Samuel Johnson's Eternal Return

by Martin Riker

When Samuel Johnson dies, he finds himself in the body of the man who killed him, unable to leave this plane or return to the son he left behind. Moving from body to body as each one expires, he inhabits a series of lives as stymied, in many ways, as his own. As Samuel Johnson migrates between men and women, young and old, he offers us a watchful consideration of the ways experience is mediated, the unstoppable drive for human connection, and the struggle to be more fully alive in the world.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Novels

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Martin Riker is author of the novel Samuel Johnson's Eternal Return (2018), which was favorably reviewed in the New Yorker, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. His novel The Guest Lecture will be published by Grove in 2023. As a literary critic, Riker has written on contemporary fiction and literature in translation for such publications as New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, London Review of Books, TLS, Paris Review Daily, and The Guardian. He served for almost a decade as Associate Director of the nonprofit publishing house Dalkey Archive Press, and as an editor for the periodicals The Review of Contemporary Fiction and CONTEXT: A Forum for Literary Arts and Culture. In 2010, he and his wife, Danielle Dutton, co-founded the feminist publishing house Dorothy. Dorothy has garnered international praise for publishing innovative writers such as Marguerite Duras, Leonora Carrington, and Renee Gladman, and for launching the careers of acclaimed contemporary writers such as Nell Zink, Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, and Jen George.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My unofficial reading goal was 52 books - one per week - and to end my reading challenge on this book was a great finale to this year.

I ordered this directly from the publisher (Coffee House Press - check them out!) and it arrived on the publication date. I was ready to tuck in with what promised to be a unique story.

Initially, I struggled to get going on this one. Sometimes reading for me is like driving a stick shift. I kill the car in first gear several times before I get rolling and then I can coast on through with no issues. I was a bit put off with the narrator's style of "I have something to tell you, and I will surely get to it, but let me tell you this other thing in the meanwhile." I wanted him to just get on with it already! But this book is a retelling of events in the narrator's life and afterlife, and he often reflects upon how his feelings toward different events and moral codes have changed over time, so I understand why he would dawdle a bit.

I loved the way the narrator reflected on his life; as a spectator of TV, reality, and the lives of others. There are some lovely passages in which he reflects on the unifying and isolating aspects of TV viewing, and how television watching parallels the highs and lows he experiences as he tries to get back to his son. There are some parts that are funny, not in the "hahaha!" way but in the "huh, isn't that something?" way. The story also explores isolation and loneliness, which are two of my favorite themes in literature.

The philosophical questions posed by this story might make your head spin. In fact, while reading this, I wanted to send it to my friends who have degrees in philosophy and hear their thoughts on it. For this reason, I will be coming back to this book for a reread once I've gotten my TBR pile to a more manageable size (there are just too many great books out there). Having worked in television for five somewhat unhappy years, this story offered a new perspective that made me a little less cynical about my experience (though I'm still pretty cynical about it).

The ending to this book got me choked up, and it was one of the most satisfying endings to a book I've read in a long time.

I hate to make comparisons to other works because I don't want to alter another reader's expectations of this book, but I will say that if you enjoyed Being John Malkovich, you might enjoy this book as well.

[Frosty61 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to almost giving up on this one as it seemed to just ramble for pages and pages. However, Samuel Johnson's voice eventually drew me in. He intimately engages the reader to follow along on his journey after he's murdered, stuck inside other's bodies, and struggling to find his way back to his beloved son. It's a difficult book to describe but suffice it to say there are many philosophical musings about what makes a life worth living and the importance of the connections we make along the way.

[Marit Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Johnson may be the most charming unreliable narrator you’ll ever meet. His extraordinary story is entertaining, thought-provoking, surprising, and deeply human.

[Dorien Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine this: you’re murdered while saving your 4-year-old son from a maniac. But instead of passing on to the afterlife, your spirit becomes tethered to the very man who killed you—forced to drift silently through his dull, uneventful life. 👻 And when he finally dies? You're not released. You're just stuck with the next random person nearby, doomed to watch another life unfold like a slow-motion episode of reality TV 📺.

This is the strange and compelling fate of Samuel Johnson, the protagonist of Martin Riker's novel.

Samuel Johnson’s eternal return is a thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and what it truly means to be alive. At its heart is a haunting philosophical question: What’s the difference between existing and living? ✨

As Samuel floats from body to body, always searching for a way to check in on his son, Riker shows us the resilience of the human spirit and the quiet power of reclaiming one's story—even when all seems lost.

While Samuel’s choices regarding his host bodies can be morally murky, his empathy and compassion evolve over time 🕰️. Each new character he inhabits brings with them new perspectives, adding depth to the narrative and painting a more nuanced portrait of the human experience.

Though the novel’s concept is original and its execution impressive, the pacing occasionally lags, and the ending felt a bit unsatisfying. Still, it's a unique and engaging read.

Final verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars 🌟

[Joe Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for literate fiction folks. Martin Riker has an unhurried way of writing that is rich, not taxing. The supernatural stuff I usually find off-putting did not bother me here, it was not overdone and was not the point of the story.

There was a bit of raw philosophy that I did not slow down enough to pass a test on, but I can tell it will color my thinking for a while. I find that a hallmark of a good writer, they tend to make you think.

This is a debut novel, but this guy Riker has written for lots of the top-end literary journals and his interviews are very good. Very rich. This guy knows what he is doing. My library didn't have a copy but it is by a local author and was well reviewed so I bought it. It was worth it to support the author and Coffee House Press and will be gifted to another reader.

[Steven Felicelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was excited to read and well-disposed to project, but at page 80, I just couldn't justify expending more reading time. The conceit is shaky (Being John Malkovich transmigrating) and there doesn't seem to be much driving it. Little that is exigent/relevant in it.

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

First-time novelist, Martin Riker, scores with this imaginative fantasy that is a joy to read. It is chock full of philosophical reflections on human existence, the vagaries of routine life, friendship, fatherhood, community and, surrounding it all, television! The story is narrated by Samuel, a young widower and father, who is stunned to find that, upon his sudden death, he is transmigrated into another living body. His journey thus begins and we continue to follow Samuel as he moves from body to body when each one inevitably passes in a decades long quest to reconnect with the son he left behind.

The writing and storytelling are stellar. It is a fast-paced blend of dark comedy and tragedy but I would advise you to slow down and savor every one of it's insightful 240 pages. Samuel is a marvelous character as are the people he inhabits, though some are fascinating than others. I also found the ending to be completely satisfying. The most enjoyable aspect of the book, however, is Riker's history of television, interspersed throughout Samuel's story. His musings on the role of television in our culture and everyday lives, good and bad, are perceptive, nostalgic just plain fun to read. I'm already looking forward to Riker's next work.

[Daniel Schulof · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took some time for me to warm to the narrator. His voice through the early stages didn't ring true. In hindsight though I suppose that this was due to his strange upbringing, because as his (other-)worldly experiences began piling up, his perspective began to feel very honest and relatable. And once I began to understand how Riker was using the fun, original conceit around which the story is built I found myself enjoying the book very much.

Crisp, tight, unpretentious writing. Truly original narrative conceit. Vivid characters. Thoughtful meditations on deep, meaningful themes. Emotionally resonant. What's not to like?

Reminiscent of Vonnegut. An impressively accomplished first novel.

[Kara Bruns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow uhh... what in the world did I just read.

This was interesting. Definitely a very unique and compelling idea. A real thinker... The writing style is also very distinct. The subject matter can get extremely theoretical and abstract, which, combined with a first person narrative sort of stream of consciousness flow, can get a little dense and distracting to try to get through.

I recommend it though just to have someone to talk to about this. The fact that the author lives in St. Louis makes so much sense because the paragraph about the city is so accurate it has to have been written by a resident.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

an odd premise of a book but I enjoyed it's unique narrator's perspective and some thought-provoking question of existence as well as the breeze through some television history that plays a part in the events. a rare book that engaged me for longer periods than I usually read before mixing in some other activity.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part existential examination of the soul, part sociological history of America as seen through television, this book is conceptually interesting but doesn't quite deliver on its premise. Writing about being bored without being boring is a delicate balance the author doesn't always achieve. The story raises many interesting questions but doesn't provide any answers or a particularly satisfying search for them. Points for being original and thought provoking, fewer points for the follow-through once we've been provoked.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Discounted | Unsatisfying, disappointing | I had this on my wishlist for ages before it was temporarily reduced in price, so I was really looking forward to it. But there's very little story here. A man who did nothing and had nothing happen to him through his childhood suddenly gets killed and his soul is hitching a ride in the bodies of other people who do as little as possible. The one character who has quite a bit happen in her life, it's all a result of her complete passivity. Even she doesn't do anything. Nobody does anything. Nobody learns anything. This is 256 pages of people using up time. A few times Samuel starts to recount a story, then decides not to. In three places he quotes from memory the bad writing of other people, which is the worst method of exposition I can think of. The author has been published in the WSJ and the NYT. If he wanted to publish a long, semi-coherent essay about the promises and perils of television over the course of 70 years, he had platforms for that, without building a hamster wheel of a story around it. I got more enjoyment out of briefly pondering what the experience would be like for a hitchhiker inside my mind.

[Krenner1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part this story is wild and wonderful. A man dies and finds himself in the body of someone else. He is captured there and views the world only through his "host" body; he keeps up with changing times only through watching television. There are several host-bodies and at times I found the personalities tedious, until the reader reaches a very satisfying conclusion.

"...the perfect indifference I showed her is as good an illustration as any of my personality at that time. A loner. A mope. Whether I'd brought it into the world with me or picked it up along the way, mine was a magnificent vapidity, an unprecedented nullity of spirit. I was a compulsive nonengager, a natural-born audience member, a couch potato who'd only to discover his couch."

"Where before I had let whole years slip unheeded through my fingers, now I would seize the day so firmly I'd need to take care not to choke it. This was life, this child in my arms."

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Burnettkw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind bending. Proceed with caution.

[David Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Take on the Ghost Story

Martin Riker, an English professor at Washington University, St. Louis by day, wraps up a smorgasbord of ideas and observations, from television and society to a tautological philosophy of being iterated again and again, as is the situation Samuel Johnson’s ghost finds itself in transferring from one living person to another. This might have been a pretty dull affair if Samuel Johnson wasn’t such an arresting narrator, always in pursuit of the young son from whom he was torn by murder, failing at this time and again, resorting to reforming lives he rides around in, again thwarted, but never lacking for ways to express his frustrations, always ready to advance his knowledge, and forever making keen observations about life, death, and television. While his experience is the same pretty much each time he transfers to a new life, there’s enough movement forward and character development to keep you traveling along with him, as well as the aforementioned tautology wrapped up in the essence of Samuel Johnson the ghost.

Samuel Johnson, to briefly relate the plot, grows up in a small religious community in Pennsylvania, leaving young Samuel cut off from midcentury America, when the tale begins. Then a burly man from an even stricter religious community brings a television to the community. Allowed to put it in a small cottage, he invites Samuel, and later young Emily, to watch it with him. Samuel and Emily fall in love and marry. The TV man disappears (to reappear much later). The pair have a baby they name Samuel. Unfortunately, Emily dies in childbirth. Samuel raises his son, until one day a stranger snatches little Samuel and father Samuel dies trying to rescue his son. (Hang on readers of the novel, because there’s a twist awaiting you down the line about this.) After, Samuel finds himself in the mind of the killer, and then in the mind of the nearest person when the killer dies. And on and on it goes. Samuel cannot communicate while sharing the mind he is in. Nor can he control the other’s body, unless the other relinquishes control. But he can observe and, most of all, he can and does mightily recount his situation over and over again, and his objective, finding his son.

In some ways, Samuel Johnson’s Eternal Return is like being locked in a room with nothing much to do but contemplate your life and the outside world you’re missing. But how that is done is the key, and Samuel Johnson does it very entertainingly. He’s a character you’ll enjoy hearing as he rambles on about this and that. And many of his ramblings can be insightful. For example, he finds early television (remember, three networks, four if you count defunct DuMont and later PBS) something that unifies people, rather than isolates them, which was the usual criticism of the day. That’s because it provided an entire nation with shared experiences. It’s much later, in current time, that Samuel observes TV and all media as dividing people, scattering them into their own confirmation bias cells.

This is to say that there is more than enough here to keep most readers happily in the company of Samuel Johnson for several hours.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel Johnson's Eternal Return
By Martin Riker

This is a first novel – and a very strange book. It begins with the youth, Samuel Johnson, explaining how he was brought up in a quasi-mennonite town called Unityville, PA. Until his teen years Samuel had no exposure to the greater world, including television. When he is lured by an older mennonite to watch television, he discovers a whole new world. Also lured into this rule-breaking is Emily, a young woman in his community.

As things progress, Samuel and Emily discover more than television, and as a result they are forced to marry when Emily becomes pregnant. Not unhappy with the situation, their love is going well until Emily dies giving birth to their son, Samuel Johnson Jr. Over his head and alone, Samuel is doing his best to raise his son.

One day, a drifter happens by and attempts to kidnap the child. In the scuffle that ensues, Samuel Sr. is shot dead. He finds his dead self – his soul if you will – trapped in the body of his killer. Thus begins his trials trying to get back to his son, as first one host, then others, die off and he is trapped in other bodies.

Throughout his life as a ghostly presence, Samuel experiences a wide range of lives – some compatible, some abhorrent. And parallel to his life experiences, Samuel follows the development of television.

The evolution of Samuel's thoughts and goals, while very strange, leaves the reader with many ideas to ponder. This would not be a book for everybody, but for a serious reader it is a feast.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man is shot and killed in a random act of violence, but instead of an afterlife, finds that his consciousness enters the body of his killer. When his killer is himself killed (not a spoiler; this happens within paragraphs), his consciousness enters the next nearest person. And on it goes through the latter half of the 20th century, with Samuel Johnson narrating from inside each new “vessel” and only his senses of sight and sound in tact. He does have a goal — to get back to the 3 year old son he managed to save from a similar fate the night of his own death — but his means of getting there are confounding at best, uncooperative at worst.

Riker’s clever debut novel takes its name both from the literal nature of Johnson’s purgatory as well as the philosophical theory of “eternal return,” which is explained towards the story’s climax. The structure of the book is naturally episodic, which is fitting given how the evolution of American television figures prominently throughout the novel. This set-up, not dissimilar to hero’s journey’s of old, means that there will be ups and downs; some episodes are livelier than others, but Riker keeps things interesting by adding a few twists to his premise and ending with a largely satisfying finale. The journey may matter more than the destination, but Riker successfully nails both.

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a singular book and reading experience that I highly recommend. This quietly experimental novel has a science fiction element that, along with a power (not a super power), determines the novel’s structure and the narrator’s singular relationship with the subjects of his narration. Otherwise, it is not a science fiction novel. It feels genreless rather than a mixture of genres. If one had to pick a genre for it, I would choose the episodic quest, but the quest is for a person (who is not lost, at least as we think of "lost") and the obstacles to overcome are also people

The twists are, for the most part, emotional rather than plot-oriented. This is not a novel of character and depth, but it is a literary novel. In part, it is also a history of American television, in a peculiar way, in several ways. Not everything Riker does works, but there is so much that does. It’s sad that this wonderfully odd work did not find a larger audience. It is available as an inexpensive e-book, at least as of the writing of this review. A 4.5.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh? I wasn't sure I'd like this story when I started it, since I'm not much for sci-fi, but I wanted to give it a try. I was mildly interested throughout, though there were passages (Abram's letter, Henry's book chapter, his professor's dissertation) that I felt were a bit self-indulgent - like these were small writing exercises the author had written, but couldn't have made anything out of on their own, so he wove them into this novel. Overall, it was pretty good. I liked the "voice" of Samuel and found myself intrigued as to what would happen next, though as I got to the end, I found myself equal parts wanting it to wrap up and realizing I wasn't sure how you wrap up this kind of storyline. In the end, I'd say it was OK. I wouldn't heartily recommend it, but I found it a unique synopsis compared to more common/popular fiction.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a curious book. At times it was obsessively boring. (These were the parts talking about television which went on and on far beyond making the point. Also the parts where the character complains about how dull and boring he is!) It had a good ending and didn't cheat the reader out of accomplishing the protagonist's goal, like I really thought it would, given how all previous attempts had ended. I did not like how sneering the main character often was towards the people whose bodies he inhabited, but their lives were interesting and varied. I suppose the sneering parts are the reason the jacket review calls the book humorous. The book is unevenly entertaining. It is very well written and that was a pleasure to experience and the main reason I finished it.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was difficult to get through. The concept was very interesting but I was bored by the events in the story.

There are moments of philosophical interest, but too many pages spent ruminating on television and the mundane lives that so many people live. While that might be an interesting topic to discuss, it's not material I want to spend much time with in a novel.

I wouldn't recommend this, unless you're especially interested in philosophy.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, even more than the Guest Lecture which was also great. His writing is a pleasure, and his description of television shows is a fun, modern way to describe passage of time. And that’s just a sideline to the main story, which is clever and engaging. I suppose it could have been one character shorter, but as it is it’s a fairly quick read. The ending is perfect, just enough, not too much, and brought a tear to my eye.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first chapter of this debut novel. Great insights into family, fatherhood and television, which continue throughout. Then it began to soar and plunge at various rates. But excellent writing was to be had all along the way. And then, halfway through the last paragraph, I had a bit of a welling of the eyes. Very much worth the read. Congrats, Martin. Looking forward to reading your newly published second novel.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though rambling a bit at times, I loved the tone and sense of humor this one presented. It was odd, and I like odd, but also witty and funny while creating and describing these very different people and the worlds in which they existed, whether for a few paragraphs or a few chapters. A quick and pleasant read.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A uneducated unspoiled man is murdered and his soul? essence? being? moves into another body. That one dies, repeat; repeat. He's just a passenger in these bodies until he learns to take advantage of drunkenness.

The reviews were intriguing. I missed something. Boring. BORING!

[Brandee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me a long time to read simply because the narrator, Samuel, kept getting on my nerves. Don't keep starting a story then saying "I'll get to that bit later" tell me the bits now! A really cool concept and plot, but I didn't like the narration style.

[Beth Cain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Portions of the writing were very engaging and funny, but I skimmed all of the sections about old tv shows I barely know. There wasn’t enough to make me care about Samuel Johnson or his hosts for the most part. I gave up and skipped to the end. Good idea for a book though.

[Susan Starbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised this funny, smart, and philosophical novel didn't catch my eye when it first came out. I read the Guest Lecture and marveled at Riker's ability to get inside the head of an insomniac woman, so was not surprised by SJ's soul's ability to invade others' bodies . . .

[Dane Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange but wonderful and often very funny book, unlike pretty much anything I’ve ever read. Closest analog is George Sanders’s “Lincoln in the Bardo,” which came out shortly before this and which I found equally hilarious.