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38th out of 155 books
—
431 voters
The Immortals
by
Tracy Hickman (Goodreads Author)
In the not-too-distant future the United States is ravaged by disease and stifled by martial law. With whole cities succumbing to a lethal virus known as V-CIDS, the panicked authorities take the drastic action of herding the infected into specially designed internment camps. Into one of these prisons stumbles Michael Barris, a wealthy interactive-television mogul with a c...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
April 1st 1997
by Roc
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Not your typical Tracy Hickman book, but well worth your time. This was a very thought provoking novel about an AIDS-like virus that is being contained by sending the infected to death camps. Interestingly, though, the emphasis is not on the post apocalyptic world, the prison camp society, or the military/government which would do such terrible things. No, the emphasis is on humanity. This is a book about how we treat each other and what is important in our lives. The story was heart-breaking an...more
I've listened to this book a few times in the past. Every time, it's a punch in the emotions, especially as I re-hear details I'd forgotten. I almost want to give this book 5 stars, but it's been a while since I last listened to it so I hesitate. Consider it a 4.5 star rating.
To sum up: It's 2020, there's martial law, and the government has been "quarantining" people infected with an AIDS-like disease into internment camps. The book focuses mainly on the people in the camps, but also gives glimp...more
To sum up: It's 2020, there's martial law, and the government has been "quarantining" people infected with an AIDS-like disease into internment camps. The book focuses mainly on the people in the camps, but also gives glimp...more
I am constantly amazed at the forethought of the founding fathers of our nation. As frustrating as our government is at times there are very good reasons to have it the way it is. The government of the United States is every bit a bureaucracy and many times reacts with a ponderous and apparently comical slowness. Even this has its reasons.
Imagine if the government made snap decisions the way people do in their daily lives. Somebody cuts you off on the road - you honk at them, or maybe speed up a...more
Imagine if the government made snap decisions the way people do in their daily lives. Somebody cuts you off on the road - you honk at them, or maybe speed up a...more
This was another re-read of one of my favorite books. When The Immortals was originally written, it was set in the near future: April 2010. Which is...now. That was weird. Anyway, an AIDS-like epidemic called V-CIDS has appeared and is spreading. The government has been rounding up all people infected with the virus and putting them in concentration camps, ostensibly until a cure can be found. The story is about the people in one camp reclaiming their humanity and learning to love one another.
Th...more
Th...more
I started reading this book because I heard the author give a speech at a writer's conference. I LOVED what Tracy Hickman had to say, I liked his vibe, so I figured I would really enjoy his books. I chose The Immortals because this is his favorite book.
It took me a long time to get into this book. This is the reason for the three stars rather than four. The basic reason was that I had a very difficult time suspending my disbelief. It turned out that this was something that really could have been...more
It took me a long time to get into this book. This is the reason for the three stars rather than four. The basic reason was that I had a very difficult time suspending my disbelief. It turned out that this was something that really could have been...more
The book describes a dystopia with a plague, where everyone who is infected is put into concentration camps. And unknown to the general population of the U.S., they are cremated en masse. The book describes a country where the country's passions where inflamed so that this was possible by a media whose purpose became, not to inform, but to reinforce their audience's beliefs.
It is a story of a father and son, who were separated because of prejudices inflamed by the media. There is a story about h...more
It is a story of a father and son, who were separated because of prejudices inflamed by the media. There is a story about h...more
A poignant and relevant book set in the near future where AIDS has been cured and a new more deadly virus has emerged. The virus is so deadly the US government mandates the victims of the virus must be placed in concentration camps and categorized as pre-deceased. With no rights and no hope this bleak outlook is part commentary on the perils of a government out of control and people making impulse decisions on life-affecting topics as well as an example of the human spirit enduring when it seems...more
Aug 04, 2008
Ed
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
not for young children
Recommended to Ed by:
Paul Stone
I bought an mp3 plaer (finally) last winter, A Sansa e250v2 mp3 player but didn't use it. I decided it was time, and I was painting a lot for the last 10 days, so now was a good time to break it in and listle while I work. I really like the player, it is exceptional for $80 new, and I have seen them for $40 used (way less than an iPod). The only thing that drives me nuts is that the e250 v2 display cuts off the chapter number I am on, it doesn't wrap, it scrolls slooooowly. So I need to figure o...more
As a deadly epidemic sweeps through the paranoid and homophobic country, advanced technology accelerates the move to martial law, internment camps, and mass executions. In the midst of chaos and cover-ups, a group of prisoners tries to find a purpose in their shortened lives and impending deaths.
Hickman wrote The Immortals at the height of the AIDS crisis and clearly understood the importance of his book's subject matter; unfortunately this means he gets a bit heavy-handed and sermonizing at tim...more
Hickman wrote The Immortals at the height of the AIDS crisis and clearly understood the importance of his book's subject matter; unfortunately this means he gets a bit heavy-handed and sermonizing at tim...more
Interesting story about a concentration camp that houses sick individuals and what these people go through how they struggling to retain their humanity in a dismal no way out situation. The disease is called V-CIDS, which was spawned from the AIDS virus. The author is usually known for his his work in fantasy with Margret Weis on the Dungeons and Dragons series Drangonlance. Was a little slow to start with but got more intriguing as the plot moves on and thing began to come together. If you like...more
Brutal . . . haunting . . . beautiful. Probably the saddest book I've ever read. Also the only book Tracy ever wrote without a dragon in it. (But still plenty of fire.) This book isn't something to be taken lightly, you need to be ready for it or it will knock the wind out of you. If you are just going on a Tracy Hickman binge you might want to save this one for a later date.
I didn't expect to like this book very much. I found it on my bookshelf while cleaning out for a yard sale and realized I'd never read it.
The book, in a nutshell, is about AIDS type concentration camps - and what would happen if everyone with AIDS had been placed into quarantine. It's dark and doesn't have the happy ending you would hope for. I found myself sneaking off to read a chapter or two whenever I had a chance. The concept was interesting and well written.
The book, in a nutshell, is about AIDS type concentration camps - and what would happen if everyone with AIDS had been placed into quarantine. It's dark and doesn't have the happy ending you would hope for. I found myself sneaking off to read a chapter or two whenever I had a chance. The concept was interesting and well written.
I would give the story a 4, but the production was not great. The female reader was not good at all, and the back ground sounds were sometimes very annoying, even though they were purposely added. The writing also could have been cleaned up a bit.
That said, the story was very relevant and thought provoking, so I definitely would recommend it to others.
That said, the story was very relevant and thought provoking, so I definitely would recommend it to others.
I've been listening to this on as a podcast. Get it from podiobooks.com or the iTunes store.
The year is set in the year 2020 something. There is a deadly immune system virus that has swept through the gay population and spread to the rest of the US. The response from the government has been to quarantine people in concentration camps. When the camps fill up, the government bombs them. It's called sanitation. Very few people know it's happening. The story is told mostly from the view point of so...more
The year is set in the year 2020 something. There is a deadly immune system virus that has swept through the gay population and spread to the rest of the US. The response from the government has been to quarantine people in concentration camps. When the camps fill up, the government bombs them. It's called sanitation. Very few people know it's happening. The story is told mostly from the view point of so...more
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I listened to the podiobooks version of this novel.
It explores one of my deepest fears as a queer woman, the one of being rounded up into a concentration/death camp simply for being different. Gives me the heebie jeebies in a very real way.
It explores one of my deepest fears as a queer woman, the one of being rounded up into a concentration/death camp simply for being different. Gives me the heebie jeebies in a very real way.
Really good audio book. Bleak and emotional yet inspiring. A different story; I cannot think of anything I can compare it to. Mainly focuses on some frightening social injustices at the hands of a futuristic, all-controlling US government.
This book tore my heart out. It ripped me apart and hurt me so deeply that I literally can't stop crying, right now.
It was one of the best books I've ever read.
Everyone should read this book.
It was one of the best books I've ever read.
Everyone should read this book.
Two dimensional and heavy handed. This impression was probably strengthened by the "podiobook" format — the music and the "dramatization" were a bit much for me.
This book was not at all about what I had expected.
On the other hand, it was a moving and interesting read. I was crying like a schoolgirl during one of the scenes.
On the other hand, it was a moving and interesting read. I was crying like a schoolgirl during one of the scenes.
I listened to it as an audiobook and it blew me away. I felt connected to each of the characters, their struggles and happiness. It's a great book!
I listened to this book on my ipod as a podcast novel. I throughly enjoyed listening to it on my long drives to and from work.
Tracy Hickman's Immortals is amazing. It's very sad, touching, and some of us have really wondered at the idea of internment. We should never say that this will not happen in this country because it has happened before during WWII and about a decade or so ago, many have suggested the same idea for those who had been stricken with AIDS. So, have we learned from history--hardly. We all know that histroy tends to repeat itself, so, let us not remain silent when those around us even joke with such a...more
Great book. Not normally what you'd expect from Hickman. THis is more of an alternate history type book.
Very interesting book. Way different than other Tracy Hickman books.
I must say it was not what I expected from Tracy Hickman. I enjoyed listening to this book on podiocast.com and found myself very interested in how he approached contraversial topics in a science fiction format. It is a story about government trying to dispose of an epidemic disease (similar to AIDS) by placing people who have the virus in concentration camps where they are written off by society as already dead. I recomend this book to those who love sci fi and use it to understand those whose...more
Everyone... Read this now!!!
Had a pretty hard time with this. There seemed to be one 'info dump' after another with just information being passed on to the reader with no dramatic context.
I didn't believe in what had led up to the main action of the book and didn't really believe in the way people dealt with the situation in which they found themselves. I did like the humanity in the face of terrible things shown by some of the characters but I just didn't really think the subject was properly thought out or explored with...more
I didn't believe in what had led up to the main action of the book and didn't really believe in the way people dealt with the situation in which they found themselves. I did like the humanity in the face of terrible things shown by some of the characters but I just didn't really think the subject was properly thought out or explored with...more
Likes: Perfectly orchestrated plot, good use of science, and religion. Good dialogue. Took an unexpected thematic turn near the end to take on a much larger emotional and philosophical scope.
Dislikes: Characters were a little flat, each with their own narrow range of personality.
Dislikes: Characters were a little flat, each with their own narrow range of personality.
Great idea, poorly executed. Stereotypes abound and there is the thinest of plots
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NYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across the 'Sea of Possibilities' as the creators of 'Dragonlance' and their voyage continues into new areas with the 'Drakis' trilogy, 'Wayne of Gotham', a Batman novel for DC Comics and his
'Dragon's Bard' collector's series
. Tracy has over fifty books currently in print in most languages around the world....more
More about Tracy Hickman...
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“[P]eople only make decisions based on what they know. You can have everyone in the country vote freely and democratically and still come up with the wrong answer - if the information they base that decision on is wrong.
People don't want the truth [when] it is complicated. They don't want to spend years debating an issue. They want it homogenized, sanitized, and above all, simplified into terms they can understand...Governments are often criticized for moving slowly, but that deliberateness, it turns out, is their strength. They take time to think through complex problems before they act. People, however, are different. People react first from the gut and then from the head...give that knee-jerk reflex real power to make its overwhelming will known as a national mandate instantly and you can cause a political riot.
Combine these sins - simplification of information and instant, visceral democratic mandates - and you lose the ability to cool down. There is no longer deliberation time between events that may or may not be true and our reaction to them. Policy becomes instinct rather than thought.”
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11 people liked it
People don't want the truth [when] it is complicated. They don't want to spend years debating an issue. They want it homogenized, sanitized, and above all, simplified into terms they can understand...Governments are often criticized for moving slowly, but that deliberateness, it turns out, is their strength. They take time to think through complex problems before they act. People, however, are different. People react first from the gut and then from the head...give that knee-jerk reflex real power to make its overwhelming will known as a national mandate instantly and you can cause a political riot.
Combine these sins - simplification of information and instant, visceral democratic mandates - and you lose the ability to cool down. There is no longer deliberation time between events that may or may not be true and our reaction to them. Policy becomes instinct rather than thought.”
“[A] couple I had known - who were old friends - asked me what I was going to work on next. I told them I wanted to write a near future book about AIDS concentration camps. They were vehement in their response: they thought it was a terrible idea. Their words both shocked and saddened me. "Do you really want to write a book about homosexuals?" they asked me. "Won't people who read your work be influenced toward sin?"
I notice that I don't hear from them much lately.”
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7 people liked it
More quotes…
I notice that I don't hear from them much lately.”
Feb 25, 2009 09:57am