The Doctor of Death Island
Publication(s)
- First publication
- Immortal, ed. Jack Dann, Harper & Row 1978
- Wolfe collection(s)
Summary
A man whose invention revolutionized the world of books comes out of cryogenic freeze into a world of human immortality. Unfortunately, he is a convicted murderer and a life sentence is still a life sentence.
Analysis
- The plague of Dickens characters that the protagonist unleashes on the world in order to get out of jail will probably go unchecked because of his death, but this civilization needs to be brought down. The immortality project has caused the loss of love, ambition, literacy, and all human endeavor.
- According to Wolfe interviews quoted on The Death of Dr. Island page, this story is a twist on themes found in The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and The Death of Dr. Island.
Unanswered Questions
What are the themes from the other two stories that Wolfe played on here? Some I see:
- An adult murderer as the protagonist instead of a child protagonist relating to a fictional or real murderer.
- The doctor in this story both looks and is villainous, instead of looking villainous but being good (Dr. Black) or looking beautiful but being evil (Dr. Island).
- Fictional characters are used by the protagonist instead of misleading the protagonist (as Dr. Death and Dr. Island did).
- The protagonist is a modern-day person entering a futuristic world instead of a person native to a modern-day world and a futuristic world, respectively.
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