One Million Tomorrows [Hardcover]

Bob Shaw (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd (March 4, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 057500651X
• ISBN-13: 978-0575006515
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dated take on Immortality, June 25, 2010

By 

Paul Brooks (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Million Tomorrows (Hardcover)

One Million Tomorrows by Bob Shaw

The novel "One Million Tomorrows" is a story about personal immortality; a theme that has been employed many time by writers in the science-fiction field.

Mr. Shaw's take on this topic is somewhat pedestrian and would only be of interest to readers and academics specializing in this type of story or in the speculative fiction of Bob Shaw.

Will Carewe is offered an immortality drug without the usual side effect of losing his virility. Instead of a thoughtful evaluation of how this will effect him and the pervious immortals that did not consume the virility-preserving drug we are confronted with an uninteresting chase story - someone is trying to kill Mr. Carewe.

Bob Shaw (1931-96) wrote 14 science fiction novels. All of his titles were published during the period 1967-1989. His novel "One Million Tomorrows" first appeared as a serial in Amazing magazine issues dated November 1970 and January 1971. The first and only US book publication was an Ace paperback published in February 1971. The title has been reprinted in England several times.

3.0 out of 5 stars One Million Tomorrows -- fascinating social sci-fi blighted by a pot-boiler last third, November 4, 2011

By 

Mithridates VI of Pontus (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One Million Tomorrows (Mass Market Paperback)

One Million Tomorrows (1971) is the second of Bob Shaw's science fiction novels I've read. The first, Ground Zero Man (1971), suffered from an extreme case of grating melodrama which weakened the insightful central message -- the ever evolving danger (and nature) of nuclear war.

One Million Tomorrows attempts, in a vaguely successful manner, to tackle another standard trope -- immortality. That is, immortality with a catch, the sterilization and complete loss of sexual drive of all men who take the drug. Women, on the other-hand, become ageless and maintain whatever level of sexual desire they had when they took the treatments.

Unfortunately, all the fascinating social science fiction aspects are subordinated about halfway through to a hackneyed whose trying to kill me "mystery." The result is hardly surprising and the end is dull, but thankfully, not that melodramatic. Bob Shaw has proved himself a middling author whose works should be picked up every now and then -- single afternoon (or plane trip) sorts of a reads.

Brief Plot Summary (limited spoilers)

Will Carewe, who works for a pharmaceutical company, is happily married to Athene. Because the immortality drug destroys the sexual desire of men, Carewe and his wife have put off taking the serum. Carewe's marriage is considered unusual because of the small number of men who haven't taken the drug often marry more than one woman.

Desiring to save his marriage Carewe jumps at the chance to test a new immortality serum (before it released to the public) which has no known side effects. However, in order to prevent societal chaos his company requires him to pretend he's taken the normal drug. As a result, he ruins his marriage because he must pretend he's a "cool" (he shaves off all of his hair, pretends he has no urges, etc).

In a state of extreme depression he leaves for Africa and joins an organization under the United Nations umbrella which forcibly rounds up and inject various tribesmen over sixteen who refuse to take the immortality serum -- of course, in the name of human rights. This is by far the most interesting section of the work -- the sequence where Carewe reluctantly participates in the sterilization of various tribesman has a harrowing quality. While in Africa Carewe discovers that someone is trying to kill him!

Final Thoughts

I found the first half of the work thought-provoking and occasionally disturbing. For example, there's a scene during Carewe's flight to Africa where he encounters an infant whose mother has administered him (illegally) the immortality serum. For the most part Shaw's projected society is well-thought out. However, sections are downright over-the-top (women joining priapic clubs due to the lack of suitable men).

What would happen to the institution of marriage if men essentially became eunuchs? What would happen to those who refuse to take a drug which will grant immortality?

Sadly, when Carewe discovers that someone is out to kill him the novel makes an abrupt shift from social commentary and interesting character development to a predictably plotted action oriented (there's even a fight scene in a factory and a plane crash!) pot-boiler.

Vaguely recommended. But, there are so many better works of social science fiction from the 70s...

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, December 16, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Million Tomorrows (Paperback)

An immortality treatment has been discovered, but it has some side effects.

When a male takes it, they become impotent. So, pre-immortal males are often quite popular, as a result, and basically need appointment booking secretaries at times.

As a consequence, the protagonist has been delaying taking his treatment, and gets involved with a corporate conspiracy to do with a new drug that is supposed to not have these side effects at all.

3.5 out of 5