Rating: 
Summary: Rewards the patient
Review: "The Dark Design" is a lot like "The Godfather, Part II" -- when you first read it, you don't care much for it. But then as time passes and you think about it and/or re-read it, you realize that not only does it not stink, but it's probably the best in the series. There's not much plot advancement in terms of the overall series, but what we DO have is an overall look at the Riverworld, Farmer's greatest creation. Think about it: you've been resurrected on a world where all your physical needs are taken care of, but there are almost no metal resources and the nearest answers are millions of miles of sailing away. What would everyday life be like in such a place? What would become of humanity? And what kind of person would seek those answers? This is why the various characterizations in the book fascinate me -- with dozens of characters in the book (and billions on the Riverworld), it's easy to forget what's so fascinating about the premise of Riverworld: every single inhabitant has at least one full lifetime behind them. (And to those who disagree, you at least have to admit that the Welsh poetry thesis defense story is priceless. :o) To those who complain that nothing interesting happens, I say that PLENTY of interesting things happen -- they simply happen to be subtle. I'll admit to being biased -- I like subtlety and characterization in my novels. If you are a purely casual/surface level reader, or are simply impatient to see how things turn out, then you can safely skip this book and pick up "The Magic Labyrinth." You can pick up most of what plot development you missed, and you can always come back to this one later. But if you're patient, thoughtful, and want to find the real Riverworld, then this book is a must-read. ~DH
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't keep up with the first two, a large disapointment.
Review: 3rd book, and the worst. The main character for a lot of the book though not all is a woman named Jill Guilbirra. She is an ex-dirigible pilot. The main plot of this story is that after Clemens leaves the town where the metal ore is, (there is still some left after he built his boat.) the people left there decide to build a Dirigible to get to the headwaters of the river which would be much faster. As noted by other reviewers this novel is the first time the Author doesn't stay focused on one person the whole time. Even though Jill is for the most part the main character towards the middle and end the book skips to the viewpoint of others, this in itself isn't bad. After awhile the story becomes split up pretty evenly between Jill, Burton, and Clemens. This is nice because Jill is especially irritating with her whiny feminism that could only be an enjoyable read to a like-minded feminist. But it's nice to see Burton again and it's interesting to see how Clemens is doing. The plot itself is pretty boring. The Author states in the preface that "The Dark Design" and the following book "The Magic Labyrinth" were meant to be one book, but it was too long so he split it up into two. Well it shows because "The Dark Design" is where everything interesting is being set up to happen, or waiting to happen and "The Magic Labyrinth" is where everything interesting finally happens. Another folly of "The Dark Design" is that as stated in many other reviews there start to appear some discrepancies in the story line. The example of the height of the cliffs in the valleys has been used. The author accounts for the change as a matter of false perception on the part of people. Of course these little slips aren't anything compared to the ridiculous ones in the next two books. Yet ANOTHER problem with "The Dark Design" is that by the end of the book it seems quite probable that characters that previously had a definite origin had there pasts changed at that last minute so they could be used in different parts of the story. A good example of this is Firebrass it simply did not seem likely to me about the secret he had. There was definitely no evidence of this in the previous book where he first appears, "The Fabulous Riverboat." I gave this book two stars because it is at least one step up from utter drivel, but the truth is it's not a very large step and you may find your self skipping alot of pages to get to the end so that you can read the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't keep up with the first two, a large disapointment.
Review: 3rd book, and the worst. The main character for a lot of the book though not all is a woman named Jill Guilbirra. She is an ex-dirigible pilot. The main plot of this story is that after Clemens leaves the town where the metal ore is, (there is still some left after he built his boat.) the people left there decide to build a Dirigible to get to the headwaters of the river which would be much faster. As noted by other reviewers this novel is the first time the Author doesn't stay focused on one person the whole time. Even though Jill is for the most part the main character towards the middle and end the book skips to the viewpoint of others, this in itself isn't bad. After awhile the story becomes split up pretty evenly between Jill, Burton, and Clemens. This is nice because Jill is especially irritating with her whiny feminism that could only be an enjoyable read to a like-minded feminist. But it's nice to see Burton again and it's interesting to see how Clemens is doing. The plot itself is pretty boring. The Author states in the preface that "The Dark Design" and the following book "The Magic Labyrinth" were meant to be one book, but it was too long so he split it up into two. Well it shows because "The Dark Design" is where everything interesting is being set up to happen, or waiting to happen and "The Magic Labyrinth" is where everything interesting finally happens. Another folly of "The Dark Design" is that as stated in many other reviews there start to appear some discrepancies in the story line. The example of the height of the cliffs in the valleys has been used. The author accounts for the change as a matter of false perception on the part of people. Of course these little slips aren't anything compared to the ridiculous ones in the next two books. Yet ANOTHER problem with "The Dark Design" is that by the end of the book it seems quite probable that characters that previously had a definite origin had there pasts changed at that last minute so they could be used in different parts of the story. A good example of this is Firebrass it simply did not seem likely to me about the secret he had. There was definitely no evidence of this in the previous book where he first appears, "The Fabulous Riverboat." I gave this book two stars because it is at least one step up from utter drivel, but the truth is it's not a very large step and you may find your self skipping alot of pages to get to the end so that you can read the next book.
Rating:
Summary: The Dark Design (River saga # 3)
Review: After reading the ratings that were left here for the Riverworld Serie's, I felt there was a need to write my opinion. I read the first books over 20 years ago, and they are still heavy in my memory. I still imagine different things on occasion. With Philip Jose Pharmer you have to have a more than a vivid imagination as he does not explain everything at the time you may want it. Which makes the storie's even more awesome than I can explain. The first Book I read by him was, 'Dark Is The Sun' so had to read everything I could find after that. The words these folks have left about the 'Riverworld Series' are very differant than mine. I can still remember the vivid charachters, and machines they disigned. The way the food came. The way most incredible thoughts of life, death, and the incredible seeking of truth by the same folks that traveled, and discovered many things on our planet before. And how the series relates to our world!! Oh, this series is good but don't expect every little detail to be explained. You need to remember the details as they deffinatelty come back like puzzle pieces in a windstorm. Pharmer is my favorite sci fi fantasy writer. All his books give the imagination a work out. If you dont want to have to remember, and think about what happened before read something else, as allot of the sci fi fantasy stuff is tight compared to Pharmer. I like some of the other writers also. But am trying to explain, many people expect something from Pharmers books. Pharmer's books seem to expect something from you, and it is a most awesome experience giving, as it is a gift of differant level imagination to ones self.
Rating:
Summary: Down We Go
Review: Call me silly, but I think that the level of the story drops steadily from book one through this one. Now, after the Riverboat is built, dirigibles come into the picture (now why didn;t I think of that!?). Okay, Sam Clemens and his cohorts are hot on the heels of King John the dastardly. Are they going to get him? The enterprising dirigible pilot Jill Gulbirra (of the Clemens lot) finally reaches the mysterious tower at the center of the polar sea. I won;t spoil it for you by giving it away. Let me just tell you that it is ..ahem.. less than revealing. But the absolutely worst sin of this book are the endless parentheses dedicated to Peter Frigate's dreams and reminiscences which say absolutely nothing. At the start of the book, Farmer points out the autobiographical genesis of Frigate's character but he still is (at least so far) a very minor character that simply does not justify the soporific dream sequences.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story but too much extra material
Review: Farmer's third offering in the Riverworld series, while better than "The Fabulous Riverboat" does not hold a candle to "To Your Scattered Bodies Go". The lenghty sections on Frigate's dreams and thoughts certainly hurt the book. They provide no useful information on a character (Frigate) who is not even a main element in the story. Consequently, this detracts from the book. Also, it seems that every time the story gets some momentum, the author breaks away into some discussion of some topic using his characters to voice his own opinions and thoughts. Many writers do this but not so blatantly and to the extent that is done here. For me, I am completely uninterested in the writer's personal philosphies, thoughts and opinions on matters unrelated to the Riverworld series - I just want to read a good story. "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" (the first book in the series) set up one of the best science fiction premises that I have read. The potential for a gripping series is lessened by the lack of momentum and sidetracking found in "The Dark Design". The story is still good but is only slightly advanced in this 450 page book. Few new revelations are made. This book could have been easily decreased by about 150 pages with nothing important being lost.
Rating: 
Summary: I Just Gave Up on this Series
Review: Having read the first two books of this series, I'm now more than halfway through the third. I only rate items as 1 star when I find myself compelled to discard the book during reading. I've read other bad reviews and agree with them. Here's a few items I can add to the list: 1. The author constantly provides both metric and English equivalents when numbers are called for. For example, he mentions the height of a character as "6 feet or 1.8 meters in height." He does this for distances as well--and does it so frequently that one can only imagine that he had a calculator next to his typewriter. Is he trying to teach us the metric system or revive the English system (depending on your point of view)? 2. The irritations continue with colorless biographical data on the characters from history that serves no useful part to creating interest in those characters. While the trick of using characters from history is an interesting technique to provide some connection between our real lives and fiction, and one that helps us get over the hesitation to jump into something totally alien to our experiences, this technique should have been used less once the story line got developed. The focus should have been on the story line and things that would have engaged our emotional interests. 3. For me, the poor continuity, the pulp infusion of dream sequences, and the waiting for action were but three reasons I decided to come to Amazon.com to look at the reviews of the last two books. I sighed on reading the third book would not be improved on by the last two books....
Rating: 
Summary: A grand follow-up to The Fabulous Riverboat
Review: I became a PJF fan in the years between this book and the Fab. Riverboat. It was a tough wait, then I saw it show up in the bookstores. Wow!.. Mr Farmer did a fine job in writing this book and in keeping the reader's attention. He went into such character depth that they became "real", even those based on real persons. He did quite a job of writing himself as the character of Peter Frigate. The daunting task of building a dirigible, the nightmares of Clemens, the voyage of the Rex and the Ra and the Snark, all kept me daydreaming of the journey up the mighty River. I could hardly sit still the next 4 years until The Magic Labyrinth finally came out.
Rating:
Summary: A let down after the first two volumes
Review: I first read the Riverworld series more than 20 years ago, and have just now completed a second reading. "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" is still my favorite of the set, but I enjoyed "The Dark Design" much more than I did the first time. Frigate's reveries were quite interesting this second time around. Characterization was never Farmer's strong suit, but he does a better job in this volume than any of the others, and in general the writing in this one seems more polished than the others. With one glaring exception: his bizarre use of the metric system. NOBODY will ever estimate anything as 16.1 kilometers across. Call it ten miles, or call it 16 km, but leave out the decimal points, please.
Rating:
Summary: My return to Riverworld
Review: I first read the Riverworld series more than 20 years ago, and have just now completed a second reading. "To Your Scattered Bodies Go" is still my favorite of the set, but I enjoyed "The Dark Design" much more than I did the first time. Frigate's reveries were quite interesting this second time around. Characterization was never Farmer's strong suit, but he does a better job in this volume than any of the others, and in general the writing in this one seems more polished than the others. With one glaring exception: his bizarre use of the metric system. NOBODY will ever estimate anything as 16.1 kilometers across. Call it ten miles, or call it 16 km, but leave out the decimal points, please.
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