The Mordant, by Merab Eberle

The Mordant, by Merab Eberle

From Golden Age Fiction by Paul Lawley-Jones

May 10, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

This episode narrates 'The Mordant' by Merab Eberle, exploring the implications of indefinite life extension.

There are several mechanical means, like the movie films and phonograph records, to preserve youthful charms or a gorgeous voice or expressions of brilliant minds, but there is no growth, or even variation. What if some scientist should discover the secret of indefinite prolongation of life and a young body? Off-hand such a discovery would seem to be a boon to humanity. But is it? Today's story is "The Mordant", by Merab Eberle. It appeared in the March 1930 issue of "Amazing Stories" on pages 1,181 to 1,185. ----- Merab Shipley Eberle (February 2, 1891, Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. – October 31, 1959, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.) was an American journalist and a writer in several genres, including science fiction and children's plays. She was a member of the Dayton Women's Club and the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association. From 1930 to 1959, she was a reporter, arts editor and book reviewer for The Dayton Journal Herald. ----- If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me . ----- Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Lawley-Jones

Topics covered

  • science fiction
  • youth preservation
  • ethical dilemmas
  • literature
  • historical context

Keywords

  • Merab Eberle
  • The Mordant
  • Amazing Stories
  • science fiction
  • youth preservation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Amazing Stories

Books & works: The Mordant

Places: Mattoon, Illinois, U.S., Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

More episodes of Golden Age Fiction

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Golden Age Fiction podcast page.