BOOK DETAILS:
Book Title: THE FOREVER FACTOR: A SILICON VALLEY novel by Tom Hogan and Amanda Iles
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 410 pages
Genre: genetic engineering science fiction, medial thrillers, hard science fiction
Publisher: Laughing Dog Publishing LLC
Release date: March 5, 2025
Content Rating: R for language
Silicon Valley’s relentless pursuit of innovation collides with the profound quest for longevity in this thrilling new novel.
When visionary inventor Petra Alexander stumbles upon a groundbreaking discovery that could radically extend the human lifespan, she’s catapulted into the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley startups. Armed with ambition and a deeply personal drive, Petra must navigate the cutthroat corridors of tech giants, venture capitalists, and biohackers—as well as threats from powerful forces dead set against the transformative technology she’s developing.
Funded by “The Hydras,” an elite group of tech moguls dedicated to biohacking and longevity, Petra pushes the boundaries of science, spurred by her quest to find a cure for the rapid-aging disease that killed her sister and now threatens her mother. Reluctantly assuming the mantle of biotech CEO, she faces impossible choices: Who will control access to a life-saving breakthrough? What sacrifices will she make in the name of progress? And how far is she willing to go when her own life is at risk?
Packed with gripping suspense and nuanced ethical dilemmas, The Forever Factor offers a rare glimpse into the startup culture that shapes our world. From clandestine yacht gatherings to high-stakes negotiations in Silicon Valley boardrooms, the novel intertwines scientific breakthroughs, corporate intrigue, and human drama in a narrative that will leave you questioning the very nature of life, mortality, and innovation.
Fans of Michael Crichton’s techno-thrillers and Blake Crouch’s speculative fiction will find themselves captivated by this smart, fast-paced tale that dares to ask: Should anyone be allowed to master immortality—or does the pursuit threaten the very future of humanity?
This novel, The Forever Factor, had an interesting beginning. It all started with lead author Tom Hogan. He’s a former marketing executive of Silicon Valley giant Oracle who for many years operated Crowded Ocean, one of the most successful marketing consultancies for tech startups.
Tom retired and started writing novels and screenplays. After three books that had nothing to do with his previous career, he decided to write a novel about Silicon Valley and the tech startup world. But instead of authoring some fictional first-person account of life at a startup, he decided to make Silicon Valley the setting for a suspense novel.
Venture capitalists played an important role in Tom’s Silicon Valley work. One day, he was talking with Jim Goetz, one of the most well-known VCs in Silicon Valley. The two had wanted to write a book together and were brainstorming themes. But everything they came up with was too technical to be of interest to a wide audience.
Then Jim Goetz relayed a story about a recent getaway with a group of friends, many of whom were fellow VCs. The friends shared stories of their passion for biohacking: using their own bodies as test sites for ways to try living as healthily as possible for as long as possible. Not quite ‘forever’ but in that direction.
As soon as Jim started going through the range of activities available for biohackers, Tom recognized the germ of something that would make a great story: a Silicon Valley startup pursuing the quest to live forever.
I had worked with Tom and his business partner, Carol Broadbent, as an occasional writer of Crowded Ocean clients’ marketing materials, and I was one of his ‘readers’ for his novels. When he began The Forever Factor we assumed I’d play the same role on this new novel.
But a wrinkle soon emerged. Tom was an expert on tech startups but knew little about biotech startups or the underlying biological science. I have a background in biology and had worked as a writer for some biotech companies, so I was making suggestions to the early drafts of the novel that went beyond what a normal ‘reader’ would contribute.
Tom invited me to co-author The Forever Factor with him, and I jumped at the chance. Tom met with contacts he had at MIT for background into the science, and I turned to people I knew in the biology research world along with doing my own research online.
One of our challenges throughout was striking a balance between credible science able to propel aspects of the book’s plot and crafting a suspenseful story. We hope you enjoy this melding of Silicon Valley, biotech startups, VCs, biohacking, and both the dreams and potential perils of living forever.
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Tom’s past writing experience has been on the non-fiction side. He is the co-author (with Carol Broadbent) of The Ultimate Startup Guide: Marketing Lessons, War Stories, and Hard-Won Advice from Leading Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors. The book highlights the lessons Tom and Carol learned as principals at Crowded Ocean, a marketing firm that has launched over 50 Silicon Valley startups. He has also written extensively for travel books, political journals, and Newsweek.
Professionally, Tom has split his career between academia and technology marketing. He was a lecturer in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Santa Clara University and UC Santa Cruz. He joined Silicon Valley in its infancy, where he was the original creative director at Oracle. Moving into the VC (Venture Capital) world, he was a co-founder of Crowded Ocean and now advises startups in Silicon Valley and Austin.
