Logan's+Run

//**Logan's Run**// is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a future society in which population and the consumption of resources is managed and maintained in equilibrium by the simple expedient of demanding the death of everyone upon reaching a particular age — enforced by authorities — thus avoiding the issue of overpopulation. The story follows the actions of Logan, a Deep Sleep Operative or "Sandman" charged with enforcing the rule, as he tracks down and kills citizens who "run" from society's lethal demand only to himself ultimately "run."

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. A person's age is revealed by their //palm flower// — a crystal embedded in the palm of their right hand that changes color every seven years, then turns black on Lastday.

//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// (or //Sandman//) whose job is to terminate Runners using a special weapon called the Gun, an unusual revolver which can fire a number of different projectiles. 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 in the end he himself becomes a Runner.

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 a friend of Logan, catches up with Logan and Jessica after they have managed to make it to the final staging area before Sanctuary. He reveals that he is actually the legendary Ballard, who has been helping arrange their escape. The 42-year-old Ballard is working from within the system; he believes that the computer that controls the global infrastructure, buried beneath Crazy Horse Mountain, is beginning to malfunction, and that the society will die with it.

Sanctuary turns out to be an abandoned space colony near Mars. Logan and Jessica escape to the colony on a rocket that departs from a former space program launch site in Florida. Ballard remains to help others escape.