The following story is a work of science fiction (blended with a healthy dose of fantasy and even a bit of romance) set in what you might take to be the real world. As such, it contains speculative extrapolations derived from known works of science and technology. The author alone is responsible for the quality of such speculations found in the work, so please apply the usual disclaimers about similarities of persons, places and ideas.
That said, some source materials must be acknowledged, as they are not yet as well known as they deserve to be and I would not want anyone to assume they are my own invention.
The first of these is the Sun Cell (fictionalized as the "Sun Bottle" in the story), an actual product being developed by Brilliant Light Power. Full details of that can be found here:
I only hope my speculation about its future does justice to what this company will actually achieve.
Here is an update: The following link reporting on the present condition of Brilliant Light Power. It remains hopeful, if not encouraging, about its potential for the future.
http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2020/04/brilliant-light-power-commercialization-status/
Another, more recent, update. Encouraging progress:
https://brilliantlightpower.com/pdf/Business_Presentation.pdf?fbclid=IwAR118oFua4SA2uKzRCxwj4fWQbT_-wNrQWfBTc67ZGda-DXJxRnc8fEopUw
The other source of inspiration that I must acknowledge is the work of Rupert Sheldrake, found here:
His concept of morphic resonance has resonated with me for many years.
The origins of other speculations and philosophic musings you will find in this story are too numerous to acknowledge individually, and most of their sources date back to antiquity (or at least my previous books). But I must mention that the works of Joseph Campbell, his Masks of God series in particular (four titles: Primitive Mythology, Oriental Mythology, Occidental Mythology, and Creative Mythology) have long served me well as anthropological references. Go here for a sample: