To Your Scattered Bodies GoTo Your Scattered Bodies Go
Score Classic
What it's about
Sir Richard Francis Burton, the Victorian explorer, dies, and wakes up naked on the bank of an endless river, alongside every human who ever lived, all resurrected at the same moment, healthy and young. No one knows who brought them back or why. Burton, joined by a Neanderthal, an alien and others, sets out to find the river's source and the beings behind it.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Hugo Award and began the Riverworld series. Its premise is one of the most audacious in science fiction.
You'll love it if you liked
Ringworld
The Many-Colored Land
Lord of LightGood to know
It's the first of a series and ends with mysteries unsolved. Its attitudes are of the 1970s.
By the numbers
- Readers31 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller21 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #256 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #290 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #502 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1745 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Gripping
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A Drop of Corruption
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Quick answers
Is To Your Scattered Bodies Go worth reading?
Yes. It won the Hugo Award and began the Riverworld series. It ranks #1,745 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is To Your Scattered Bodies Go about?
Sir Richard Francis Burton, the Victorian explorer, dies, and wakes up naked on the bank of an endless river, alongside every human who ever lived, all resurrected at the same moment, healthy and young. No one knows who brought them back or why. Burton, joined by a Neanderthal, an alien and others, sets out to find the river's source and the beings behind it.
How long does it take to read To Your Scattered Bodies Go?
About 6 hours (221 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has To Your Scattered Bodies Go won?
Hugo Award winner (1972).
What should I read after To Your Scattered Bodies Go?
If you liked it, try Ringworld by Larry Niven, The Many-Colored Land by Julian May or Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.