Riverworld

Based on sci-fi novels and stories by Philip Jose Farmer, RIVERWORLD suggests a rather bleak portrait of the afterlife. Astronaut Jeff Hale (Brad Johnson) has suffered injuries as a result of a meteor shower that destroys Earth. He awakes in a multidimensional bubble under the surface of water being pierced by what looks like a large needle. When he finds himself washed up on shore, he realizes he is not alone. There are others who once lived in different places and times, and yet they all somehow know how to speak the same language. The group quickly deduces that they have all died and been re-born in this strange, watery place that has a forbidding landscape and an incredible, star-filled sky. Canisters of clothing are conveniently planted on the beach for this oddly matched set of newcomers, who include a riverboat captain, an African priestess, an alien, and a concentration camp victim. They soon are approached by a powerful man on horseback that informs them their destiny is to live as soldiers, workers, or slaves. It's a bit like PLANET OF THE APES for these unlucky souls, who find themselves at the mercy of this strange new existence. The reincarnated group learns to combine wits in the fight for freedom. Much action, conflict, and civil unrest ensue in this fascinating tale of survival in an otherworldly dimension.