“Reborn Again” is a 2005 science fiction short story by Robert Sheckley. It is about a man whose whole-body transplant operation is botched by a morally indecisive lab technician.
Whole Body Transplant?
The idea of putting my mind into a totally different body is surely an intriguing idea. What would it be like? What kind of body would I choose? Would I still be me? And, most importantly, how much would it cost? All very interesting questions, but I never thought what it would be like if the body’s previous owner was still there – and involved in every decision! A very funny and philosophical idea that is explored in this story.
Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell
So, “Reborn Again” is about Ritchie Castleman, a man who has recently paid for a whole body transplant. But when he awakens from the surgery he finds that the body’s previous occupant, Moses Grelich, is still there – inside the same body with him! Uh-oh… someone at MMT made a big mistake! But before they can figure out what happened Ritchie is forced to spend some time with Moses and a couple of his friends. That turns out to be quite pleasant, surprisingly, and when it comes time for Ritchie to decide his fate he begins to have second thoughts… literally!
My Two Cents…
- The main idea of this story (body transplant gone wrong) was very intriguing and kept my interest piqued throughout the entire story.
- Some of the philosophical and religious discussions in “Reborn Again” were pretty cool, and caused me to pause and consider what was being discussed.
- Moses’ strong opinions about things may be somewhat offensive to sensitive people – so watch out for that.
Interesting Tidbits About This Story:
- Page Count: 18
- Word Count: 6,827
- After reading “Reborn Again” you probably won’t be surprised to learn Robert Sheckley was born to a Jewish family in New York City. Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author at Wikipedia.
Where You Can Find Reborn Again:
- This short story was originally published on The Infinite Matrix web site in January 2005, where you can still read it online for free.
Craving More Stories?
If you liked “Reborn Again” then you might also enjoy:
- But I Had No Body by Russ Colson
- Boxed by Will McIntosh
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5 users responded in this post
“Moses’ strong opinions about things may be somewhat offensive to sensitive people…”
Yes! This is what I’m talking about!
I knew you’d like this!
That was a true delight. I became a Robert Sheckley fan a few years back when I ordered a collection of his work from the Sci Fi Book Club. This story was not in it and was new to me.
First off, I was surprised to see a story with more modern trappings in it. I was under the mistaken impression that he had died a long time ago (not sure why, but it was something I hadn’t checked) and had to go back and look at his date of passing mid-way through reading this.
It was fun, really fun. I was actually disappointed when it was over as I could have stood to spend more time with both of these characters. I would love to see something like this acted out in some sort of one-act play, or done on audio..or both!
Great choice for a Sheckley story to feature and one that will have me pondering the whole body-switching personality thing all night.
The Inspector Rutlege mystery series by Charles Todd is a good one that explores different personalities inhabiting the same mind.
Hey Carl,
I am glad that you enjoyed this story! It was very fun to read, and I agree that a one-act play would be awesome!
I haven’t read much Sheckley, but I did see the footnote stating that this story was only written about a year before he died.
Anyway, thanks for the info – I’ll be sure to check out that Charles Todd series.
The Sheckley collection I own is called The Masque of Manana. I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it.