The Wellstone

In Wil McCarthy's classic hard science fiction novel, humanity has mastered the Solar System and conquered death through programmable matter, allowing people to live indefinitely. However, for the children of immortal parents, like minor royal Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui, this eternal youth poses its own challenges, leaving them in a perpetual state of adolescence. Frustrated by his circumstances and dismissed by his parents, Bascal and his rebellious friends construct a spaceship to explore the far reaches of colonized space, determined to forge their own destinies and prove their worth.