The Magic Labyrinth (Riverworld #4) (1980)

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by Philip Jose Farmer



This is the final novel of Farmer's original Riverworld cycle. 



Like the rest of the series, it is audacious, often fascinating, but also very problematic.

 


"Labyrinth" is often long-winded and unwieldy, particularly in the beginning.

 


But everything comes together as the rival riverboats commanded by archenemies Sam Clemens and John Lackland meet for their final confrontation, after which the survivors struggle on to gain entrance to the mysterious tower in the North Sea.

 


The battle and the final leg of the journey are well-written and full of adventure and mystery. 



However, once they gain entrance to the tower, the story becomes dull and stagnant.

 

"The Magical Labyrinth" (Italian)

The nature of the Ethicals, their struggle, and the truth about the human soul are presented in a series of interminable conversations.

 

"The Magic Labyrinth" (French)

It is very unsatisfying, after having made the commitment to reading over a thousand pages of this series, to have it resolved with the introduction of a character who simply explains away all of the mysteries.

 

"The Magic Labyrinth" (Spanish)

Also, by the time the series ends, Farmer has killed off the majority of his most interesting characters, often in rather off-handed ways that are at odds with the attention, detail, and craft that went into developing them in the first place.

 

Philip Jose Farmer

Of the final band that reaches the tower, most are relatively minor characters that I really didn't care about and whose personalities had not been well-developed.

 

"The Magical Labyrinth" (German)

In my opinion, the Riverworld series has turned out to be quite a disappointment.

 

"A Magical Labyrinth" (Czech)

It does not live up to the high reputation that it has garnered within the SF community.


"Magic Maze" (Polish)

"The Magic Labyrinth" (Romanian)

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