Tensely realistic speculative thriller from a successful Hollywood screenwriter about a tech billionaire who is living proof that his company has cracked the secret to eternal life Tech visionary Paul Whitmore is about to be the world's oldest man. 122 years old, he appears no older than fifty. His company has unlocked the secret to eternal life, and a post-ageing future. But many are fearful about what that will mean. And some are prepared to do anything to stop it. Paul's enemies are well-resourced and highly motivated. Great wealth has protected him so far, but when his elderly, estranged son is targeted, Paul must risk his company, his reputation, and ultimately immortality itself to save him. And in doing so, he might also rediscover the man he once was...

Details

ISBN13: 9780241819142
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 384
Edition:
Publication Date: 03 Nov 2026
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.4(L)x3(W)474
Weight (gm): 474

Author Biography

Matthew Aldrich, a renowned writer for film and television, is best known for cowriting Disney Pixar's Coco, which won two Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature. His screenplay also won top prize at the International Animated Film Association Awards and was nominated for the Humanitas Prize. The Natural Order is his first novel.

Reviews

Urgent, plausible … a book that can’t be read fast enough * Daniel Kraus, author of Whale Fall and Angel Down *
Haunting, humane and utterly compelling * Barry Jenkins, Oscar-winning director of Moonlight *
A high-concept premise drives the action-packed plot … this is a blast * Publishers Weekly *
Aldrich takes a premise that could have been a pure high-concept thriller and turns it into something richer * Glenn Powell, star of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters *
Gripping and well-paced … full of philosophical questions and emotional gut punches … the scariest thing is that it seems plausible * Kirkus *
Compulsively readable and genuinely moving … this thriller is equal parts propulsive and thoughtful * Library Journal *