Riverworld: Difference between revisions

{{tropework}}

''Riverworld'' is a novel series by [[Philip Jose Farmer|Philip José Farmer]] detailing the adventures of humanity in a world reshaped into one long a river-valley. All humans that have ever been born are mysteriously restored to life with a body in its prime, and left to live in this world. There are no ores to make tools more advanced than Paleolithic, so humans are incapable of getting to the other side of the mountains that block the sides of the river. Humans that are killed awaken the next day somewhere else on the river.

The novels are told from the perspective of different characters, the first is centered around [[Richard Burton (author)|Sir Richard Francis Burton]] and the second; [[Mark Twain (Creator)|Samuel Langhorn Clemens]].

There was also a [[GURPS]] setting adapting the novels; (copies of it were given to the writers of the anthology stories as references),. There were andalso two adaptations on the [[Sy FySyfy]] Channel.; Asideaside from the basic concepts, neither had much to do with the original.

* [[Ascend to Aa Higher Plane of Existence]]: What the Second Chancers and Ethicals believe happens to ''[[Our Souls Are Different|wathans]]'' that "Go On".

* [[Earth -That -Was]]: Obliterated by [[Humanoid Aliens|Humanoid]] [[Aliens Are Bastards|Aliens]].

* [[In the Past Everyone Will Be Famous]]: The spirit of this trope is present. Every human who has ever lived is resurrected on an alien planet, upwards of 10 billion people, and yet the protagonists keep running into notable historical figures, like [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Liddell:Alice Liddell|Alice Liddel]], [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G:Hermann G%C3%B6ring |Hermann Göring]], and [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Clemens:Sam Clemens|Mark Twain]].

* [[Literary Allusion Title]]: ''To Your Scattered Bodies Go'' (from [[John Donne (Creator)|John Donne]]'s "Holy Sonnet VII")

The [[Sci Fi ChannelSyfy]] made two pilots for a possible television series -- one in 2003, the other in 2010.

* [[Big Bad]]: [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Nero |Emperor Nero]] in the first adaptation, and [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pizarro:Francisco Pizarro|Francisco Pizarro]] in the second. Given that King John is just a walk-on role in ''[[Robin Hood]]'' to most Americans this isn't surprising.

{{quote| '''Ellman:''' Is this another one of their chess games?<br />

'''Male Ethereal:''' ''(appearing)'' Chess. One of my favourites.<br />

'''Female Ethereal:''' ''(appearing)'' Mine too.<br />

'''Male Ethereal:''' Your move.<br />

* [[Colony Drop]]: What causes [[The End of the World Asas We Know It]] in 2003.

* [[Gladiator Games]]: (2003) Nero is captured and placed in the arena to fight to the death. Unfortunately he's in his element (a case of [[Did Not Do the Research]] as Nero entered the arena to race chariots) and not only quickly defeats his opponent, but also the local [[Big Bad]], [[You Kill It, You Bought It|taking his throne]]. In the 2010 movie Burton thinks this is the true purpose of Riverworld.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: For ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' fans -- Helo and Gaeta.

** For the 2010 adaptation, [[Highlander (TV series)|Methos]] is Sir Richard Francis Burton.

* [[Naked Onon Revival]]: Averted in 2010 where everyone crawls out of the river in the clothes they died in, but not in the first adaptation.

{{quote| "If you had seen what I'd seen, your eyes would be dead too."}}

* [[Storming the Castle]]: The 2010 movie has a scene involving jumping from a burning [[Zeppelins Fromfrom Another World|zeppelin]] onto the deck of the ''Not for Hire'' to battle Burton's men. The sequence is rather underwhelming.

[[Category:TropeGURPS Settings]]