The Immortalists

The Immortalists: The Death of Death and the Race for Eternal Life

Aleks Krotoski

Bodley Head, 2025

We all understand the desire to avoid death. From stories about what follows our last breath to the search for the Fountain of Youth, civilisations have sought a solution to the dreaded mystery for millennia. Most of us decide to accept our mortality, trudging along, finding solace in our chosen myth. Aleks Krotoski’s The Immortalists, however, presents a different world. She speaks with those who are investing, experimenting, and working towards solving the ‘problem’ of death. Krotoski interviews the privileged few who are currently dedicating their lives and resources to the pursuit of immortality. The book, divided into five parts, explores the history, scientific and entrepreneurial development, and financial rationale behind the search for eternal life. Once I open the bright orange hardback, I cannot put it down. Each time I look up from the page to catch a breath, I ask myself: If I could live forever, would I? What would I be willing to do to ensure eternity? 

To those working towards it, Krotoski states, eternity is not a matter of if but when. The author introduces us to people like Bryan Johnson, the entrepreneur whose days begin at 4:30am, ingesting over a hundred supplements and closely monitoring his body’s condition. The book describes the biohacker receiving transfusions of blood and plasma from his son as he speaks to Krotoski about his process. For Johnson, it is a perfectly justifiable endeavour to spend his life monitoring his vital signs and relating to his son through shared bodily fluids.

We then drop into the RAAD Fest (Revolution Against Aging and Death), where James Strole charges hundreds or thousands of dollars for treatments promising extended life, none of which have been approved by the Food and Drugs Administration. Krotoski speaks to Celine Halioua, who has made a big step towards treating ageing in dogs and who believes she can establish a similar path for people. We meet scientists Irina Conboy and Dobri Kiprov, whose research on plasma’s anti-aging and life-preserving effects are advertised like proven products rather than steps in a scientific process. With every passing chapter, we delve deeper into the mind of individuals who seek immortality for their own financial and scientific gain.

Then we meet people who consider themselves part of a community. Krotoski introduces us to a group of rationalists who believe that transhumanism and the Singularity (the moment when machine intelligence surpasses human capacity) are inevitable blessings. This group, who have connected, communicated, and organised online, is convinced that the days to come feature computers implanted in our bodies and altered genetics that assist our endless existence. They also maintain that we should remove any limitations, be that legal or moral, that stand in the way so we can move towards this future as quickly as possible. Her conversations present combinations of scientific endeavour, geek obsession, and sci-fi faith.

The modern version of immortality, in which man and machine converge, was conceived in sci-fi books, then spread through liminal online communities. However, it is not led by nerds and outliers any longer but is now a group of rich entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley pioneers backed by the likes of Elon Musk. They are well-funded, resourced, and placed to change legislation, borders, and anything else needed to meet their goal. They believe in pouring resources into the immortality of a select few over investing in a fairer life for more people today. So Krotoski poses the question: ‘What are the economic, scientific, and moral implications of eternal life? And will this benefit all of us?’ To answer this, she speaks to scientists, economists, and academics on the other side of the debate. Together, they consider the true effects of throwing everything from money to artificial intelligence into the search for immortality. Should we invest in the future generations, or do we invest in the here and now? And if your answer is the former, who does the future belong to?

As with so many of these endeavours, eternal life as defined by the Krotoski’s The Immortalists belongs to the few and the rich. The final image she leaves us with is of Bryan Johnson flying to a ZEDE (Zone for Employment and Economic Development) called Próspera in Honduras to have a hormone that ‘may delay the onset of aging’ injected into his body. The price tag was $25,000. The human desire for power and longevity has never been a fair pursuit. I snigger at the thought that for all the technology and science humanity has developed, death keeps inspiring folly and fairy tales. After the book’s publication, Bryan Johnson announced that he suffers from autoimmune gastritis. The irony is not lost on me. I will be working on accepting my relationship with the inevitable; I haven’t got The Immortalists’ budget. You should come to your own conclusion. Pick up a copy of Aleks Krotoski’s fascinating study; this all seems closer than we might think.

Penguin Books: The Immortalists: The Death of Death and the Race for Eternal Life

Amanda Vilanova

Amanda Vilanova is a Puerto Rican writer, actor and translator based in London.