by Y Tian

Created on: January 02, 2010

Immortality is often portrayed in literature as ultimately a desirable goal, as depicted by the elves, faeries, angels, and even vampires. Those who have lived forever are often wiser than the mere mortals and are determined to use their gift for the good of the planet and help those less fortunate. Of course, immortals, despite their potential to live forever, are nevertheless vulnerable. Tolkien’s elves can die through war wounds or a broken heart. Meyer’s vampires need to be beheaded and burnt. Pagan gods and goddesses will diminish and fade once humans stop believing in them. However, what does it mean to be truly immortal in every sense of that word? If nothing and nobody can kill you, what do you do then? In her novel, “The Immortal Prince,” Jennifer Fallon explores this question through yet another creative and original tale that forces readers to question all their previous presumptions about life, politics and of course, immortality.

While everybody, both in literature and in reality, want to be immortal and use all the time in the world to pursue their interests and avoid the inevitable fate of death, Cayal desires just the opposite. Being immortal is not how we all imagined it. With no one to judge you and your actions, the immortals on Amyrantha, the Tide Lords as they were called, never have to fear or care about the consequences of their actions. During the peak of the Tides, when their power is at their highest, this pack of immortals can turn an inland-sea into a desert, sink an entire continent into the ocean and even experiment with countless humans to create new species of slaves. It doesn’t concern them that their actions will kill thousands if not millions of humans. After all, when you are destined to live forever, nothing is going to affect you.

After living for over eight thousand years, Cayal has witnessed and participated in more despicable acts than he cared to remember. He need a way to escape from it all. Since he can’t be killed, Cayal seeks the next best thing: the removal of all his memories through a beheading. To do it properly (to minimise pain, of course), he seeks the service of a headsman. How? Find a nation that is not very lenient towards murderers and kill seven innocent humans. However, on the day of his execution, instead of a sharp axe, Cayal got a noose tied around his neck. Apparently, the headsman was on vacation. What are the odds of that? Despite his protestation that a hanging

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