The Immortals

"The Immortals" by David Duncan is a science fiction story set in the early 1960s that looks at what might happen if humans could live forever. The story centers around Dr. Clarence Peccary and his invention of the Y Hormone, which stops aging. Dr. Peccary is conflicted between wanting to make money from his discovery and worrying about its effects on the world. The plot follows Dr. Peccary and Roger Staghorn, who uses a super-powerful computer, as they discover a potential future where a group called the Atavars have taken over, creating a boring, risk-free life for everyone. They see a society full of beautiful people who don't seem to care about anything, showing the negative sides of immortality. In the end, Peccary faces a difficult choice between his hopes for the Y Hormone and the terrible reality it could create, which leads to a big fight against the Atavars, exploring ideas about what it means to be human and what happens when we try to live forever.