Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Last Days of an Immortal - Paul's Review


***I received an ecopy of this book from Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

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Title: Last Days of an Immortal
Author: Fabien Vehlmann
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: In our distant future, science will provide access to eternal life. With immortality a universal constant, the concept of crime takes on a new definition, giving rise to the “Philosophical Police”, agents trained to solve conflicts between individuals as well as entire species of aliens who have integrated into our society. When two such species erupt in violence over a crime committed centuries ago, Police agent Elijah must submerge himself in each culture to understand how to overcome their ignorance of each other and bring about peace. Soon, however, he finds himself confronting his own immortality, and examining the concept of death itself…

In a world where death no longer exists, why do so many want to give up on life?

Review: Last Days of an Immortal is a very interesting graphic novel. It is set in the far future, in a world where many different alien species interact and humans have become immortal. Each person has multiple "echoes" which are essentially clones of themselves. If you ever die, your memories are transferred to one of these "echoes" and you continue your life. 

The protagonist is a well established philosophical police officer. He helps to find the reasons behind intraspecies confrontations. 

The world created by Vehlmann is so large and full of interest. many ideas of immortality and dealing with completely different species with completely different cultural norms are dealt with. 

The art is minimal, being only black and white, but shows a vast world. Many panels are filled with unique and interesting alien species. 

If you like cerebral sci-fi you will enjoy this graphic novel. I give this book a 4/5.

-PAUL

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