[pavel_lishin]

I recall reading another novel where one of the protagonists was resurrected far, far in the future by a seemingly incomprehensible race. (Little spiders, of sorts.) Unfortunately, due to unfamiliarity with humanity, they did a bad job, and his body only lasted a few minutes before dying again.

I wish I could remember what the book was.

[Lerc]

Dennis potter wrote an intriguing take on this.

When Potter was dying he wrote Karaoke (which was about a dying writer writing a play entitled Karaoke who discovers his characters actually exist)

This is followed by Cold Lazarus which is set in a dystopian future in a lab working on the cryogenically frozen head of the author from Karaoke.

There is a fairly open question as to how much of Karaoke is a prequel and how much of it is a concurrent experience of the mind being experimented upon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke_(TV_series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Lazarus

[dmreedy]

At the very least, "poorly reassembled by incomprehensible aliens" is a plot element in the Star Trek TOS pilot. Granted, that character lasted more than a few minutes. And costumes for incomprehensible aliens are expensive, so big veiny heads will do.

[ghayes]

FYI, these is Star Trek's episode "The Managerie" [0], and was original the pilot episode "The Cage" [1]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Menagerie_(Star_Trek:_The_...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cage_(Star_Trek:_The_Origi...

[Jtsummers]

Rautavarra's Case by PKD is similar. After an accident, an alien race resuscitates one of the [EDIT: human] victims, leading to some interesting consequences related to differing conceptions of the afterlife.

Text: http://www.philipkdickfans.com/literary-criticism/rautaavara...

Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rautavaara%27s_Case

Probably not the one you're thinking of, but somewhat related.

[darklajid]

My best guess that kinda, sorta matches your description: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

(I liked that one)

[arunix]

Your description sounds similar in some ways to The Last Legends of Earth, by A. A. Attanasio.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Legends_of_Earth

[pavel_lishin]

I don't think that's it - the spidercritters play a very small role in the story I'm thinking of - but this sounds fascinating. Thanks!

[astrange]

I think I read this in a short story collection, but totally can't remember which one.

[kilroy123]

Sounds like a real life version of hell.