The story follows the Howard Families, a group of humans who have achieved extraordinary lifespans through generations of selective breeding. In the year 2136, the general population discovers their secret and assumes the Families possess a hidden biological longevity treatment. To escape persecution and forced medical experimentation by a panicked government, Lazarus Long leads thousands of his kin onto a hijacked starship. They travel through deep space, encountering alien civilizations including the telepathic Jockaira and the sophisticated Little People, while searching for a planet where they can live without concealment.
Readers interested in the logistics of long-term space travel and the biological ethics of life extension find this narrative particularly useful. It offers a detailed look at how a minority group maintains its internal culture while under external threat. The text provides a pragmatic view of survivalism and the political tensions that arise between short-lived and long-lived populations. Readers finish the book with a clear perspective on the societal consequences of extreme longevity and the technical challenges of interstellar colonization.
- Published
- 1958
- Language
- EN
