
A wizened yet imposing lawyer steps off a sleek space liner, his silver hair spilling over a massive forehead, and hands a recorder to the ship’s captain before disappearing into a press‑filled suite. He’s on the brink of a journey to Rejuvenal, the only world in the galaxy worth a fortune for a brief stay, where each day on the surface shaves a whole year off a person’s age. The opening scenes mingle formal courtesy with a quiet awe, as the captain and crew marvel at the planet’s miraculous “speed of change” and the lawyer’s almost reckless determination to visit it a fourth time.
Through crisp dialogue and a steady, observational narrative, the story probes why someone so powerful and affluent would chase the promise of reversing time. It hints at the societal cost of endless youth, the isolation of wealth, and the eccentricities of a man who refuses to let life’s burdens settle. Listeners are invited to ride the 250‑day outbound trek, glimpse the plastic‑bubbled Jupiter colony, and wonder what lies beyond the first ninety days of rejuvenation.
Language
en
Duration
~50 minutes (48K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2010-05-27
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Best known for the science fiction story Rich Living, this mid-20th-century writer imagined a galaxy where youth could be bought at a staggering price. The work blends big speculative ideas with a sharp eye for status, desire, and human weakness.
View all books
by Vinceslas-Eugène Dick

by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé

by Abraham Cahan

by Pauline E. (Pauline Elizabeth) Hopkins

by Laure Conan

by Eliza Fowler Haywood

by George Sand