#thefabulousriverboat — Public Fediverse posts

‘The Fabulous Riverboat’ Explores Dangerous Obsession

The Fabulous Riverboat (1971) by Philip José Farmer is not just a sequel in a series. It layers action, intrigue, and philosophy into a story that defies normal expectations. Farmer has a talent for telling stories that take unexpected directions. The Fabulous Riverboat is an excellent example of such a story.

It has been twenty years since Resurection Day on Riverworld and Samuel Clemens continues his search. A search for is wife Livy and more importantly for a source of iron to fulfill his dream. A dream of building a riverboat to sail to the source of the River.

When a meteor strikes Riverworld Sam thinks his dream is about to come true. However, the meteor is only the beginning. Sam is not the one person in search of iron. It is one thing to find the iron. It’s another matter to keep it.

Sam will do anything to keep the iron and build his riverboat. In order to have his boat Sam will make deals with kings, rulers, and scoundrels. For him nothing matters is the riverboat. That and the burning need to get to the source of the River and answer the questions of who ressurrected humanity? Why was it ressurrected and for what purpose?

Riverworld is probably Philip José Farmer’s most famous creation. The idea of billions of people resurrected along the banks of a ten million mile long river is truly unique. The Fabulous Riverboat explores a small portion of that world through the eyes of a man’s obsession. An obsession that raises troubling questions about morality.

The worldbuilding of The Fabulous Riverboat is minimal. Farmer doesn’t waste time in expanding what is already known about this planet. Instead he focuses on deepening the mystery behind Riverworld and its purpose. It is this mystery that drives the overall arc of the plot.

Farmer continues to use real historical figures for his characters. The central protagonist of The Fabulous Riverboat is Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain. However, despite their historical realities, Farmer is very liberal with their established characters.

Foster weaves historical ‘fact’ with fiction. A person’s history is only a starting point. The effect of the ressurrection has varying degrees of effect on people and Foster uses that to explain behaviours and actions. In some cases their previous characteristics are amplified. In others they are altered drastically.

The plot revolves around the mining and keeping of the fallen meteor in order to build Sam’s riverboat. In essence a country arises to protect the meteor and the industries it creates. In a world where all one’s needs are perfectly met the human need to build and explore creates conflict.

As work on the riverboat proceeds Sam continually makes deals and compromises that are often questionable. However, Sam rationalises them because of his blind need to know the truth about Riverworld. He convinces himself that it’s for the greater good regardless of the measureable misery he causes. Sam often claims how progressive he was in his first life and how much further he has come. However, this is just a way for Sam to asuage his increasing guilt. Farmer develops this line of reasoning slowly and by degrees. It is so subtle that some readers may never see the truth of Sam.

The Fabulous Riverboat doesn’t rely solely on philosophical expositions. There are many political and physical dangers to overcome. In a world where death is temporary Farmer still makes events dangerous and compelling. The death of a character is nothing to be taken lightly. And results of large scale conflicts are visibly grim.

Farmer is fearless with both his plot and his characters. This is evident at the climax of the story. Most authors would take the safe and easy approach. Not so with Farmer. At the end of The Fabulous Riverboat there are events that will undoubtedly surprise many readers. It’s this surprise that reveals much about Sam and how obsessive he truly is.

The Fabulous Riverboat is a complex story about what drives us as humans and how we justify those drives. Farmer doesn’t make any apologies for his characters making the story more thoughtful and meaningful. There is plenty of action and no little amount of humour in The Fabulous Riverboat but this just serves to highlight its depth.