Nobody ever said human evolution, as a species or as an individual, was simple—or linear

James Gunn’s masterpiece about a human fountain of youth collects the author’s classic short stories that ran in elite science-fiction magazines throughout the 1950s. What is the price for immortality? For nomad Marshall Cartwright, the price is knowing that he will never grow old. That he will never contract a disease, an infection, or even a cold. That because he will never die, he must surrender the right to live. For Dr. Russell Pearce, the price is eternal suspicion. He appreciates what synthesizing the elixir vitae from the Immortal’s genetic makeup could mean for humankind. He also fears what will happen should Cartwright’s miraculous blood fall into the wrong hands. For the wealthy and powerful, no price is too great. Immortality is now a fact rather than a dream. But the only way to achieve it is to own it exclusively. And that means hunting down and caging the elusive Cartwright, or one of his offspring

Vision requires more than good optics…

Short story