The Fixed Period

In this classic dystopian novel, an island nation eliminates its residents at sixty-seven years old, and in 1980, one man has reached his limit.

Welcome to Britannula. This country gained its independence from Great Britain in the mid-twentieth century. A group of similar-minded men then gathered to establish the nation and its laws. Among them was Gabriel Crasweller.

An immigrant from New Zealand, Crasweller is currently Britannula’s oldest resident. The trouble is, decades ago, he voted to create the “Fixed Period.” It is a law in his country for citizens to be euthanized when they reach sixty-eight years of age, and Crasweller is the first to run out of time . . .

First published in installments in Blackwood’s Magazine in 1881, The Fixed Period was released as a book in 1882. It is told from the perspective of Britannula’s president, Crasweller’s friend, as he tries to honor the laws of the land while handling the aged resident.