Jack Vance’s To Live Again, published as a Ballantine paperback original in 1956, was Vance’s first real science fiction novel (Winston Science Fiction published Vance’s juvenile Vandals of the Void in 1953). Vance describes a future society where the gift of immortality is given only to a few. The society is divided into six groups. Five of the groups are hierarchical: as you move up (called “slope”) from lower groups to higher groups your life gets extended. If you gain admittance to the top group, Amaranth, you are given the life-extension treatments that make you immortal. As you might suspect, the competition for admittance to Amaranth is fierce. Vance shows how social structures stress out citizens which slowly fractures society. To Live Forever introduces themes that will pervade most of Jack Vance’s later work: sociological analysis, unconventional social structures, and the dangers inherent in class-oriented societies. If you’re a newbie to Jack Vance’s work, this might not be the ideal book to start with (I’d recommend The Dying Earth or mystery-oriented Galactic Effectuator). But sooner or later you’ll get around to reading To Live Forever and you’ll be impressed with Jack Vance’s auspicious first novel.
Brilliant George, thanks. I bought “Dying Earth” on your recommendation and plan on reading tat soon as my own personal Vance tribute. Cheers.
Sergio, I envy you reading THE DYING EARTH for the first time. THE DYING EARTH is a strange and wondrous book!
Wow, I can see how competing for immortality would lead to some serious social issues. This sounds really complex to be a first sci-fi novel, but then again, he’d done gobs of short stories by this time, I believe.
Kelly, in TO LIVE FOREVER Jack Vance anticipated the 99% and 1% controversy that we’re going through 60 years after he wrote the book!
Not the best Vance book (though even 2nd rate Vance is better than most other writer’s best).
If I was recommending books to start out with Vance, I would go with the Planet of Adventure novels, They are some of his most approachable and just plain fun, and give a great taste of his creative alien cultures and wry humor
Stan, you’re right about the PLANET OF ADVENTURE series! I’m impressed with TO LIVE FOREVER even though it was his first real novel and full of rookie mistakes.
I agree with Stan, the Planet of Adventure novels are easier and more fun than a lot of Vance’s work for the new reader. By the way, I read and liked Vandals of the Void way back when and liked it a lot, but then I liked just about all of the Winston books.
Rick, I read just about all of the books in the WINSTON SF series. My favorite cover was on Ben Bova’s THE STAR CONQUERERS. It was painted by Mel Hunter.
Though a right-winger, Jack Vance never trusted class stratification. (My choice is half of the EFFECTUATOR…)
Todd, you’re right about Vance’s skepticism about Authority, Government, and Social Stratification. Almost all of his novels deal with the downside of Power.