Forever is so long by John Jakes
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Forever is so long by John Jakes is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. Centered on a groundbreaking longevity experiment, it probes the emotional and social costs of near-immortality, especially its strain on love and belonging. Frank Ridley, a rocket man, spends a year in a secret hospital where Dr. Lord replaces his blood with a new plasma that will let him live for centuries. Released back into
New Chicago, he seeks out Virginia Halloran, who loves him but recoils from the idea of aging while he stays young. When Dr. Lord must rush to Mars to help another researcher after a disastrous trial, Frank agrees to go if Ginny can be offered the same treatment. She initially refuses, longing for a normal human life, but at the last moment she runs through the rain to the departing ship, choosing to stay with him. As they head for Mars and discuss her undergoing the procedure, the story closes with Lord watching them—poised to become the first two immortals. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Jakes, John, 1932-2023 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Kinstler, Everett Raymond, 1926-2019 |
| Illustrator | Manso, Leo, 1914-1993 |
| Title | Forever is so long |
| Original Publication | New York: Stratford Novels Inc., 1953. |
| Series Title | Produced from Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader, April 1953 (Vol. 1, no. 2). |
| Credits | Tom Trussel (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Man-woman relationships -- Fiction |
| Subject | Longevity -- Fiction |
| Subject | Experiments -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 78908 |
| Release Date | Jun 21, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1076 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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