This Immortal

Roger Zelazny

1966

Conrad is the Commissioner of Arts, Monuments, and Archives for the absentee government of Earth. Earth is in a bit of a mess - the war hadn't lasted more than 72 hours but once the missiles had stopped flying little remained of mainland civilization and the off world colonies gave up on the home world, instead taking up the Vegans on their offer of refuge. But it meant that the Vegans looked to Earth to provide a degree of excitement and danger no longer available in their own civilization.

So when his boss tells Conrad that he's to take Myshtigo on a tour of the Mediterranean, he fears that the Vegan is an advance party to determine where the best spots for new resorts are. However, the presence of Hasan - assassin to the rich and shadowy alike, gives him cause to think upon his actions. The presence of Diane and Don, members of Radpol, which opposes further Vegan involvement in Terran affairs, also intrigues Conrad for none of the three would normally be found in the presence of a Vegan.

The three also know Conrad under a name that was supposed to have died near enough a generation ago. A name that had founded Radpol itself!

Conrad finds himself in the unusual position of having to defend a Vegan's right to live as an unusual way of revitalising Earth is woven round his unique attributes.

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This is a Gollancz Classic Science Fiction edition

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