I wanted to share a new novel with you called The Forever Factor A Silicon Valley Novel by Tom Hogan and Amanda Iles I received in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.
The Forever Factor is the story of a Scientist racing against time and high-powered enemies to share a life-extending breakthrough making The Forever Factor both thrilling and deeply thought-provoking. The Science feels well-thought out. The moral questions are ones I’ll be sharing with Charlie and David because they are questions we will be considering sooner than we think.
Tom Hogan is =businessman who worked for years in Silicon Valley as a marketing expert. He combines those two superpowers into a book co-authored b and Amanda Iles s, who is a writer on her own and a expert in biotechnology.
About the Book:
The Forever Factor
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?
Press Release:
Longevity research is one of today’s hottest fields, with billions invested annually in extending the human lifespan. But who should control the keys to immortality?
In former Oracle exec Tom Hogan’s #1 Amazon bestseller in three categories, The Forever Factor, with co-author Amanda Iles, he fuses Science with Silicon Valley’s cutthroat startup culture to reveal the deadly aspects of the pursuit of immortality.
Flirting With Forever: New Book Explores How Chasing Eternal Life Could Get Humanity Into Serious Trouble
The scientific breakthroughs powering humanity’s quest to defy death are closer than people think, posits former Oracle exec Tom Hogan, who explores the dark side of chasing immortality in his #1 Amazon bestseller in three categories, The Forever Factor, with co-author Amanda Iles.
In The Forever Factor, Hogan and Iles draw upon extensive research with top Scientists in the field of genetic manipulation and their own experience in venture capital and the inner workings of Silicon Valley startups to pull readers deep into a world where reckless ambition blurs the line between salvation and destruction.
“What begins as a showcase of biohacking breakthroughs quickly spirals into something much darker,” Hogan said. “A secretive group of Silicon Valley legends are experimenting on their own bodies to cheat death. Their motto? Live forever — or die trying.”
The Forever Factor introduces readers to Petra Alexander, a gifted bio scientist and mathematical wiz. Driven to find a cure for a rare rapid-aging disease that killed her sister in her prime, Petra’s research leads to the discovery of a previously unknown protein at the core of the aging process.
To bring her discovery to the world, she’s reluctantly forced to enter the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley startups. Using innovative AI-based simulations, she and her team of talented scientists work to manipulate the protein to halt — or reverse — the aging process.
But powerful forces — from Big Pharma to the U.S. government — fearing the social, environmental and financial implications of her discovery, sabotage her efforts at every turn, with deadly consequences.
Packed with gripping suspense and nuanced ethical dilemmas, The Forever Factor offers a realistic glimpse into the startup culture that shapes the 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 readers 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?
The Forever Factor
Publisher: Laughing Dog Publishing LLC Release Date: March 2025
About the Authors
Tom Hogan is the author of three novels — The Empty Confessional, The Devil’s Breath, and Left for Alive — and co-author of The Ultimate Startup Guide (2017). He is also an award-winning screenwriter and has written on politics and history for Newsweek, The Jerusalem Post and The Bulwark. For more information, please visit or connect with him on Facebook (tomhoganauthor), Instagram (tomhoganauthor) and X (HoganAuthor).
Amanda Iles is a writer who creates prose on behalf of Silicon Valley executives and companies, from Steve Jobs to the latest hot startups. Before writing professionally, she earned a biology/philosophy degree and worked in a developmental neurobiology lab at UC San Diego, followed by a graduate degree from the prestigious UC Santa Cruz science writing program.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
