Interesting Imaginings of Immortality

These books all focus on the idea of immortality; aging, and living forever. There is no singular genre that touches upon this topic. The topic can be found in the genres of romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery and literary fiction. Some are deep and thought provoking, while others will make you want to cry with the emotional issues involved in life and death. There are even some books that take a more humorous or satirical approach to the topic and will have you snickering as you read. Here are some of the best reads that I have found about the complications that come with living, dying and not dying.

In the Garden of Iden: A Novel of the Company by Kage Baker is about Mendoza, a member of the 24th century 'Company' which travels through time to preserve important plants, art and other objects as long as there are able to do so without altering history. The Company also rescues orphan at risk of death through the past, once saved they are made immortal and train them to serve as members of the Company. Mendoza was among the saved, pulled from torture in the Spanish Inquisition when she was five years old. One condition of her rescue was that she takes on missions of her own. Her first mission, at the age of eighteen, is to collect plant samples from Sir Walter Iden's garden in Elizabethan England. Things do not go as smoothly as she had hoped, as Nicholas Harpole stirs feelings and thought in Mendoza that she is unprepared for. Will duty or love to a man she will long out live hold final sway over Mendoza's actions? The historical details are well-researched and the idea of true history versus taught history and religious hypocrisy are raised. Despite the heavy themes covered in the story, it is still a fun read that moves along quickly. Other books in this series continue to work with the idea of immortality and its possibilities.

Vitals by Greg Bear begins with researcher Hal Cousins traveling deep in the ocean in search of life forms that could hold the key to immortality. During the expedition his pilot attacks him. Hal manages to survive and maneuver his sub back to the surface only to discover that his research ship has been attacked. A series of strange and dangerous events occur around Hal, including the murder of his twin brother who was also researching immortality. There is someone else, or something else, that already holds the keys to immortality and they will do anything to keep the secret. Vitals is a thriller that becomes even scarier in a world of anthrax and upheaval as we see every day on the news.

From the Dust Returned: A Family Remembrance by Ray Bradbury is an example of Bradbury's brilliance. In this tale readers get a full length story about the Elliotts, a family of loving Halloween creatures that have been used in several of Bradbury's short stories. The previous tales and new material is blended together to share the history of the family, and the way it almost ended. In the midst of supernatural, immortal family is an adopted mortal boy, Timothy, who longs to be like the rest of the family. However, his role remains to be standing witness to the possible demise of the family. This poetic tale encourages readers to embrace the every day joys and living life to the fullest regardless of how long our lives might last. The poetic conventions might frustrate some readers, but as a fan of Bradbury I reveled in the book.

The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is about a young woman named Tilo. She is trained in the art of herbs and spices in a different time, in a different world but comes to present day California. Tilo has disguised herself as an old woman and is Oakland when she ignores the warnings of her spices and lets herself get to close to the mortals. IN the end Tilo must chose between immortality and her supernatural life of the world of mortals and love. The multiple characters and their dreams for American life add an extra dimension and depth to an already gripping story.

Pilgrim by Timothy Findley follows the despondent Pilgrim who believes that he has lived many lives, as both male and female, in a variety of situations. After he attempts suicide Pilgrim is brought to Carl Jung who coaxes the pilgrim to share his stories. As Jung seeks an intellectual and spiritual challenge, readers join him on a trip through four thousand years of history. The cast of characters and history include DeVinchi and Henry James with vivid stories and detailed forays into the history. Is Pilgrim simply delusional with dreams involving these characters from history, or is he really an immortal being trapped in a deathless existence despite his best efforts?

Forever by Pete Hamill is the story of Cormac O'Connor. When he moved to New York City from Ireland in 1741 Cormac was given the gift of immortality, on the condition that he never leaves Manhattan. The novel tracks the changes and growth of the city from burgeoning settlement to the metropolis that we know today. As the city and its people face changes and challenges, so does Cormac. He experiences the joys and sorrows that come with love, and living life among those that will die and leave us before we are ready. He delves into mysteries of love, sex, time, death, loss and immortality.

The Postmortal by Drew Magary is due to be released on August 30 2011, but I was lucky enough to get a galley of early. The novel is a dystopian vision, a cautionary tale, a witty morality tale, a revenge fable with tones of noir, and an action adventure story. After taking the cure for aging, John Farrell initially revels in the fact that old age can not kill him. Readers join John in his sixty years as a 29-year-old through his blog entries and collections of news or media tidbits that he saved. However, while he will never age there are still plenty of things, and people, that can hurt or kill him. Readers join him as deals with life: the love, pain, grief, and terror of a normal lifetime as well as the issues that arise from living in a time of revelations and revolutions.

Immortality is often considered a dream, a blessing to be desired. These novels explore how too much of even the best thing, life itself, can turn into a curse. I recommend exploring The Messenger by Jan Burke, Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago, My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston, and The Immortality Factor by Ben Bova as well. As with any book list there are some great books that I have either forgotten about, do not know about or have simply skipped for some reason. Please add you recommendations in the comments below so that we can all take a look at another great book!