What would happen if every human

being presently on earth could live to

the age of 150--or more?

In the remote region of Abkhazia, in

Soviet Georgia, a distinguished British

scientist, a figure of worldwide renown,

has triumphantly completed twelve

years of ceaseless research and experi-

mentation with the discovery of a sub-

stance that will extend the longevity

of every human being on earth from an

average age of 72 toat least 150.

With this astonishing--and abso-

lutely convincing--premise begins the

new novel by Irving Wallace, his most

original and breathtaking book to date.

At the heart of the book lies the

question of who will control this new

substance, of whether it will be used

for profit or for politics or for the good

of humankind. But beyond even this

question is the larger and more haunt-

ing issue of whether indeed the pro-

longation of human life on this scale

will be a blessing or a curse for the

human race.

As Professor Davis MacDonald flees

to Venice from the Soviet Union, which

wants to keep both the secret and its

discoverer, a fascinating and unusual

group of people is drawn into the secret

struggle-

~ Tim Jordan, an American engineer

and publicist, who is trying to make

a new life for himself after his wife s

death by working for the committee

organized to save historic Venice from

sinking...