Trouble With Lichens
A science fiction novel by John Wyndham, author of The Day of the Triffids. A biochemist, Diana Brackley, discovers that a substance derived from a rare lichen can dramatically slow human aging. Rather than sell it, she keeps the secret and quietly begins using it, which raises questions about who would control near-immortality and what it would do to society. Wyndham is less interested in the chemistry than in the social ripples: class, gender, and power. It is a thoughtful, very English work of science fiction, more conversation than action.