LUCA
by Logan RussellPublish: Sep 04, 2017Science Fiction Book Overview
It is the high point of Daniel Rupert’s life. He has just accomplished his lifelong goal; perhaps the greatest scientific achievement in history. He has just created artificial life in his laboratory. The laws he broke and the bridges he burned in pursuit of the breakthrough may finally be in the past. The new synthetic lifeform, which Daniel deems “LUCA,” will surely earn him praise and require decades of further study. He steps down from the podium at the press conference announcing his discovery and is immediately pulled from the crowd by men in suits and rushed to a secret meeting. Face-to-face with the U.S. President and leaders of the International Space Agency, Daniel learns that he has been selected for Project Grandfather, mankind’s first practical attempt at time travel. Under the veil of the secret mission, Daniel is coerced into being one of six ambassadors to the future. Leaving behind is on-again, off-again A.I. girlfriend and research partner, Marcine, Daniel’s ship begins a high speed journey orbiting the sun. As he nears the speed of light, time dilation pulls him inexorably two-hundred years into the future. Now that the ship is slowing down for the return to Earth, Daniel is about to be reminded of a fundamental lesson in Biology: All life on Earth is descended from the Last Universal Common Ancestor.
