Quest For Forever: 7 Sci-Fi Books About Immortality

Mickey7 tells the story of Mickey Barnes, a member of a new space colony. The remarkable thing about him is that he’s a so-called "expendable." This means his task is to go on often deadly missions to the unknown to help colonize the new planet. 

Technically, Mickey does die multiple times, but at the same time, there are no stakes because, due to a special procedure, a new clone with his memories appears instantly after his death, as if nothing happened. But then something goes terribly wrong, and an accident sets off a disastrous chain of events.

If the title sounds a bit familiar, it’s no coincidence. The recently released movie  Mickey 17,  directed by the legendary Bong Joon Ho, was based on this book. The book has a very casual and lighthearted style, and without spoiling too much (I mean, you would probably know this from the trailer), the dynamic between the two clones is amazing.

The Postmortal is set in the near future, so much so that the story begins in 2019, but the book itself was written in 2011. In Magari’s version of immortality, people can still die from violence or sickness, but not from old age. 

This book is written from the perspective of John Farrel, whose digital journal entries have been discovered in the future. Through his eyes, we get to see how the chaos unfolds as a cure to death becomes more and more accessible and, of course, more and more controversial. 

Overall, the book presents a fairly cynical view of how immortality can bring out the worst in humanity. This is also matched by the sarcastic tone of the narrator and the humorous chapter titles. Thanks to the journal entry format, the chapters in this book are usually just a few pages, which makes it relatively easy to read.

Immortality, Inc. offers a unique take on life and death. Our protagonist, Thomas Blaine, wakes up in a new body and a new life 150 years after his death. It's the year 2110, and scientists have discovered how to transfer the consciousness of a person who died in the past into a new body. However, this breakthrough has created new issues, including zombies, legal manhunts, and even suicide booths.

Blaine's "resurrection" is part of a marketing campaign, but the company soon scraps the project, leaving him free to go. As we follow him in this new work, we see how he manages to adjust to a future society that’s not afraid of death.

This well-thought-out book, which is less than 300 pages long, blends social commentary with a fun and slightly absurd adventure.

In the world of Altered Carbon, humans’ consciousness is stored in “cortical stacks” so it can be downloaded to new “sleeves.” A central plot point of the story revolves around the Catholic belief that the soul goes to heaven after death, meaning believers reject the preservation of their consciousness in the afterlife.

The problem is that this belief makes Catholics the ideal targets for murderers because it’s much more difficult to track the murderer down if there is no revived person to testify. Of course, this, along with other implications of this new form of immortality, highlights numerous moral dilemmas and societal issues. 

Alongside this plot point, we also get a glimpse into the life of Takeshi Kovacs, which is filled with secrets, mystery, and intrigue.

This book is a blend of science fiction and noir crime, so it has a more serious tone, and the author is not afraid to shock you. The characters are interesting and nuanced, and the story is also a lot heavier in terms of its length.

Harry August is an extraordinary man, not in the least, because, as the title implies, he’s lived multiple lives. More precisely, he’s lived the same life numerous times, retaining all his previous memories, so technically, he’s immortal.

The book begins at the end of his eleventh life when an old Harry receives a mysterious message about the impending end of the world… But the book is about much more than this. Throughout the story, we learn more about our protagonist, who's surprisingly relatable for a British man who has technically lived for hundreds of years, and the lives he has lived (and it's a lot).

North creates a fascinating world for her story with spies and secret societies. And spoiler alert: Harry is not the only one stuck in a loop and reliving his life. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is relatively fast-paced and easy to read, with shorter chapters, and Harry August definitely has the kind of lives that you would not want to miss.

The Bicentennial Man is, ironically, not really about a “man” but rather an (immortal) robot’s life and his journey to becoming “human.” The story spans 200 years, during which our protagonist, initially a robot butler in the Martin family, is named Andrew by the family's daughter. 

Over time, we discover that Andrew is capable of many things, such as woodcarving. He also begins to live more like a human. He starts wearing clothes, opens a bank account, and initiates legal proceedings to be recognized as a human being. Still, people have a hard time accepting him, not least because of his immortality.

This story is a novelette, so it’s a shorter read, but it’s definitely worth it. Even though the story of Andrew might seem a bit cheesy to some, it really is a fantastic story about what it means to be human, which is perhaps even more relevant in this day and age—and for heaven’s sake, it won a Hugo and a Nebula Award. 

If you prefer a longer format, Asimov and Robert Silverberg wrote a novel based on this story as well, so be sure to check it out!

Ubikis relatively well-known, but just like Asimov, Philip K. Dick is another sci-fi giant who cannot be left out of an article about books that explore immortality.

This story is set in a future where people who die can be kept in a state of "half-life"—a form of living death where their minds can still communicate with the living. Our protagonist, Joe Chip, is one of the people with telepathic powers who’s able to communicate with them.

But that’s not it. Things are a lot more surreal and futuristic, and the story also involves bending reality and traveling back in time. This sort of half-life serves as a tool rather than the central theme, but it’s still quite significant in this story of life and death, where nothing is what it seems.