So what do you get if you mix a bunch of historical figures with ideas of resurrection, alien overlords, religion, man's inherent inhumanity to man and a study of ethics? Probably one of the most original and astonishing science fiction ideas ever published - and a book series that is in my top twenty of all time.
1971:
The trivia:
- Astronaut Ed Mitchell piloted the Apollo 14 lunar module and was the sixth person to walk on the Moon. He said of his experiences: "From out there...international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch."
- Sizzling grilled meat served with onions and peppers on a flour or corn tortilla. We all know what that is, right? Although the first culinary evidence comes from the ranch lands of Texas in the 1930’s, there is actually no known written documentation of the word "fajitas" prior to…1971.
- After a four and a half month journey, NASA’s Mariner-9 became the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of another planet when it reached Mars on 14th November - only narrowly beating two Soviet probes that arrived weeks later. However, due to a planet-wide dust storm, the entire surface of the planet was obscured, resulting in Mariner-9’s cameras being turned off until mid-January of the following year.
The memory:
To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip José Farmer
At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow
Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise
From death you numberless infinities
Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go.
7th of the "Holy Sonnets" by John Donne
Prolific author Philip José Farmer first appeared in this trawl through my memories when his odd Doc Savage / Tarzan mash-up “A Feast Unknown” got an honourable mention. But now we come to what many consider his most famous series. This was one of those occasional books that I bought on a whim - intrigued by both the cover and the blurb on the back of the paperback. Billed as the first volume in the “magnificent Riverworld" saga”, at the time I didn’t know that this spur of the moment purchase would eventually grow to me reading multiple novels, several collections of short stories and spark a lasting interest in some new historical figures.
Although it came out in 1971, I think I must have originally picked up “Scattered Bodies” in. ..1979? That sounds about right. I do know that once I started, it was a book I simply couldn’t put down and I sped through it in around three days. I was so absorbed by the storyline that I immediately went out to buy the others in the set - only to find that the final (at the time) fourth book had still not been released !
So here's the premise. Millions of years in the future, every single human who has ever lived is resurrected along the banks of an endless winding river. From the earliest Neanderthals through to the 21st century (when 99% of the population was apparently wiped out during a disastrous first contact with aliens from Tau Ceti). They all awaken on the shore naked, but in bodies as they were at age twenty-five - and in perfect health. Lost limbs have reappeared, genetic defects and diseases are all cured. Those who died younger than 25 appear in a body from that point of death (and age up to 25), but there is no one under the age of five and children cannot be conceived. Should an individual "die" due to suicide, an accident, or at the hand of someone else, they just resurrect again at a different place along the river.
Every person appears with a metal container strapped to their wrist which can only be opened by them. When placed in huge mushroom-shaped "grailstones" which are dotted along the riverbank, and charged via a periodic electricity bolt, these "grails" dispense food, drink, cloth - and luxuries such as alcohol, mild drugs, tobacco and "dreamgum" which can induce hallucinations.
At the start there is no technology on this world and metals and ores are almost non-existent. The mountains that rise steeply from the plains are impassable and life exists at a very basic level. But what initially seems like paradise soon turns into anything but, as human greed and violence asserts itself. Thousands of tiny fiefdoms and kingdoms appear along the river - some are peaceful but many are ruled by dictators who put those unfortunate enough to be reborn in their areas into "grail slavery" - giving the poor people only basic rations and keeping the luxuries for themselves.
Into this new and strange existence comes renowned colonial explorer Richard Francis Burton (no relation to the actor). He soon surrounds himself with a disparate group of friends from all eras, which includes Alice Lidell (the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland). Burton is unique because he became concious in the "holding space" before resurrection and has seen a glimpse of the race that created Riverworld. Visited by a mysterious figure, Burton is compelled to take his friends and find the source of this endless river and confront the "Ethicals" in control. After many trials, including being enslaved by the infamous Nazi Herman Göring, Burton finds himself close to being captured by the Ethicals, so kills himself over and over and over again - each time hoping that he will get closer to the secrets of the tower at the headwaters of the river.
Through the course of (what became) five novels, Farmer weaves the adventures of a dozen or more famous faces and people from a vast range of cultures and time periods into his huge sweeping narrative. He even writes himself into the storyline in the guise of author “Peter Jairus Frigate”. The true purpose of the "Ethicals" and their reasons for creating Riverworld are shrouded in mystery and the metaphysical answer challenges everyone's opinions of what it means to be alive. It’s a saga where you definitely need to read the first four books to get the full effect of Farmer's imagination. You could miss out book five and not lose anything from the main plot (even Farmer himself calls it a “sidestream” novel), but it does give some more weight to the philosophical questions being asked across the series as a whole.
As for the main protagonist, Richard Francis Burton was an extraordinary man to choose. A 19th century explorer, translator, soldier, writer, spy and diplomat, who apparently spoke 29 languages, he was also one of the first Europeans to visit Mecca. Translator of the "1,001 Arabian Nights" stories and the "Karma Sutra". Part of the group who discovered the great African lakes while hunting for the source of the Nile. Burton did all these things and much, much more. You can see why Farmer picked him. Learning about him through his fictitious exploits in the novel, I became fascinated with the real person, seeking out books by and about him from my local library (this being in the days before the internet of course). I learned many, many interesting facts through reading Farmer's work.
In the 90s there was an attempt to turn Riverworld into a shared universe anthology series with multiple authors contributing alongside Farmer, but only a couple of volumes made it to shelves before it petered out. There was also a role-playing game rule book and a poorly received video game.
Despite the fantastical setting and the SF concepts that are explored, the novels paint a disturbing picture of mankind. No matter the circumstances, we seem to degenerate into the worst examples of our species. There will always be those who want power and wealth and will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Sadly it appears that Farmer was quite prescient. I can understand some criticisms that the writing is very description-heavy and perhaps veers into a pulp style, but that's okay - as I’ve said before, I've grown to really appreciate that genre. Some may also find the occasional violent scenes unpalatable, but I don't think that it's gratuitous and it's all within the context of the heaven / hell world the author has created.
It is worth mentioning that Farmer also created two other unique fictional settings that are worth looking into. First there is the "World of Tiers" which features a series of artificially created pocket universes and one specifically which contains a planet consisting of cylindrical layers stacked on top of each other to form an enormous cone-shaped tower. The other series is "Dayworld", set in a dystopian future where overpopulation is solved by allowing people to exist for only one day a week - the rest of the time they are in suspended animation. However there are a few individuals who are 'Daybreakers' - living seven different lives across the week and working to destabilise the system. If you like high concept science fiction, Farmer is the man to go for. Some brilliant covers by Chris Foss too.
When I was young and first read them, I found "To You Scattered Bodies Go" and it's sequels to be brilliant pieces of science fiction with plenty to say about the human condition. Despite their age and changing tastes and moralities, I still think the series (and the first book in particular) stand up amazingly well today.
Honourable mentions:
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - a gold-plated, timeless, five-star classic. Roald Dahl hated it, but he’s wrong, the miserable git. With an eccentric yet steely twinkle, Gene Wilder is pitch perfect in the title role (Dahl wanted Spike Milligan apparently. <<shudder>>). A genuinely great supporting cast, plus dancing Oompa-Loompas, catchy songs and hideous children getting their comeuppance adds to the delight. And let’s not forget that nightmarish boat tunnel sequence. How can you not love this film? The Burton “remake” isn't even worthy to shine its shoes - although the recent Timmy Chalamet prequel is surprising good.
- Mr Benn - to a certain generation, the phrase "As if by magic, the Shopkeeper appeared" immediately transports us back to a period when all of space and time was accessible via the door of a changing room. This wasn't "Doctor Who", it was a little man in a bowler hat who went on the most incredible animated adventures (personal favourites are “Wizard” and “Spaceman”). Written and drawn by David McKee and narrated by the soothing voice of Ray Brooks, the nation's children took Mr Benn to their hearts and he became a national institution - images appearing on adverts, posters, T- Shirts and even, in 2024, in “Doctor Who”…
- The World of Val Doonican LP - okay so maybe I’m fudging things here slightly, as this “Best of” album came out around 1968/1969. However I would have been too young to have heard it then, so it gets a place in 1971 when I was four years old. This coincides with my earliest memories of visiting my maternal grandparents in Sudbury, Suffolk. They had a massive “radiogram” that took up a corner of the living room in their cottage - complete with record player - and one of the albums in the cupboard was from good old Val. He was already a staple of Saturday night TV and on rainy weekend visits I’d put the LP on and listen to his smooth voice crooning out such hits as “Ellusive Butterfly” and “Walk Tall” - plus comedy classics “Rafferty’s Motor Car” and “Paddy McGinty’s Goat”. Those songs and that album cover bring back such happy memories from a genuinely golden time.
- Master Mind - no not the brainiac TV quiz show, but the “Invicta” peg based logic game (although many confused the two). Players had to guess the colour and placement of four pegs chosen by their opponent - their only indicator of success being a combination of black or white “feedback” pegs. The idea being that you work out the right combination before running out of turns. It’s more complicated than it sounds, trust me. A staple of kids Christmas presents (probably due to its size and cheapness), “Master Mind” is undoubtedly most famous for the picture on the box of an immaculately groomed bearded man in a suit, shadowed by a beautiful Asian woman. I must have played it for hours with my younger brother and there were multiple variations over the years. Sadly the picture does not depict an international spy and his associate, but the owner of a local chain of hairdressers who lived near the factory and a computer science student from Leicester University !
- Dave Allen At Large - obviously I was far too young to watch the hilarious sketches and monologues from the first few series of this landmark show, but as the years went by and I was allowed to stay up later, I became a huge fan. Dave’s relaxed style, perched on a stool, smoking away and sipping on a whiskey (actually ginger ale) was one of my formative experiences with comedy. I loved it as he appeared to get angrier and angrier. Never afraid to poke holes in the absurdities of life and the pomposity of religion, his routines were masterclasses in both timing and delivery - and laugh out loud funny both then and now.
- Madman Across the Water by Elton John - not one of Reg’s best albums commercially, but boy does it have a bunch of songs that have stood the test of time, especially to my ears. I’ll always listen to the title track, plus standouts “ Levon” and “Indian Summer”, but it’s the 6 minutes and 17 seconds of the sublime “Tiny Dancer” that sits in the highest reaches of my favourite EJ music - especially after its brilliant use in the 2000 film “Almost Famous”. Now that’s a movie I will definitely come to…
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