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A Thousand Deaths (short story)
Encyclopedia
"A Thousand Deaths" is a short story by 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.
has occupied
America 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 and be brought back to life over and over until 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 just becomes used to the pain of being killed. Eventually they are forced to give up and exile
him to another planet.
, such as the sleeping drug Somec and the taping of memories. The story can be considered a very early (in story timeline) prequel to The Worthing Saga. 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
".
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
. It appears in his short story collections Capitol
Capitol (collection)
Capitol was Orson Scott Card's second published book. This collection of eleven short stories set in the Worthing series is no longer in print...
and Maps in a Mirror
Maps in a Mirror
Maps in a Mirror is a collection of short stories by Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme...
. Card first published it in the December 1978 issue of Omni
Omni (magazine)
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction...
magazine.
Plot summary
In a future where the USSRSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
has occupied
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
America Jerry Crove is found guilty of knowing about the planned assassination of a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
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
Freedom (political)
Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...
in America. As a result he is sentenced to be put to death and be brought back to life over and over until 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 just becomes used to the pain of being killed. Eventually they are forced to give up and exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
him to another planet.
Connection to the Worthing Saga
This story uses several plot elements also used in The Worthing SagaThe Worthing Saga
The Worthing Saga is a science fiction book by American writer Orson Scott Card, set in the Worthing series. It is made up of the novel The Worthing Chronicle and nine related stories...
, such as the sleeping drug Somec and the taping of memories. The story can be considered a very early (in story timeline) prequel to The Worthing Saga. It takes place on Earth shortly after the events in the story "A Sleep and a Forgetting
A Sleep and a Forgetting
"A Sleep and a Forgetting" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It only appears in his short story collection Capitol.-Plot summary:This story is about the early research done on the fictional drug Somec. After some preliminary research had been done on Somec it was used to put a number of cancer...
". In the story "And What Will We Do Tomorrow?
And What Will We Do Tomorrow?
"And What Will We Do Tomorrow" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It first appeared in his short story collection Capitol and then later in The Worthing Saga.-Plot summary:...
" it is learned from Jerry Crove’s granddaughter that he founded the planet Crove which was renamed Capitol in the story "Skipping Stones
Skipping Stones
"Skipping Stones" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It first appeared in his short story collection Capitol and then later in The Worthing Saga.-Plot summary:...
".