Finalist in the 2025 Storytrade Book Awards for Science Fiction
This is a story about the role of our mortality in our lives.
In 2042, a biochemical breakthrough extends longevity to that of early biblical characters. How will the world adjust to the changes brought about by near immortality?
The changes are bewildering. What will dating be like? Is it frowned upon for a 600-year-old man to date a 400-year-old woman? Can marriages last for hundreds of years? Can careers?
The human and sci-fi stories are interwoven. In 1945, Harbir emigrates from the Punjab to New York City where he establishes a modest bakery empire. Three generations of his family grow, prosper, and find stability in the home they call The Ranch. Meanwhile, J-P Durand, a French biochemist obsessed with biblical ages, tracks down a plant that extends human life.
In the miracle year 2042, the world struggles to adjust to new technology, values, and especially the traditions of family. Among those affected are Harbir's son Yusuf, Yusuf's gay son Viqar, and Barbara, Viqar's wife-erstwhile artist and free spirit.
In 2059, Harbir is gone, but at age 71, Yusuf, not part of the future or the past, with hundreds of years of life remaining, meets Dorothea and must confront the relationship of happiness, lifespan, and family.
R. Henry Price is a scientist who considers writing an important part of a scientific career. He was a professor of physics for 33 years at the University of Utah, for 11 years at the University of Texas, and is now a senior lecturer in physics at MIT.He has been an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at Utah and is co-holder of three patents for micromechanical systems. He is a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the American As-sociation for the Advancement of Science.He has a black belt in Shotokan karate and was a ski instructor, though (by his own admission) never a very good skier. He has published more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters, including 29 pedagogical articles, and has authored or coauthored four books.
