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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Well written, but inconsistently paced. Sadly, there isn't an ending in sight, but an infinite series of books (FML).
This isn't a perfect book, but it still deserves 5 stars. It's easy to overlook it for being, first and foremost, dated. This is a 1972 Hugo Award Winner that is no longer in print. It beat out The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin AND Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey. The cover art feels very 1970's SciFi. And yet within it's pages, there is something that has become scarce in modern Sc-iFi/Fantasy... it is original.
The premise revolves around explorer Richard Francis Burton, who wakes up at age 25 (after dying at age 69), nude, hairless, and surrounded by bodies. He sees the moment of resurrection, and wakes at the edge of a river. Every person who has ever lived on earth has been returned, and no one is receiving the afterlife they expected. The world they live in is governed by strange rules, and settled along millions of miles of a river, where occupants of every era congregate and create new societies. Meanwhile, Burton searches for the truth of their sudden return to a strange life.
There are things I can nitpick about it. The passage of time in the book is difficult to follow and stilted. Often, the plot can be confusing. But it does something incredibly well that many modern books cannot, and that was to find a way to pose complex philosophical and ethical quandaries without becoming preachy, judgmental, or biased. I am excited to continue the series and see where it goes, and likely the hardest part will be finding the books.
The premise revolves around explorer Richard Francis Burton, who wakes up at age 25 (after dying at age 69), nude, hairless, and surrounded by bodies. He sees the moment of resurrection, and wakes at the edge of a river. Every person who has ever lived on earth has been returned, and no one is receiving the afterlife they expected. The world they live in is governed by strange rules, and settled along millions of miles of a river, where occupants of every era congregate and create new societies. Meanwhile, Burton searches for the truth of their sudden return to a strange life.
There are things I can nitpick about it. The passage of time in the book is difficult to follow and stilted. Often, the plot can be confusing. But it does something incredibly well that many modern books cannot, and that was to find a way to pose complex philosophical and ethical quandaries without becoming preachy, judgmental, or biased. I am excited to continue the series and see where it goes, and likely the hardest part will be finding the books.
Interesting concept, less interesting execution of it.
All that you could want from a classic SF novel, and it certainly deserves that status. I enjoyed it so much that I almost continued on in the series despite the overwhelming advice to just stop.
As many others have said, the premise is what drives this book. The idea of the billions of people who have populated the planet all coming back to life at the same time is a fascinating idea. How would different people interact, what ideas would form, and so on. The group Farmer has pulled together is also an interesting one- explorer Richard Francis Burton, Alice Liddell of Alice in Wonderland fame, a Holocaust survivor and a Neanderthal.
The world Farmer has built is both scintillating and disappointing. Much time is given into explaining how people get food, luxuries, and later, clothing. But time passes by so rapidly, and I can't help but wonder if at some point Farmer just wanted to get on with it and decided to skip all the necessary in-between. This could have been done much better, in my opinion.
What gets the rating for me, though, is the premise. This is what drives the story. Farmer also released several sequels (as well as a shared universe series), and so I wonder if perhaps the timing was improved in later novels. I suppose I shall have to wait andsee read!
The world Farmer has built is both scintillating and disappointing. Much time is given into explaining how people get food, luxuries, and later, clothing. But time passes by so rapidly, and I can't help but wonder if at some point Farmer just wanted to get on with it and decided to skip all the necessary in-between. This could have been done much better, in my opinion.
What gets the rating for me, though, is the premise. This is what drives the story. Farmer also released several sequels (as well as a shared universe series), and so I wonder if perhaps the timing was improved in later novels. I suppose I shall have to wait and
An incredibly fascinating premise. Somewhat awkward execution with all the focus on sex. Interesting idea to make an actual historic figure the MC.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would like to eventually continue reading this series but I don’t have time right now. TOO MANY BOOKS!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes