One of the most startling innovations in the genre of science fiction came with the publication of Farmer's story "The Lovers" in 1952, in which a human has sex with an alien. His Riverworld series began in 1952 as well, but a string of misfortunes eventually forced him to take jobs as a manual laborer. He did technical writing from 1956 to 1970, but continued writing science fiction, increasingly winning a name for himself. Success has finally come with the Riverworld series, in which the characters-many famous historical people-are in search of the headwaters of the river in the title of his Riverworld series. Farmer is known as a writer who breaks taboos, making fun of the solemn and… sacred. He is considered a mocker of traditions and a writer who upsets the conventions that come to surround every culture. "The Lovers" won him the Hugo Award in 1953 for most promising new author. He won the award again in 1968 for his work "Riders of the Purple Wage," best novella and in 1972 for "To Your Scattered Bodies Go," best novel. In 1988, he was the recipient of the Writers of the Past Award and for his work "Riverworld", the Nova (Brazil) for best book. In 2001 he was awarded the Grand Master Award and the World Fantasy Award (Life Achievement).