The First Immortal by James L. Halperin.  Del Rey, 1998.  Hardback, 342 pages.  ISBN: 0-345-42092-6   Five stars.

The science of cryonics is relatively new, full of doubt and promise.  This book explores not only the core of the science but its many ramifications, and as such comprises one of the best pieces of science fiction I’ve ever read.  Reading it is like taking a trip through the future history of the universe next door.  I love it because I believe in infinite possibilities, and that’s really what this book is all about — tearing down all the old boundaries that limit human potential.

What makes it work is the way Halperin filters all that through the perceptions of several very remarkable characters.  Fortunately, most of them are related, and the author thoughtfully supplies a guide to “The Benjamin Smith Family Tree” in the front of the book.  At center stage, Ben wends his way through historical events that shape the whole world and personal events that shape the lives of himself and his family.  His experiences inspire him to invest in cryonic suspension for himself and his loved ones, and it pays off — nanotechnology allows them all to be revived in the future.  Yet that future is in peril from the very ease of existence, and it falls to the ones who remember hardship to save humanity from its own indulgence…

This isn’t quite the world I’d want to want live in, a similar complaint to one I levied against Halperin’s first book, The Truth Machine — but it is quite plausible.  Once again, the author got right a lot of subtle, picky little details that make the story fun to read as well as exciting.  For instance, the true secret of immortality lies between these covers, and it has nothing to do with the technology.  This is what science fiction should be, and it’s an amazing blend of the softest sociological and hardest of technological content.  When Halperin cranks up his “what if?” engine, stand back … and get ready to enjoy the show.

The First Immortal is a must-read for anyone interested in cryonics or immortality.  It holds broad appeal for fans of science fiction in general.  Most highly recommended.

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