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Summary: An important and thoroughly enjoyable novel!
Review: I've just finished The First Immortal, and I am astounded -- I had heard great things about it, but it exceeded my expectations. The final chapter was especially masterful; a perfect ending for a 200-year saga, and a perfect beginning for the infinite saga that is implied to follow. Technology will probably not progress exactly as portrayed in the book, but it WILL progress, and this book does an excellent job of illustrating what the near future may be like. A century or two from now, people will look back on our time as the age of death. Few people have had the clarity to see this, and even fewer the courage to say it. --Joseph J. Strout
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Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: "The Truth Machine" and Mr. Halperin's second novel, "The First Immortal," were among the best science-fiction novels I've read in several years. They stand out not only for the extensive research which made the view of the near future realistic and plausible, but also because they contain an element which is often missing from near-future works: that of hope. I would recommend these books without question. Mr. Halperin is a breath of fresh air for the genre and I look forward to learning he won a Hugo and Nebula. If you don't read them, you're missing a lot. -- Peter Honigstock, sf section head, Powells Books
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Summary: It stays with you.
Review: Halperin writes about a future that at first seems too far fetched then it starts to sink in and you realize that his vision is very plausable. I finished the book a week ago and can't stop thinking about it. Be prepared to think.
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Summary: Halperin Weaves a Believable Future...
Review: James Halperin has once again hit the nail on the head. I picked up "The Truth Machine" as an impulse buy a while back... when I saw "The First Immortal" in the bookstore, I grabbed it immediately. If Mr. Halperin's suppositions about the future are even halfway correct, and I've seen none that "felt" more accurate, I'll definitely be signing up for some cryonic suspension of my own. My advice: BUY THIS BOOK. And start saving your pennies for your own suspension.
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Summary: An amazing, entertaining view of the future
Review: The First Immortal and its predecessor The Truth Machine look at two big problems of the late 20th and early 21st century - death and litigation. As a species we have emerged from a primitive existence which endured for centuries and started to end by the close of the 15th century. We have achieved the status of magicians in terms of what people in the time of Columbus would have considered possible. In less than 100 years from the invention of heavier than air flying machines men got to the moon and sent probes to most of the planets of their solar system. In 50 years from the production of the first electronic computers, costing millions of pounds in today's terms, most homes now have some sort of a computer and linkage to the Internet - the biggest "single" computer imaginable. Yet most of us consider death and the risk of litigation to be inevitable. We are still in enslavement to the medical and legal professions, the latter sucking talent and funds from our progress and advancement. Jim Halperin's two novels look at a future when this enslavement will end. He considers that we are entering a period rather like that when European discovered the Americas. It will be a period of immense change brought on by technologies that to most people are as unimaginable as space probes would have been to those government scientists in the early 1900s who said that manned powered flight was impossible, or those government scientists who told Columbus that he would fall off the edge of the world. The Truth Machine describes a substantial diminution of the power of the legal profession by the invention of a perfect and unbeatable lie detector. Alongside the actions of the protagonists (key people in the development of the device) we get a potted "history" of what the rest of the world is doing. It is the same world in which the actions of The First Immortal takes place, although the latter starts during the Second World War. The First Immortal describes the end of death and disease and suffering - and the effect on the medical profession. Again its protagonists are key people in the development of the new technologies. These technologies have their origins in real work that is being done today on cryopreservation, and Mr Haplerin has made a great effort to be accurate in his presentation of the development of this as far as we know it today. Readers are encouraged to follow this up if they too want to become part of a scenario similar to that which these books predict.
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Summary: Book projects a *very* plausible future society.
Review: Cryonics is only a realistic concept if *all* of the psychological, economic, societal, political and "range of circumstances" aspects are considered. In a fascinating novel, about a family's development over approximately two hundred years, James Halperin does just this. "The First Immortal" takes cryonics from an initial level of skepticism most anybody would be likely to feel, gradually onward to very advanced ideas about identity preservation. At the same time, Halperin preserves a firm framework of human tendencies to be (from time to time) bored, frustrated, and angry, as well as kind, forgiving and loving, all essential to a realistic view of what the future holds from a "human nature" standpoint. Cryonics, to this point, has been frequently debated by dogmatic skeptics and almost equally dogmatic optimists. Jim Halperin takes the subject to a higher level, at which more measured decisions can be made to either "get involved" or "continue to watch and wait". Particularly in the light of current research pushing toward vitrification of whole human beings and clinical organ preservation, the time is very close at which there would be a desperate need for a treatment like Jim Halperin's. Thankfully, The First Immortal is now in print. Distant horizons are far more clearly focused, as a result. Fred Chamberlain, Pres/CEO, Alcor Life Extension Foundation (non-profit cryonics membership organization in being since 1972, presently with 430 persons signed up for cryonic suspension and 35 member-patients at liquid nitrogen temperatures.)
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Summary: First Look bookseller comments (they're still coming in)
Review: Dianne Schulte Concord NC Manager -- Having greatly enjoyed Halperin's vision in The Truth Machine, I wasted no time to settle down with his newest work of art. Shivers go up my spine when I think of the scientific breakthroughs glimpsed in The First Immortal. I AM AMAZED. George Cofrin #1017 Salt Lake City UT Floor Bookseller -- Fast-moving and easy to read. A very thought-provoking novel and one that stayed with me for quite some time afterwards. Trudy Johnson B. Dalton #489 Early TX Floor Bookseller -- Another great book by James Halperin! You just can't stop thinking about Halperin's books after you finish them. Victoria Madrid Media Play #8141 Milpitas CA Floor Bookseller -- Highly entertaining. This book really makes you think. Damon Hawk #2717 Huntsville AL Floor Bookseller -- Great book. The story spans 200 years and manages to NEVER lose my interest.Top rate. J. Alexander Black B. Dalton #547 Orem UT Floor Bookseller -- Halperin's view of the future appears to be more realistic than anybody else's. A blueprint for the next couple of centuries. Mary Ann Zukowski #2594 Greenfield Floor Bookseller -- The prospects for the future are not only plausible, but are inspiring and frightening. It made me reflect on my own mortality and the "what if" regarding loved ones who've died. The thoughts put forth still haunt me even though I finished it weeks ago. This is an awesome book. Steele Eidsath Super Crown 917 Long Beach CA Asst. Mgr. -- A great book. I haven't read a book about such a believable future since Joe Haldeman's Forever War. Halperin knows human nature and knows how to tell a story. I didn't read TM, but I plan to now. Jim Lehman, Jr. #2647 Cary NC Floor Bookseller -- As with TM, I was impressed with Halperin's vision of the future. The characters in his second book were more interesting than his first, and the story was very involving. I am not currently considering having myself frozen, but if it becomes the trend, I would probably jump on the bandwagon. William Hamill B. Dalton #382 Fort Dodge IA Floor Bookseller -- A remarkable novel. It's something very rare these days, an enjoyable story, with well-developed characters, that actually makes you think. Enough ideas to chew on for a dozen SF novels. If TM (which I have not read) is half as good, then Mr. Halperin has easily avoided the dreaded "sophomore slump". Wherever he decided to go in the future, I'll gladly follow. Shelley Regimbal #2546 Eugene Floor Bookseller -- As thought-provoking as his first. The fact that it's not fantastical and fantasy-based makes it all the more fascinating. I also liked they way he maintained continuity with his first book while in no way making it a sequel or series. I came away with a sense of hope and anticipation for the future. This seems very refreshing after seeing the future so often depicted in a Blade Runner, Mad Max dingy, hopeless fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Richard Zagorski #1919 Boynton Beach FL Floor Bookseller -- I devoured it in a couple of very late nights. I just found that I couldn't put it down no matter how much sleep beckoned. I had never thought seriously about cryonics, but I now have an interest in the subject, as well as in nanotechnology. Sydney Crumley #2539 Irvine Floor Bookseller -- What a fascinating book! I really enjoyed the way the author blends science and human relationships. The dated future news briefs were interesting and often funny. I will definitely recommend this book to my customers and probably force my friends and family to read it! Carol Johnson #2658 Little Rock Asst. Mgr. Operations -- An insightfully written chronicle of one of our possible futures. I found the technical, medical and humanitarian aspects of this story plausible and thought-provoking. Halperin's viewpoint of the future was refreshing and exciting, as opposed to the usual run of the mill, dark and foreboding, "the strong survive" mentality. An intelligent and stimulating book. LINDA SMIT #2683 JACKSONVILLE FL 4TH KEY -- Halperin has put together a marvelous look at the future possibilities of not only science but family politics. A look at the future of familial love and genetic possibilities - and it all feels right.This one will be easy to sell. Nancy Oliver Albany NY Floor Bookseller -- Just like The Truth Machine, F.I. has the reader questioning morals and ethics in today's society as well as our future's society. Will interest many readers, including sf and new age fans. Catherine Callegari Anderson Merchandisers Merch Mgr. -- The fact that Halperin spent two years researching this book is made very clear in the text. Connie Wright B. Dalton #766 Irving Manager -- I absolutely loved his first book. I was thrilled to find out that he had written another book so soon after the first one. It's amazing to me that Mr. Halperin seems to be able to think up and plausibly work out all the little details to his stories. He is definitely not a one-hit wonder. Daniel Sennholtz B. Dalton #189 Clearwater FL Floor Bookseller -- As with his first book,Halperin makes you think about the possibilities while entertaining you with a good story. Mike Pickel PA Floor Bookseller -- A wonderful, engrossing and thought-provoking. Mr. Halperin has again shown a wondrous vision of the future that could be, and hopefully will be. Beverly Kramer #2664 Marlton NJ Floor Bookseller -- This book is wonderful! Bart J Deckert Jensen Beach FL Manager -- Absolutely fascinating. It's like reading a modern day Aristotle or Plato. James Halperin has written a novel that deeply affects us all. It's a non-stop thrilling page turner. J. K. Sweeney Sweeney & Associates S. Brookings SD Reviewer -- With The Truth Machine, Halperin offered a serious challenge to those authors specializing in technological extrapolation. In The First Immortal, he forges ahead of the pack. This book should become required reading in every engineering ethics class in the nation. Christine Lim Super Crown 759 Evanston IL Asst. Mgr. -- The book left me feeling optimistic about the future and happy to be alive. It paints a more realistic picture of what's to come. Judith L Wolfe Mystery Lovers Bookshop Oakmont PA Floor Bookseller -- This book is the best kind of science fiction. It takes an idea - something which changes the basic way people think about life and explores the impact on society. Very well written and literate. I am going to go right out and get his first book. Kathleen Woodward Borders 119 Brea CA Floor Bookseller -- Thought-provoking and interesting from first page to last. Everyone should read this book just to help expand their thinking and open their minds. Hermine Lieberman Bronx Bookplace New York NY Manager -- Intriguing plot, fast-paced dialogue, and off beat characters. Brad Rudolph Bibelot-Baltimore MD Floor Bookseller -- Halperin does a great job at interpreting the future. His SF is excellent. Yvonne Saltzman Borders 170 Glendale AZ Floor Bookseller -- Imaginative, well written and even plausible, Halperin kept my attention.I would love to read a sequel. Wendy Whipple Super Crown 746 Chicago IL Floor Bookseller -- My God, what a book! I have not read The Truth Machine, but I will now. Halperin is one hell of an author! The book's unusual style makes it an interesting read, but the writing only enhances what Halperin has to say. This was a fascinating book, written with intelligence and insight. I can't wait to recommend it to everyone!
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Summary: Another good book from a multi-talented author...
Review: I am curious. What makes that tick, how does that work, when might that happen, how could that be. I find books that start with the possibilities of today and take us 100 or so years into the future to be fascinating. James L. Halperin boldly leaps in to go where none of us has been yet, and he does it with such realism that this reader never once stopped to guffaw NOT GONNA HAPPEN. The history of the past flows into the history of the future with answers and explanations unfolding with scientific precision. Trust me, all we become clear. (I especially liked the dateline news accounts and found myself eagerly awaiting the next) Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of Mr. Halperin's work is that the reader is entertained while the intellect is philosophically challenged. Reading his books are a whole brain activity, the kind not met with too often in the fictional works of the day. I wholeheartedly suggest this book to those who share my penchant for curiosity - forget that nonsense about the cat.
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Summary: This is our future?!
Review: With his second book, the First Immortal, James Halperin becomes a Nostradamus incarnate. Halperin's future is incredibly plausible; medical advances are growing exponentially. I would like to meet Benjamin Smith, the first immortal. What can mankind accomlish with an unlimited lifetime? Anything we want. The First Immortal raises many cultural, religious and ethical questions; any reader will have much to contemplate. The First Immortal is a must-read book.
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Summary: This book is wonderful.
Review: My wife is a book buyer and I just finished reading a galley copy of The First Immortal. After I read The Truth Machine, I thought that it wasn't possible to write a better science fiction book. I was wrong. I intend to buy several copies as gifts to friends.
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