Lazarus Long, a man over two thousand years old, concludes his era of space travel and genetic survival by seeking a permanent death. His descendants, including the computer Minerva and the archivist Justin Foote, prevent his suicide to record his memoirs through the Secundus archives. The narrative follows Long through centuries of colonization, incestuous family structures, and physical rejuvenation. He recounts the "Notebooks of Lazarus Long," containing aphorisms on liberty and biological imperatives, and eventually travels back to 1916 Kansas to encounter his own ancestors during World War I.
Science fiction readers interested in social Darwinism and libertarian philosophy study this text to understand Long’s views on personal autonomy and longevity. The book serves as a technical manual for a specific brand of frontier individualism. Readers finish the work with a perspective on the logistical challenges of interstellar migration and a cynical framework for navigating bureaucratic systems. It provides a detailed look at how cultural taboos evolve alongside advances in medical technology and space flight.
- Published
- 1973
- Language
- EN
