The Fabulous Riverboat

Riverworld Saga, Book 2

By: Philip José Farmer

Narrated by: Paul Hecht

The second entry in the Riverworld series, The Fabulous Riverboat tells of a world where all of humanity has been mysteriously resurrected on the banks of one mighty river. Samuel Clemens (a.k.a.Mark Twain) is tasked with finding a fallen meteorite and using its ore to build a massive riverboat. But in order to succeed, he'll have to outwit some of history's most nefarious villains.©1971 Philip José Farmer (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Unimpressive follow on

This book was a disappointment, especially compared to the first book. Too many things felt forced. The ending also either cried out for a sequel, or caused the reader to lose interest. For me, it was the latter.

Poor science and arbitrary character development..

This book had potential, but the author became just as enamored with this impossible riverboat as his protagonist did. And when you see how pointless that all was by the end, it leaves you feeling as though you wasted a credit on a story that did not advance the larger Riverworld narrative. I wish I'd skipped this one entirely.

Specific issues: The riverboat's assets and amenities make no sense without a large, industrial civilization. Samuel Clemens is not used to any great effect, his character seems to be little more than a cheap method for the author to make constant quips. The smartest character in the story is a protohuman. This book lessened the larger mystery by placing it in such an ungrounded context. The only major developments dealing with the "Ethicals" bring nothing that wasn't already given at the end of the first novel.

great series

been a philip Jose farmer fan for a while and still love his work. thanks!

Good Follow-up

In this installment of the Riverworld series, Farmer goes for somewhat of a reboot. Instead of following Richard Burton, this book focuses on Samuel Clemens and his struggle to also reach the head of the world-spanning river. The motivation for this comes from another (or the same?) "Ethical", who tells Sam that he is one of twelve that must reach the river's head in order to unravel the mystery of the Riverworld.

The "Ethical" points Sam to an area where the materials to build a riverboat can be found, and here lies the bulk of the book- the struggle to build the Riverboat. This means dealing with some of histories baddies and the ills of society while overcoming the shortcomings of the world in which they are placed.

The book is a little slow in the beginning as it needs to build relationships set up the plot. However, once it becomes engrossing--and it does--the sense of adventure that was prevalent in the first book comes back in force. Part of this is due to another great reading by Paul Hecht, who uses just the right smattering of accents for the characters. In fact, the book finishes on such a high note, I again find myself wishing the third book were available for download.

Great sequel to first book

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the first book - it created a really interesting world that has a lot of potential for exploration of the various peoples of human history. Fascinating concept and pretty good implementation so far. Loved it.