverworld they will soon find themselves once again reincarnated, whole in body, somewhere else along the banks of the river; some people utilize the "Suicide Express" to travel randomly. The people are provided with food and occasional other treats, but otherwise, apparently, left to their own devices.
The reason behind the existence of Riverworld is initially a complete mystery. In Farmer's books a number of historical figures - including Sir Richard Burton, Alice Hargreaves, Samuel Clemens, John I of England, Mozart, and Hermann Göring - interact with fictional characters in a quest to discover the purpose behind the creation of Riverworld and their reincarnation. Another character, Peter Jairus Frigate, bears a striking resemblance to Farmer himself.
Since the publication of the original books, several authors have used to Riverworld setting for their own stories.
The Fabulous Riverboat, amongst other threads, portrays Göring as a missionary of the Church of the Second Chance, a peaceful religion.
Since all the languages of mankind are represented in Riverworld, Esperanto spreads as a common tongue.
A set of rules for the GURPS role-playing game system based on Riverworld was released by Steve Jackson games.
A TV series based on the Riverworld saga went into production for the Sci Fi Channel in 2001 but only the feature length pilot episode was completed. It was aired in 2003.
Derived works