Arbie's Unoriginally Titled Book Blog
It's a blog! Mainly of book reviews.
Currently reading
The Long Habit of Living
A techno-conspiracy thriller where Immortaility is medically possible, aside from accident or murder but the procedure must be repeated every ten years or so and you must hand over all your worldly goods to the Foundation that monopolises the procedure in order to get it done - additionally, you must be able to give at least a million every time.
The book explores the effect on global (solar-system wide, in fact) economics and social constructs of this radical medical treatment and the limits placed on access to it by the monopolising Foundation, whilst telling an almost immediately gripping tale.
Those familiar with Haldeman novels know that he likes to experiment somewhat with his writing techniques. In this case there is alternation between two 1st Person narratives (one male, one female) and brief sections in the third person. It's something that can go badly wrong, mixing of your person number like that - see Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick - or rather, don't, because it's dreadful. Haldeman pulls it off with aplomb, though and we are treated to one of the more readable examinations of the theme of medical longevity, which has been knocking around SF since at least as far back as Blish's Cities in Flight quartet and in recent years has become practically ubiquitous.
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