The Life and Death of George Hayes

short SF story

Jim flew to Sao Miguel to chase down a myth of eternal life. His Angel came to the island to seek death. Their newfound friendship will take them beyond their desires. 

Publication history

Reviews

  • The Levant reviewed The Worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, vol.IV, and had this to say about George Hayes: This is a very good story. Its’ beautifully written and deals with the Faustian choice between facing up to death or trying to cheat it. The hero, Mr Hayes, heads off to what I assume is the Galapagos searching for the fountain of youth or elixir of life, relying on secret annals of Darwin, encountering enchanted characters that try and dissuade him off his mission. He does experiments to see if the immortality solution works and discovers its negative consequences and calls it a day, and reconciles himself to his estranged loved ones and in a way that is not clichéd in the slightest.