The Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson

     The Boat of a Million Years was published in 1989 and is a novel that follows a small group of immortals from antiquity to the far future. The novel explores what living as an immortal would actually be like and how being immortal could be used to help us explore the stars. It is an epic adventure that slowly fades into dullness. 

    Though listed as science fiction, most of the story takes place in the past. We are introduced to Hanno, a Phoenician explorer going on a journey to the far north. We follow his adventures throughout the next couple of thousands of years as he searches the world for other immortals. As the novel progresses, we are introduced to other immortals all over the world and how they were able to hide their immortality from society which sometimes accuses them of witchcraft. One Norse immortal becomes a legend. As they near modern times, it becomes more difficult to hide who they are, and they slowly begin to find one another. 

    Most of the book reads like a historical fantasy, each story from another part of the world. The stories felt mythological. Some immortals were more interesting than others. I was always happy to read about Hanno and his sidekick, Rufus. The closer we came to modern times, the less interesting the immortals became. 

    When the story reached far into the future, I struggled to care. I was interested in where they were going and what they might find, but the characters, once they found one another, became uninteresting. I felt like I was reading a spaceship soap opera. I wasn't very moved by the ending. 

    I understand where Anderson was going with this story, but I didn't think the ending was executed well. I could tell Anderson had more fun writing about Vikings and the Medieval Middle East than he did about exploring outer space.  Because it had an amazing first half, I will give it a B. It is a good book but uninspiring by the end though I would be happy to read a compilation of Hanno's travels.