Customer Reviews

Recalled to Life

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This is a futuristic story about the discovery of a medical procedure that enables recently deceased people (from natural causes) to be brought back to life. The protagonist, who is a former well known politician, is solicited to represent a private company that discovered the procedure. He agrees to try to gather support from current politicians, who must legalize the procedure, and from religious and public groups. The story is well told, and the moral and ethical considerations are surprisingly realistic and
thoughtful. The problem is complicated by the fact that the procedure is not foolproof, and that some will be brought back to physical life, but without any mental activity. This is a typical
classic Silverberg story, and is thought provoking.

Recalled to Life is early and lesser Silverberg, written in 1951 and revised in 1971. (I have only read the 1971 version, which Silverberg has characterized as a "collaboration" between his younger and more mature selves.) The story follows a public relations campaign, as a reformist politician tries to convince the voters and politicians to accept a new medical technique. The book is probably most interesting for hinting at a possible elitist contempt on the part of Silverberg for the masses, and a belief that progressive politicians are justified in lying to the public and murdering businessmen and conservative elected officials to achieve their goals. (It is possible that Silverberg is subtly lampooning these ideas, or that he is just pointing out that they exist, and not actually advancing them.)

Recalled to Life is perhaps the worst novel by Silverberg I have read; it is far inferior to Dying Inside, Kingdoms of the Wall, Man In The Maze, To Live Again, Shadrach In the Furnace, and just about every other of his longer works that comes to mind. It is not exactly bad, but is not up to the standard of many of his other novels.