What do you think?
Rate this book
To Live Forever
Garven Waylock had waited seven years for the scandal surrounding his former immortal self to be forgotten. He had kept his identity concealed so that he could once again join the ranks of those who lived forever. He had been exceedingly careful about hiding his past. Then he met The Jacynth. She was a beautiful 19-year-old, and Garven wanted her. But he recognized that a wisdom far beyond her years marked her as one who knew too much about him to live.As far as she was concerned, death was a mere inconvenience. But once The Jacynth came back, Garven Waylock's life would be an everlasting hell!
8 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1956
19 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
778 books1,588 followersAka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 22, 2017
Lyn’s first message to SF/F readers: Read more Jack Vance.
Lyn’s second message to SF/F readers: When reading Jack Vance, pay very close attention to the first few pages, as he will explain his wildly complicated and alien structural narrative as the story begins.
Lyn’s third message to SF/F readers: Don’t worry if you need to go back to the front and re-read to figure out what in the hell is going on.
Vance is that rarest of artful gems: a storyteller. The storyteller could describe a trip to the zoo or read passages of a phone book and find an audience enthralled and mesmerized in rapt attention. Combine this ability with a Grandmaster level imagination with a gift towards speculative fiction and fantasy and his contribution to literature is evident. That he displays wit and personality and is frequently hilarious is icing on the cake. With a cherry on top.
To Live Forever is Vance’s 1956 publication that explores Malthusian scarcity with some delicious twists. This also has a bildungsroman quality and the anti-hero nature of the protagonist reminded me a little of Bester’s The Stars My Destination.
Essentially, Earth has been decimated by an over-population catastrophe. One society has recovered quicker than all the rest and has built up an isolated community where eternal life can be achieved through science.
But here is where Vance earned his stripes: an eternal life is only available to those people who have accomplished career points to advance up a hierarchical slope towards immortality. This aspect was reminiscent of Poul Anderson’s Harvest of Stars (which I may need to re-read).
There is an old saying that religion has been the cause of more wars than any other reason. I’ve always thought that was a load of crap – property, PROPERTY has been the cause and source of all of the world’s wars and strife. The haves versus the have nots. Vance, mad genius that he is, has created in the expectation of eternal life a property right that has created a problem in utopia.
Good times with wild uncle Jack.
Lyn’s second message to SF/F readers: When reading Jack Vance, pay very close attention to the first few pages, as he will explain his wildly complicated and alien structural narrative as the story begins.
Lyn’s third message to SF/F readers: Don’t worry if you need to go back to the front and re-read to figure out what in the hell is going on.
Vance is that rarest of artful gems: a storyteller. The storyteller could describe a trip to the zoo or read passages of a phone book and find an audience enthralled and mesmerized in rapt attention. Combine this ability with a Grandmaster level imagination with a gift towards speculative fiction and fantasy and his contribution to literature is evident. That he displays wit and personality and is frequently hilarious is icing on the cake. With a cherry on top.
To Live Forever is Vance’s 1956 publication that explores Malthusian scarcity with some delicious twists. This also has a bildungsroman quality and the anti-hero nature of the protagonist reminded me a little of Bester’s The Stars My Destination.
Essentially, Earth has been decimated by an over-population catastrophe. One society has recovered quicker than all the rest and has built up an isolated community where eternal life can be achieved through science.
But here is where Vance earned his stripes: an eternal life is only available to those people who have accomplished career points to advance up a hierarchical slope towards immortality. This aspect was reminiscent of Poul Anderson’s Harvest of Stars (which I may need to re-read).
There is an old saying that religion has been the cause of more wars than any other reason. I’ve always thought that was a load of crap – property, PROPERTY has been the cause and source of all of the world’s wars and strife. The haves versus the have nots. Vance, mad genius that he is, has created in the expectation of eternal life a property right that has created a problem in utopia.
Good times with wild uncle Jack.
October 22, 2019
synopsis: in the far future, death has been conquered; the collapse of civilization quickly follows. the walled society of Clarges has survived, and rewards those who have achieved the most success in their chosen field with life everlasting. the immortal named The Grayven Warlock has returned, despite his supposed death. he has taken on a new identity, Garven Waylock. and he has made a new enemy, The Jacynth Martin. he has already killed her once; she seeks to halt his own trajectory. who will survive? death is and is not the end.
favorite scene: the madman Maximillian Hertzog regains himself long enough to declare his sanity, then devolves almost instantaneously into a screaming, frothing insanity.
favorite character: the melancholy space explorer Reinhold Biebursson, moodily contemplating his travels, well aware that there are better places out there than this shitty Earth.
it's interesting how coldblooded and humorless this book is. written at the dawn of his career, Vance had already employed his sardonic wit in the stories of The Dying Earth. not so much here. the novel has a dryness to it that reminded me of another one of his early works, The Languages of Pao. it is also a schizophrenic book: on one hand, it is as digressive as many of Vance's later works, as Garven moves from job to job and the reader learns all the nuts and bolts of that job (much of which is regrettably dull); on the other hand, it is single-minded in its disdainful critique of systems of government - especially so-called meritocracies - and of the people who prop those systems up, and in its refusal to show anything redeeming about this fascinating society. the book is as relentless as its unpleasant, ruthless antihero and his equally unpleasant, ruthless nemesis - who is also this story's version of a female romantic lead! book, hero, and heroine all exist for one purpose: the book - to critique as noted; the "heroine" - to murder a murderer; the "hero" - to live forever. the difference between the three is that while Garven and The Jacynth only barely understand their reasons for why they are so motivated and so relentless, the book knows exactly why it exists: to illustrate inequality and to show that such systems that create these inequities must be smashed, no matter the cost. a harsh message for a harsh book.
favorite scene: the madman Maximillian Hertzog regains himself long enough to declare his sanity, then devolves almost instantaneously into a screaming, frothing insanity.
favorite character: the melancholy space explorer Reinhold Biebursson, moodily contemplating his travels, well aware that there are better places out there than this shitty Earth.
it's interesting how coldblooded and humorless this book is. written at the dawn of his career, Vance had already employed his sardonic wit in the stories of The Dying Earth. not so much here. the novel has a dryness to it that reminded me of another one of his early works, The Languages of Pao. it is also a schizophrenic book: on one hand, it is as digressive as many of Vance's later works, as Garven moves from job to job and the reader learns all the nuts and bolts of that job (much of which is regrettably dull); on the other hand, it is single-minded in its disdainful critique of systems of government - especially so-called meritocracies - and of the people who prop those systems up, and in its refusal to show anything redeeming about this fascinating society. the book is as relentless as its unpleasant, ruthless antihero and his equally unpleasant, ruthless nemesis - who is also this story's version of a female romantic lead! book, hero, and heroine all exist for one purpose: the book - to critique as noted; the "heroine" - to murder a murderer; the "hero" - to live forever. the difference between the three is that while Garven and The Jacynth only barely understand their reasons for why they are so motivated and so relentless, the book knows exactly why it exists: to illustrate inequality and to show that such systems that create these inequities must be smashed, no matter the cost. a harsh message for a harsh book.
June 4, 2025
Time Bomb
This classic science fiction novel is set in the utopian city of Clarges, who has developped a form of immortality. When this scientific breakthrough happened, it was first applied indiscriminately, bringing about what is still called the "Malthusian chaos", i.e. worldwide mayhem caused by severe overpopulation. Following this grim event, Clarges became isolated, forbidding access to its territories to exterior populations and passed the Fair-Play Law. In short, the access to this unique technology came to be restricted to a tiny category of the population, nicknamed "Amaranths". And the catch is: to become a member of these "happy few", you must take part in a social game and contribute to the best of your skills to this isolated nation. It becomes the most prominent trait of this odd country, where every citizen intending to become an Amaranth is obsessed by their "slope", the graphical representation of your evolution among the four categories preceding Amaranth in relation to the time left for you to climb the ranks before an Assassin terminates you.
Oh, also, people attaining the Amaranth category automatically reduces the lifetime of all other participants to this "life-extending game" to compensate for the immortality of the Amaranths...
The main plot element is the revenge story of The Grayven Warlock, a former Amaranth who was condemned to death after unintentionally causing another Amaranth's death. Following the manslaughter, Grayven is hunted by assassins and ultimately manages to give them the slip, changing names and keeping a low profile until 7 years have passed and he is officially reported dead. He then reenlists himself under his new name "Gavin Waylock" as a new participant... Unfortunately, the Amaranth The Jacinth Martin exposed him and will do everything in her power to bring him down. Even if that means devoting many of her lives to this mission.
The dystopian plot appealed to me, and I enjoyed learning more about this curious society while trying to foresee how the rising social strain caused by lifespan inequalities and the general angst in the face of the foretold date of assassination would unfold and resolve. Still, I can't say I have been impressed by most characters nor by the plot and its now convenient, now redundant events.
See also:
The World Inside
FUTU.RE
Blade Runner
Le Travail du furet
Les Voyages du fils
This classic science fiction novel is set in the utopian city of Clarges, who has developped a form of immortality. When this scientific breakthrough happened, it was first applied indiscriminately, bringing about what is still called the "Malthusian chaos", i.e. worldwide mayhem caused by severe overpopulation. Following this grim event, Clarges became isolated, forbidding access to its territories to exterior populations and passed the Fair-Play Law. In short, the access to this unique technology came to be restricted to a tiny category of the population, nicknamed "Amaranths". And the catch is: to become a member of these "happy few", you must take part in a social game and contribute to the best of your skills to this isolated nation. It becomes the most prominent trait of this odd country, where every citizen intending to become an Amaranth is obsessed by their "slope", the graphical representation of your evolution among the four categories preceding Amaranth in relation to the time left for you to climb the ranks before an Assassin terminates you.
Oh, also, people attaining the Amaranth category automatically reduces the lifetime of all other participants to this "life-extending game" to compensate for the immortality of the Amaranths...
The main plot element is the revenge story of The Grayven Warlock, a former Amaranth who was condemned to death after unintentionally causing another Amaranth's death. Following the manslaughter, Grayven is hunted by assassins and ultimately manages to give them the slip, changing names and keeping a low profile until 7 years have passed and he is officially reported dead. He then reenlists himself under his new name "Gavin Waylock" as a new participant... Unfortunately, the Amaranth The Jacinth Martin exposed him and will do everything in her power to bring him down. Even if that means devoting many of her lives to this mission.
The dystopian plot appealed to me, and I enjoyed learning more about this curious society while trying to foresee how the rising social strain caused by lifespan inequalities and the general angst in the face of the foretold date of assassination would unfold and resolve. Still, I can't say I have been impressed by most characters nor by the plot and its now convenient, now redundant events.
See also:
The World Inside
FUTU.RE
Blade Runner
Le Travail du furet
Les Voyages du fils
August 27, 2015
Re-read: August 2015. Audiobook version, which comes out soon from Blackstone Audio, is excellent.
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
In Clarges, a city in the far future, humans have conquered death. Unfortunately, there's just not enough room for billions of immortal people to live forever, so they've passed the fair-play act which divides society into 5 phyle which must be maintained at certain population ratios. Those who choose to participate in fair-play must register in Brood, the lowest phyle, and receive 82 years of life, after which an "assassin" visits and takes them away in a black hearse. By significantly contributing to society, citizens may move up through the phyle, adding several years of life with each step. A very select few will reach Amaranth and may have their bodies genetically modified (with 5 copies made, in case of accidents), making them youthful forever. This social climbing causes a lot of anxiety for the people of Clarges, so their mental hospital is full of people who've gone "catto" (alternating periods of catatonia and mania).
Gavin Waylock has been in hiding for seven years, but now he's ready to return to the immortal society that shunned him. He's back at the bottom and must use all of his wits to work his way up to the place he knows he deserves. Things would be a lot easier, though, if he hadn't just met The Jacynth Martin, because she's determined to keep him out of Amaranth.
One thing I love about Jack Vance is that he writes about things that fascinate me. As Gavin is trying to figure out how he can contribute something creative and meaningful to society, and thereby push himself ahead of everyone else, he tackles the field of psychology. I found it great fun to read Vance's ideas about the future of my field.
To Live Forever was written in 1956, at a time when "insane asylums" in the United States were full. Vance must have thought this to be a hopeless situation because while his characters are zipping around in aircars and have plenty of other cool future technologies, one of their psychotherapists tells Gavin that their hospital is full, and psychology is the only science that isn't progressing, because it's impossible to see inside the human brain.
I'm not surprised that Vance didn't foresee brain imaging techniques (though he actually uses a similar technology in this novel!), but it's amusing that it was only a few years later that asylums in developed countries were nearly emptied after antipsychotic, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety drugs became common. It's also amusing that, for fun, citizens of Clarges use different types of "stimmo" pills, some of which are basically antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs. Hmmm… I wonder if they thought to try those on the cattos...
Though Mr. Vance's vision didn't seem to foresee much beyond Freud and Jung, at the same time one of his characters comes up with an idea to treat catatonic-mania that is stunningly brilliant and something very much like what is only now being tested as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder! Wow!
You don’t have to be a psychologist to love To Live Forever. This is a fun, fast-paced, and clever science fiction novel, but it isn't at all "gadgetty," so it will probably appeal even to those who think they don't like scifi. It's also, as is common for Jack Vance, part humorously scathing social commentary.
Originally read 2010
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
In Clarges, a city in the far future, humans have conquered death. Unfortunately, there's just not enough room for billions of immortal people to live forever, so they've passed the fair-play act which divides society into 5 phyle which must be maintained at certain population ratios. Those who choose to participate in fair-play must register in Brood, the lowest phyle, and receive 82 years of life, after which an "assassin" visits and takes them away in a black hearse. By significantly contributing to society, citizens may move up through the phyle, adding several years of life with each step. A very select few will reach Amaranth and may have their bodies genetically modified (with 5 copies made, in case of accidents), making them youthful forever. This social climbing causes a lot of anxiety for the people of Clarges, so their mental hospital is full of people who've gone "catto" (alternating periods of catatonia and mania).
Gavin Waylock has been in hiding for seven years, but now he's ready to return to the immortal society that shunned him. He's back at the bottom and must use all of his wits to work his way up to the place he knows he deserves. Things would be a lot easier, though, if he hadn't just met The Jacynth Martin, because she's determined to keep him out of Amaranth.
One thing I love about Jack Vance is that he writes about things that fascinate me. As Gavin is trying to figure out how he can contribute something creative and meaningful to society, and thereby push himself ahead of everyone else, he tackles the field of psychology. I found it great fun to read Vance's ideas about the future of my field.
To Live Forever was written in 1956, at a time when "insane asylums" in the United States were full. Vance must have thought this to be a hopeless situation because while his characters are zipping around in aircars and have plenty of other cool future technologies, one of their psychotherapists tells Gavin that their hospital is full, and psychology is the only science that isn't progressing, because it's impossible to see inside the human brain.
I'm not surprised that Vance didn't foresee brain imaging techniques (though he actually uses a similar technology in this novel!), but it's amusing that it was only a few years later that asylums in developed countries were nearly emptied after antipsychotic, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety drugs became common. It's also amusing that, for fun, citizens of Clarges use different types of "stimmo" pills, some of which are basically antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs. Hmmm… I wonder if they thought to try those on the cattos...
Though Mr. Vance's vision didn't seem to foresee much beyond Freud and Jung, at the same time one of his characters comes up with an idea to treat catatonic-mania that is stunningly brilliant and something very much like what is only now being tested as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder! Wow!
You don’t have to be a psychologist to love To Live Forever. This is a fun, fast-paced, and clever science fiction novel, but it isn't at all "gadgetty," so it will probably appeal even to those who think they don't like scifi. It's also, as is common for Jack Vance, part humorously scathing social commentary.
Originally read 2010
March 11, 2010
This is the first Vance novel I've re-read and it was pretty damn awesome the second time around. It is on one level a fairly typical Vance narrative where an amoral protagonist claws his way through a rigid, highly-organised society, only to bring the system crashing through and then become a space explorer.
But with Vance, the details are everything. There are the wonderful proper nouns - Vance's characters just have the best names ever - The Jacynth Martin, The Grayven Warlock and so on. His knack for naming places is just as euphonious - the chief settings of the story are the rigidly-structured city of Clarges and its licentious counterpart, Carnevalle. There's an elaborate social scheme, with eternal life as goal, plenty of lush description, pungent dialogue and suspense. One of the highlights is a description of a mime performance. Another Vance highlight are imaginary artforms - this time we are shown a form of water sculpture.
You can't really unconditionally applaud Vance's heroes but you have to admire the determination and ruthlessness with which they go about achieving their ends, and Grayven/Gavin is no exception. I'm not sure this goes in the highest rung of Vance's work - I reserve that for the Demon Princes books, the Marune books, Dying Earth and Lyonesse, but it gets pretty damn close.
But with Vance, the details are everything. There are the wonderful proper nouns - Vance's characters just have the best names ever - The Jacynth Martin, The Grayven Warlock and so on. His knack for naming places is just as euphonious - the chief settings of the story are the rigidly-structured city of Clarges and its licentious counterpart, Carnevalle. There's an elaborate social scheme, with eternal life as goal, plenty of lush description, pungent dialogue and suspense. One of the highlights is a description of a mime performance. Another Vance highlight are imaginary artforms - this time we are shown a form of water sculpture.
You can't really unconditionally applaud Vance's heroes but you have to admire the determination and ruthlessness with which they go about achieving their ends, and Grayven/Gavin is no exception. I'm not sure this goes in the highest rung of Vance's work - I reserve that for the Demon Princes books, the Marune books, Dying Earth and Lyonesse, but it gets pretty damn close.
December 30, 2023
3.5 ⭐
Read this in the early 1970's. Pieces of it are still with me, so it made an impression. In a far future, Earth has achieved practical immortality but it's rationed based on a person's achievements. So you register with the program and if you live a modest, non criminal life you get a certain amount of years added to your life span. The more you achieve, the longer you live. To make sure you don't die before your time everybody's backed up by clones, hidden away in secret locations. The protagonist is a guy who was killed 7 years earlier, just before attaining immortality. So his clone has to start from scratch. There are murders involved but that's about all I recall, except I thought it featured one of Vance's well drawn, decadent cultures. I'd forgotten all about this book until my GR buddy Rog jogged my memory. -30-
Read this in the early 1970's. Pieces of it are still with me, so it made an impression. In a far future, Earth has achieved practical immortality but it's rationed based on a person's achievements. So you register with the program and if you live a modest, non criminal life you get a certain amount of years added to your life span. The more you achieve, the longer you live. To make sure you don't die before your time everybody's backed up by clones, hidden away in secret locations. The protagonist is a guy who was killed 7 years earlier, just before attaining immortality. So his clone has to start from scratch. There are murders involved but that's about all I recall, except I thought it featured one of Vance's well drawn, decadent cultures. I'd forgotten all about this book until my GR buddy Rog jogged my memory. -30-
May 28, 2024
"To Live Forever" was first published in 1956. The title was changed to "Clarges" in 2002 when it was included in the "Vance Integral Edition." This is the second time I've read To Live Forever, and I liked it even better upon re-reading. It is only 185 pages long and is most interesting and satisfying when read slowly and carefully.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
Although the storyline is engaging enough on its own, this novel is dense with ideas about society, life, culture, values, identity, meaning, etc. Ethical issues are laid out but in an impartial way. Do you really live forever if an identical clone with the same memory and personality takes your place if you die? Is it fair or ethical to deny advanced medical treatments to those persons who do not participate in the program? Why not extend the life of everyone and attempt to find other planets to colonize or enforce some means of birth control to avoid overpopulation?
The plot is secondary and character development is kept to a minimum. The focus is on creating a world or society where eternal life is an option for which one may strive but only a few can achieve. As usual Vance presents many ideas and much action in a few pages. Technological and scientific explanations are kept minimal. It is a satirical and thought provoking novel, more like Jonathan Swift than hard science fiction. Many parallels can be made to other societies where people strive for power, wealth, fame, social status, prestige, etc. Unlike some novels of ideas, To Live Forever, is not at all slow or dull. Vance is simply too talented a writer to allow this to happen. The dialogue is lively and realistic and a fascinating alternative futuristic world and culture is created. Whether it is a utopia or dystopia is debatable.
The setting is in the far future when medical technology can significantly lengthen human lifespan, allowing some select persons to essentially live forever. To avoid overpopulation, though, only a fixed number of persons who register under the Fair-Play Act and then work their way up through levels or "phyles" are granted the Amaranth level. At this level they are genetically modified and permitted to live in the city of Clarges forever. Participants are awarded points for their social and cultural contributions through productive employment and participation in civic affairs. Points allow them to move up through the five levels or "phyles". There is tremendous pressure to advance. The competitive culture and emotional stress frequently cause people to become mentally ill ("catto") and many are committed to mental hospital called a "palliatorys."
There are five phyles under the Fair-Play Act and anybody may enroll once they are 16 years old. Each phyle level entitles a person to live a specific number of years. Brood is level one and a person is allowed to live to 82 years, the average lifetime for a person who does not participate. A Brood level person needs to advance or an assassin will visit and terminate him or her after reaching the age of 82. It is not difficult to obtain the second level which is called Wedge. At this level ten years are added to your life and you undergo a procedure that halts body degeneration so that you remain at the same age you were once you become Wedge level. At third level (Arrant) they add sixteen years more to your life so that you may live to 108. At fourth level (Verge) another 20 years are added so that you may live to 128. The fifth level is Amaranth, and if you reach that level you are put into "seclusion like a caterpillar" where a metamorphosis takes place and you develop the body of a 19 year old. This person will remain at that age forever with all the experience and knowledge he or she had previously. If a person at Amaranth is killed or the body destroyed there is a clone with all the updated cognition, memory and personality traits of the original that takes its place. Each person at Amaranth has five back up clones called relics or surrogates. Persons who do not participate in the Fair-Play Act are called glarks and live however long they can without access to advanced medical and genetic treatment. They are held in low esteem.
The plot involves our main character, Garven Waylock, meeting a woman, The Jacynth Martin. She was 104 years old when she reached Amaranth phyle but is now "a transcendently beautiful girl of nineteen." She has "The" before her name as an honorary title for being at Amaranth level but is hiding her phyle level to visit a place called Carnevalle where visitors or all ranks and phyles go in disguise at night to participate in "spectacular devices for diversion and thrill and catharsis." Garven works at Carnevalle and has a secretive past that he carefully hides. The meeting of Garven and Jacynth and their evening together change both of their lives forever and begin to have major consequences for the entire society. A careful reading of this thought provoking and entertaining novel will yield much more satisfaction than a cursory one. This is a novel to read and re-read and would seem like a very good book for a classroom discussion.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
Although the storyline is engaging enough on its own, this novel is dense with ideas about society, life, culture, values, identity, meaning, etc. Ethical issues are laid out but in an impartial way. Do you really live forever if an identical clone with the same memory and personality takes your place if you die? Is it fair or ethical to deny advanced medical treatments to those persons who do not participate in the program? Why not extend the life of everyone and attempt to find other planets to colonize or enforce some means of birth control to avoid overpopulation?
The plot is secondary and character development is kept to a minimum. The focus is on creating a world or society where eternal life is an option for which one may strive but only a few can achieve. As usual Vance presents many ideas and much action in a few pages. Technological and scientific explanations are kept minimal. It is a satirical and thought provoking novel, more like Jonathan Swift than hard science fiction. Many parallels can be made to other societies where people strive for power, wealth, fame, social status, prestige, etc. Unlike some novels of ideas, To Live Forever, is not at all slow or dull. Vance is simply too talented a writer to allow this to happen. The dialogue is lively and realistic and a fascinating alternative futuristic world and culture is created. Whether it is a utopia or dystopia is debatable.
The setting is in the far future when medical technology can significantly lengthen human lifespan, allowing some select persons to essentially live forever. To avoid overpopulation, though, only a fixed number of persons who register under the Fair-Play Act and then work their way up through levels or "phyles" are granted the Amaranth level. At this level they are genetically modified and permitted to live in the city of Clarges forever. Participants are awarded points for their social and cultural contributions through productive employment and participation in civic affairs. Points allow them to move up through the five levels or "phyles". There is tremendous pressure to advance. The competitive culture and emotional stress frequently cause people to become mentally ill ("catto") and many are committed to mental hospital called a "palliatorys."
There are five phyles under the Fair-Play Act and anybody may enroll once they are 16 years old. Each phyle level entitles a person to live a specific number of years. Brood is level one and a person is allowed to live to 82 years, the average lifetime for a person who does not participate. A Brood level person needs to advance or an assassin will visit and terminate him or her after reaching the age of 82. It is not difficult to obtain the second level which is called Wedge. At this level ten years are added to your life and you undergo a procedure that halts body degeneration so that you remain at the same age you were once you become Wedge level. At third level (Arrant) they add sixteen years more to your life so that you may live to 108. At fourth level (Verge) another 20 years are added so that you may live to 128. The fifth level is Amaranth, and if you reach that level you are put into "seclusion like a caterpillar" where a metamorphosis takes place and you develop the body of a 19 year old. This person will remain at that age forever with all the experience and knowledge he or she had previously. If a person at Amaranth is killed or the body destroyed there is a clone with all the updated cognition, memory and personality traits of the original that takes its place. Each person at Amaranth has five back up clones called relics or surrogates. Persons who do not participate in the Fair-Play Act are called glarks and live however long they can without access to advanced medical and genetic treatment. They are held in low esteem.
The plot involves our main character, Garven Waylock, meeting a woman, The Jacynth Martin. She was 104 years old when she reached Amaranth phyle but is now "a transcendently beautiful girl of nineteen." She has "The" before her name as an honorary title for being at Amaranth level but is hiding her phyle level to visit a place called Carnevalle where visitors or all ranks and phyles go in disguise at night to participate in "spectacular devices for diversion and thrill and catharsis." Garven works at Carnevalle and has a secretive past that he carefully hides. The meeting of Garven and Jacynth and their evening together change both of their lives forever and begin to have major consequences for the entire society. A careful reading of this thought provoking and entertaining novel will yield much more satisfaction than a cursory one. This is a novel to read and re-read and would seem like a very good book for a classroom discussion.
February 22, 2013
Wikipedia quotes Floyd C. Gale as saying "frighteningly logical...[t]he sick, inbred society of Vance's imagination comes fully alive, even though his characters remain mere symbols."
I really can't say it better than that. Where most Vance work is focused on atmosphere, attitude, and of course punctilio, Clarges (previously and better titled To Live Forever), is unusual in being a fairly direct exploration of a concept. The Clarges society is tightly restricted in space, and the bulk of the population work toward the goal of eternal life. The book imagines the effect and logical outcome of such a society. While Vancian characters are here, they're fairly low-key, and much less aloof than normal. The book is short, but effective.
Overall, recommended as an introduction to the Vance voice, or just as a good social SF thought experiment (that's also a good read).
CVIE vol IV
PS Why was this not retitled The Graven Waylock?
I really can't say it better than that. Where most Vance work is focused on atmosphere, attitude, and of course punctilio, Clarges (previously and better titled To Live Forever), is unusual in being a fairly direct exploration of a concept. The Clarges society is tightly restricted in space, and the bulk of the population work toward the goal of eternal life. The book imagines the effect and logical outcome of such a society. While Vancian characters are here, they're fairly low-key, and much less aloof than normal. The book is short, but effective.
Overall, recommended as an introduction to the Vance voice, or just as a good social SF thought experiment (that's also a good read).
CVIE vol IV
PS Why was this not retitled The Graven Waylock?
May 27, 2011
Cool book. It's amazing how the main character is a murderer, but for some reason you want things to turn out right for him. What a creative idea, earning immortality by what you accomplish. Jack Vance has such vivid descriptions, and a great vocabulary.
December 22, 2010
To Live Forever was published in 1956. Before Sputnik, before the Pill, before Vietnam. Like 1984 and Brave New World, it was one man's guess where the future might head. It reflected the extent and limits of that day's science and sociology. In that regard, Vance must be allowed whatever vision he wanted to present. It was probably radical and hip then.
At the functional level, however the story features a "hero" who is hard to like, a society which seems simultaneously repressive and ridiculously open.
The storytelling is clunky.
Worst of all, the denouement is illogical and unsatisfying.
At the functional level, however the story features a "hero" who is hard to like, a society which seems simultaneously repressive and ridiculously open.
The storytelling is clunky.
Worst of all, the denouement is illogical and unsatisfying.
November 13, 2022
Some great concepts, the implications of population control in the event of increased life expectancy and even immortality always provide a fascinating area of conversion and debate.
This book started really well and neatly laid out the process and resulting class structure. Jack Vance has neat and precise prose and I am really keen to read more of his better known works.
Although enjoyable for the most part, I found myself losing interest slightly towards the end as I didn't connect enough with the characters a found that the story didn't really go in the direction it could have or sufficiently challenge the likely dystopian outcomes of a scientific breakthrough that had utopian intent.
This book started really well and neatly laid out the process and resulting class structure. Jack Vance has neat and precise prose and I am really keen to read more of his better known works.
Although enjoyable for the most part, I found myself losing interest slightly towards the end as I didn't connect enough with the characters a found that the story didn't really go in the direction it could have or sufficiently challenge the likely dystopian outcomes of a scientific breakthrough that had utopian intent.
December 24, 2017
Dopo un po’ di fatica iniziale per capire il mondo in cui si svolge la storia, in un futuro abbastanza lontano dal nostro, leggere questo libro è stato abbastanza piacevole.
Ho trovato lo scenario piuttosto inquietante, con l’umanità divisa tra una regione isolata ed addirittura recintata elettricamente, dove si svolgono i fatti narrati, ed il resto del pianeta popolato da barbari feroci, abbrutiti da carestie e anni di conflitti.
Nella nostra Regione, culla della civiltà, vigono delle leggi inconsuete che dovrebbero garantire la pace ed il benessere.
Peccato che, dato che l’obiettivo a cui tendere non è il benessere sociale, bensì la vita eterna, lo stress è più alto del solito ed i manicomi (i Palliatori) sono pieni di matti che alternano momenti di catatonia passiva con scatti di pura violenza.
E la lotta di classe diventa una lotta per l’ascesa al livello superiore a cui sono assicurati una decina di anni di vita in più, sino all’ultimo livello, gli Amaranto, a cui è garantita una sorta di immortalità.
Per sfogarsi e liberarsi da questa continua tensione per l’ascesa, chi può si reca a Carnevalle, una sorta di incrocio tra Carnevale e Las Vegas, con parchi divertimenti ed ambienti in cui concedersi piaceri in piena libertà.
Proprio da Carnevalle, dove è rimasto nascosto per sette anni, proviene il protagonista che si scontra con l’ostilità di una donna Amaranto (ostilità abbastanza meritata a mio giudizio, visto il suo comportamento) che ha scoperto il suo segreto passato.
Vance è abile a intrecciare la storia, sfruttando le regole da lui create (talvolta un po’ scricchiolanti in quanto a coerenza), per arrivare ad un finale… travolgente.
Fantascienza d’annata (1956).
Ho trovato lo scenario piuttosto inquietante, con l’umanità divisa tra una regione isolata ed addirittura recintata elettricamente, dove si svolgono i fatti narrati, ed il resto del pianeta popolato da barbari feroci, abbrutiti da carestie e anni di conflitti.
Nella nostra Regione, culla della civiltà, vigono delle leggi inconsuete che dovrebbero garantire la pace ed il benessere.
Peccato che, dato che l’obiettivo a cui tendere non è il benessere sociale, bensì la vita eterna, lo stress è più alto del solito ed i manicomi (i Palliatori) sono pieni di matti che alternano momenti di catatonia passiva con scatti di pura violenza.
E la lotta di classe diventa una lotta per l’ascesa al livello superiore a cui sono assicurati una decina di anni di vita in più, sino all’ultimo livello, gli Amaranto, a cui è garantita una sorta di immortalità.
Per sfogarsi e liberarsi da questa continua tensione per l’ascesa, chi può si reca a Carnevalle, una sorta di incrocio tra Carnevale e Las Vegas, con parchi divertimenti ed ambienti in cui concedersi piaceri in piena libertà.
Proprio da Carnevalle, dove è rimasto nascosto per sette anni, proviene il protagonista che si scontra con l’ostilità di una donna Amaranto (ostilità abbastanza meritata a mio giudizio, visto il suo comportamento) che ha scoperto il suo segreto passato.
Vance è abile a intrecciare la storia, sfruttando le regole da lui create (talvolta un po’ scricchiolanti in quanto a coerenza), per arrivare ad un finale… travolgente.
Fantascienza d’annata (1956).
December 22, 2021
Jack Vance is known for the inventive settings he places his stories in: Dying Earth, the Alastor novels, Planet of Adventure, and of course the Magnus Ridolph stories each contain throwaway societies and cultures that a less imaginitive writer might base an entire career on.
To Live Forever has a unique setting, to be sure, but like Emphyrio it is more of a thought experiment, and the society in which the action takes place is an integral part of the plot. What is more interesting is the many themes Vance covers in this brief novel: overpopulation, elitism, ambition, justifiable homicide, overwork, deviants and dropouts, the court of public opinion ... the list could go on and on.
The moral ambiguity of the protagonist keeps things interesting. As events progress, The Monster, as he is called, turns out to be no more amoral or violent than his peers: he is simply more effective, having, as he puts it, a "ruthlessness beyond your understanding".
To Live Forever has a unique setting, to be sure, but like Emphyrio it is more of a thought experiment, and the society in which the action takes place is an integral part of the plot. What is more interesting is the many themes Vance covers in this brief novel: overpopulation, elitism, ambition, justifiable homicide, overwork, deviants and dropouts, the court of public opinion ... the list could go on and on.
The moral ambiguity of the protagonist keeps things interesting. As events progress, The Monster, as he is called, turns out to be no more amoral or violent than his peers: he is simply more effective, having, as he puts it, a "ruthlessness beyond your understanding".
January 21, 2017
Too much world building in a short span combined with poor naming conventions. Are these the Gleeps or the Glarks? The subject of immortality tends to bore me, since I have no desire to live forever. DNF #2.
August 10, 2018
Ottimo esempio di fantascienza sociologica scritto da uno dei maestri della fantascienza.
Nel mio giudizio il libro non raggiunge le 5 stelle per le quali sarebbe servito qualche approfondimento in più. La lettura è comunque assolutamente consigliata.
Nel mio giudizio il libro non raggiunge le 5 stelle per le quali sarebbe servito qualche approfondimento in più. La lettura è comunque assolutamente consigliata.
August 24, 2020
Primo e unico libro di fantascienza di Jack Vance che parte col botto e scrive un piccolo capolavoro. Su Wikipedia Vance è descritto come un fenomenale paesaggista fantascientifico e dobbiamo davvero dargli ragione. La regione di Clarges ricorda un po' una Manhattan del futuro, con le torri chiamate Mercerie, il fiume cha la circonda e il "deserto" (sia culturale che fisico) all'esterno. Ora Clarges è un esempio di società che funziona basata su un sistema di classi che mira a non ripetere un'altra età del Caos con relativa decimazione della popolazione. Per evitare la sovrappopolazione mondiale si è scelto di vivere seguendo un sistema basato su cinque Tribù ognuna delle quali assicura un avanzamento anagrafico di alcune decine di anni, ma solo chi raggiunge la vetta nelle rispettive professioni può accedere alla Tribù successiva, sino alla metà più ambita, la condizione di Stato Amaranto che assicura l'immortalità. Per chi invece, nel tempo concesso per contratto, non è riuscito a conquistarsi un avanzamento attraverso il complicato sistema a piramide delle Tribù c'è la certezza dell'annullamento per mano dei Sicari di Stato. Per mantenere la popolazione stabile, può esistere solo un Amaranto ogni 2000 facenti parte delle Tribù e questo conteggio viene sistemato periodicamente da un algoritmo dell'Attuario. Ma esiste anche la possibilità di vivere una vita classica e normale come glodole ossia al di fuori delle Tribù e morire naturalmente.
Seguiamo quindi la vita di Gavin Waylock che si dichiara essere il relitto di un Amaranto accusato dell'uccisione di un altro Amaranto, unica condizione per cui si viene giustiziati. La condizione di Amaranto permette di creare alcuni cloni di sé stessi con i quali l'Amaranto originale entra in empatia. In caso di uccisione del prototipo (perché gli Amaranto non invecchiano, ma possono morire di morte violenta o per un incidente), la coscienza viene trasferita al primo clone creato che così continua a vivere per sempre. Un relitto è un clone liberato ma non ancora completamente "empatizzato" con l'Amaranto originale, quindi con una coscienza propria.
Insomma il romanzo è davvero complesso, soprattutto all'inizio quando dobbiamo entrare in questo intricato sistema di Tribù e passaggi, ma poi si dipana che è una meraviglia. Vance fa un'analisi sociologica puntuale e davvero molto moderna e, sebbene il romanzo sia del 1956, alcuni meccanismi sono oggi più attuali che mai. Davvero può insegnare tantissimo.
Letto per La Fratellanza della Fantascienza I° ciclo
Seguiamo quindi la vita di Gavin Waylock che si dichiara essere il relitto di un Amaranto accusato dell'uccisione di un altro Amaranto, unica condizione per cui si viene giustiziati. La condizione di Amaranto permette di creare alcuni cloni di sé stessi con i quali l'Amaranto originale entra in empatia. In caso di uccisione del prototipo (perché gli Amaranto non invecchiano, ma possono morire di morte violenta o per un incidente), la coscienza viene trasferita al primo clone creato che così continua a vivere per sempre. Un relitto è un clone liberato ma non ancora completamente "empatizzato" con l'Amaranto originale, quindi con una coscienza propria.
Insomma il romanzo è davvero complesso, soprattutto all'inizio quando dobbiamo entrare in questo intricato sistema di Tribù e passaggi, ma poi si dipana che è una meraviglia. Vance fa un'analisi sociologica puntuale e davvero molto moderna e, sebbene il romanzo sia del 1956, alcuni meccanismi sono oggi più attuali che mai. Davvero può insegnare tantissimo.
Letto per La Fratellanza della Fantascienza I° ciclo
June 9, 2025
Tipico libro che sarebbe arduo classificare (per chi ama fare le classificazioni), se fantascienza o fantasy. Si svolge in un futuro, ma è imprecisato, e anche le tecnologie usate sono molto vaghe, tanto che la casta di immortali che domina questo Mondo potrebbe benissimo essere tale anche in un contesto non tecnologico e tutto funzionerebbe ancora benissimo.
Alla fine all'autore preme soprattutto delineare uno scenario esotico, in cui si mescolano opulenza e miseria, seduzione e tradimento, e svolgere una trama di media complessità, fatta di colpi di scena e ambiguità morali, con un protagonista che si rivela più spesso un anti-eroe che non un eroe, che finisce sì per rovesciare un sistema sociale distopico, ma si muove soprattutto per interessi personali.
La lettura scivola rapida, e al di là delle eventuali riflessioni sulle distorsioni del potere politico, in primo piano c'è il meccanismo dell'intreccio, che via via che il libro prosegue prende il sopravvento anche sulla resa dell'ambientazione, confinata soprattutto ai primi capitoli.
È il secondo libro che leggo dell'autore, e il primo non ricordo nemmeno che titolo avesse: evidentemente non mi aveva colpito molto. In questo caso le cose sono, per fortuna, andate diversamente.
Alla fine all'autore preme soprattutto delineare uno scenario esotico, in cui si mescolano opulenza e miseria, seduzione e tradimento, e svolgere una trama di media complessità, fatta di colpi di scena e ambiguità morali, con un protagonista che si rivela più spesso un anti-eroe che non un eroe, che finisce sì per rovesciare un sistema sociale distopico, ma si muove soprattutto per interessi personali.
La lettura scivola rapida, e al di là delle eventuali riflessioni sulle distorsioni del potere politico, in primo piano c'è il meccanismo dell'intreccio, che via via che il libro prosegue prende il sopravvento anche sulla resa dell'ambientazione, confinata soprattutto ai primi capitoli.
È il secondo libro che leggo dell'autore, e il primo non ricordo nemmeno che titolo avesse: evidentemente non mi aveva colpito molto. In questo caso le cose sono, per fortuna, andate diversamente.
April 18, 2024
I found the sociology, politics and world-building here more interesting than the actual plot, and if I'm to be honest, the characters as well.
This is my first Jack Vance and despite this one not quite engaging me fully, the writing, structure, themes and core concepts all have me excited to check out more of his works in the future.
This is my first Jack Vance and despite this one not quite engaging me fully, the writing, structure, themes and core concepts all have me excited to check out more of his works in the future.
July 4, 2024
One of Vance’s nastier books. Is it murder to kill an immortal with extra lives in the bank? Our protagonist doesn’t think so, and proceeds to do so several times. As superior critics have noted, the real joy here is Vance’s singular prose.
The Dean Ellis cover of this edition is just odd. The art is just there with an awful typeface is slapped on.
The Dean Ellis cover of this edition is just odd. The art is just there with an awful typeface is slapped on.
November 14, 2017
It was OK, but nothing to write home about.
May 5, 2021
2004, paperback, ibooks.inc.
The author has created a story where the problem of human overpopulation has been solved. In the land of clarges, a great walled community, that keeps the nomads out, you have a chance for eternal life.
When Gavin Waylock, the protagonist, quits working at carnevalle, goes to work at a palliatory. Palliatories are where citizens go who have turned catatonic / manic. The society of clarges is so stressful when you are striving, that many break down, going catatonic, and occasionally breaking into mania, where they go on a frenzied rampage. those who register at the actuarian for a chance at eternal life, have to work hard to move from one phyle to the next. Glarks remain unregistered, and live out a normal lifespan. But those who register with the actuarian, have a chance at eternal life. You must serve mankind's society for the betterment of it in some way: in the arts, in politics, in academics, there are many ways in which, by creating something new or bettering some system, you can move up into the next phyle. When you move high enough, you can break into the amaranth, and eternal life is yours.
But each person who breaks into amaranth, causes 2000 of the lowest order phyle to be terminated. Assassins are dispatched, and they are euthanized.
Basil, who is a psychologist, and is responsible for getting Waylock his job, is experimenting on on a way to stop the cat/mans from going manic. He selects the cat/man who is the strongest, most dangerous, when he breaks into his manic stage. With the man laying before him in his catatonic stage, he has Waylock stand by to inject him with "anti-heptant," a drug that erases the thoughts in your mind at that moment. Thus, Basil figures, if he invited the patient--Hertzog-- into his manic phase and then injects him with anti-heptant, he can get rid of the infuriating thoughts inflicting him, and lead to a possible cure.
P.98
" 'hertzog,' said basil in a low urgent voice, 'you are a failure. You won't make third -- anti-heptant, Gavin -- hertzog, you tried hard, but you made mistakes. You have only yourself to blame. You've thrown away life, hertzog.'
A low sound like a rising wind came from herzog's throat. Basil beckoned for anti-heptant. 'Maximilian hertzog,' he said in a hurried voice, 'you are inferior. Other people can make third [third phyle] -- but not you. You have failed. You wasted your time. You studied the wrong techniques.'
Veins appeared on hertzog's forehead. The sound rasped loud in his throat. " Anti-heptant, gavin, anti-heptant.
Waylock tapped the button, the light glowed yellow [Yellow represents a stable mood]. Basil returned to the quivering form. 'Hertzog -- remember how you threw life away? Remember the chances you missed? The people who are no wiser than you but who are third and verge [next up from Third]? And you have nothing before you except a ride in the high black car [alluding to the ride to euthansia with an assassin]!'
Maximilian hertzog slowly sat up on the pallet. He looked at basil, he turned his head and fixed his stare on waylock.
No one spoke. Basil crouched; waylock was unable to move or shift his stance. The light on the screen was once more red[indicating mania].
Waylock finally asked, 'more anti-heptant?'
'no,' said basil in a nervous voice, 'not just yet... We don't want to blot out too much.
'Blot out too much what?' asked Maximilian hertzog. He reached to his head, felt the caliper contacts, the dangling tube stuck into his neck. 'What is all this?' "
Wayloxk, who 7 years before the opening of the story had killed a man in self-defense, had been charged guilty of the crime, and has had to hide out from assassins, has managed to live successfully in carnevalle. When he kills The Jacynth Martin, to keep her from outing his former identity, her replacement (all Amaranths have 7 replacements, to replace them in case of accidental death) wants to have him mind-searched, because she suspect he is guilty. Waylock gets the idea to use Basil's anti-heptant on himself to erase the parts in his mind that will out the truth about The Jacynth Martin's death.
P.110-11:
"He raised the hypospray, and placed the nozzle to his neck. Then he hesitated, put down the hypospray, and wrote a note which he laid on the desk. Once again he took up the hypospray, set it in position, and pressed the trigger.
He waited, concentrating on the task. Keep mind blank. Every thought, every idea must be erased. Think of nothing. Think of nothing. His brain was like a bruise, sensitive as sunburn.... My name is Gavin waylock...
He only thought it once; after that he knew nothing of his name. Exuding tiny beads of sweat, he blanked his consciousness. Nothing, nothing, nothing. The recorder began to speak. He heard his voice describing the death of The Jacynth martin, and the preceding events.
The recording ended. Waylock closed his eyes, lay back, warm, lethargic, relaxed. The anti-heptant dissipated itself. Waylock's brain began to function; thoughts moved and wavered, indistinct, like shapes in heavy fog... He sat up in the chair. The note he had written caught his eye. He picked it up and read.
I have just removed the memory of an experience from my mind. Perhaps I have forgotten other things. My name is Gavin waylock. I am the relict of the graven warlock, if anyone should ask. My address is 414 Phariot way, apartment 820.
There was other information and memoranda, ending with:
...other lapses in memory to be expected. Do not wonder about subject erased. It is possible that the special squad May call; there may be a mind-search and connection with the violent passing of The Jacynth Martin, of which I know nothing.
Note: erase the final 15 minutes on the recorder. Do not listen to it, as this will defeat purpose of memory-blotting. Be sure to erase recorder."
When the mind search doesn't work on waylock, because he erased that part from his brain, The Jacynth Martin suspects that this is exactly what happened. She has him followed.
P.134-5:
"Waylock wanted to avoid observation entirely, in order to maintain the worth of his disguise. The critical area lay in the hall, immediately outside his apartment. He slid the door open a crack, examined the vicinity as carefully as possible. He saw nothing, but a spy cell at the far end of the corridor would be invisible.
Waylock returned within, removed his alter-ego and his jacket, made a neat bundle, and carrying it under his arm, left the apartment.
He walked down Phariot way to the Allemand avenue station, dropped to the tube depot, and making sure that no one jostled him or approached closely enough to apply a tracer to his person, entered the capsule and switched himself to a random destination: garstang. The capsule slid away, and waylock once more invested himself with the identity of his alter-ego. He diverted the capsule to floriander deck and arrived feeling secure that he had frustrated any pursuit.
At a kiosk he bought a tube of assorted Stimmos*, and after a moment's reflection, swallowed the yellow, the green and the purple.
*stimmos: pills which worked upon the brain to build synthetic moods. Orange stimmos brought cheer and gaiety; red, amativeness; green, concentration and heightened imagination; yellow, courage and resolution; purple, wit and social ease. Dark blue stimmos ('weepers') predisposed to sentimentality and intensity of emotion; light blue stimmos firmed the muscular reflexes and were useful to precision workers, operators of calculating machines, musical instruments and the like. Blacks stimmos ('dreamers') encouraged weird visual fantasy; White stimmos ('non-sobs') minimized emotional response. It was possible to take combinations of up to three pills with a vast number of compound effects. A dosage of more than three stimmos or too frequent use diminished the effect."
P.152:
" 'even if I were guilty -- which I will never admit -- where is the heinousness of the crime? Neither and you nor The Abel suffered more than inconvenience.'
'the crime,' said The Jacynth softly, 'is abstract and fundamental: the innate depravity of extinguishing life.'
Waylock looked uncomfortably around the room. Men and women talked, strolled beside the aquefacts, postured, gestured, laughed. His conversation with The Jacynth seemed unreal. 'Now is hardly the time to argue this matter,' he said. 'However, I may point out that if extinguishing life is a crime, it is a crime everyone except the glarks are guilty of.'
The Jacynth whispered in mock horror, 'you apall me! Describe my crime -- supply the grizzly details.'
Waylock nodded. 'One amaranth per 2000 population is the allowed ratio. When you were received into the amaranth society, an element of information entered the actuarian. 2000 black wagons went forth on their missions; 2000 doors opened; 2000 despairing creatures left their homes, climbed the three steps; 2000 times --'
The Jacynth's voice was harsh as the rasp of an untuned violin. 'This is no guilt of mine; everyone strives alike.'
'It is simple dog-eat-dog,' said waylock. 'It's basic battle for survival, fiercer and more brutal than ever before in the history of man. You have blinded yourself; you subscribe to false theory; you are permeated with your obsession -- not only you but all of us. If we faced the facts of existence, our palliatories would be less crowded.' "
The Whitherers:
P.164:
"Pladge performed one of her more extravagant gestures. 'If we were agreed, the rest of it would be simple. Present conditions are intolerable; we all want to change - all, that is, except Roger Buisley.'
Buisly smiled complacently. 'This is an imperfect world. I believe that our present system is as good as can be hoped for. It holds up a standard, offers a goal, fulfills the dearest hopes of the human race; and it can be tempered with only to our great disadvantage.'
Pladge grimaced wryley. 'You can see how conservative our Roger becomes.'
Waylock considered Buisly. 'Why is he a witherer then?'
Buisly answered. 'Why not? I am a witherer of witherers. They demand of each other, "whither the world?" I expand the question to quote: wither the world, if these crackpots have their way?'
'he has nothing constructive to offer,' pladge told waylock. 'He obstructs and carps.'
buisly protested. 'Not at all! I have a sound position; it is so simple that pladge and her obstruse friends are oppressed. I reason in three stages. Step one: everyone wants eternal life. Step 2: we can't permit it to everyone, or we have another age of chaos. Step 3: the obvious answer is -- give life to those who have earned it. This is our present system.'
'But what of the human cost?' said pladge. 'What of the strain, the grief, the terror, the turmoil? What of the poor devils crowding the palliatories? 25% of all those participating!' "
Waylock possesses some damning knowledge about an employee in the actuarian. He tells the employee that he needs information about the amaranths. This information is filed on film known as "flakes", and he finds a way to substitute blank film for the film containing the files. On the day that he has transferred waylock's request to his pocket, the commissioner is getting a guided tour of the actuarian. In an accident, the employee slips the flakes into the cuffs of the commissioner's jacket. When he lets waylock know what happens, waylock goes to the commissioner's mansion.
P.207-8:
"Waylock hesitated only an instant, then entered the wardrobe. He stood among racks, forms, cases, cabinets and shelves. About him were cloaks, robes, tunics, baldrics, and mantles, breeches and trousers. Shelves held a 100 sets of shoes, pumps, boots and sandals. There were uniforms of 20 different orders. Carnevalle costumes; sports outfits... Waylock's eyes roved back and forth, seeking the blot of Scarlet which would Mark the embroidered jacket of yesterday.
He moved along the aisle, touching, examining, peering... On the second rack he found the jacket. He pulled it forth -- and stopped short. At the far end of the aisle stood Rolf aversham. He came forward slowly, eyes gleaming.
'I could not understand your interest in the Chancellor's wardrobe until -- he nodded at the jacket '-- I saw what you were after.'
'Apparently,' said waylock, 'you understand my purpose here.'
'I understand only that you are the holding the jacket in which Chancellor imish visited the actuarian. May I have it?'
'Why, may I ask, do you want it?'
'curiosity.'
Waylock stepped around the end of the rack and reached to remove the flakes. He felt them but could not dislodge them. aversham's steps sounded behind him; aversham's hand reached forward, jerked at the jacket. Waylock gave a Savage twist, but Aversham lunged forward and took a firm hold. Waylock struck at aversham's face; Aversham kicked at Waylock's groin. Waylock seized the leg, hauled it up with tremendous force; Aversham went hopping, reeling back toward the windows. Clutching at the shunar silk, he gave a horse shout and fell backwards out into space. Waylock stared in shock at the empty rectangle of night. From below came a jangle, another terrible call, a peculiar rattling sound.
Waylock ran forward, peered down upon the body of Rolf Aversham, who in falling had impaled himself upon the lances of an iron fence. His legs, thrashing and kicking, rattled the loose iron, a sound which presently ceased.
Waylock came back into the room, feverishly tore ar the jacket, extracted the flakes, then returned the garment to its rack.
A moment later he burst into the study. Chancellor imish hastily flicked off a screen upon which nude men and women cavorted in grotesque comedy. 'What's wrong?'
'I was right,' gasped waylock. 'Aversham came into the wardrobe and attacked me! He spied on us while we talked!'
'But -- but --' imish rose in his seat. 'Where is he?' waylock told him."
P.258:
"The events which brought the desperate surge to the streets of clarges represented a culmination to the industrial revolution, to the defeat of disease in the 20th century, to the malthusian chaos, to the Reach of Clarges itself. They were a product of civilization, and in this sense foreordained. But the immediate source of the trouble was the expansion of the amaranth society by 1762 new members.
The information reached the actuarian, was coded and integrated. Even those who strove at the actuarian were startled by the effect. The ratio between the various phyle was fixed, by a formula which maintained the aggregate years of life per thousand population at a constant value. For the purposes of this formula amaranth's life was arbitrarily reckoned at 3,000 years, and the phyle ratio worked out roughly as 1:40:200:600:1200.
The accession of 1762 new amaranth destroyed the established balance, subtracting life expectancy from the Brood by something over 4 months, and the other phyle accordingly.
The first effect was a spate of instructions to the assassins, ordering
The author has created a story where the problem of human overpopulation has been solved. In the land of clarges, a great walled community, that keeps the nomads out, you have a chance for eternal life.
When Gavin Waylock, the protagonist, quits working at carnevalle, goes to work at a palliatory. Palliatories are where citizens go who have turned catatonic / manic. The society of clarges is so stressful when you are striving, that many break down, going catatonic, and occasionally breaking into mania, where they go on a frenzied rampage. those who register at the actuarian for a chance at eternal life, have to work hard to move from one phyle to the next. Glarks remain unregistered, and live out a normal lifespan. But those who register with the actuarian, have a chance at eternal life. You must serve mankind's society for the betterment of it in some way: in the arts, in politics, in academics, there are many ways in which, by creating something new or bettering some system, you can move up into the next phyle. When you move high enough, you can break into the amaranth, and eternal life is yours.
But each person who breaks into amaranth, causes 2000 of the lowest order phyle to be terminated. Assassins are dispatched, and they are euthanized.
Basil, who is a psychologist, and is responsible for getting Waylock his job, is experimenting on on a way to stop the cat/mans from going manic. He selects the cat/man who is the strongest, most dangerous, when he breaks into his manic stage. With the man laying before him in his catatonic stage, he has Waylock stand by to inject him with "anti-heptant," a drug that erases the thoughts in your mind at that moment. Thus, Basil figures, if he invited the patient--Hertzog-- into his manic phase and then injects him with anti-heptant, he can get rid of the infuriating thoughts inflicting him, and lead to a possible cure.
P.98
" 'hertzog,' said basil in a low urgent voice, 'you are a failure. You won't make third -- anti-heptant, Gavin -- hertzog, you tried hard, but you made mistakes. You have only yourself to blame. You've thrown away life, hertzog.'
A low sound like a rising wind came from herzog's throat. Basil beckoned for anti-heptant. 'Maximilian hertzog,' he said in a hurried voice, 'you are inferior. Other people can make third [third phyle] -- but not you. You have failed. You wasted your time. You studied the wrong techniques.'
Veins appeared on hertzog's forehead. The sound rasped loud in his throat. " Anti-heptant, gavin, anti-heptant.
Waylock tapped the button, the light glowed yellow [Yellow represents a stable mood]. Basil returned to the quivering form. 'Hertzog -- remember how you threw life away? Remember the chances you missed? The people who are no wiser than you but who are third and verge [next up from Third]? And you have nothing before you except a ride in the high black car [alluding to the ride to euthansia with an assassin]!'
Maximilian hertzog slowly sat up on the pallet. He looked at basil, he turned his head and fixed his stare on waylock.
No one spoke. Basil crouched; waylock was unable to move or shift his stance. The light on the screen was once more red[indicating mania].
Waylock finally asked, 'more anti-heptant?'
'no,' said basil in a nervous voice, 'not just yet... We don't want to blot out too much.
'Blot out too much what?' asked Maximilian hertzog. He reached to his head, felt the caliper contacts, the dangling tube stuck into his neck. 'What is all this?' "
Wayloxk, who 7 years before the opening of the story had killed a man in self-defense, had been charged guilty of the crime, and has had to hide out from assassins, has managed to live successfully in carnevalle. When he kills The Jacynth Martin, to keep her from outing his former identity, her replacement (all Amaranths have 7 replacements, to replace them in case of accidental death) wants to have him mind-searched, because she suspect he is guilty. Waylock gets the idea to use Basil's anti-heptant on himself to erase the parts in his mind that will out the truth about The Jacynth Martin's death.
P.110-11:
"He raised the hypospray, and placed the nozzle to his neck. Then he hesitated, put down the hypospray, and wrote a note which he laid on the desk. Once again he took up the hypospray, set it in position, and pressed the trigger.
He waited, concentrating on the task. Keep mind blank. Every thought, every idea must be erased. Think of nothing. Think of nothing. His brain was like a bruise, sensitive as sunburn.... My name is Gavin waylock...
He only thought it once; after that he knew nothing of his name. Exuding tiny beads of sweat, he blanked his consciousness. Nothing, nothing, nothing. The recorder began to speak. He heard his voice describing the death of The Jacynth martin, and the preceding events.
The recording ended. Waylock closed his eyes, lay back, warm, lethargic, relaxed. The anti-heptant dissipated itself. Waylock's brain began to function; thoughts moved and wavered, indistinct, like shapes in heavy fog... He sat up in the chair. The note he had written caught his eye. He picked it up and read.
I have just removed the memory of an experience from my mind. Perhaps I have forgotten other things. My name is Gavin waylock. I am the relict of the graven warlock, if anyone should ask. My address is 414 Phariot way, apartment 820.
There was other information and memoranda, ending with:
...other lapses in memory to be expected. Do not wonder about subject erased. It is possible that the special squad May call; there may be a mind-search and connection with the violent passing of The Jacynth Martin, of which I know nothing.
Note: erase the final 15 minutes on the recorder. Do not listen to it, as this will defeat purpose of memory-blotting. Be sure to erase recorder."
When the mind search doesn't work on waylock, because he erased that part from his brain, The Jacynth Martin suspects that this is exactly what happened. She has him followed.
P.134-5:
"Waylock wanted to avoid observation entirely, in order to maintain the worth of his disguise. The critical area lay in the hall, immediately outside his apartment. He slid the door open a crack, examined the vicinity as carefully as possible. He saw nothing, but a spy cell at the far end of the corridor would be invisible.
Waylock returned within, removed his alter-ego and his jacket, made a neat bundle, and carrying it under his arm, left the apartment.
He walked down Phariot way to the Allemand avenue station, dropped to the tube depot, and making sure that no one jostled him or approached closely enough to apply a tracer to his person, entered the capsule and switched himself to a random destination: garstang. The capsule slid away, and waylock once more invested himself with the identity of his alter-ego. He diverted the capsule to floriander deck and arrived feeling secure that he had frustrated any pursuit.
At a kiosk he bought a tube of assorted Stimmos*, and after a moment's reflection, swallowed the yellow, the green and the purple.
*stimmos: pills which worked upon the brain to build synthetic moods. Orange stimmos brought cheer and gaiety; red, amativeness; green, concentration and heightened imagination; yellow, courage and resolution; purple, wit and social ease. Dark blue stimmos ('weepers') predisposed to sentimentality and intensity of emotion; light blue stimmos firmed the muscular reflexes and were useful to precision workers, operators of calculating machines, musical instruments and the like. Blacks stimmos ('dreamers') encouraged weird visual fantasy; White stimmos ('non-sobs') minimized emotional response. It was possible to take combinations of up to three pills with a vast number of compound effects. A dosage of more than three stimmos or too frequent use diminished the effect."
P.152:
" 'even if I were guilty -- which I will never admit -- where is the heinousness of the crime? Neither and you nor The Abel suffered more than inconvenience.'
'the crime,' said The Jacynth softly, 'is abstract and fundamental: the innate depravity of extinguishing life.'
Waylock looked uncomfortably around the room. Men and women talked, strolled beside the aquefacts, postured, gestured, laughed. His conversation with The Jacynth seemed unreal. 'Now is hardly the time to argue this matter,' he said. 'However, I may point out that if extinguishing life is a crime, it is a crime everyone except the glarks are guilty of.'
The Jacynth whispered in mock horror, 'you apall me! Describe my crime -- supply the grizzly details.'
Waylock nodded. 'One amaranth per 2000 population is the allowed ratio. When you were received into the amaranth society, an element of information entered the actuarian. 2000 black wagons went forth on their missions; 2000 doors opened; 2000 despairing creatures left their homes, climbed the three steps; 2000 times --'
The Jacynth's voice was harsh as the rasp of an untuned violin. 'This is no guilt of mine; everyone strives alike.'
'It is simple dog-eat-dog,' said waylock. 'It's basic battle for survival, fiercer and more brutal than ever before in the history of man. You have blinded yourself; you subscribe to false theory; you are permeated with your obsession -- not only you but all of us. If we faced the facts of existence, our palliatories would be less crowded.' "
The Whitherers:
P.164:
"Pladge performed one of her more extravagant gestures. 'If we were agreed, the rest of it would be simple. Present conditions are intolerable; we all want to change - all, that is, except Roger Buisley.'
Buisly smiled complacently. 'This is an imperfect world. I believe that our present system is as good as can be hoped for. It holds up a standard, offers a goal, fulfills the dearest hopes of the human race; and it can be tempered with only to our great disadvantage.'
Pladge grimaced wryley. 'You can see how conservative our Roger becomes.'
Waylock considered Buisly. 'Why is he a witherer then?'
Buisly answered. 'Why not? I am a witherer of witherers. They demand of each other, "whither the world?" I expand the question to quote: wither the world, if these crackpots have their way?'
'he has nothing constructive to offer,' pladge told waylock. 'He obstructs and carps.'
buisly protested. 'Not at all! I have a sound position; it is so simple that pladge and her obstruse friends are oppressed. I reason in three stages. Step one: everyone wants eternal life. Step 2: we can't permit it to everyone, or we have another age of chaos. Step 3: the obvious answer is -- give life to those who have earned it. This is our present system.'
'But what of the human cost?' said pladge. 'What of the strain, the grief, the terror, the turmoil? What of the poor devils crowding the palliatories? 25% of all those participating!' "
Waylock possesses some damning knowledge about an employee in the actuarian. He tells the employee that he needs information about the amaranths. This information is filed on film known as "flakes", and he finds a way to substitute blank film for the film containing the files. On the day that he has transferred waylock's request to his pocket, the commissioner is getting a guided tour of the actuarian. In an accident, the employee slips the flakes into the cuffs of the commissioner's jacket. When he lets waylock know what happens, waylock goes to the commissioner's mansion.
P.207-8:
"Waylock hesitated only an instant, then entered the wardrobe. He stood among racks, forms, cases, cabinets and shelves. About him were cloaks, robes, tunics, baldrics, and mantles, breeches and trousers. Shelves held a 100 sets of shoes, pumps, boots and sandals. There were uniforms of 20 different orders. Carnevalle costumes; sports outfits... Waylock's eyes roved back and forth, seeking the blot of Scarlet which would Mark the embroidered jacket of yesterday.
He moved along the aisle, touching, examining, peering... On the second rack he found the jacket. He pulled it forth -- and stopped short. At the far end of the aisle stood Rolf aversham. He came forward slowly, eyes gleaming.
'I could not understand your interest in the Chancellor's wardrobe until -- he nodded at the jacket '-- I saw what you were after.'
'Apparently,' said waylock, 'you understand my purpose here.'
'I understand only that you are the holding the jacket in which Chancellor imish visited the actuarian. May I have it?'
'Why, may I ask, do you want it?'
'curiosity.'
Waylock stepped around the end of the rack and reached to remove the flakes. He felt them but could not dislodge them. aversham's steps sounded behind him; aversham's hand reached forward, jerked at the jacket. Waylock gave a Savage twist, but Aversham lunged forward and took a firm hold. Waylock struck at aversham's face; Aversham kicked at Waylock's groin. Waylock seized the leg, hauled it up with tremendous force; Aversham went hopping, reeling back toward the windows. Clutching at the shunar silk, he gave a horse shout and fell backwards out into space. Waylock stared in shock at the empty rectangle of night. From below came a jangle, another terrible call, a peculiar rattling sound.
Waylock ran forward, peered down upon the body of Rolf Aversham, who in falling had impaled himself upon the lances of an iron fence. His legs, thrashing and kicking, rattled the loose iron, a sound which presently ceased.
Waylock came back into the room, feverishly tore ar the jacket, extracted the flakes, then returned the garment to its rack.
A moment later he burst into the study. Chancellor imish hastily flicked off a screen upon which nude men and women cavorted in grotesque comedy. 'What's wrong?'
'I was right,' gasped waylock. 'Aversham came into the wardrobe and attacked me! He spied on us while we talked!'
'But -- but --' imish rose in his seat. 'Where is he?' waylock told him."
P.258:
"The events which brought the desperate surge to the streets of clarges represented a culmination to the industrial revolution, to the defeat of disease in the 20th century, to the malthusian chaos, to the Reach of Clarges itself. They were a product of civilization, and in this sense foreordained. But the immediate source of the trouble was the expansion of the amaranth society by 1762 new members.
The information reached the actuarian, was coded and integrated. Even those who strove at the actuarian were startled by the effect. The ratio between the various phyle was fixed, by a formula which maintained the aggregate years of life per thousand population at a constant value. For the purposes of this formula amaranth's life was arbitrarily reckoned at 3,000 years, and the phyle ratio worked out roughly as 1:40:200:600:1200.
The accession of 1762 new amaranth destroyed the established balance, subtracting life expectancy from the Brood by something over 4 months, and the other phyle accordingly.
The first effect was a spate of instructions to the assassins, ordering
September 27, 2021
Clarges by Jack Vance
aka To Live Forever
Clarges—previously published under the title To Live Forever—is a fantastic early standalone Vance SF novel, which speculates about a future where—seemingly beneficial—scientific advancement has held back man's potential to colonise the stars. This was perhaps the first Vance novel to really strike gold—excluding The Dying Earth which was a short story collection—and shows many of the characteristic traits which adorn his later works. Clarges is a great example of how Jack Vance can create a really engrossing and believable culture from the ground up.
Set in a far future Earth, the society of Clarges live in a walled city, sheltered from the so called barbarians of the outside world. The novel tackles the issue of what would happen if biology advanced in such a way as to allow immortality among the human race. How could these advancements be used without the world becoming overpopulated? The society of Clarges have developed a system to overcome the horrors of Malthusian overpopulation by providing a Fair-Play Act which rewards hard work and contribution to society with the promise of eternal life for a select few.
Citizens who partake in the Fair-Play Act are divided into five categories referred to as phyles: Brood, Wedge, Third, Verge and Amaranth. When people register as Brood, they essential enter a contract whereby they have a fixed life span. When their time expires they are terminated by assassins. Each successful contribution in their career allows them to progress upward through the various phyles, each of which extends the amount of life they are entitled to. A select few who are very successful reach Amaranth, which grants them immortality and five relicts—essentially clones which can be used in substitute in case death befalls them. The citizens of Clarges do not have to participate in the Fair-Play Act, if they want they can live a normal life and live to the average age. The people who choose this way of life are referred to as Glarks.
It's an interesting idea which Vance develops well to create a unusual atmosphere in Clarges. The citizens are so concerned with their so called slope that they do not have time to live a proper life; always thinking about their ticking lifespan and how they can break into the next phyle. This is summarised nicely by one of the minor characters, Jacob Nile:
The protagonist of the story is Gavin Waylock, a very typical Vance character; a completely amoral person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Nevertheless, he is a likeable character who you find yourself wanting to see succeed. Gavin meets an Amaranth women called The Jacynth Martin at Carnervalle—a place were the citizens of Clarges come to blow off steam and forget all about their slope, they come masked as to be equal for a short time. However The Jacynth learns a secret about Gavin's past and thus begins a turn of events which begin to question the very foundations of the society of Clarges.
Clarges is quite a serious novel with very little humour in the dialogue, the following quote is a delightful exception and a glimpse of Vance's later attitude toward character dialogue:
In summary, I found Clarges to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended to Vance fans and perhaps a great entry-point to those who have yet to read anything by him.
aka To Live Forever
Clarges—previously published under the title To Live Forever—is a fantastic early standalone Vance SF novel, which speculates about a future where—seemingly beneficial—scientific advancement has held back man's potential to colonise the stars. This was perhaps the first Vance novel to really strike gold—excluding The Dying Earth which was a short story collection—and shows many of the characteristic traits which adorn his later works. Clarges is a great example of how Jack Vance can create a really engrossing and believable culture from the ground up.
Set in a far future Earth, the society of Clarges live in a walled city, sheltered from the so called barbarians of the outside world. The novel tackles the issue of what would happen if biology advanced in such a way as to allow immortality among the human race. How could these advancements be used without the world becoming overpopulated? The society of Clarges have developed a system to overcome the horrors of Malthusian overpopulation by providing a Fair-Play Act which rewards hard work and contribution to society with the promise of eternal life for a select few.
Citizens who partake in the Fair-Play Act are divided into five categories referred to as phyles: Brood, Wedge, Third, Verge and Amaranth. When people register as Brood, they essential enter a contract whereby they have a fixed life span. When their time expires they are terminated by assassins. Each successful contribution in their career allows them to progress upward through the various phyles, each of which extends the amount of life they are entitled to. A select few who are very successful reach Amaranth, which grants them immortality and five relicts—essentially clones which can be used in substitute in case death befalls them. The citizens of Clarges do not have to participate in the Fair-Play Act, if they want they can live a normal life and live to the average age. The people who choose this way of life are referred to as Glarks.
It's an interesting idea which Vance develops well to create a unusual atmosphere in Clarges. The citizens are so concerned with their so called slope that they do not have time to live a proper life; always thinking about their ticking lifespan and how they can break into the next phyle. This is summarised nicely by one of the minor characters, Jacob Nile:
Slope! Slope! Slope!–that's all to be heard in Clarges.
The protagonist of the story is Gavin Waylock, a very typical Vance character; a completely amoral person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Nevertheless, he is a likeable character who you find yourself wanting to see succeed. Gavin meets an Amaranth women called The Jacynth Martin at Carnervalle—a place were the citizens of Clarges come to blow off steam and forget all about their slope, they come masked as to be equal for a short time. However The Jacynth learns a secret about Gavin's past and thus begins a turn of events which begin to question the very foundations of the society of Clarges.
Clarges is quite a serious novel with very little humour in the dialogue, the following quote is a delightful exception and a glimpse of Vance's later attitude toward character dialogue:
Caddigan looked sidewise at Waylock. “Pladge has become a Whitherer, and now it's all I hear.”
“A 'Whitherer'?”
“A person who ask 'Whither?'” said Pladge. “It's as simple as that. We've formed an association and we ask 'Whither?' together. You must come to one of our meetings.”
In summary, I found Clarges to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended to Vance fans and perhaps a great entry-point to those who have yet to read anything by him.
March 29, 2024
This book deals with the concerns of overpopulation as they existed in the 1950s where the fear was societal breakdown, starvation and loss of civilization. So much more fearful would be the issue of handling immortality. What would happen if immortality was a possibility? Who would get the treatment? Who would be deserving? What would happen if there were only so many slots available? And if you did live forever, how would you keep from going insane?
The story centers around a murder and the revitalized clone coming back to life to claim to be wronged... even though no memories were lost and heck... the person is alive in the clone body. What was lost? It was a loss in status for one. People are status conscious, trying desperately to justify their existence and thus a chance at a few extra years of life and eventually earning immortality. Someone who has already earned immortality, but is murdered, goes to the back of the queue, so to speak.
Most of the book seemed more court intrigue than actual action.
I wanted to say that the story mimics several other books I've read, but this book came first. Perhaps the other books are somewhat derivative. I can't say, but I will list a few books that cover a similar theme.
o The Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon starting with Hunting Party. The actual issues over the problems of effective immortality are discussed more fully in the last book of the series: "Against the Odds".
o Lois McMaster Bujold also deals with the issue of using clones as a means of immortality in Mirror Dance and later with cryofreezing in CryoBurn.
o The Succession series by Scott Westerfeld which include "The Risen Empire" and "The Killing of Worlds". This last series seems the most similar to "To Live Forever" and frankly, it is more exciting.
The story centers around a murder and the revitalized clone coming back to life to claim to be wronged... even though no memories were lost and heck... the person is alive in the clone body. What was lost? It was a loss in status for one. People are status conscious, trying desperately to justify their existence and thus a chance at a few extra years of life and eventually earning immortality. Someone who has already earned immortality, but is murdered, goes to the back of the queue, so to speak.
Most of the book seemed more court intrigue than actual action.
I wanted to say that the story mimics several other books I've read, but this book came first. Perhaps the other books are somewhat derivative. I can't say, but I will list a few books that cover a similar theme.
o The Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon starting with Hunting Party. The actual issues over the problems of effective immortality are discussed more fully in the last book of the series: "Against the Odds".
o Lois McMaster Bujold also deals with the issue of using clones as a means of immortality in Mirror Dance and later with cryofreezing in CryoBurn.
o The Succession series by Scott Westerfeld which include "The Risen Empire" and "The Killing of Worlds". This last series seems the most similar to "To Live Forever" and frankly, it is more exciting.
October 26, 2022
A book dealing with some of my favorite topics, an interesting antihero, nice pacing, the sci-fi parts aged quite well - I've enjoyed this book a lot.
One thing that's funny in retrospect was the medical optimism. Understandable, since it was written in the fifties. But the 20th century definitely _isn't_ remembered as the one where we defeated disease. 😀
Actually, this only clicked for me while writing this review: People in this book are depicted as striving to earn the right to life-extending treatments, until they reach the average life span. I of course immediately interpreted that as them having a right to standard medical care, and only striving for life extensions. But after writing the previous paragraph, I realized that there probably was an implicit assumption of _diseases not being a thing anymore._
One thing that's funny in retrospect was the medical optimism. Understandable, since it was written in the fifties. But the 20th century definitely _isn't_ remembered as the one where we defeated disease. 😀
Actually, this only clicked for me while writing this review: People in this book are depicted as striving to earn the right to life-extending treatments, until they reach the average life span. I of course immediately interpreted that as them having a right to standard medical care, and only striving for life extensions. But after writing the previous paragraph, I realized that there probably was an implicit assumption of _diseases not being a thing anymore._
July 22, 2023
[Rating: 4.5/5.0]
The is a wonderful study into a bizarre future society built around the discovery of immortality and the negative consequences that must avoided by keeping it in few enough hands to not overpopulate the earth. We see the effects that these byzantine mitigations have on its citizens. The protagonist is a scrappy underdog, but could be looked at as the book's villain. The antagonist is also a great strong character, and could be looked at as the hero. But I suppose you could argue it either way? Or maybe they're both villains after a fashion? Anyway, this is a wild ride that I wanted to give 5 stars. Alas I had to dock it half a star because of weirdly credulous or compliant side characters who cooperate with the protagonist's schemes in order to move the plot along at various points. I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story, but it was occasionally distracting. I give this book a very high recommendation however, a real hidden gem.
The is a wonderful study into a bizarre future society built around the discovery of immortality and the negative consequences that must avoided by keeping it in few enough hands to not overpopulate the earth. We see the effects that these byzantine mitigations have on its citizens. The protagonist is a scrappy underdog, but could be looked at as the book's villain. The antagonist is also a great strong character, and could be looked at as the hero. But I suppose you could argue it either way? Or maybe they're both villains after a fashion? Anyway, this is a wild ride that I wanted to give 5 stars. Alas I had to dock it half a star because of weirdly credulous or compliant side characters who cooperate with the protagonist's schemes in order to move the plot along at various points. I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story, but it was occasionally distracting. I give this book a very high recommendation however, a real hidden gem.
December 18, 2017
This is gold, I couldn't put it away. I'll have to think about a review, though, today I won't make it justice.
June 12, 2025
It starts out a bit slow and confusing, but as you get into it, it becomes an interesting tale of moves and counter-moves with an, in my opinion, satisfying ending.
March 19, 2025
8/10 ★★★★
Finalmente leggo la mia prima opera di Jack Vance. Avevo aspettative molto alte, e onestamente sono state ripagate.
La storia è ambientata sulla Terra, ma in un futuro lontano. Il mondo è regredito a uno stato di barbarie dopo il Caos Maltusiano. L'ultimo baluardo della civiltà, in un pianeta dominato dai Nomadi e dalla violenza, è Clarges, una città tecnologicamente avanzata, protetta da un muro elettrificato e costantemente sotto attacco dall'esterno.
Ma Clarges non è solo il residuo di un passato civilizzato: ha raggiunto un nuovo livello di evoluzione grazie a un’innovazione straordinaria. Gli scienziati della Grande Unione hanno sconfitto la morte. Sì, a Clarges gli esseri umani non muoiono – almeno, non di morte naturale.
Questo progresso, però, ha delle conseguenze. Clarges è un territorio limitato, e la mancanza di decessi porta a una crescita esponenziale della popolazione. Per evitare il collasso, i governanti hanno istituito un rigido sistema gerarchico, suddividendo la società in tribù – o phyle – che si scalano accumulando punti, ottenibili attraverso il contributo alla comunità o l’eccellenza professionale. Al vertice della piramide sociale si trova lo stato di Amaranto: un’élite che non solo ha diritto all��immortalità, ma può anche contare su surrogati empatizzati pronti a sostituirli in caso di morte accidentale, oltre a beneficiare del ringiovanimento del corpo e di privilegi esclusivi.
A partire dai 16 anni, i cittadini possono registrarsi nella prima tribù attraverso l’Attuario, firmando un contratto che li inserisce ufficialmente nella scala sociale. Tuttavia, ogni tribù ha una scadenza: chi non riesce a progredire entro il tempo stabilito viene rintracciato e ucciso dai Sicari. Esiste però anche un’alternativa: non aderire al sistema. Chi sceglie questa via viene chiamato glodola e vive ai margini della società, privo dei benefici dell’Ascesa, il gioco della vita che ossessiona tutti gli abitanti di Clarges.
Al di là della città, in una terra desolata, sorge Carnevalle, una sorta di Las Vegas futuristica, un luna park a cielo aperto. Unico rifugio dalla spietata competizione sociale, è il luogo dove le persone cercano di dimenticare, almeno per un po’, l’ossessione per l’Ascesa.
Ed è proprio a Carnevalle che incontriamo Gavin Waylock, un antieroe dalla morale ambigua, disposto a tutto pur di raggiungere lo stato di Amaranto. In realtà, Gavin è il Grayven Warlock (quando un individuo raggiunge lo stato di Amaranto, il suo nome viene sempre preceduto dall’articolo), un ex Amaranto colpevole di un crimine sette anni prima e fuggito dai Sicari. Ora, nascosto sotto falsa identità, vive come un glodola, aspettando che trascorrano sette anni, il periodo oltre il quale un Amaranto è considerato ufficialmente morto. Solo allora potrà registrarsi di nuovo all’Attuario e ricominciare la sua scalata verso l’immortalità.
Durante una serata incontra la Jacynth Martin, una splendida Amaranto in cerca di svago a Carnevalle. Tra loro nasce un’attrazione, ma il gioco si incrina quando lei lo riconosce. Ha così inizio una lotta senza esclusione di colpi, fatta di inganni, ricatti e sangue.
La prima parte del romanzo è straordinaria: le descrizioni di Carnevalle e del mondo spietato in cui si muove Waylock sono affascinanti, e il protagonista stesso è un personaggio fuori dagli schemi, divorato da un’ossessione che non conosce freni. Convinto di essere stato punito ingiustamente, è disposto a tutto pur di riprendersi ciò che ritiene gli sia stato tolto, dando vita a una storia di vendetta brillante e avvincente.
Verso la metà, il ritmo rallenta e l’intensità cala, fino a un finale che, a mio parere, non rende pienamente giustizia alla storia. Tuttavia, il fascino del racconto rimane intatto fino all’ultima pagina.
Un romanzo bellissimo, con un tema profondo che invita alla riflessione. Non è difficile trovare paralleli con il nostro presente, dove il successo è spesso inseguito a ogni costo, anche a discapito degli altri.
Finalmente leggo la mia prima opera di Jack Vance. Avevo aspettative molto alte, e onestamente sono state ripagate.
La storia è ambientata sulla Terra, ma in un futuro lontano. Il mondo è regredito a uno stato di barbarie dopo il Caos Maltusiano. L'ultimo baluardo della civiltà, in un pianeta dominato dai Nomadi e dalla violenza, è Clarges, una città tecnologicamente avanzata, protetta da un muro elettrificato e costantemente sotto attacco dall'esterno.
Ma Clarges non è solo il residuo di un passato civilizzato: ha raggiunto un nuovo livello di evoluzione grazie a un’innovazione straordinaria. Gli scienziati della Grande Unione hanno sconfitto la morte. Sì, a Clarges gli esseri umani non muoiono – almeno, non di morte naturale.
Questo progresso, però, ha delle conseguenze. Clarges è un territorio limitato, e la mancanza di decessi porta a una crescita esponenziale della popolazione. Per evitare il collasso, i governanti hanno istituito un rigido sistema gerarchico, suddividendo la società in tribù – o phyle – che si scalano accumulando punti, ottenibili attraverso il contributo alla comunità o l’eccellenza professionale. Al vertice della piramide sociale si trova lo stato di Amaranto: un’élite che non solo ha diritto all��immortalità, ma può anche contare su surrogati empatizzati pronti a sostituirli in caso di morte accidentale, oltre a beneficiare del ringiovanimento del corpo e di privilegi esclusivi.
A partire dai 16 anni, i cittadini possono registrarsi nella prima tribù attraverso l’Attuario, firmando un contratto che li inserisce ufficialmente nella scala sociale. Tuttavia, ogni tribù ha una scadenza: chi non riesce a progredire entro il tempo stabilito viene rintracciato e ucciso dai Sicari. Esiste però anche un’alternativa: non aderire al sistema. Chi sceglie questa via viene chiamato glodola e vive ai margini della società, privo dei benefici dell’Ascesa, il gioco della vita che ossessiona tutti gli abitanti di Clarges.
Al di là della città, in una terra desolata, sorge Carnevalle, una sorta di Las Vegas futuristica, un luna park a cielo aperto. Unico rifugio dalla spietata competizione sociale, è il luogo dove le persone cercano di dimenticare, almeno per un po’, l’ossessione per l’Ascesa.
Ed è proprio a Carnevalle che incontriamo Gavin Waylock, un antieroe dalla morale ambigua, disposto a tutto pur di raggiungere lo stato di Amaranto. In realtà, Gavin è il Grayven Warlock (quando un individuo raggiunge lo stato di Amaranto, il suo nome viene sempre preceduto dall’articolo), un ex Amaranto colpevole di un crimine sette anni prima e fuggito dai Sicari. Ora, nascosto sotto falsa identità, vive come un glodola, aspettando che trascorrano sette anni, il periodo oltre il quale un Amaranto è considerato ufficialmente morto. Solo allora potrà registrarsi di nuovo all’Attuario e ricominciare la sua scalata verso l’immortalità.
Durante una serata incontra la Jacynth Martin, una splendida Amaranto in cerca di svago a Carnevalle. Tra loro nasce un’attrazione, ma il gioco si incrina quando lei lo riconosce. Ha così inizio una lotta senza esclusione di colpi, fatta di inganni, ricatti e sangue.
La prima parte del romanzo è straordinaria: le descrizioni di Carnevalle e del mondo spietato in cui si muove Waylock sono affascinanti, e il protagonista stesso è un personaggio fuori dagli schemi, divorato da un’ossessione che non conosce freni. Convinto di essere stato punito ingiustamente, è disposto a tutto pur di riprendersi ciò che ritiene gli sia stato tolto, dando vita a una storia di vendetta brillante e avvincente.
Verso la metà, il ritmo rallenta e l’intensità cala, fino a un finale che, a mio parere, non rende pienamente giustizia alla storia. Tuttavia, il fascino del racconto rimane intatto fino all’ultima pagina.
Un romanzo bellissimo, con un tema profondo che invita alla riflessione. Non è difficile trovare paralleli con il nostro presente, dove il successo è spesso inseguito a ogni costo, anche a discapito degli altri.
March 6, 2019
I'm not sure if this novel has simply aged poorly or if it wasn't very good to start with.
The premise is interesting. In a post-apocalyptic, cloistered society every citizen may earn immortality by advancing science or the arts, or by making a significant contribution to their community. But when a man, who has recently reached that heady goal, is stripped of his position and his very life is threatened, he vows to retake what he is owed, by any means.
My problem is that the protagonist is unsympathetic. His motivations are selfish and his approach is underhanded by reflex. Added to the reader's burden is a complete lack of scientific method in this science fiction novel. All the characters seem to think that their opinions are facts and they pronounce them as if they are self-evident. No source or evidence is required. If it wasn't that most of the author's arguments, by proxy, are complete rubbish, I'd be more likely to forgive this approach.
Vance can do so much better than this. Perhaps Fantasy is where he shines best... not science fiction.
The premise is interesting. In a post-apocalyptic, cloistered society every citizen may earn immortality by advancing science or the arts, or by making a significant contribution to their community. But when a man, who has recently reached that heady goal, is stripped of his position and his very life is threatened, he vows to retake what he is owed, by any means.
My problem is that the protagonist is unsympathetic. His motivations are selfish and his approach is underhanded by reflex. Added to the reader's burden is a complete lack of scientific method in this science fiction novel. All the characters seem to think that their opinions are facts and they pronounce them as if they are self-evident. No source or evidence is required. If it wasn't that most of the author's arguments, by proxy, are complete rubbish, I'd be more likely to forgive this approach.
Vance can do so much better than this. Perhaps Fantasy is where he shines best... not science fiction.
November 29, 2010
Halfway though this book, I wasn't sure what to think. The main character was a nice enough guy, but also a murderous, conniving opportunist. And he's the main POV character, so it was difficult to feel much involvement in the story, because I really thought he deserved to die. It became much more enjoyable once I realized that the story wasn't about him; rather, it's a story about the downfall of a society that rations out immortality to its citizens, with the protagonist as the catalyst, not the hero. (And it's absolutely not a love story, contrary to the blurb on the back; whoever wrote that bit obviously didn't read past the first chapter.) Vance's prose here isn't anything special, and the technology is amusingly out-of-date (being a book of the far future written in 1956), and though I was never bored, the story never really engaged me either. 3 out of 5 stars, but juuuust barely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews