
The Dark Design
Riverworld Saga, Book 3
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $25.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Paul Hecht
About this listen
Years have passed on Riverworld. Entire nations have risen, and savage wars have been fought—all since the dead of Earth found themselves resurrected in their magnificent new homeworld. Yet, the truth about the Ethicals, the powerful engineers of this mysterious "afterlife," remains unknown. But a curious cross-section of humanity is determined to change that situation…at any cost.
Intrepid explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton leads the most remarkable voyage of discovery he has ever undertaken. Hot on his heels are Samuel Clemens, King John of England, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Spurred by the promise of ultimate answers, they chart a course across the vast polar sea—and toward the awesome tower that looms above it. But getting there will be more than half the battle. For death on Riverworld has become chillingly final....
Listen to more of the Riverworld Saga.©1977 Philip José Farmer (P)2010 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Riverworld Saga, Book 1
- By: Philip José Farmer
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Along with a remarkable group of compatriots, including Alice Liddell Hargreaves (the Victorian girl who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland), an English-speaking Neanderthal, a WWII Holocaust survivor, and a wise extraterrestrial, Burton sets sail on the magnificent river. His mission: to confront humankind's mysterious benefactors, and learn the true purpose—innocent or evil—of the Riverworld....
-
-
Great concept, dated writing.
- By Battaglia on 08-04-11
-
The Solar War
- Siege of Terra: The Horus Heresy, Book 1
- By: John French
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After seven years of bitter war, the end has come at last for the conflict known infamously as the Horus Heresy. Terra now lies within the Warmaster’s sights, the Throneworld and the seat of his father’s rule. Horus’ desire is nothing less than the death of the Emperor of Mankind and the utter subjugation of the Imperium. He has become the ascendant vessel of Chaos and amassed a terrible army with which to enact his will and vengeance. But the way to the Throne will be hard as the primarch Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian and protector of Terra, marshals the defences.
-
-
Too Much of Too Much
- By Sam Caldis on 07-05-19
By: John French
-
Ringworld
- By: Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Tom Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Ringworld, an intermediate step between Dyson Spheres and planets. The gravitational force created by a rotation on its axis of 770 miles per second means no need for a roof. Walls 1,000 miles high at each rim will let in the sun and prevent much air from escaping. Larry Niven's novel, Ringworld, is the winner of the 1970 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 1970 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 1972 Ditmars, an Australian award for Best International Science Fiction.
-
-
Genuinely Creative
- By Kennet on 05-25-03
By: Larry Niven
-
Convergence
- Convergence, Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My name is Kazimir Wolfe. People call me "Kaz", except they don’t. I never use my real name; it’s too dangerous, for me and for anyone I meet. I’m on the run from the law, who think I killed my aunt, and from whoever did kill her, because they want to finish the job. So, I move around a lot, working construction or whatever job I can find. It’s a lonely life. I don’t let anyone get close...people who get close to me end up dead. Why? I’m a wizard. The world’s only wizard, as far as I know.
-
-
How did this get passed an editor?
- By Joseph on 08-03-22
By: Craig Alanson
-
Methuselah's Children
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the fall of the American Ayatollahs as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land and chronicled in Revolt in 2100, the United States of America at last fulfills the promise inherent in its first Revolution: for the first time in human history there is a nation with Liberty and Justice for All. No one may seize or harm the person or property of another, or invade his privacy, or force him to do his bidding. Americans are fiercely proud of their re-won liberties and the blood it cost them; nothing could make them forswear those truths they hold self-evident. Nothing except the promise of immortality…
-
-
A delight to revisit a science fiction classic
- By Anne on 02-16-13
-
The Lathe of Heaven
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George's dreams for his own purposes.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Adrienne R. on 11-23-18
-
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Riverworld Saga, Book 1
- By: Philip José Farmer
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Along with a remarkable group of compatriots, including Alice Liddell Hargreaves (the Victorian girl who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland), an English-speaking Neanderthal, a WWII Holocaust survivor, and a wise extraterrestrial, Burton sets sail on the magnificent river. His mission: to confront humankind's mysterious benefactors, and learn the true purpose—innocent or evil—of the Riverworld....
-
-
Great concept, dated writing.
- By Battaglia on 08-04-11
-
The Solar War
- Siege of Terra: The Horus Heresy, Book 1
- By: John French
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After seven years of bitter war, the end has come at last for the conflict known infamously as the Horus Heresy. Terra now lies within the Warmaster’s sights, the Throneworld and the seat of his father’s rule. Horus’ desire is nothing less than the death of the Emperor of Mankind and the utter subjugation of the Imperium. He has become the ascendant vessel of Chaos and amassed a terrible army with which to enact his will and vengeance. But the way to the Throne will be hard as the primarch Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian and protector of Terra, marshals the defences.
-
-
Too Much of Too Much
- By Sam Caldis on 07-05-19
By: John French
-
Ringworld
- By: Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Tom Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to Ringworld, an intermediate step between Dyson Spheres and planets. The gravitational force created by a rotation on its axis of 770 miles per second means no need for a roof. Walls 1,000 miles high at each rim will let in the sun and prevent much air from escaping. Larry Niven's novel, Ringworld, is the winner of the 1970 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 1970 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 1972 Ditmars, an Australian award for Best International Science Fiction.
-
-
Genuinely Creative
- By Kennet on 05-25-03
By: Larry Niven
-
Convergence
- Convergence, Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My name is Kazimir Wolfe. People call me "Kaz", except they don’t. I never use my real name; it’s too dangerous, for me and for anyone I meet. I’m on the run from the law, who think I killed my aunt, and from whoever did kill her, because they want to finish the job. So, I move around a lot, working construction or whatever job I can find. It’s a lonely life. I don’t let anyone get close...people who get close to me end up dead. Why? I’m a wizard. The world’s only wizard, as far as I know.
-
-
How did this get passed an editor?
- By Joseph on 08-03-22
By: Craig Alanson
-
Methuselah's Children
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the fall of the American Ayatollahs as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land and chronicled in Revolt in 2100, the United States of America at last fulfills the promise inherent in its first Revolution: for the first time in human history there is a nation with Liberty and Justice for All. No one may seize or harm the person or property of another, or invade his privacy, or force him to do his bidding. Americans are fiercely proud of their re-won liberties and the blood it cost them; nothing could make them forswear those truths they hold self-evident. Nothing except the promise of immortality…
-
-
A delight to revisit a science fiction classic
- By Anne on 02-16-13
-
The Lathe of Heaven
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George's dreams for his own purposes.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Adrienne R. on 11-23-18
-
Have Space Suit - Will Travel
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Mark Turetsky
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First prize in the Skyway Soap slogan contest was an all-expenses-paid trip to the moon. The consolation prize was an authenticspace suit, and when scientifically minded high school senior Kip Russell wonit, he knew for certain he would use it one day to make a sojourn of his own tothe stars. But "one day" comes sooner than he thinks when he tries the suit on in his backyard - and finds himself worlds away, a prisoner aboard a space pirate's ship.
-
-
Wry humor obliterated by inept reading
- By Scott on 07-10-14
-
Battlefield Earth
- Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi and New York Times Bestseller
- By: L. Ron Hubbard
- Narrated by: Josh Clark, Scott Menville, Fred Tatascorie, and others
- Length: 45 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year AD 3000, Earth is a dystopian wasteland, plundered of its natural resources by alien conquerors known as Psychlos. Fewer than 35,000 humans survive in a handful of communities scattered across the face of a post-apocalyptic Earth. From the ashes of humanity rises a young hero, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler. Setting off on an initial quest to discover a hidden evil, Jonnie unlocks the mystery of humanity’s demise and unearths a crucial weakness in their oppressors.
-
-
Pulp Sci-Fi Done Right! More Like This!
- By Joel D Offenberg on 06-27-16
By: L. Ron Hubbard
-
The Forever War
- By: Joe Haldeman
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
William Mandella is a soldier in Earth's elite brigade. As the war against the Taurans sends him from galaxy to galaxy, he learns to use protective body shells and sophisticated weapons. He adapts to the cultures and terrains of distant outposts. But with each month in space, years are passing on Earth. Where will he call home when (and if) the Forever War ends?
-
-
A classic.
- By John on 09-24-08
By: Joe Haldeman
-
Firefly: Big Damn Hero
- Firefly, Book 1
- By: James Lovegrove
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Battle of Serenity Valley was the turning point that led the Independents to their defeat at the hands of the Alliance. Yet the Browncoats had held the valley for weeks against all odds, before being ordered to lay down their arms. Command stated they refused to send in airpower because the ground war was "too hot". But the soldiers who were there insist that was not true.... While picking up a new cargo on Persephone, Captain Malcolm Reynolds is kidnapped by a bunch of embittered veteran Browncoats who suspect him of sabotaging the Independents during the war.
-
-
Take me out to the black!
- By Adam on 12-06-19
By: James Lovegrove
-
Nine Princes in Amber
- The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1
- By: Roger Zelazny
- Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amber is the one real world, of which all others including our own Earth are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne.
-
-
Great book, lame deal!
- By Robert on 08-13-12
By: Roger Zelazny
-
Hyperion
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
-
-
The Shrike Awaits. Enter The Time Tombs...
- By Michael on 10-13-12
By: Dan Simmons
-
Time Enough for Love
- The Lives of Lazarus Long
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Time Enough for Love is the capstone and crowning achievement of Heinlein's famous Future History series. Lazarus Long is so in love with life that he simply refuses to die. Born in the early 1900s, he lives through multiple centuries, his love for time ultimately causing him to become his own ancestor. Time Enough for Loveis his lovingly detailed account of his journey through a vast and magnificent timescape of centuries and worlds. Using the voice of Lazarus, Heinlein expounds his own philosophies, including his radical ideas on sexual freedom.
-
-
Age changes perspective
- By Candis on 08-27-16
-
Valis
- Valis, Book 1
- By: Philip K. Dick
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is VALIS? This question is at the heart of Philip K. Dick's groundbreaking novel, the first book in his defining trilogy. When a beam of pink light begins giving a schizophrenic man named Horselover Fat (who just might also be known as Philip K. Dick) visions of an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still reigns, he must decide whether he is crazy or whether a godlike entity is showing him the true nature of the world.
-
-
Life changing
- By Michael on 03-16-16
By: Philip K. Dick
-
A Long Time Until Now
- By: Michael Z. Williamson
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 22 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A military unit is thrust back into Paleolithic times with only their guns and portable hardware. Ten soldiers on convoy in Afghanistan suddenly find themselves lost in time. Somehow they arrived in Earth's Paleolithic Asia. With no idea how they arrived or how to get back, the shock of the event is severe. They discover groups of the similarly displaced: imperial Romans, Neolithic Europeans, and a small cadre of East Indian peasants.
-
-
Different Than Expected--But an Excellent Listen !
- By C. Hartmann on 06-11-15
-
Citizen of the Galaxy
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a distant galaxy of colonized planets, the atrocity of slavery is alive and well. Young Thorby was just another bedraggled orphan boy sold at auction, but his new owner, Baslim, is not the disabled beggar he appears to be. Adopting Thorby as his son, Baslim fights relentlessly as an abolitionist spy. When the authorities close in on Baslim, Thorby must find his own way in a hostile galaxy. Joining with the Free Traders, a league of merchant princes, Thorby must find the courage to live by his wits and fight his way up from society's lowest rung.
-
-
Good nostalgia; pretty good YA sci-fi
- By Mark on 06-18-18
-
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
- Bobiverse, Book 1
- By: Dennis E. Taylor
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There's a reason We Are Legion was named Audible's Best Science Fiction Book of 2016: Its irresistibly irreverent wit! Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: Spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself.
-
-
Ignore the Publisher's Summary! This is Amazing!
- By PW on 04-12-17
By: Dennis E. Taylor
-
Legacy
- A Prequel to Eon
- By: Greg Bear
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this prequel to Eon, Greg Bear continues to explore the possibilities presented by the asteroid Thistledown, a remnant of a lost human civilization. The Way is a tunnel through space and time that leads to other worlds, some more like planet Earth than Earth itself. It is perhaps the most formidable discovery in Thistledown and with it come disputes as to the nature of the Way and how it should be used. The Way can be reached only through Axis City, the only space station of Thistledown.
-
-
Barely related to Eon and Eternity
- By David A. Kingston on 02-21-15
By: Greg Bear
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Dark Design
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ben M.
- 07-28-23
Pick a Unit of Measurement, Please.
I want to start by clearly saying, the narration was top-notch, and I will be looking for more books read by Paul Hecht. My criticism is solely about the writing.
The book feels like it drags more than the previous books. I wasn't sure why until I walked 20 feet, or 6.096 meters, to my kitchen to put away the gallon, or 3.79 liters, of juice I had purchased earlier in the day. The constant translation of feet to meters and meters to feet was maddening. Please pick a unit of measurement and stick with it. I'll do the math and convert it myself if I feel that I must know or if it impacts the story at all.
At this point in the story, it feels like the basic premise is starting to wear a little thin (even without the measurements). At first, it sounds like a great idea. What if you could pick your favorite person from history and have him or her meet another favorite person from history? And it absolutely is fun, until it happens over and over again. It's like we need to meet every named person from the 36 billion resurrected on this world. Thankfully there seems to be a core set of characters we can try to lock onto, but it feels like we are constantly being introduced to new characters just to introduce new characters.
It's book three, and I've started book four today. I'm invested in the story, and I want to see how it ends, but it's such a slog some days. Hopefully, book four picks up the pace.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karen
- 02-04-24
This is a great series of books!
Out of the three so far, this one seems to be one of the toughest to get through. But it does start to draw all the players together.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 04-13-23
chapters don't match
The chapters in the book and the audio chapters don't match.
Book chapters start in the middle of audio chapters or go straight though from one audio chapter to another
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A User
- 02-23-24
Too much meandering
It just wasn't all that good. Too many characters too much hard to follow. Not enough clarity
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ramon B. Cano
- 06-13-16
Riverworld - the story continues
Any additional comments?
If you have enjoyed the books thus far, then you will probably enjoy this one as well. Personally, I am not sure the story is actually going anywhere any more. I love the world he has built but am waiting for the over-arching story to actually go somewhere. If you are expecting to get some more insight into that aspect of the story - this book is sure to disappoint. If you just love the world the author has created - then keep reading - I expect there is plenty more where that came from.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. D
- 09-27-17
great series
Wonderfully read book, of an amazing world crated by the ever talented and gifted Philip Jose Farmer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Michael G Kurilla
- 03-23-11
Probably 3X as long as it needed to be
Dark Desgin is the 3rd book of 5 in Farmer's Riverworld series. Bearing in mind, that the reviewer read the first 2 books over 30 years ago, book 3 was eagerly anticipated. Compared to the first 2, this is definitely the weakest of the three. In brief, Riverworld is a terraformed planet with a single river, along whose banks all of humanity has been resurrected. Exactly why is still unclear and forms the basis for much of the plot. The author has considerable license to draw from any historical figure for the storytelling and does so liberally. While the 1st book set the stage and the basic crew, the 2nd had Mark Twain buildng a riverboat to get to the headwaters. In the 3rd installment, a dirigible is the latest mode of transportation. Also building, appears to be disagreements among the aliens that are supposedly responsible for all of this. In all, this could be a compact story advancing towards some resolution and more detail regardnig the dark tower at the river's headwaters, but Farmer injects too much introspective meanderings with extensive details that either are unrelated to the plot or simply border on flower child / hippie musings.
Another consideration is that the book was originally written in the 70's. As such, in this world alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and even an LSD-like substance play a major role. In addition, feminist views are prominent, but seem out of place as if harrassment today were met with bra burnings. In short, Farmer was a captive of his era in which the writing took place and the story doesn't translate as well today.
Finally, there is a bit of a disconnect in that the environment is lacking in many resources, but an errant meteorite seems to not only provide a source of iron, but also the means to develop lasers and X-ray machines. Most of the characters also appear clueless with many of the inconsistencies that point to a more sinister state of affairs, such as cut-off dates.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris
- 10-16-16
Better than the Second Book
While the writing style stays much the same, there is more action in book 3 and more details offered regarding the mysteries of the Riverworld.I thought this book better than book 2 The Fabulous Riverboat.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chase
- 08-12-21
Love Psychoanalysis
As a Psych/Neuroscience major, I love the brain. The main critiques of the story are the parts I love. The Psychoanalysis is what makes the book for me. Being the third in the series, the author has every right to dive into the nitty-gritty details that would’ve turned people off in early books. Another Farmer masterpiece.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Clifford K.
- 08-08-21
Very difficult read
A complex read you really have to know the historical references to enjoy it I think Most young readers would never have known the characters outlined in the book including mincluding many of the writers mentioned
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!