Logan's Run
First edition; cover art by Mercer Mayer
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| Author | William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Dial Press |
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Publication date
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1967 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 133 |
Logan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching the age of 21. The story follows the actions of Logan, a Sandman charged with enforcing the rule, as he tracks down and kills citizens who "run" from society's lethal demand—only to end up "running" himself.
The introduction to the book states:
In the world of 2116, a person's maximum age is strictly legislated: twenty-one years, to the day. When people reach this Lastday they report to a Sleepshop in which they are willingly executed via a pleasure-inducing toxic gas. A person's age is revealed by their palm flower crystal embedded in the palm of their right hand that changes color every seven years, yellow (age 0-6), then blue (age 7-13), then red (age 14-20), then blinks red and black on Lastday, and finally turns black at 21.
Runners are those who refuse to report to a Sleepshop and attempt to avoid their fate by escaping to Sanctuary. Logan 3 is a Deep Sleep Operative (also called Sandman) whose job is to terminate Runners using a special weapon called simply, the 'gun', a handgun with selectable ordinance keyed to self-destruct if touched by an individual who is not the proper owner.
Runners are most terrified of a weapon called the 'Homer', which homes in on body heat, and deliberately ignites every pain nerve in the body, killing the target.
Sandmen practice Omnite, a hybrid type of martial arts. On his own Lastday, Logan becomes a Runner himself, in an attempt to infiltrate an apparent underground railroad for runners seeking Sanctuary — a place where they can live freely in defiance of society's dictates.
For most of the book, Logan is an antihero; however, his character develops a sympathy towards Runners, and he becomes more of a traditional hero figure.
Jessica 6, a contact Logan made after he chased her Runner brother, Doyle 10 into Cathedral, where he was killed by the vicious preteen "Cubs", helps him, despite her initial distrust of him.
Francis, another Sandman, and friend of Logan, catches up with Logan and Jessica after they've managed to make it to the final staging area before Sanctuary. He reveals he is actually the legendary Ballard, who's been helping arrange their escape. Francis tells them he's actually 42, but due to his faulty palm flower, which does't change colour and by use of plastic surgery shops, he's been able to disguise his true age and appearance. He is working from within the system, as he believes the computer controlling the global infrastructure, and buried beneath Crazy Horse Mountain, is beginning to malfunction, and the society will die with it.
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