the city and the stars by arthur c clarke

These individuals do not share the same inborn fear of leaving the city that everyone else does. Once every fifty thousand years a 'Unique' occurs, a human that has been born for the first time rather than being reincarnated. On the other hand, why would you want to leave? At least, it's bred into most of the occupants. Occupants of the city can never leave, nor do they desire to. There is only one caveat: You cannot go outside, even in adventures taking place in virtual reality. Sex has become a purely recreational activity. Beautiful architecture and art surround you everywhere you go. Any food or furniture or adventure that one wants can quite literally be created out of thin air. They will be reborn as 'children' that are in their twenties (in standard human years) and will soon enough be able to access the memories of their past lives. It will seem like minutes rather than the eons that have actually passed. Death is no longer an issue: The average life span of an individual is one thousand years and at the end of that period one simply feeds their memories into a computer, turns back into star dust, and waits for the inevitable technological reincarnation some time in the future. Genetic modification and advanced technology have come together to create a utopia. During the war that resulted large portions of the earth were subject to desertification and the surviving inhabitants were forced to flee to a lone city, Diaspar.Ī billion years hence Diaspar seems like nothing short of a paradise to most. In the interim they ran across a species that was not happy about man's success, known only as The Invaders, and by launching war they forced humanity to abandon the galaxy and retreat to Earth. Unfortunately, this took place a billion years ago.

They met other intelligent life forms and formed alliances. Once upon a time man crossed the stars and spread throughout the galaxy, leaving Earth behind.

The city and the stars by arthur c clarke