The Natural Order

by Matthew Aldrich

Paul Whitmore, the world’s richest man and Silicon Valley's Ponce-de-Leon, is 122 years old, but looks fifty. Thanks to the Method, his proprietary anti-aging protocol, he’s ready to share the secret to Eternal Life with the world . . . for a price. But not everyone wants Paul to succeed, and these shadowy forces are prepared to use violence to keep the Method from coming to market.

When a new threat targets his estranged son Max, an 85-year-old nursing home resident who wants nothing to do with him, Paul brings Max to his compound for protection. As enemies close in and secrets unravel, Paul must face the one challenge he never planned fatherhood, and caring for his ageing son. Is it ever too late to reconnect, or to become the parent you never were?

As the date of the Method's release draws closer and the walls close in, Paul's true enemies make themselves known. The pawns corner the king, leaving Paul to make an impossible choice . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Mystery, Family, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 27, 2026

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for a book club read. It forces you to think about the unimaginable and asks you to ask yourself many questions. What would you do to live forever? No, not kill or do something illegal for it, but could you give up food and drink for the chance to live forever?

To me, this felt more like a horror novel than a mystery or thriller, although it had those components too. I could not imagine wanting to live forever, never mind the fact that to do so I would have to give up one of the things that mean so much to me. To think that those I love who could not get their hands on this product would age and die before my eyes; to have to live forever in this mess we have made of this world; to deal with the hatred of others because we would live forever (whatever living forever really means).

This book kept me thinking about what forever really means; it kept my stomach tied in knots, and it made me question my life up until now.

The author did an amazing job making us believe this could be real; he wrote believable characters and offered insights into what the future could bring us. This book was set in 2070 not too far in the future, just enough to be believable. If I had only one complaint, it would be the use of landlines-unless we bring them back into reality in the future.

A terrific book!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Simon and Schuster/Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley-ATTL/Edelweiss.

[Kenzie Leckie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was kindly sent an arc copy of this book through NetGalley.

I really like how this is set in a not too far distant future and seeing how that could potentially look like.

I will say that this was a little bit of a slow burner to start off with. A lot of world building, science and philosophy which was a little difficult to wrap my head around but after we pass that, that’s when things start rolling and you connect to the characters and by the end I felt for every character.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing debut had a Blake Crouch Nicholas Binge feel and kept you engaged and the story flowing. I will definitely read anything else put out. Thanks to Atria for the advanced copy of this amazing book. 4.75 rounded up

[Carla Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This was a story plot that goes outside the box. Not your normal thriller. The year is 2070, Paul Whitmore is a man that lives a very monastic life. He and his scientists have devolped a routine that extends human life. It stops aging in its tracks, Paul Whitmore is a 122 years old, but only looks fifty. A vigilante terrorist group called the Natural Order is trying to get the better of Paul Whitmore and stop his anti aging products before it goes to market. They have found out that Whitmore has an 87 year old son, and they keep trying to kidnap him and harm him to get to Paul Whitmore. Paul brings his son Max to his highly secured compound to protect him. There are a lot of side stories that help lead up to the current plot. The book is a very well written book and very entertaining. There is a mind blowing ending to this book. You don't want to miss it. I highly recommend this book. 👌

[Trolley · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

The Natural Order is a proficient thriller with a sci-fi bent that calls into question whether you would want to live forever & what you would be willing to sacrifice for it?

I'd say in parts the story feels a little slow, with the narrative at times convoluted, however its easy to read, the action sequences are cinematic (which given this is a debut from a screenwriter makes a lot of sense!) and the overall experience of reading the novel is pretty satisfying.

The characters are an interesting bunch, ultimately all rather unlikeable, but the overall story arc of father & son is worth sticking with.

If you're a thriller fan, then this would make a good, escapist holiday read, I think.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author & Michael Joseph (publisher) for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Atria books and Net galley for the ARC of this book!

4/5 ⭐️’s

I really enjoyed this one! Set in the future, we are following trillionare Paul Whitmore, whom is soon to be crowned the oldest living human at over 120 years old. He has perfected a way to essentially become immortal, called The Method, and it is soon going to be available to the public. Although there are many supporters in favor of The Method, there is one group in particular that is opposed to the idea and will do anything at any cost to preventing it’s rollout.

Really great, realistic (i could totally see this happening), scifi novel that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. Highly recommend and super excited to see more from this author!

[Becca Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Overall I felt like the premise was strong, as was the world building. I appreciated that while it was set in the future, the natural disasters and events that happened between now (2026) and then felt realistic and within the realm of possibility of what could happen. That helped keep me grounded and not totally lost in the time jump.

For me the thing that tripped me up was the pacing, it felt slow to start with no strong ability to really connect to Paul and then when it got going, it felt like it wrapped up too fast and went back to being kinda slow at the end. Overall I think the plot was good but, the pacing was just a bit tricky for me.

[Loring Wirbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Aldrich's first novel is a thinly-veiled riff on the life of techno-immortalist Bryan Johnson, right down to Johnson's use of rapamycin as a life extender. One might guess this would be a predictable morality play on the rights of the rich to move beyond the natural order, but the book has its own set of surprises, which one might anticipate from Aldrich, a screen writer partially responsible for the Disney movie Coco.

First of all, Aldrich tries to woo the reader into a partially-empathetic view of billionaire recluse Paul Whitmore, and in the early chapters it works. Still, most readers would wonder from the first pages why the near-starvation smoothie diet called "The Method" would ever appeal to anyone as a recipe for extending life well beyond the century mark. Even if use of The Method promises some relatively good health to those who live an ascetic lifestyle, many might guess that life beyond 15 decades gets pretty tedious. And by only a few chapters in, any empathy for Whitmore is overwhelmed by the recognition that he is a deeply flawed character (surprise, surprise).

Whitmore's book title is only secondarily a reference to what might be a nature-derived order to things. In the first instance, The Natural Order (and its offspring, Natural Justice) are terrorist cults that demand absolute fealty to the belief that those who promote life extension to the world at large, should be the first to have their own life extension brought to a finite halt.

A mediocre mystery might be comprised of a simple cat-and-mouse chase involving Whitmore's extended security staff, and the terrorists who want to shorten any rapamycin experimentation. But Aldrich livens up the book with backstories of Whitmore's extended family, as well as the global staff of thousands that help to keep one man alive in a compound in the Marin Headlands. Add to that an AI-based life support system named after Whitmore's former wife Celeste, and you have the ingredients for a relationship subplot bringing to mind the film Her.

When we approach the climactic shoot-em-up chase scenes, for example, we are graced with two simultaneous chases, one around Whitmore's compound, the other at UCSF Medical Center. What might seem to be the end in secondary character development turns out to be more of a tale of corporate subterfuge. When Paul Whitmore finally disappears from the known world and has a chance at possible reconciliation with family, he finally comes to terms with the fact that near-starvation diets of smoothies are shit, compared to good old-fashioned home cooking. (I have a feeling many involved in semaglutide weight loss programs simimarly might drop out, saying "Why in the world would I want to lose my desire for good food?") Without providing too many spoilers, let's say Paul's corporation discovers something similar when bringing The Method to a mass market. The backsliding and dropout-cancellation rate for the life extender menu goes up on a daily basis.

It's worth mentioning that the real Bryan Johnson revealed last summer he has an autoimmune condition that could interfere with his attempts to live forever. My takeaway is that terrorist groups like Natural Order are not necessary, that longevity efforts are bound to fail when faced with the self-eliminating processes taking place at a cellular and genetic level. Let's hope the same kind of thing happens when billionaires try to transplant their brainwave patterns into new bodies. Failure is our best effort. Billionaires seeking immortality are precisely the type of people we need less of on this planet, and you don't need a terrorist Natural Order to come to that conclusion.

[Barlin's Books · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

The year is 2070, and tech visionary Paul Whitmore has developed a process to stop aging. For the past sixty-five years, he has followed his regimen (known as "the Method") to perfection, and on his 122nd birthday, he still looks like a man in his fifties. Now "Golden Day" is approaching—the moment Paul will officially break the record for the longest-lived human—and his company, Benetus, will release the Method to the public.

Living in a compound north of San Francisco, Paul rarely leaves. Beyond his fear of germs, he faces constant threats from detractors who resent his perceived bastardization of the natural life cycle, most notably from a domestic terrorist group that calls themselves Natural Order. For twenty years, Natural Order has operated with a single goal: kill Paul Whitmore. On top of their own assassination attempts, they have placed a $100,000,000 bounty on his head, keeping Paul trapped on high alert.

With less than a year until Golden Day, Natural Order escalates the conflict. Through sheer happenstance, they discover Paul has an estranged son, Max, now an aging man in his seventies. Though Paul severed ties when Max was a boy, the threat is credible, and Paul will stop at nothing to save him. He sends his security team to retrieve Max, bringing him to the California compound, where the son's deep-seated hatred for his father is immediately apparent. Paul hopes to reconcile, but they have decades of emotional baggage to unpack. Meanwhile, Natural Order doubles its efforts to eliminate Paul before he can claim the record and release the Method worldwide.

While the premise is solid, the novel struggles with execution. For starters, it never clearly explains why the company waited decades to release the most monumental breakthrough in life-science history. Furthermore, the depiction of 2070 feels surprisingly indistinguishable from today. Beyond minor tweaks—such as autonomous electric vehicles replacing gas cars—the world feels static. Given the accelerating pace of technological evolution and AI, 2070 is unlikely to look this similar to the 2020s, nor would sixty years pass without another tech genius also arriving at the same anti-aging conclusion as Paul. Finally, the book suffers from an identity crisis: Is it high-concept sci-fi, an action thriller, or a heartfelt family drama? It tries to be all three, but unfortunately none of the arcs fully land.

I wanted to like this book, and while it kept my attention, it ultimately got bogged down by contrasting themes and uneven execution.

My full review on Barlin's Books: https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the...

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.5

The Natural Order feels engineered for the current cultural moment in time. We have a billionaires quests for immortality, the ethical instability of biotech, collapsing faith between generations, and the unsettling possibility that longer lives may only deepen human emptiness. The premise lands with immediate force. A society standing on the brink of curing aging no longer feels like distant science fiction, but an unnervingly plausible near future shaped by longevity startups and tech elites already trying to live forever.

The pacing is sharp and cinematic, which makes sense given Aldrich’s screenwriting background. The novel moves quickly while still making room for larger ideas about power, mortality, and whether living forever would actually make people happier. What separates The Natural Order from more familiar dystopian stories is that immortality is never treated as a true fantasy fulfilled. Instead, it feels isolating and deeply unsettling. The novel argues that without death, people may lose their sense of urgency, purpose, and emotional growth.

Some elements do feel familiar at times. The billionaire-tech criticism and dystopian themes have been explored before, and a few supporting characters are not as fully developed as the central emotional arc. Still, the emotional core gives the story real weight. In the end, The Natural Order is less concerned with conquering death than with understanding what gives life meaning in the first place.

Overall, The Natural Order is an intelligent and emotionally grounded science-fiction novel that feels strikingly relevant to the current cultural moment. While some of its dystopian ideas and tech-world critiques are familiar, the strength of the premise, the cinematic pacing, and the deeper emotional questions about mortality and meaning elevate it beyond a standard biotech thriller. Rather than celebrating immortality, the novel treats it as something potentially hollow and destabilizing, giving the story a lingering emotional weight long after it ends.

[Stacy DeBroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens if you could extend your lifetime almost indefinitely, but to do so meant keeping yourself on basically a starvation diet and watching all your friends and family die before you did?

Trillionaire Paul Whitmore leads a company in 2070 that has developed an innovative protocol involving injections, dietary supplements and a meditative lifestyle that prevents aging, if you stay the course. At 122 years old, Paul’s nearly older than any other living human- and his birthday will be the public unveiling and offering up of advance sales of what will be branded The Method.

Opposing him is a radical group prone to violence calling itself The Natural Order, that wants to stop the Method and what could become an endless class of the ruling wealthy. Out of self-protection Paul has created a Caifornia expansive retreat for himself in the wildnerness, where he lives alone aside from an extensive security force, and relies on an advanced AI for companionship. He goes out only for corporate board meetings and spends most of his time in meditative rituals.

Unable to reach Paul, The Natural Order decides to kidnap his estranged son Max, who himself is in his 80’s, isolated from any family and living in a run-down nursing home. Paul has basically spent his life denying Max’s existence and trying to forget about him as a pathway to love and family that he rejected for his intense ambition. Paul has not seen Max since he was a small child.

A thriller plot erupts, as the Natural Order seeks to get both Max and Paul, and son and father end up spending time together in hiding. The question of whether Paul and Max’s relationship can be repaired and whether immortality is worth it triumphs over the twisted plot, which is considerable and makes you think deeply about the meaning of life.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

[Kat Reads Skulls · Rating 4 out of 5]

A realistic thriller with a sci-fi twist that makes you ask “what would I give up to live forever?”

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance readers copy! All opinions expressed are my own 🖤

This started off slow and I wasn’t sure if it was for me, but found myself sucked in and rage reading. Not at the writing, which does lean towards the philosophical and can be slow paced, but at the MC. Paul Whitmore was written to be unlikable, he makes every bad decision he could and maintains his belief in his own moral ‘cleanliness’ and superiority. Most of the characters end up being unlikable but I loathed him, especially in the first part of the book.

Ignoring the characters, the premise of a viable way to live forever being developed was the strongest part of the book. Seeing Paul live out the Method, listening to his thoughts, and seeing the world events and controversies around it are deeply thought provoking. What would I willingly give up to live forever? Even if I couldn’t eat or drink? Even if there were extremeist groups targeting people who chose to live forever? Would I be willing to keep living when the world is deteriorating? Would I someday choose to stop taking the Method? It made me think deeply on all of it, compounded by my own experience of having a partially paralyzed stomach and being unable to eat normally with that and one of the requirements for the Method being giving up normal foods and drinks.

The story is slow in many places and once the main event happens it speeds up and races to the end, and I found that pacing really uncomfortable to read. The father and son storyline was interesting and the author did a good job making the side characters and stories compelling. An interesting read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Whitmore has developed a way to extend human life. He lives closed off to the world, following a strict routine. It involves a processed diet that forces his cells to metabolize waste, extending the lifetime of the cell.

Following his Method he has reached 122 years. Who knows how long he can live?

A terrorist group called The Natural Order has targeted Paul as enemy number one. They discover that Paul had a son before he retreated into his controlled world. They decide to kidnap the son to get to Paul.

When Paul learns that his son’s life is threatened, he whisks the eighty-five-year-old Max to his compound. To protect Max, the son who hates him, and hopefully, to reconnect with the son he abandoned.

The novel is at once a thriller and speculative fiction and an exploration of humankind’s fear of death and it asks what makes life worth living.

Max is well-adjusted in his attitude about aging and inevitable death. He believes Paul is afraid of death, and condemns the Boomer generation of being afraid the world will end without them.

Paul is a gourmet cook, but gave up all real food for the Method. He prepares a gourmet meal for Max. And to be sociable in Max’s presence, indulges in the first whisky and food he has had in over half a century.

Food is one of the pleasures of being alive. So is family and relationships and love. Paul walked away from all of it.

The climax is a dramatic page-turner. The science seems probable. But what I loved most of all is that the novel reminds us of what is truly important and of the joys of being alive.

Thanks to Atria Books for a free book.

[Kathy]

Forgive me for not providing my own synopsis of the book, I simply cannot improve on the publisher's description of it. If you're reading reviews, you already know what it's about and want to know what others thought of it, so I'll begin there.

The Natural Order by Matthew Aldrich certainly provides a lot of food for thought about ethics and morality on all levels; economic, personal, societal, and global. Just because we CAN do something, should we? What is the overall impact of our decisions?

I found the book sad. Even if you could live forever, what kind of life would it be? What quality of life would you have? I consider Paul's life cold, sterile, and isolated. There is no vibrancy or joy in it, so what is the point?

The s-l-o-w pacing at the beginning drove me bonkers, and I had a hard time getting into the book. Generally unlikeable characters didn't help my motivation.

This would be an excellent book club selection - plenty to discuss for sure!

My thanks to Atria Books for allowing me access to a DRC via NetGalley. Publication is 10/27/26. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Natural Order receives 5 stars from me. Wow, what a brilliant book. I’ve literally just finished it and have tears in my eyes.
I was immediately drawn to this book because of the premise, as it sounded so different, and I was very pleased to receive this ARC from NetGalley. The novel asks the question: if you could live forever, would you want to? It also explores how society might react and the consequences that would follow. Alongside this, the book examines the meaning and importance of family, as well as themes of love, grief, morality, and identity.
I was consistently engaged throughout and thought the pacing was spot on. I became emotionally invested in all of the characters and ended up reading this in just two days. The writing was brilliant and I genuinely didn’t want to skip a single word.
This is one of those books that I think will stay with me for quite a while. The ending was fabulous and brought tears to my eyes. Thought-provoking, emotional, and beautifully written, I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Neha Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Natural Order is an ambitious and thought-provoking science fiction thriller that explores one of humanity's oldest questions: what if we could stop aging? Matthew Aldrich takes a fascinating premise and turns it into much more than a story about immortality. Beneath the suspense and futuristic technology is a surprisingly emotional examination of family, regret, and what gives life meaning.

The novel's greatest strength is its balance between big ideas and personal stakes. While the world grapples with the possibility of a post-aging future, the heart of the story remains the complicated relationship between a father who has seemingly conquered time and a son who has not. The story raises compelling ethical questions about longevity, wealth, inequality, and the unintended consequences of technological breakthroughs without losing sight of its characters.

The Natural Order is an impressive debut novel that delivers action, emotion, and plenty of food for thought long after the final page.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Natural Order” a debut by Matthew Aldrich is an intelligent and emotional science fiction novel that feels relevant to our current cultural moment. The novel follows the world’s wealthiest man who has unlocked the secret to eternal life, bring his breakthrough discovery to the world market. He has left all worldly possessions behind including people, and on the cusp of becoming the oldest man in history, a fringe group has found his estranged 80 year old son and is threatening both of their lives. In an effort to protect him, the son is forcibly brought to the father’s compound where themes of…is it ever too late to repair the relationship between father and son are addressed with true intimacy and sensitivity.

This novel is much more than a typical bio-tech thriller, it’s an intriguing story about love, loss and the importance of understanding what is truly important in your life.

Thank you NetGalley and Altria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Big Bertha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Natural Order was a thought provoking read with excellent characterisation and a future that's close enough to be scary. This is without doubt one of my standout reads of the year.

Paul Whitmore is 120 but doesn't look a day older than when in his fifties, his company developed 'The Method' and unlocked the secret to long life. The time has come, he's about to go public and put it on the open market. The Method isn't popular with everyone and there are those that will stop at nothing to prevent its release on the open market.

I found this a thought provoking and powerful read that had me questioning the ethics, the inequality and most of all, what's really important.

A compelling read from start to finish this would be a great choice for book clubs, the discussions would be endless.


My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the early read, all opinions expressed are my own

[Cynthia Brendel · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC! This is kind of a scifi/tech thriller meets family drama. Paul, one of our main characters, is 122 years old thanks to a technology (called the Method) developed by his company. Obviously, lots of people don’t like the idea of extending life, and he is constantly facing threats. When one is made against his estranged 80-something year old son Max, everything changes for him. The novel is kind of framed by this attack on Paul and the attempt to kill him and stop the release of the Method. But it’s really about what it really means to live beyond a natural lifespan. What do you give up? What do you gain? Is it worth it? What’s it really like to be 122 years old and healthy and watch your 80 year old son deteriorate? Is it something people would really want? This story was engaging, smart, and surprisingly depressing by the end. I’d recommend if you’re a fan of Blake Crouch or Temi Oh.

[Josh Escandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an eARC of The Natural Order by Matthew Aldrich. The Natural Order was a very breezy yet taut sci-fi thriller about the cost of immortality. The novel follows CEO Paul Whitmore, who has been using his company's product, the method, to stop the aging process. On the cusp of becoming the oldest individual to have lived and the release of the method, Paul has to reckon with his past by way of his son. I was glued to the page and easily soaked in what I was reading; the primary reason besides the unique premise was the character of Paul. As Paul has to come to terms with the son he left behind and all he sacrificed to get to this point, the character becomes completely engrossing. If you love thrillers with a sci-fi bent you need to read The Natural Order upon release.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Whitmore is a VERY wealthy man, and he is almost 112 years old! He made his fortune and now he is ready to bring his longevity process (The Method) to the public. But there are others who want to stop him.

This is essentially a mystery that involves activists, threats, kidnapping, and more, but there is also a strong political/philosophical message about money, power, and whether people should extend life indefinitely. I could not put this book down, but ultimately I was a bit disappointed. Something was missing. The only really captivating character was the nurse/caretaker. I found the ending predicable and less than satisfying. It would certainly make a great "book club" book since there is so much worthy of discussion, but I think it could have been so much more. OK, but not great.

[Lauren Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing and thoughtful read. It’s the story of a trillionaire businessman who essentially discovers the cure for aging, and embarks on a quest to be the longest living person ever (while also heading a company set to launch this cure for a hefty price tag); his enemies attempt to stop him by threatening the life of his estranged son. It’s set in a not-too-distant future that feels all too plausible, and explores a lot of very relevant themes (AI, income inequality, environment) in a cautionary but not heavy handed way. Beyond that, it really focuses on life, relationships, and the choices we make along the way. Throw in a little good action and gunfire… a little bit of something for everyone. 5⭐️

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book compulsively readable. It works as science fiction, with excellent world-building of the relatively near future (2070s I believe). The concept of slowing down or stopping the ageing process is well developed and believable. It also works well as a thriller, with the main characters on the run from a militant, cult-like group opposed to everything the main characters represent. But where this novel really shines is in the exploration of the consequences of eternal life on the individual and on the family and friends he must leave behind to realize his dream. This book is fast-paced, cinematic in scope and description, and most of all deeply moving. Thanks to Atria Books for this Goodreads giveaway.

[Maddie T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC received on behalf of Goodreads giveaways.

This was really good, I was absolutely hooked on the premise. There is a nice balance of continuous issues that have been touched on throughout the decades of scifi (ai, climate change, etc) while also a timely remark on societies current fear of aging. The writing was very similar to Blake Crouch which I greatly appreciated and the pacing was incredibly addictive, I ended up reading it mostly in one night with how action packed the second part of the book it. Very solid science fiction, I really enjoyed the premise and the execution and I would recommend for fans of action based science fiction.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

DRC from Edelweiss and Atria Books / Simon & Schuster
An interesting story about life expectancy and family. Set in the future, Paul Whitmore heads a company that created a nutritional plan that extends your life. Called “The Method” it is a series of steps you take to stop aging. But the Method is controversial and there is a group out there who like to see Paul dead. There he lives alone on huge, seclude property with staff and security. He works remotely and only goes into the public domain once a year. When the group targets Paul’s son, he knows he must take steps to protect him. Will Max remain in hiding with Paul? Can Paul’s security stop the group from hurting them? Is there something else going on in Paul’s business that makes his security questionable? If you could live a longer life, how would you spend it and with whom?

[Victoria Lehrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free via a giveaway.

The Natural Order is a science fiction novel following Paul a 122-year-old man who appears to be in his 50s. He lives alone and follows a strict plan to unlock the secret to eternal life, but he also lives in fear of The Natural Order an organization against his plans. In an attempt to protect his son, Max, he breaks him out of his nursing home. A well written and beautiful connection between characters. This fast passed story was addictive from start to finish.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly did not expect this book to pull me in so quickly but it ended up being a one-sitting read. The premise: Paul Whitmore has discovered the Method to stop death and a powerful cult is planning to make sure that doesn’t happen. The plot keeps everything moving really quickly but it is all the deeper questions about life and time and family that kept me turning the pages. A recommend for anyone looking for suspense mixed with some big questions.

Received through Goodreads Giveaway.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. I liked the writing style of the book and thought it had good pacing throughout to keep the reader engaged. I thought it was far enough in the future to imagine the changes in the world in terms of landscaping, tech, etc... I thought it was pretty realistically written that there would be people be for and against super-agers. A thought-provoking book on what's really important in the end.

[Tracy Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got better as I read it and I am very happy I won it on Goodreads Giveaway. At first it was challenging to connect to the characters but as I kept reading they developed into characters I cared about and was rooting for, even though they had challenging ethical positions. As I read I truly contemplated the idea behind living forever, is it something we should strive for, and what are the ethical implications in a fractured world. Great book!

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Natural Order by Matthew Aldrich

Paul Whitmore is the wealthiest man in the world, is 122 years old but looks and acts 50 years old, and lives a very structured routine barricaded in his Marin, California, estate, surrounded by his security, with his only companion a futuristic AI. The year is 2070 and nothing much is going to change at the moment, other than Paul soon passing up the last longest living person's record of living (alas, she is dead now, though). But, there are people after Paul, after his company, after those who want to use the product that keeps him so healthy and long living, and those people are willing to destroy everyone and everything to destroy Paul and all he represents.

This book was very disturbing for me. I don't have a desire to live forever, to live in a world where one must continue NOT retiring forever because one has to make the money to afford to keep living forever. For me, this story represents a kind of drudgery for those who are not wealthy. The coveted product Paul and his company will be releasing in the future will be available to the wealthy, those who live luxurious lives as a way of life. But what will perpetual life look like for the ordinary person who will be looking at working full time into their hundreds?

Now, Paul's estranged, normally aging, eighty something year old son has been targeted and the domestic, and otherwise, terrorists will kill anyone who gets in their way to destroy that which they do not want happening. The descriptions later in the book of what happens to people who use Paul's product are appalling and I don't want to live in that kind of world even though I know that things like that happen elsewhere for other reasons. There will always be people destroying other people and that sounds like a living nightmare to me.

We find a lot to think about here. How some characters lives go full circle as can happen to anyone who lives a very long time. How we come into the world with the absolute requirement for others to tend to our every need and then there comes a time when the aged find themselves in the same situation if they live that long. We see fathers recognizing and facing their faults and weaknesses and wanting to make amends in the only and best ways that they can do so. This story does not win me over to the side of wanting to live well into my hundreds, not that such a thing is in my grasp. If that particular opportunity was presented to me, at this point, I'd say "no thank you". For all the futuristic aspect of this story, it also has a huge heart.

Expected pub October 27, 2026

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC