The Dark Design

The Dark Design - Riverworld Book 3 by Philip Jose Farmer Book 3 in the Riverworld series, The Dark Design, is a complete departure from the previous two volumes: The Fabulous Riverboat - Book 2 and To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Book 1. The first two books were very good action-adventure science fiction novels. This book utilized the same background and some of the characters from the previous volumes but is primarily a series of philosophical essays and thinly disguised biographical sketches from the author's life experiences. Interspaced are bits and pieces of the Riverworld story line with several chapters at the end propelling the narrative to a cliff hanging ending. Some readers will be frustrated by what appears to be Farmer's long ramblings before the story line is picked up again, and then dropped. The author anticipated this with his forward where he tells us that he wrote what would amount to over 800 pages to conclude this part of his Riverworld story. Having read this book I could red pencil out about 100 pages and it would read better and the story would be a lot more interesting - for general readers. I suspect the author and the published decided to print the whole darn thing because of Farmer's stature as one the better writers in the field. I am a fan of Farmer and have read most of his SF novels. I know some of his biography and I enjoyed every pages of this book. I do believe that casual readers may be disappointed by, what would appear to be, meandering excursions from the main story line. Of great interest to me is that author Farmer includes himself as one of the main characters. I am not making this up - in the forward Farmer states "it is true that I am the basis for that character": Peter Jairus Frigate. I rated this novel 5 stars, but I can understand why others would rate it with less stars.

Unlike most readers of his novel, I came across The Dark Design by accident. I had no idea about who Philip Farmer was, and had never read any of the other Riverworld books. I read the novel and was very pleased and so moved by it that it inspired me to try to write a sci fi novel of my own that was loosely based on his concept. Unfortunately, I read the book like 4 years ago and can't add any specific details about why I liked it so much, but I'll just say that I loved the book and it awakened a part of me that I knew nothing about at the time.

"The Dark Design" is a lot like "The Godfather, Part II" -- when you first read it, you don't care much for it. But then as time passes and you think about it and/or re-read it, you realize that not only does it not stink, but it's probably the best in the series. There's not much plot advancement in terms of the overall series, but what we DO have is an overall look at the Riverworld, Farmer's greatest creation. Think about it: you've been resurrected on a world where all your physical needs are taken care of, but there are almost no metal resources and the nearest answers are millions of miles of sailing away. What would everyday life be like in such a place? What would become of humanity? And what kind of person would seek those answers? This is why the various characterizations in the book fascinate me -- with dozens of characters in the book (and billions on the Riverworld), it's easy to forget what's so fascinating about the premise of Riverworld: every single inhabitant has at least one full lifetime behind them. (And to those who disagree, you at least have to admit that the Welsh poetry thesis defense story is priceless. :o) To those who complain that nothing interesting happens, I say that PLENTY of interesting things happen -- they simply happen to be subtle.I'll admit to being biased -- I like subtlety and characterization in my novels. If you are a purely casual/surface level reader, or are simply impatient to see how things turn out, then you can safely skip this book and pick up "The Magic Labyrinth." You can pick up most of what plot development you missed, and you can always come back to this one later. But if you're patient, thoughtful, and want to find the real Riverworld, then this book is a must-read. ~DH

After reading the ratings that were left here for the Riverworld Serie's, I felt there was a need to write my opinion. I read the first books over 20 years ago, and they are still heavy in my memory. I still imagine different things on occasion. With Philip Jose Pharmer you have to have a more than a vivid imagination as he does not explain everything at the time you may want it. Which makes the storie's even more awesome than I can explain. The first Book I read by him was, 'Dark Is The Sun' so had to read everything I could find after that. The words these folks have left about the 'Riverworld Series' are very differant than mine. I can still remember the vivid charachters, and machines they disigned. The way the food came. The way most incredible thoughts of life, death, and the incredible seeking of truth by the same folks that traveled, and discovered many things on our planet before. And how the series relates to our world!! Oh, this series is good but don't expect every little detail to be explained. You need to remember the details as they deffinatelty come back like puzzle pieces in a windstorm. Pharmer is my favorite sci fi fantasy writer. All his books give the imagination a work out. If you dont want to have to remember, and think about what happened before read something else, as allot of the sci fi fantasy stuff is tight compared to Pharmer. I like some of the other writers also. But am trying to explain, many people expect something from Pharmers books. Pharmer's books seem to expect something from you, and it is a most awesome experience giving, as it is a gift of differant level imagination to ones self.

The Dark Design was the greatest book of the Riverworld Saga. It is a must have book for anyone who is a Philip Jose Farmer fan or anyone who has read any of the other Riverworld book. The Dark Design is science fiction at its best.