Top 5 Longevity Fiction Books

Interested in longevity and how it might impact you life, and the whole of society, in future? Generally falling into the science fiction (for now!) category, here's some great books where the author has really put some deep thought into how the future might look. Whether that's changes due to radical life extension or human's fight for survival, they're all a good read.

PS we (I, Adrian) don't read that much fiction, so there are probably lots more books to consider - please do contact me with suggestions.

Suicide Club by Rachel Heng

In the book, the vision of biological immortality has become reality, but has not yet fully arrived. As well as the well-considered impacts on society and individuals with the realisation of life extension technologies, the story is compelling with a bracing pace pulling you though the interlinking relationships and events with highs, lows and tearful moments.

Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam

Nexus 5 is a newly developed, underground, nano-drug that allows humans to program their own thoughts and actions as well as communicate (effectively) telepathically with other users. Based on feasible, if stretching to the limit, concepts already been thought about today, the narcotic uses nanotubes in the brain that communicate with each other at radio frequencies. Beyond the technology, the book examines the societal consequences of such a drug being developed in the near future.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

A well-woven thriller set in a post-singularity, immortal future - where overpopulation is prevented by human culling. It touches on a few of the concerns about radical life extension, such as boredom and the meaning of life, and how a superintelligence (the Thunderhead) would manage the world efficiently and without human arrogance or self-interest.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

a hard science fiction novel that explores the colonisation and terraforming of Mars in meticulous detail. Following the journey of the "First Hundred"—a diverse group of scientists, engineers, and visionaries—the novel delves into the political, environmental, and personal struggles of transforming the barren planet into a habitable world.