Havall 16 by A. J. Ullman

Immortality. For Havall 16, it’s a fate worse than death. Havall 16 comes back in time to warn Tommy Canada not to take his fledgling company pubic or else society will be cleaved into two factions: the Havalls –- who are young, rich and can live forever — and the Havenots. Faced with turning his back on wealth and fame, Tommy must consider his personal goals versus those of society. Havall 16 asks him, “If you could go back in time and kill Hitler when he was a baby, would you? Kill an innocent to spare millions in the future?” You might, she says, have to kill before you ever become the richest man on earth, before you solve humans’ greatest fear: dying. Convincing his partner, Win Gault, presents a problem, because the future Havalls know she has gone back in time and they have a plan to deal with her.. Will she or Tommy have to kill? Or will Win win? The future is plastic, Havall 16 reminds Tommy. One thing is certain though, as Tommy’s buddy reminds him. We weren’t designed to live forever. Havall 16 taps into our deepest fears of death and dying as well as global warming and our very current worries about income and medical inequality — a future where some have it all — and most have not.

Category: Science Fiction – Adventure