The Survivors (Simon Raven novel)

The Survivors is Volume X of the novel sequence "Alms for Oblivion" by Simon Raven, published in 1974. It was the tenth and last novel to be published in The "Alms for Oblivion" sequence and is also the tenth novel chronologically. The story takes place in Venice in 1973.

Characters, in the order of appearance

Captain Detterling – MP and former Captain. Partner of publisher Gregory Stern. Inherits the title of Lord Canteloupe after the death of his distant cousin. Appeared in Fielding Gray, Sound The Retreat, The Sabre Squadron, The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Come Like Shadows and Bring Forth The Body.

Fielding Gray – Successful writer. Major or minor character in Fielding Gray, The Sabre Squadron, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Places Where They Sing, Come Like Shadows and Bring Forth The Body.

Gregory Stern – Publisher for Fielding Gray and partner of Captain Detterling. Happily married to Isobel. Appeared in Fielding Gray, The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Places Where They Sing and Come Like Shadows.

Isobel Stern – Wife of Gregory Stern and the mentally insane Patricia Llewyllyn. Appeared in Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy and Places Where They Sing.

Lord Canteloupe – Minister of Commerce. Loves food, drink and sex. Dies by his desk and is succeeded by Peter Morrison (as minister) and Captain Detterling (as lord). Appeared in Sound The Retreat, The Sabre Squadron, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Places Where They Sing and Come Like Shadows.

Peter Morrison – New minister of commerce at the death of Lord Canteloupe. A major character in Fielding Gray, Sound The Retreat, The Rich Pay Late and Friends In Low Places.

Carton Weir – MP and right hand man of Lord Canteloupe. Stays put under Peter Morrison. Appeared in The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places and The Judas Boy.

Baby Llewyllyn – 13 year old daughter of Tom Llewyllyn. Very mature for her age. Have taken a liking to Captain Detterling. Appeared in Places Where They Sing and Bring Forth The Body.

Tom Llewyllyn – Writer and Fellow of Lancaster College in the field of history. Appeared earlier in The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Places Where They Sing, Come Like Shadows and Bring Forth The Body.

Daniel Mond - Fellow of Lancaster College in the field of matemathics. Dying. Protagonist of The Sabre Squadron and major character in Places Where They Sing.

Max de Freville – Casino owner, businessman and much more. Appeared in The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Come Like Shadows and Bring Forth The Body.

Stratis Lykiadopolous ("Lyki") - Casino owner, businessman and much more. Appeared in Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy and Come Like Shadows.

Piero - A young sicilian. Friend of Lykiadopolous.

Hugh Balliston - Franciscan friar. A major character in Places Where They Sing.

Jude Holbrook - Businessman and former printer. Lives outside Venice with h is old mother. Major character in The Rich Pay Late and appeared in Friends In Low Places.

Leonard Percival – Former employee of the intelligence. Becomes right hand man of Captain Detterling. Appeared in The Sabre Squadron, The Judas Boy and Bring Forth The Body.

Roger Constable – Provost of Lancaster College. Still a man of high moral standing. Appeared in Fielding Gray, The Sabre Squadron, The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places, The Judas Boy, Places Where They Sing and Bring Forth The Body.

Jacquiz Helmut - Fellow of Lancaster College in the field of history. The Sabre Squadron och Places Where They Sing.

Balbo Blakeney - Fellow of Lancaster College in the field of biochemistry. Appeared in Places Where They Sing.

Alfie Schroeder - Famous journalist. Appeared in The Sabre Squadron, The Rich Pay Late, Friends In Low Places and Places Where They Sing.

Tom Chead - Soldier. Once guardian of Daniel Mond for a week, in The Sabre Squadron.

Barry Bunce - Soldier. Once guardian of Daniel Mond for a week, in The Sabre Squadron.

Earle Restarick - At american intelligence. Appeared in The Sabre Squadron, The Judas Boy and Come Like Shadows.

Plot Summary

The story takes place in Venice during the autumn of 1973. Detterling, Fielding Gray and Mr. and Mrs. Stern takes part in a meeting of the PEN Club. Tom Llewyllyn and his daughter "baby" is also attending. Right after the conference the company are informed about the death of Lord Canteloupe, minister of Commerce. Since the lord has lost his son (as told in Sound The Retreat) and his male siblings are dead Captain Detterling will inherit the title being the closest male relative. Peter Morrison succeeds Canteloupe as minister of Commerce.

Tom Llewyllyn mentions that he is waiting for Daniel Mond but does not reveal that Mond is dying and wants to spend his last days in Venice. The company also meets Max de Freville and Stratis "Lyki" Lykiadopolous, who are about to open a casino in the city. In their company is also a young sicilian by the name of Piero. Max and Lyki lives in Palazzo Albani that they are renting from the absentee owners. Detterling arranges so Tom and Daniel can live in the tower of the palazzo. During a dinner the company discusses the family portraits of the house, including one of a unknown young man. Captain Detterling brings Baby back to England and they become friends. Together with her aunt Isobel Detterling helps Baby to a school of her taste. Isobel and Gregory tells Detterling the story of how Baby's mother Patricia ended up in a mental asylum.

Piero, who have become friend with Daniel, makes small trips with him, at one time to a monastery on the island called San Francisco del Deserto. When there, Daniel recognizes one of the franciscan friars as former undergraduate Hugh Balliston (from Places Where They Sing). Balliston deeply regrets his actions of 1967 and has become a monk. Meanwhile, Lyki and Max have troubles with rich arabs who plays with high stakes in their casino which means that they must have lots of money at hand. Piero finds an old manuscript from the late 18th century, with part of the story about the Albani family. Fielding Gray have discovered that the young man on the painting is a certain englishman by the name of Humbert FitzAvon. After having found another manuscript Fielding realizes that FitzAvon, who in 1797 was anged by a mob of peasant, was son of the first Lord Canteloupe. He had korrupted the Albani family and married a peasant girl he had made pregnant before being lynched. Gray understands that if male descendants of FitzAvon and the girl still lives one of them are really the rightful Lord Canteloupe. With Tom and Piero Fielding heads off to the place where FitzAvon is buried and meets Jude Holbrook, who lives in the area with his mother. With the help of Holbrook the company finds a living male descendant, a imbecile little boy by the name of Paolo Filavoni. Noone wants to reveal the secret since this would mean trouble to Detterling but Piero eventually rells Lyki. Fielding uses the story i a novel but changes the facts radically.

Daniel, who have been investigating a tool that has been used in the casino of Lyki, dies. Piero talks to Hugh who agrees to burying Daniel on his island. A magnicient funeral procession by boat for Daniel ends the story. The major characters are all participating, except for Fielding Gray and Leonard Percival, who watches the procession from a bridge. Many people from the life of Daniel (and the novel sequence in general) attends too: Roger Constable, Jacquiz Helmut, Balbo Blakeney, soldiers Chead and Bunce, journalist Alfie Schroeder and even Mond's old nemesis, Earle Restarick. During the procession Lyki tries to blackmail Detterling aboit his title since he needs money. Detterling reveals that Daniel had found out that the tool he was studying is used for cheating in the casino. Detterling promises to keep quiet about this if Lyki does the same. The funeral ends and the participants strikes up small conversations in their boats on the way back. Only Piero, who are about to become a friar himself, notices a black cloud hovering over the bay.