Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Longevity City

By David Murphy

Sometime in the twenty-first century the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, infiltrated by corrupt politicians and the military, assumes control of global politics. The company develops a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594143528
• ISBN13: 9781594143526
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Five Star
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A movie in waiting

Apart from telling a story of good and evil, Longevity City holds up the spectre of corporate greed and commercial ruthlessness. It highlights the abuse of power in the hands of self-centred individuals and, ultimately, raises the question of how long the righteous will remain righteous once they get into a position of power. Longevity City is a tale of social struggle, military adventure and corruption. It contains a lot of elements and Dave Murphy did a good job in telling the story in 315 pages. His characters are solid and their motivation clear. Actions are in keeping with their perpetrators' personalities and purpose. To cap it all, Dave finished with a realistic ending rather than a trite happily ever after. This is the type of Science Fiction I like. The science provides a backdrop to the story. The characters are the main players, not the novel scientific ideas. The realistic actions and reactions make for a plausible story of the not too distant future.

bleak foreboding twentieth second century landscape

Due to widespread infertility, the drug Geminizon is taken by women who can bear children. By the twentieth-second century, one twin is allowed to live a natural life while the fetus of the other is stored in a womb bank. When the living twin reaches a designated age, the other fetus is activated and allowed to reach the age of fifteen. At that time the longer living sibling is killed and the memories is placed within the younger twin. The Association forms to fight against this state sponsored genocide. Meanwhile world dictator Ronald Carver, whose father invented Geminizon, is into his second lifetime more repressive than ever. When a cell of the Association is wiped out except for Lee, the fifteen year old twin becomes determined to destroy the world order. His twin Max, a gynecologist, knows nothing about him but questions his placed in society. His lover knows what a vile man Carver is but feels helpless to do anything about it. As the Association gains recruits, Max, Mandy and Lee prepare for the forthcoming war. David Murphy paints a bleak foreboding twentieth second century landscape; a place where the first generation of adult twins don't care that they are killing a life so they can have a second one of their own. That premise seems improbable given the anti-abortion sentiment of today at least in America yet feasible with the state of health care. This is a thought provoking novel that makes readers evaluate issues that they might deal with in the foreseeable future. The point of view rotates between the four main characters, giving readers an intimate look at the viewpoints and state of mind of the principals without slowing down the dark plot. Harriet Klausner