To Live Forever (novel)
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| To Live Forever | |
 Cover of second edition of To Live Forever |
|
| Author | Jack Vance |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Publication date | 1956 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 185 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
To Live Forever is a science fiction novel by Jack Vance, first published in 1956. In the Vance Integral Edition, it was retitled Clarges.
[edit] Plot summary
The city of Clarges in the future is a near-utopia, surrounded by barbarism throughout the rest of the world. Abundant resources and the absence of political conflict lead to a pleasant life that should be stress-free. However, nearly everyone is involved in a perpetual scramble for slope.
Medical technology has led to a great lengthening of life-span, but, in order to prevent the Malthusian horrors of over-population, it is awarded only to those citizens who have made notable contributions to the general welfare. Five categories have been created for those playing the life-extension game, each offering an additional twenty years of life. The grand prize is the top category, called Amaranth, which offers (to the few who can climb that high) true immortality.
The Grayven Warlock is one of those lucky and accomplished few, but he has become a fugitive after a feud with another Amaranth ended with the latter's death. Under the alias of Gavin Waylock, he lives in hiding until a chance encounter forces his hand and starts him on the path to clearing his name and reinstating himself among the immortals.
However, the city's tensions are such that Waylock's dramatic stratagems result in changes beyond anything he intended.
