This is the second book in a series, so I'm guessing the first book did a good job setting up the "sci-fi" premises. This book, however, is a rather pedestrian "adventure" story that joys in "name dropping."
The setting is a "river world" where all adult human beings appear after their death. They are all resurrected as adults. People can "die" in this world. However, they are simply resurrected a few thousand miles away from where they died. After death, they still retain their mind, and simply continue on living.
The book centers on Mark Twain (Samuel Clemmens) and his quest to build a riverboat and sail it up the grand river. He enlists the help of many historic figures in his quest. However, in the end he is betrayed by King John.
The writing itself is not terribly engaging. The characters, though ostentatiously coming from all time periods, seem to have the the mentality of the late 1960s civil rights movement. Even so they are fairly undeveloped caricatures.
With the rich ideas in this book, it's a shame they were put to such poor use. The "video game"-death and reappearance would have been a great idea to explore. However, while this was mentioned numerous times, it was never explored through the eyes of a character. It also seemed odd that, while claiming all earthlings are on the world, what are the odds that key historical figures would be hanging out together. (Wouldn't we be more likely to see Joe Peasant with John suburbanite?)
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