Not one of Simak's best, slightly obvious and moralising, but with an interesting premise even if it isn't fully explored in this short novel.

Daniel Frost is one of the directors of the Forever Centre, with the responsibility of ensuring subversive literature isn't published. When he is framed by Security and Ostracized from the human race he realises his Second Life is going to be a poor one. No it's not a 40 year early reference to the internet; instead it's cryo-technology. The Forever centre sometime in the future, have in an unspecified manner solved all the problems and damage associated with freezing bodies, cured cancer, and most other diseases (although not heart attack) and are working on immortality. It's only another 20years away; meanwhile people are being frozen, and are saving every spare penny so that when they are re-awakened the interest earned will make them rich. Meanwhile the Forever Centre looks after their money, and is trying to deal with the space and resource issues involved with such a vast population increase.

Of course not everyone is happy about this and here and there are odd scatterings of the remnants of religion, which is supposed to be the counter example to the offered technological nirvana. However it's also the first indication of how the book has aged, and the general short sightedness of the plot. The only religion mentioned is an unspecified form of christianity. There are other major shortcomings, also not mentioned: Inflation. If everyone is 'rich' no-one will be able to buy anything because the cost of producing it will also rise; And children. They aren't mentioned at all, other than that one character has a wife and two children. There's no incentive for them in this new world model, and yet no discussion of them.

The writing also isn't Simak's best. As in most multi-character short stories there just isn't enough space to fully develop any of the characters, the descriptions are all brief, and worst of all, the plot is badly integrated. Daniel has very little interaction with any of the religious characters, and yet they keep making appearances with no relevance. I guess the idea is to try and promote a feeling of look what technology has done to religion.... but it doesn't really work.

Readable - with a couple of clever ideas, but it doesn't take any of them far enough. Simak can be much better. ( )

En orwelliansk historia om hur längtan efter ett liv efter detta får en hel värld att hamna i klorna på en auktoritär organisation. ( )