The Dark Design

Riverworld #3

by Philip José Farmer

The Dark Design is the 3rd book in the epic Riverworld saga, in which almost all of humanity has been resurrected on a strange planet along the shores of a river 22 million miles long. But why have humans been given another chance at life, and who is behind it all? That's what Sir Richard Francis Burton and Sam Clemens set out to discover in two earlier novels, one by riding the "suicide express" (if you die on Riverworld, you're resurrected again at a random point along the river) and the other steaming on the greatest riverboat ever seen. Now Milton Firebrass, Clemens's former enemy and now his No. 1 lieutenant, is planning to use the dwindling iron supply on the Riverworld to create a great airship, which can fly to the North Polar Sea far more quickly than any boat can travel. There he hopes to learn the secret of the mysterious tower thought to house the beings who created this planet.

Jill Gulbirra does not care as much about the mission as she wants the chance to captain the great airship, which in all likelihood will be the last airship ever constructed by humankind. But in landing the coveted role, she faces stiff competition--especially from the greatest swordsman of all time, Cyrano de Bergerac, who turns out to be a natural pilot. But even if Jill can win the command of the airship and even if the ship can reach the river's headwaters, there is no guarantee it can get through the mountain wall that surrounds the tower. And it's likely that one or more agents of the Ethicals--the creators of Riverworld--are on board the airship, plotting its downfall. Worse still, somewhere along the way the airship is sure to encounter the Rex Grandissimus, the steamboat stolen by Sam's archnemesis, King John Lackland.--Craig E. Engler

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, Speculative Fiction, Audiobook

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, but spent much of his life in Peoria, Illinois.

Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tranquil River moves slowly , steadily , eternally an endless thing a constant majestic stream that never is scared or cares for the human struggle, but they're blind to the mammals though, its dull eyes and the smooth flow continues its ceaseless mysterious wanderings down the channel around the corner it bends yet the view as the Sun strikes is spectacular how such a sight seems so idyllic for any but the people on the banks. Years past yet little changes for those who walk on two legs, a paradise everlasting which bit by bit reveals the ugliness for all. Resurrected in heaven or hell, aimless without goals provided substance not living just existing, beings need some reason to rise in the morning light from a warm bed, a sharp pain may do the trick a little ...
sting, otherwise what's the point? Celebrities permeates the scenes, people in the billions nevertheless, Mark Twain, Sir Richard Burton the explorer, Tom Mix, Jack London a Neanderthal even a German fighter pilot from WW1, King John of England however not a joy, others to many to mention however Cyrano de Bergerac is very amusing. The mystery is who are the Ethicals, are those the Aliens that created this weird nebulous planet, on a hidden fragment of the Universe, putting the dead here, they breathe for a time and give them a second chance. Are their reasons honorable or nefarious, maybe an experiment which will cause the inhabitants suffering, excruciating pain a gigantic zoo to entertain the bored omnificent, arrogant maybe even divine creatures...Blimps, riverboats and balloons right out of a Jules Verne novel, float in the cerulean skies, any vehicle they can build, the people men and women travel in to reach the elusive north pole not for gold. The polar region is rumored to give away the secrets of this bizarre world the competition between the good and bad is fierce in fighting, might is not right, still here it's the only way for salvation for the soulless Riverworld series is an unique bunch of stories which showers pleasure to readers, my third voyage to the land of the strange, it feels well again. On to the next novel for these colorful players will somehow abide or fail but not without maximum effort. A wonderful imaginative dream which can bring enchantment or nightmares...

[Richard Derus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pearl Ruled (p66)

By the end of chapter 12, I was slogging through the prose hating each and every page folio and running head. My eye would catch the author's name on the verso and I'd begin to churn my guts into roiling masses of acid fury; the title on the recto made my rectum clench; and then, as page 66 gave me another bash in the balls with Farmer's name, the next chapter was 13 and, well, I lost the will to live on in Riverworld. It didn't help that this was the last page's last few lines:

"I see that we are getting close to our homes. I bid you adieu then until tonight. I will set out two torches, which you may see from your window, to announce when our little gathering begins."
"I did not say that I was coming."
"But you had nevertheless accepted," he said. "Is that not true?"
"Yes, but how did you know?"
"It's not telepathy," he said, smiling again. "A certain posture, a certain relaxation of muscles, the dilation of your pupils, an undertone to your voice, undetectable except to the highly trained, told me that you were looking forward to the party."
Jill said nothing. She had not known herself that she was pleased with the invitation. nor was she sure now. Was Piscator conning her?

So. Much. NO. I hate the "but she *meant* yes" defense, and this sounds to me like the classic set-up for date rape. "I know you better than you know yourself" is infuriating when your long-term partner says it (probably because there's some truth in that case); when some joker off the street does, it's enraging.

It was 1977 when this marvy came out. It isn't in me to revisit that head-space in this way with that dreadful, stodgy prose as my cicerone.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Разочарование, очаквах много повече…

Хаотично написана, не даваща никакви отговори и на моменти безумно досадна трета част от серията за Речния свят.

На почти петстотин страници строят дирижабли и балони, първата ѝ третина преповтаря подробно предните две книги, а след това действието става толкова мудно, та едва се насилих да я дочета, цял месец ми отне...

Почти нищо не е добавено към Бъртън, Клемънс и другарите им, новите главни герои - Джинебра и Сирано са слабо развити, опитите за философстване в търсене на бога и някакви мистики са пълен провал.

Мъка...

Моята оценка - 1,5*.

Цитати:

"People used their intelect to justify the nonintellective, emotionaly based phenomenon called religion. Often brilliantly. But, as far as she was concerned, uselessly."

"I believe that you can understand human beings better trough poetry and fiction than through so-called fact-literature."

P.S. Имаме пътешествие към Тъмната кула преди Кинг, определено е взаимствал елементи Краля.

Стана ми и ясно, защо може би не е преведена тази част на български - не мога да виня издателството. Не знам, дали ще довърша поредицата.

[Bettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

And still the Weaver plies his loom, whose warp and woof is wretched Man
Weaving th' unpattern'd dark design, so dark we doubt it owns a plan.
--Richard Francis Burton 'The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî'

Revisit 2015 via audio file 18:03:27

Description: Years have passed on Riverworld. Entire nations have risen, and savage wars have been fought--all since the dead of Earth found themselves resurrected in their magnificent new homeworld. Yet the truth about the Ethicals, the powerful engineers of this mysterious "afterlife," remains unknown. But a curious cross-section of humanity is determined to change that situation . . . at any cost.

Intrepid explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton leads the most remarkable voyage of discovery he has ever undertaken. Hot on his heels are Samuel Clemens, King John of England, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Spurred by the promise of ultimate answers, they chart a course across the vast polar sea--and toward the awesome tower that looms above it. But getting there will be more than half the battle. For death on Riverworld has become chillingly final . . .

We open with Burton in front of The Twelve, the Ethicals, whom I prefer to call F-icals. He has been investigated because of his 777 deaths on the Suicide Express.

There is a ::lot:: going on in this book and although it is baggier than the first two books the story is not (yet?)out of control. Main point is that there are no more reincarnations - you die, you stay dead.

Truly exciting storyline dotted with some scathing philosophy and home truths. Highly recommended for those who like to stop and think.


It's this third installment of the series where there is an opportunity to roll that lusciuous noun around the mouth:

dirigible, 
DIRIGIBLE, 
DIRIGIBLE

and finally we meet a strong woman in the shape of Australian Jill Gulbirra.


Pharoah Imhotep
Richard Burton
Sam Clemens
Tom Mix
Jack London
Cyrano de Bergerac

From wiki: The second storyline follows the real Peter Jairus Frigate. Unaware that an alien agent has been posing as himself, this Frigate, whose life story is identical in most respects to the one which the false Frigate told, has been living an ordinary life along the river.

5* To Their Scattered Bodies Go
5* The Fabulous Riverboat (Riverworld, #2)
5* The Dark Design (Riverworld, #3)
The Magic Labyrinth (Riverworld, #4)
The Gods of Riverworld (Riverworld #5)

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

(To the tune of Monty Python's "I like traffic lights". See for example this YouTube version)

I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
That you can bet your shirt on

He likes Riverworld
He likes Riverworld
He likes Riverworld
Although he's Richard Burton

(with somewhat less enthusiasm)

I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
But life can hand you lemons

He likes Riverworld
He likes Riverworld
He likes Riverworld
Although he's Samuel Clemens

(very slowly, as we start on the third volume)

I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
I like Riverworld
(in tones of sudden, abject despair) ... oh God...

[Jan-Maat]

I'm pretty sure that this was the volume I read, it's hard to tell after reading the reviews. The problem is that it is a multi-volume science-fiction saga of which I only read one part. Not because it was bad...on the contrary it was fun.

The story follows different point of view characters reincarnated or possibly resurrected or even reconstructed from human history as they journey along a great river trying to find out why humanity has been reincarnated (or resurrected etc) on this strange planet that seems to consist of one very long and winding river valley (or a very narrow sea).

These characters include people like King John of England, Mark Twain, and Richard Burton (not the actor the other one who translated the Arabian Nights and The Perfumed Garden) as well as various invented people.

The basic problem with this book was that I have never felt the compulsion to read any more in the series. Having picked up and read a random middle volume simply because it was on sale in a discount book shop for a pound I was satisfied. Perhaps the mystery of why humanity was being recreated in a plant long narrow river valley was resolved, or maybe it wasn't, and I can live with not knowing. After all, all these writers do is just make stuff up ;)

[Graham Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farmer is a very patchy writer. His Big Idea of Riverworld may have set the bar too high. There are some moments of real drama, but these are swamped by huge stretches of boring info-dump. He has far too many characters and only occassionally manages to speak in their voices authentically. A genius could have used this world to compare and contrast ideas and language across all human culture and history. Farmer is not a genius, and spends most of his time typing up wikipedia entries for his favorite historical figures.

Each book in this series seems to have been given a social justice topic to discuss. We've had the jews, the blacks, and this one is women's lib. Once again, Farmer basically re-presents existing (superficial) arguments instead of delving deeply into the topic. His Feminist Dirigible pilot Jill Gulbirra comes across as a cardboard comic version of Germaine Greer, and she's the most fleshed out of all the characters.

It's not a bad book - but there is a heck of a lot of filler here.

[Dan Schuna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The two prior books were about somebody building a river boat, another person building a riverboat and then having it stolen and rebuilding the riverboat. This book is about somebody building a zeppelin, then somebody building a riverboat, then two more zeppelin building sections. Honestly, how many times can you tell the same exact story? Massively disappointing in light of the promising world and prospects developed in the first two books. I think this one put me off Philip Jose Farmer for good, I'm sad to say.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first three Riverworld books are To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Fabulous Riverboat and, this, The Dark Design, followed by a fourth, The Magic Labyrinth. I read all four, one right after another, carried on by being very much impressed by the premise of the first: the revivification of everyone along the banks of a single river. The device allowed Farmer to juxtapose the most various persons, many of them important personages. By this volume, however, my interest was beginning to flag.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ελληνική κριτική λίγο πιο κάτω)

Years have passed in the Riverworld since we first ventured into its curious topography in «To Your Scattered Bodies Go» and «The Fabulous Riverboat». Entire nations have arisen, savage wars have been fought, and yet the central mystery remains tantalisingly unsolved: who are the enigmatic engineers behind this colossal posthumous resurrection — and to what end?

Sir Richard Francis Burton (yes, that Burton, kindly see Volume I) now leads what must surely be one of the most audacious expeditions in the annals of speculative fiction. He is joined by none other than Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), King John of England, and that redoubtable Gascon, Cyrano de Bergerac. United by a thirst for answers, they press onward across the vast polar sea, toward the looming tower that rises in brooding majesty above it. Yet, reaching their destination proves to be but half the struggle. For in this iteration of the Riverworld, death has acquired a disturbingly “final quality”.

In “The Dark Design”, Philip José Farmer expands his already ambitious mythos both geographically and philosophically. As his characters seek to unravel the secrets of humanity’s resurrection and the endless river that binds their fates, Farmer constructs a dense tapestry of adventure, ideology, and metaphysical inquiry. As the title itself hints, the narrative takes a decidedly darker turn.

Unlike the first two novels, The Dark Design eschews a single narrative thread in favour of multiple intertwined storylines, each following distinct characters with diverging motives. This narrative complexity enriches the novel, though it may prove disorienting for those who struggle to count beyond ten without the removal of footwear. The interwoven tales involve the construction of aircraft, clandestine missions, and the gradual revelation of the eponymous “Dark Design” behind Riverworld itself.

Farmer seizes upon history not merely as backdrop but as crucible, examining questions of identity, free will, and divine intervention. His playful yet incisive appropriation of historical figures -from Burton to Hermann Göring- deepens the existential gravitas of the work and forces the reader to confront uncomfortable moral ambiguities within a supposedly eternal realm.

As ever, Farmer’s prose is vigorous and imaginative. Yet in The Dark Design, the sheer density of events occasionally overshadows the development of individual characters. Nevertheless, the inventiveness and philosophical scaffolding of the novel more than compensate for these lapses, rewarding the attentive reader with concepts that push beyond the conventional bounds of science fiction.
The Dark Design is, admittedly, not the most accessible entry in the series. But where earlier volumes offered relative narrative comfort, here one must meet the text with a degree of resolve. Devotees of the Riverworld saga will relish its revelations and thematic depth; casual readers — although one struggles to imagine them picking up the third volume of a five-book sequence by accident — may find themselves adrift. This is a work that demands attention and patience, but repays both with ideas that transcend genre, aspiring toward the metaphysical.


Έχουν περάσει χρόνια στο Riverworld που γνωρίσαμε μέσα από το «To Your Scattered Bodies Go» και το «The Fabulous Riverboat». Ολόκληρα έθνη έχουν αναδυθεί, άγριοι πόλεμοι έχουν ξεσπάσει, όλα αυτά από τότε που οι νεκροί της Γης βρέθηκαν αναστημένοι (όπως τους γέννησε η μάνα τους αλλά σε ενήλικη βερσιόν) σε αυτόν τον μεγαλειώδη νέο κόσμο. Κι όμως, η αλήθεια για τους τους ισχυρούς μηχανικούς αυτής της μυστηριώδους «μετά θάνατον ζωής», παραμένει άγνωστη.

Ο σερ Ρίτσαρντ Φράνσις Μπάρτον (βλέπε πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς) ηγείται του πιο εξωφρενικού ταξιδιού ανακάλυψης που έχει ποτέ αναλάβει. Ακολουθούν Σάμουελ Κλέμενς (Mark Twain), Ιωάννης o Ακτήμων της Αγγλίας και ο… Συρανό ντε Μπερζεράκ. Διψασμένοι για απαντήσεις χαράζουν πορεία μέσα από την αχανή πολική θάλασσα — και προς τον επιβλητικό πύργο που υψώνεται πάνω απ’ αυτή. Όμως το να φτάσουν εκεί θα είναι μόνο η μισή μάχη. Γιατί ο θάνατος στον Κόσμο του Ποταμού έχει πλέον γίνει τρομακτικά «οριστικός».

Ο Philip José Farmer συνεχίζει το φιλόδοξο έπος του με το «The Dark Design», ένα μυθιστόρημα που επεκτείνει το σύμπαν του Riverworld τόσο σε γεωγραφικό όσο και σε φιλοσοφικό επίπεδο. Καθώς οι χαρακτήρες προσπαθούν να αποκαλύψουν τα μυστικά πίσω από την ανάσταση της ανθρωπότητας και το μυστηριώδες ποτάμι που διατρέχει τον πλανήτη, ο Farmer υφαίνει ένα περίπλοκο πλέγμα από περιπέτεια, ιδεολογία και μεταφυσικά ερωτήματα, ενώ (κάτι αντιληπτό από τον τίτλο ακόμα) τα πράγματα παίρνουν μια πιο σκοτεινή χροιά.

Σε αντίθεση με τα πρώτα δύο βιβλία, The Dark Design δεν ακολουθεί έναν μόνο αφηγηματικό άξονα. Αντιθέτως, χωρίζεται σε πολλαπλές αφηγηματικές γραμμές, καθεμία με διαφορετικούς χαρακτήρες και στόχους. Η πολυπλοκότητα αυτή κάνει το βιβλίο συναρπαστικό, αλλά ίσως αποσυντονίσει τους δυστυχείς που για να μετρήσουν πάνω από το 10 πρέπει να βγάλουν τα παπούτσια τους. Οι ιστορίες πλέκονται γύρω από απόπειρες κατασκευής αεροπλάνων, μυστικές αποστολές και την αποκάλυψη του «Σκοτεινού Σχεδίου» που κρύβεται πίσω από το Riverworld.

Ο Farmer χρησιμοποιεί την ιστορία για να εξετάσει ερωτήματα ταυτότητας, ελεύθερης βούλησης και θεϊκής παρέμβασης. Ο τρόπος που "παίζει" με ιστορικές φιγούρες – όπως τον Ρίτσαρντ Φράνσις Μπάρτον ή τον Χέρμαν Γκαίρινγκ – ενισχύει το υπαρξιακό φορτίο του έργου και προκαλεί τον αναγνώστη να σκεφτεί τον ρόλο της ηθικής στην αιωνιότητα.

Η γραφή του Farmer είναι, όπως πάντα, ενεργητική και ευφάνταστη, αν και στο «The Dark Design» η πυκνότητα των γεγονότων μερικές φορές επισκιάζει την ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων. Ωστόσο, η ευρηματικότητα και το φιλοσοφικό υπόβαθρο του έργου αποζημιώνουν τον αναγνώστη.

Σίγουρα το «The Dark Design» δεν είναι το πιο "εύκολο" βιβλίο της σειράς, αλλά αφενός είναι καθοριστικό για την κατανόηση της κοσμολογίας του Riverworld αφετέρου, σας δώσαμε δύο πολύ άνετους τόμους νωρίτερα, πρέπει να δείξετε κι εσείς λίγο τσαγανό. Οι φανατικοί της σειράς θα το απολαύσουν για τις αποκαλύψεις και το βάθος του, ενώ οι πιο περιστασιακοί αναγνώστες (λέμε τώρα, δε νομίζω να πέσει στην τύχη στα χέρια σας ο τρίτος τόμος μιας 5λογίας) μπορεί να νιώσουν λίγο χαμένοι στην πολυπλοκότητά του. Είναι ένα έργο που απαιτεί προσοχή και υπομονή -και το ανταμείβει με έννοιες που ξεπερνούν τα όρια της επιστημονικής φαντασίας.

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 2 out of 5]

We pick up where we left off in ‘The Fabulous Riverboat’ with two plot lines going. But we soon get a third plot line started with a new character Jill. At first, I didn’t like this addition, but Jill became a good addition in my opinion. There is a scene where Jill gets interviewed by the “Leak” newspaper in an article called “Newcomers” that I thought was hilarious. And then the story becomes a big slog that gets pulled in many directions and seems convoluted. All three plot lines sort of converge, there is an action-packed ending, and we get a bit more information about what is going on with the ‘Ethicals’. Some things that bothered me were how quickly technology and manufacturing seemed to advance and how hypnotism is also used on some characters, to me this feels like a bit of a cheat. I liked the Robert Browning Dark Tower references. Even though I didn’t really like this one you could tell Farmer was having a blast writing it.

[Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuing story of Riverworld, this time focusing mainly on the attempts of characters to solve the mystery of why all of humanity was resurrected along a world-spanning river. Several attempts to reach the north pole, where the mysterious Dark Tower might answer their questions, are underway by riverboat, dirigible, and balloon. The story held me, mainly through exploring the interaction of interesting characters as times and cultures clash, but the book was ultimately a 'middle' book since the focus is on solving the mysteries and the mysteries are not solved.

The idea of Riverworld sustains my interest in this series, but the ideas were better explored in To Your Scattered Bodies Go and the original novella in Riverworld and other stories. This novel continues the stories of the characters from those books (and from The Fabulous Riverboat), continues to explore the mystery of 'what is going on here?'. To be honest, the mystery was the least important feature of the earlier books, and I could have lived without knowing the answer.

My only real complaint is the way modern technology is increasingly used on Riverworld. I accept the argument that when metals became available, technical knowledge from the 20th Century could make options available quickly. I accept that a paddleboat and even a dirigible could be built. But this seems to easily move to electronics, lasers, and autopilots. I find it hard to believe that in 30 years humanity could build the infrastructure for information age devices. I have to suspend my disbelief in this book much more than the previous books.

It is worth noting that there is little cross-interaction among the characters of the previous books. The approach here is more like Martin in A Game of Thrones: a few chapters with one group, usually ending at a climactic point, and then switch to a different group of characters for several chapters.

It was interesting to continue the story, and I do like the characterization of historical figures like Richard Francis Burton and Sam Clemens (two of several that Farmer had researched extensively and written about before). I'll likely read more of the series.

[Theo Logos · Rating 2 out of 5]

The middle volume of Farmer's ambitious five-book saga of Riverworld is the weakest of the series so far. The story’s action follows several groups now racing toward the headwaters of the river to discover the mysteries of their after-life and this strange, new world rumored to be found there. In addition to Sir Richard Burton and Sam Clemens, who we have met in previous books, we are introduced to Akhenaten, heretic pharaoh of Egypt, who hopes to discover his one true Sun god at river's end, and writer Jack London traveling together with film cowboy Tom Mix, all headed toward the same shadowy goal. The bulk of the book, focuses on the building of a huge dirigible that can gain in a few days of flight what would take many years of travel on the river. An exciting account of this airship's mission to river's end provides the cliff hanging ending of this volume.

The charm of the first two books was their protagonists —Sir Richard Burton in the first, Sam Clemens in the second. In The Dark Design too much of the action is viewed through characters of the author's creation rather than through historical protagonists. This does not come off as well. Both Burton and Clemens make brief appearances here, but we don't see either of them enough.

The book suffers from two other major flaws. First, it is overlong - nearly as long as the first two books put together. Farmer's writing style is at best competent, and begins to become taxing after 200 pages or so. There are whole chapters here that have no real relationship to the plot and are little more than the author indulging himself. Secondly, there are major plot and character shifts away from what was established in the first two books. These shifts and reversals are awkward, and don't seem to have been thought out well. At times, the author's sloppiness makes it hard to suspend disbelief.

This is a poorly edited mess of a book, and I can forewarn you that it doesn’t get better in book four. If you have been hooked by the series’s ambitious premise, and by the charm of characters like Burton and Clemens, it creates a dilemma — read on through increasingly poor writing to discover the end of the story, or cut bait and run?

[Alex Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philip Jose Farmer initially wanted this series to be three part series, that became four part, that became five part... in a way, this book merely gets us from part two to what is supposed to be the final part... only here, Farmer dumps all the ideas he's running through the background on us through a series of expository dialogues. He explores too much of experiment without adding much to the story. In a way the fun and fascinating subjectivity of the first part (and then interesting politics of the second part) becomes meandering exposition in this third part. So I did not like this book as much as I would have thought. There is too much "saving the mystery for the finale" here. If Farmer paced his ideational exploration better, the second book could have been thicker, and this book may have been more interesting. The characters are interesting, but there is too much show boating of certain ideologies that Farmer obviously feels worth exploring. If this book was to be a mystical exploration of identity, or identity politics within this mix of post-first life, then I think this book falls short. In a way, there isn't much given here except as a hodgepodge of competing interests that fall short of wrapping the book together as a coherent whole. Instead it feels like the next book and the previous book are crafted as units, and this book is merely a bridge of everything that didn't fit together well. The main character we are to seemingly identify with doesn't even show up until 1/3 through, and then only occupies half the narrative. The series is still interesting, but this book could have used more attention as to its coherency.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Hard pass on more Riverworld. I liked the first two books just fine. They were roaring pulpy adventures, all good.

This one has an introduction where Farmer informs us that this trilogy will not have an ending, and more to come in the fourth book. What?

Why is this book longer than the first two put together and still not have an ending? There isn’t enough to these stories to get me to read another adventure in this world. A world that barely makes sense.

I don’t care enough about this concept to continue reading about it, especially when I know I won’t get any answers. It was fun while it lasted.

[Иван Иванов · Rating 2 out of 5]

Отдавна ми се въртеше в главата да дочета поредицата "Речен свят", от която на български излязоха само първите 2 книги. Бяха доста приятни, макар че трудно бих ги нарекъл шедьоври. Все пак имаха оригинална идея, добра интрига, интересни герои и общо взето представляваха нелошо забавление. Е, най-после реших да хвана третата... но струваше ли си?

По-скоро не!

От самото начало книгата започна мъчително. Беше ми голям зор да преджапам първите петдесетина страници, повечето от които са заети с терзанията на някаква дива феминистка, която през цялото време си мисли само какви гадове са мъжете и колко е онеправдана. За щастие после изведнъж (без видима причина) героинята се очовечава, фанатизмът й изчезва и тя престава да ни досажда с тъпотиите си.

След това нещата потръгнаха малко по-добре, появиха се отново старите ни познайници Бъртън и Клемънс със съответните им компании, станаха някои интересни неща, научихме това-онова... но за съжаление през цялото време текстът се разводняваше с дълги разкази за "предишния живот" на героите на Земята, излишно подробни описания на бита и технологиите в Речния свят и протяжно философстване, което рядко имаше някаква връзка със случващото се.

А после започна хаосът!

В предговора Фармър обяснява как възнамерявал да завърши историята в три книги, обаче ръкописът много набъбнал и дъра-дъра-дъра... По негово време номерът може и да е минавал, но напоследък печално свикнахме с такива извинения и вече дори за дечицата е ясно, че целта е да се изстискат максимум кинти от дадена идея. Никъде това не личи по-ясно, отколкото в последната третина на тази книга. В нея авторът хвърля всичките си усилия да не напредне нито на сантиметър в сюжета, като за целта ни засипва с куп нелогични, безсмислени обрати. То не бяха предателства, тайни, лъжливи самоличности... повечето от които изглежда имат за цел единствено да създават нови и нови пречки на героите, за да се удължи максимално повествованието.

Олял се е Фармър, спор няма! Докато в първите две книги имахме ясно структурирани сюжети с нещо като завършек, тук към края вече съвсем се оплетох в множеството герои и сюжетни линии, които не водят наникъде. Всъщност, тази каша толкова ми опротивя, че оценката ми падна от около 3,5 на 2,5. И даже ще я закръгля надолу!

А, и да не забравя, "индустриалната революция" в Речния свят вече почва сериозно да ми бърка в здравето! Нали уж на планетата нямаше почти никакви ресурси, във втората книга героите с триста мъки построиха един параход, а сега вече имам чувството, че навсякъде гъмжи от кораби, самолети, хеликоптери, дирижабли... които се строят буквално за няколко страници! Тъпо!

Майната ти, Фармър! Опропасти толкова готина идея! Не знам дали някога ще се прежаля да прочета четвъртата книга и да видя как свършва всичко. В момента поне нямам сили.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whereas book 1 focused more on Burton and book 2 on Clemens, Farmer spreads the playing field out some still with those two but also with some fascinating and fleshed out protagonists such as Jill Gulbirra, Firebrass, Cyrano and his self insert character Frigate getting plenty of time onstage here in book 3 with the focus being air transportation across the skies of Riverworld compared to the boats of the last two series.
My favorite part was early on when Frigate describes to Burton his former life as a writer.
But just like the last two books we get drama, intrigue and some swerves as the people and their balloons wend their way to the source.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Riverworld saga. In the first book, we followed 19th century explorer Richard Burton and his band. In the second book, we followed the story of Mark Twain. in the third book, we read a little about these two, but also focus on several new characters, including Jill, an airship pilot, and a more in-depth focus on Peter Frigate, who appears in the first book but is not a viewpoint character until this one.

Overall, this book is longer and more action-packed than the first two. A lot happens, and several plot points advance quite well. However, the book suffers from this as well. There are too many characters, and we switch among them too much. This makes the story unnecessarily hard to follow.

Probably the main issue I have with this novel, though, is that it seems to be long just for the sake of being long. Farmer indulges himself in far too much pontificating about historical events and the various philosophical outlooks of the world. It feels, in many places, like he is showing off how much he knows. I'm suitably impressed with his scholarship, but it has, at best, only a tangential relationship to the story of Riverworld. A few times the scholarship is also misplaced -- interrupting the action with long discourses about the Sufi philosophy, for example. Surely this could have been done at another time (or better yet, entirely deleted).

There is at least one more book in this series and possibly two -- I know there is a 5th book, but according to Farmer's introduction to Book 3, the series will end on Book 4, and then other books will just contain other stories of the Riverworld (prequels, as it were). I suppose I won't know if that is true or not until the end of book four.

This book was fairly good, and it kept me reading, although it took me almost a month to get through, mostly because the long scholarship sections tended to bore me and make me leave it aside for a few days. They were tough to get through. The action scenes were fairly good, on the other hand.

Other than scholarship, one issue this book has is that certain secrets have been revealed here, I think, a little too early. If there really are 1-2 more books to go, then certain goals should not have been reached yet, but already were. I won't say any more about it to avoid spoilers, but there is a certain sense of anticlimax at the end here.

I have to say, however, that I am still intensely curious about the why of Riverworld -- why every human being on earth, except those who died before they turned 5, was resurrected on one giant world, and how the world was even constructed, and by whom. I very much want to know what all the answers were. Hopefully they will be worth the journey.

[prcardi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storyline: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 1/5

I'm going to lead with the old "it's not you, it's me" introduction, but I'm not being facetious. I started out with unrealistic expectations. I know that now. In the founding book, I picked up on the Grand Idea and the concomitant possibilities. I value wonder and creativity above all else in my readings, and you, Farmer, delivered in To Your Scattered Bodies Go. I should have suspected something then; after all it was only the first few chapters of the first book that had me hooked. The last 70% of the book was something else. I treated that bulk as the anomaly and have been waiting for you to return to your roots. But I had it backward. The big idea and the wonder were the irregularity. The action/adventure with double-crosses and misdirections; that was your routine. And so, The Dark Design, like The Fabulous River Boat before it, is more of the meandering personal adventures of harrowing escapes and discoveries. There's obviously a market for that sort of thing.

Farmer seems to have really pushed himself as a writer on this one. He tries a lot variation in personal narratives, shifts between more characters and plots, gives viewpoints from one-off characters and mediums, and staggers the chronology so as to break up the pace. The writing was a definite improvement over the first two books. Substantively, this was essentially the same book as the last. We do start getting a little more interaction between characters and Farmer does dispense a smattering of new information on the Big Mystery. My favorite part of this book, and of the series, are the deeply flawed characters. Everyone's got a quirk, a blindspot, a bias that makes them detestable to those who can't see past it. Otherwise, they're generally good people. I doubt the books are worth reading just to get to this, but it is a gem in the story one can cling to when everything is going up in flames (or bombs, gunfire, arrows, etc.).

[Joseph Carrabis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the Riverworld books in sequence and To Your Scattered Bodies Go was a fantastic, fascinating romp as only Farmer could write them. However, about half way through The Dark Design (book 3 in the series) I began to wonder what was going on, if Farmer was still in control of the story or was just letting it happen, curious himself to see where and how it played out. Each book became more like a chapter in an unending novel than a complete story in itself. I'm sure these are enjoyable to most and definitely to Farmer fans. I'll admit I had trouble with it. Lots of stuff was happening and I was no longer sure where all the action was leading (or if Farmer himself even knew).

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a review of The Dark Design, but of Farmer’s To Your Scattered Bodies Go, #1 in the series, but that book is already on my Goodreads list and I do not know how to do an update.....

First Published 1971. 211 pages.

When I first read this in the mid-70’s, I thought that the concept was brilliant. I recently found a book called Riverworld in one of my consignment bookstores (Books 1 & 2 of the Riverworld Series) and I picked it up for old times sake.

While the concept is still brilliant, I find that as the story moves on it becomes increasingly pedantic and preachy.....

[Matías Picó · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para la segunda parte de esta saga mis expectativas eran bajas ya que no había escuchado grandes cosas sobre ella, y sin embargo me sorprendió gratamente, una historia sumamente entretenida, muy bien hilvanada y con personajes más gratos que los de la primera parte.

Asi que mis expectativas para está tercera parte fueron altas, y la verdad me decepcionó, un principio muy errático demasiado estancado en mi opinión, con pasajes bastante tediosos. Una segunda mitad más frenética que levanta la historia para terminar diluyendose sin cerrar las historias, dando la sensación de que el libro nos deja otra vez donde empezamos.

Nota 5/10

[Llona ❤️ "Così tanti libri, così poco tempo." · Rating 1 out of 5]

NDF non so nemmeno a che percentuale
più sessista e fastidioso dei primi volumi de "la ruota del tempo"

un idea interessante buttata nella spazzatura, bhà

[Stanz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me ha costado bastante. Su estructura deja bastante que desear. Espero que el siguiente sea el último. Debería haber sido este.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world-building Farmer has done in Riverworld is fantastic, but in each book he just leaves more and more loose ends. From the forward for The Magic Labyrinth , I gather that they will all be wrapped up in that book, so I'm not too worried about it, but it does seem unfortunate to have the story split out over 4 books like this.

To me, this book feels like it's the weakest of the series so far. The first book explored the real star, the Riverworld itself, and all the various cultures that were evolving under the new constraints its inhabitants were living under. The second book took a new look at the world by putting the element of unevenly distributed metal into play, allowing people holding a specific territory to re-create a rudimentary technological society (which makes death look a lot worse, since it takes you far away from that specific place).

Book 3 seems more about gathering people together and starting to make some progress on the quest that's been going on in the background, but with a bunch of weird changes coming into play all of a sudden.


The biggest change is that death appears to be permanent now, which I would think would completely change the dynamics of the Riverworld, but it seems like it's barely remarked upon or believed.

Additionally, the concept that everyone alive after 1983 is an agent of the Ethicals seems very interesting, but it seems poorly retrofit into the rest of the book. I'd have to re-read the earlier books with this idea in mind, but it definitely feels like this was not Farmer's intention the whole time. Still, it does add an interesting wrinkle to switch Firebrass over to being an ethical.


Overall I think this book was just fine, but it definitely has serious "middle book" syndrome. I suspect I'll need to re-evaluate the book when I finish the remainder of the series, though.

2.5 of 5 stars

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the third book and one located in mid-sequence, I don't expect many plot resolutions or the main climax. Nevertheless, I was a bit underwhelmed by this addition to the Riverworld Saga. For one, I disliked the third party additions to the normal narrative such as the letters and the newspaper articles. I found them too long and often tedious. I appreciate the author's efforts to try something different but in these cases, I felt it interrupted the flow of the story.

Character development was also a bit wonky in no small part because Farmer keeps introducing new people. Not all of them have major roles but a few do. Part of this may be necessary but it detracts from the development of more established characters. Moreover, it slows the plot down as Farmer establishes these new personalities. Perhaps it was Farmer's intention but keeping track of who is who becomes more challenging as the book (and the series) develops.

Naturally, this book is not all bad. The development of the airships and their voyages culminating in a meeting (of sorts) is rather exciting. Paranoia still ranks high. And the end of the book tends to cull some of the extraneous characters lending a degree of pathos to the conclusion and heightened sense of urgency to the next installment.

The Dark Design was certainly my least favorite of the books so far but it can hardly be characterized as a bad novel. The premise of this series is so good that it cries to be finished regardless of the faults of any component book. Read it but have the Magic Labyrinth close at hand to pick up the threads.

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Riverworld saga continues as various characters attempt the journey to the mysterious tower at the source of the river on whose shores all of humanity has been resurrected. Although this essential quest and the puzzle at the heart of the series still interests, this sprawling, messy novel often tested my patience. Burton and his crew make an appearance at the beginning, but then disappear from the novel altogether. There are numerous unnecessary digressions, including several dull chapters of backstory on Farmer's alterego, the science-fiction writer Peter Jairus Frigate (check out the initials), who is actually a relatively minor character.

When Farmer is developing the quest for the truth and the rivalries between characters, the book is fun. However, it really needed quite a bit of editing to whittle out the extraneous material and some shockingly bad writing. I have to admit that the cliffhanger ending does leave me wanting to know what comes next.

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is basically the same store as the previous book which was not as good as the first one. Combine that with the fact that the rules of the grails seems to have changed suddenly partway through the book I decided to stop.

The first books made a big point about how the grail only works for its assigned person, whole societies rose up where people were enslaved and kept alive so that their masters could use their grails and steal their contents. Then suddenly in the third book the protagonists lose their grails but find some that belonged to dead people and apparently can use them. Why bother with the "grail slavery" if the slavers could have just killed people and stolen their grails?

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than book 2 but some parts were boring. Too many people were introduces again. it got too complicated. I wasn't happy with the Frigate character for instance.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posted at my blog, The Next Fifty, at:

http://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.ca...