A Thousand Deaths (Card short story)
"A Thousand Deaths" is a short story by American writer Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collections Capitol and Maps in a Mirror. Card first published it in the December 1978 issue of Omni magazine.
| "A Thousand Deaths" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Orson Scott Card |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published in | Omni |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | 1978 |
Plot summary
In a future where the USSR has occupied America, playwright Jerry Crove is found guilty of knowing about the planned assassination of a Russian high official and not reporting it to the authorities. After he is convicted of this crime in court Jerry is supposed to confess and apologize on TV.
Instead of confessing Jerry gives a speech on freedom in America. As a result he is sentenced to be put to death, but being civilized, the authorities will bring him back to life. He will be released when he apologizes convincingly.
After he is put to death the first time he tries to do what they want but is unable to convince anyone of his sincerity. The Russians try killing him in a variety of gruesome ways but as time goes by he becomes used to being killed.
Eventually they are forced to give up and exile him to another planet with the other unrepentant. He realizes they are grouping the worst of the worst, and this will eventually be their downfall.
Connection to the Worthing Saga
The story is a very early (in story timeline) prequel to The Worthing Saga. It includes some of the key technology used in The Worthing Saga, such as the sleeping drug Somec and the taping of memories. It takes place on Earth shortly after the events in the story "A Sleep and a Forgetting". In the story "And What Will We Do Tomorrow?" it is learned from Jerry Crove’s granddaughter that he founded the planet Crove, which was renamed Capitol in the story "Skipping Stones".
See also
- List of works by Orson Scott Card
- Orson Scott Card