The Dark Design

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 th......more

(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 Riv......more

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......more

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 everyon......more

(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:......more