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The Nanotech Succession #0
Tech-Heaven
Against the wishes of her family and the laws banning cryonics, a woman arranges to have her late husband preserved in liquid nitrogen and becomes a fugitive in South America, where she contemplates the price of cheating death
357 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1995
60 people are currently reading
634 people want to read
About the author
Linda Nagata
109 books658 followersI'm a writer from Hawaii best known for my high-tech science fiction, including the near-future thriller,
The Last Good Man
, and the far-future adventure series, INVERTED FRONTIER.
Though I don't review books on Goodreads, I do talk about some of my favorite books on my blog and those posts are echoed here. So I invite you to follow me for news of books and many other things. You can also visit my website to learn more about my work, and to sign up for my newsletter.
Though I don't review books on Goodreads, I do talk about some of my favorite books on my blog and those posts are echoed here. So I invite you to follow me for news of books and many other things. You can also visit my website to learn more about my work, and to sign up for my newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 4, 2011
This book was too long, I think it would have worked better as a novella, without all the building up that takes the reader back to the moment in the first pages. A few flashbacks could have filled in the gaps.
One of the major problems was how cold andunlikeable was Katie the protagonist. Meh!
One of the major problems was how cold andunlikeable was Katie the protagonist. Meh!
July 26, 2011
I guess it deserves somewhat more than 3 stars. The depiction of potential social divisions & crises resulting from growing population / use of natural resources / pollution may not be right on target, but it's the kind of attempted extrapolation that's important to SF. Yet, that part of the book didn't satisfy me, perhaps for no reason other than my psyche.
The first chapter (Katie age 64) is compelling. The second chapter (age 34) has Tom's "death", family controversy, the cryogenic idea, etc. Then there's more than half the book getting us back to the events of chapter one. I felt chapter one was kind of a come on to get you to stick around for a stretched-out age 34 to 64. It became disappointing in comparison to the first 2 chapters. It picked up later on, but after my enthusiasm had been dampened.
The first chapter (Katie age 64) is compelling. The second chapter (age 34) has Tom's "death", family controversy, the cryogenic idea, etc. Then there's more than half the book getting us back to the events of chapter one. I felt chapter one was kind of a come on to get you to stick around for a stretched-out age 34 to 64. It became disappointing in comparison to the first 2 chapters. It picked up later on, but after my enthusiasm had been dampened.
July 14, 2016
For a book with such a promising opener, we spend far too much time exploring a tired morality tale about cryogenics and the religious right. What the heck was the lesbian freeclimbing about? DNF.
September 20, 2017
After her husband dies suddenly, Katie Kishida has him frozen and starts a long journey trying to advocate against the growing public sentiment against cryogenics and other potential life-extension technologies, and supporting those technologies that will be needed to eventually bring him back... the start of nanotechnology.
I really like Linda Nagata in general. Sometimes it can get a little out there with esoteric ideas, but her near future stuff is usually pretty solidly enjoyable.
I guess everyone's got a bad book in them, though.
Maybe 'bad' is a bit harsh, although I do legitimately feel some of this is lacking, but to be fair there's also a lot that hits on my pet peeves and separating the two may be a finger line. However, mostly, reading this book was a chore for me.
This book is set in the same universe as several other books, most notably The Bohr Maker (since the other books take place farther in the future and off Earth), a book I really enjoyed and thought was ahead of its time with some of the ideas it explored. Tech-Heaven is a prequel, dealing with the development of some of the technologies and attitudes that underly that book. While I didn't hold that against the book when I started (since some of the technologies were really cool and I was quite interested in the early impacts of them), the book has subsequently become one more piece of evidence in my growing conviction of "Prequels are generally bad ideas, don't do them."
Because this only deals with the very very early stages of technology, and mostly, cryonics and a vaguely described set of "cures" to all diseases based on nanotechnology. No significant exploration of the non-medical uses of nanotechnologies (which presumably would have come first anyway). Nothing about the development of the atrium and 'ghosts' which was something I was really hoping to see. It's just about cryogenics and technologies that may cause people to live long periods of time and the moral implications of that (on population growth, pollution, etc), with a tiny bit on space exploration. Which is fine, I guess, and in the 90s when this book was written, cryogenics was pretty a hot topic (reverse-pun intended), but doesn't really excite my imagination.
But my main problem is that the book just feels like so much filler around exploring a couple basic ideas. I feel like the book could easily have been a short story or novella. The prime time-waster being the extended "dream-sequences" of Katie's husband while he was frozen, which were both boring and yet somehow simultaneously ridiculous (either it's some real metaphysical statement, in which case the book becomes fantasy, or it's just a dream in which case it's a waste of about half the book).
The characters, aside from a core few, seemed practically cartoonish, so wrapped up in their beliefs around the story's central issue that they warp their entire lives, or adopt intensely strong beliefs largely because of minor disagreements. Most particularly in the case of Roxanne who has a bizarre crush on both the frozen husband and (maybe) on the wife as well and winds up spending decades in an anti-technology terrorist group just because she can't get over it. And I'm not sure I quite buy the widespread opposition to cryogenics or healing technologies... like, I can see people buying into aspects of the argument (most particularly that the rich will probably benefit, the poor won't), but I don't see protests in the streets over somebody having their loved one frozen.
So, I didn't like the characters, didn't buy into the central conflict, endured a book focused on technologies that don't excite me (while I knew the universe would eventually contain much more interesting ones), and I thought the book was too stuffed with useless filler. Unfortunately I have to give it one star. I still like Nagata as an author (and in particular, I find her character work in recent books has improved a lot) but... well, as I said, plenty of authors have bad books in them, hopefully this was hers.
I really like Linda Nagata in general. Sometimes it can get a little out there with esoteric ideas, but her near future stuff is usually pretty solidly enjoyable.
I guess everyone's got a bad book in them, though.
Maybe 'bad' is a bit harsh, although I do legitimately feel some of this is lacking, but to be fair there's also a lot that hits on my pet peeves and separating the two may be a finger line. However, mostly, reading this book was a chore for me.
This book is set in the same universe as several other books, most notably The Bohr Maker (since the other books take place farther in the future and off Earth), a book I really enjoyed and thought was ahead of its time with some of the ideas it explored. Tech-Heaven is a prequel, dealing with the development of some of the technologies and attitudes that underly that book. While I didn't hold that against the book when I started (since some of the technologies were really cool and I was quite interested in the early impacts of them), the book has subsequently become one more piece of evidence in my growing conviction of "Prequels are generally bad ideas, don't do them."
Because this only deals with the very very early stages of technology, and mostly, cryonics and a vaguely described set of "cures" to all diseases based on nanotechnology. No significant exploration of the non-medical uses of nanotechnologies (which presumably would have come first anyway). Nothing about the development of the atrium and 'ghosts' which was something I was really hoping to see. It's just about cryogenics and technologies that may cause people to live long periods of time and the moral implications of that (on population growth, pollution, etc), with a tiny bit on space exploration. Which is fine, I guess, and in the 90s when this book was written, cryogenics was pretty a hot topic (reverse-pun intended), but doesn't really excite my imagination.
But my main problem is that the book just feels like so much filler around exploring a couple basic ideas. I feel like the book could easily have been a short story or novella. The prime time-waster being the extended "dream-sequences" of Katie's husband while he was frozen, which were both boring and yet somehow simultaneously ridiculous (either it's some real metaphysical statement, in which case the book becomes fantasy, or it's just a dream in which case it's a waste of about half the book).
The characters, aside from a core few, seemed practically cartoonish, so wrapped up in their beliefs around the story's central issue that they warp their entire lives, or adopt intensely strong beliefs largely because of minor disagreements. Most particularly in the case of Roxanne who has a bizarre crush on both the frozen husband and (maybe) on the wife as well and winds up spending decades in an anti-technology terrorist group just because she can't get over it. And I'm not sure I quite buy the widespread opposition to cryogenics or healing technologies... like, I can see people buying into aspects of the argument (most particularly that the rich will probably benefit, the poor won't), but I don't see protests in the streets over somebody having their loved one frozen.
So, I didn't like the characters, didn't buy into the central conflict, endured a book focused on technologies that don't excite me (while I knew the universe would eventually contain much more interesting ones), and I thought the book was too stuffed with useless filler. Unfortunately I have to give it one star. I still like Nagata as an author (and in particular, I find her character work in recent books has improved a lot) but... well, as I said, plenty of authors have bad books in them, hopefully this was hers.
June 21, 2020
second read - 14 July 2011 - ***. I re-read this book because it was selected as the July 2011 hardsf book of the month. After about a year of keeping up with the yahoogroups and goodreads forums, this was my first nomination and after a few months it was selected.
Once again, I was struck by the creative, but unlikely, paths that society moves through in the years after Katie decides to have her dying husband frozen, and by the somewhat off characters that populate this book. The thing is, though, that the ethical arguments that Nagata make do carry some weight, and that's what makes it an interesting read.
first read - 5 November 2009 - ***. In this near-future thriller, as Katie Kishida's husband lies dying, she decides to freeze him cryogenically, against the wishes of the rest of his family. As the years go by, Katie's life and the world itself take a number of drastically and unexpected turns. The development of nanotechnology is central to cryonic restoration, and also the cure to aging - and therefore opposed by the government.
Unfortunately, the social trends and political movements created by Nagata seem forced and unrealistic. The character Katie herself is also a little inconsistent, switching between hard-nosed and victimized. But I'm especially confused by the character Roxanne; I have no idea what makes that one tick. It is as if Nagata started from the closing drama she wanted to have, which is in fact thrilling and engaging, and then worked backwards through unlikely events to bring that ending about.
I believe Linda Nagata has written better books, unfortunately this one is mediocre.
Once again, I was struck by the creative, but unlikely, paths that society moves through in the years after Katie decides to have her dying husband frozen, and by the somewhat off characters that populate this book. The thing is, though, that the ethical arguments that Nagata make do carry some weight, and that's what makes it an interesting read.
first read - 5 November 2009 - ***. In this near-future thriller, as Katie Kishida's husband lies dying, she decides to freeze him cryogenically, against the wishes of the rest of his family. As the years go by, Katie's life and the world itself take a number of drastically and unexpected turns. The development of nanotechnology is central to cryonic restoration, and also the cure to aging - and therefore opposed by the government.
Unfortunately, the social trends and political movements created by Nagata seem forced and unrealistic. The character Katie herself is also a little inconsistent, switching between hard-nosed and victimized. But I'm especially confused by the character Roxanne; I have no idea what makes that one tick. It is as if Nagata started from the closing drama she wanted to have, which is in fact thrilling and engaging, and then worked backwards through unlikely events to bring that ending about.
I believe Linda Nagata has written better books, unfortunately this one is mediocre.
February 17, 2018
While I'm not a big fan of origin stories (How things got to be the way they are, especially in book or movie series... How many times do I have to see Peter Parker get bitten by a spider, huh? Sorry... Bird walk), Nagata's ability to handle the human and the tech elements without having one overwhelm the other is the biggest reason to read this origin. After reading several of her novels, I am seeing that she is a master of creating a melancholic mood that draws readers into the way that future (or even current) tech affects us as human beings. Science fiction has always been about what makes us human, but Nagata always finds that sweet spot, that one human element that you may not have thought about. I look forward to the rest of this series.
September 8, 2013
Nagata discusses some interesting ideas about what the potential societal effects of cryopreservation and nanotechnology. She even brings in some religious overtones about what it would mean to be frozen and then thawed. What happens to your soul, are you really dead? For all that, the story was a bit flat and the characters POVs weren't always consistent.
September 3, 2007
A friend recommended me Nagata's SF series - I believe this first one was actually written as a pre-quel. The pacing and science are interesting and thrilling, but the characters and plot are a bit Ayn Randish - flat and overblown - but definitely fun enough to read more... (March 28, 2006)
March 10, 2012
Did not finish it. Could not get into it.
October 19, 2021
Very slow plot development
Slow plot development can be acceptable if you have fascinating characters. I'm afraid neither aspect worked well for me here.
Slow plot development can be acceptable if you have fascinating characters. I'm afraid neither aspect worked well for me here.
January 15, 2025
How far would you go to bring back a dead loved one? Linda Nagata examines this thorny question in great (and believable) detail. When Katie Kishida’s husband Tom dies after a fire she has him cryogenically frozen. The problem is that she and Tom never informed their families and her sister-in-law Ilene is a senator running on an anti-medical-intervention ticket, as some procedures are so costly. This causes Katie and most of her extended family to become estranged, and worse, a movement starts up that attracts domestic terrorists, much like the anti-abortion nuts. Katie is assisted by the cryonics doctor Gregory, who has fallen in love with her, but Katie cannot let go of Tom, even after years go by. An appeasement marriage to Gregory fails to bring closure and a shooting in Panama, for which Katie is responsible, has led her to cross more ethical lines. Ilene eventually founds a new movement called Voice of Humanity, from a space orbital, and it slowly morphs into a fascist defacto government. Attempts by radicals, including long-time friend (now enemy) Roxanne, are made on Katie’s life, further isolating her. Katie has now drifted a long way ethically and must examine her pathological obsession with her frozen husband and finds that some things can’t be repaired. A thought-provoking book that also examines the growing gap between the haves and have-nots in medical access and the all-too-plausible responses. Read this book.
May 3, 2019
Tech-Heaven (Kindle Edition) by Linda Nagata
This prequel is better than the series!
Yes, really! This is an amazing book! Our various heroes and villains all have their own, unique journey to live through. And some of these journeys are expected, and some are not. Regardless, everyone's journey takes then to places of Hell, that seem to be made just for them.
Thecharacters all drive the plot, and the plot gets driven from new future to a future I'm not sure we want to see? But everything does click into place, whether we like it or not.
The plot is fascinating and moves at a brisk pace. I like the technological development the author shows. And also the all too human reactions to that same technology.
A very worthy read!
This prequel is better than the series!
Yes, really! This is an amazing book! Our various heroes and villains all have their own, unique journey to live through. And some of these journeys are expected, and some are not. Regardless, everyone's journey takes then to places of Hell, that seem to be made just for them.
Thecharacters all drive the plot, and the plot gets driven from new future to a future I'm not sure we want to see? But everything does click into place, whether we like it or not.
The plot is fascinating and moves at a brisk pace. I like the technological development the author shows. And also the all too human reactions to that same technology.
A very worthy read!
March 20, 2024
This was a lot less interesting than the three books that make up the real trilogy. None of the characters were likeable and the scenes set in the mindspace were just as boring as the extended game sequences in Fall; or, Dodge in Hell (yes this is another case of Nagata doing it before the male SF community, just not in a good way here). The trilogy is fantastic: definitely read that. This can be skipped.
June 6, 2025
Clunky start, good story, finished well
The first third of this novel felt clunky, like Nagata was getting her feet under her writing, and it shows in some misspellings, odd sentence structures, and overall amateurish delivery. But I’d read some of her more recent work, and I knew what she had in her, so I pressed on. I’m glad I did. By the second and third thirds of the book, the writing, story timing, and characterizations started to feel like they fit my expectations. A good finish.
The first third of this novel felt clunky, like Nagata was getting her feet under her writing, and it shows in some misspellings, odd sentence structures, and overall amateurish delivery. But I’d read some of her more recent work, and I knew what she had in her, so I pressed on. I’m glad I did. By the second and third thirds of the book, the writing, story timing, and characterizations started to feel like they fit my expectations. A good finish.
December 19, 2019
Oh, I wanted to like this so much more!
So many brilliant thoughts and perspectives woven into a temporal fabric too short in duration. A willing suspension of disbelief is the criterion for the reader, but human society and science simply do not evolve as rapidly as Nagata's story does. I have enjoyed some of her other works and will undoubtably others, but this one did not quite hit the mark for me.
So many brilliant thoughts and perspectives woven into a temporal fabric too short in duration. A willing suspension of disbelief is the criterion for the reader, but human society and science simply do not evolve as rapidly as Nagata's story does. I have enjoyed some of her other works and will undoubtably others, but this one did not quite hit the mark for me.
January 25, 2021
Even the title of this book was great. Like in the Bohr Maker, Tech-Heaven was about the conflict between one character or characters who are very pro-science at any cost, and another character or characters who are very anti-any science that might damage the Earth or change humanity.
October 5, 2017
Less engaging for a sci-fi nerd
Nagata's writing is good as always, but I missed the fast pace of the worlds she created in the other books in this series.
Nagata's writing is good as always, but I missed the fast pace of the worlds she created in the other books in this series.
June 7, 2019
Really enjoyed this one. So much more than just an "origin" prequel (though it serves well in that capacity, too). Now back to the future! :)
December 18, 2020
Loved it! easy to follow Nagata provides great character development and relevant issues to think about in our human world.
April 5, 2023
Still so relevant
An incredibly touching novel of the human cost and dilemmas of technology advancing beyond our moral capabilities. Imaginative, chilling, but believable.
An incredibly touching novel of the human cost and dilemmas of technology advancing beyond our moral capabilities. Imaginative, chilling, but believable.
October 7, 2023
A fitting prequel to the nanotech succession series. The author is gifted and knows how to brilliantly carry the momentum.
August 20, 2014
Another re-read of an old favorite. 35 year old me got a lot more out of this than 15 year old me did. Nagata tackles some pretty ambitious and universal themes in this surprisingly literary sci-fi story, using a virtually purpose made vehicle in the form of cryonics. The focus here is a sly treatment of that question we've all asked ourselves, what happens after I'm gone? While we occasionally see intriguing glimpses of another world through the eyes of the deceased husband, the main thrust is the world and the feelings of the family that has to carry on - sort of - without him. It perfectly captures the strange in-between feeling that would result for true believers who had to go on living their lives in the absence of someone who they didn't really consider dead, even though they technically are. And of course, being able to resurrect the dead inevitably raises some pretty pointed questions about our social and environmental fabric - questions which are woven adroitly through out the novel. In my early to mid twenties, well after I'd read this book, I started to become enamored with Daniel Quinn and Derek Jensen, and reading it again now, I'm impressed at how well Nagata managed to pluck what must have been a pretty nascent trend out of the ether. Of course, there's also the inevitable mid 90's fascination with VR that never panned out, but it doesn't detract in the least bit. Contrary to popular belief, a Science Fiction writer's first duty is to write a gripping story, not predict the future. Nagata succeeded admirably there.
February 10, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this book. The idea of cryonics and bioengineering to reverse aging and/or do away with death completely as we colonize Mars is something that I wish would really happen. :) The love angle was interesting, too. Truth be told, I never cared for Gregory. Tom was where it was at for me, trudging along in a semi-conscious state in a mid-purgatory plane of existence while being instructed and led by his "Familiar". What a romantic premise and story, I really enjoyed it a lot.
The ending was so well-written, I loved how it was all about Tom and Katie through the years, so incredibly sweet. I'm looking forward to The Bohr Maker next.
The ending was so well-written, I loved how it was all about Tom and Katie through the years, so incredibly sweet. I'm looking forward to The Bohr Maker next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2024
It was a slog.
It was tough getting through this one, but I want to read the books this is a prequel for, so I slogged on. If you are looking for fast-paced you won't find it here. The pace did finally picked up a bit in the last quarter of the book.
The thing I most enjoyed from this novel was the significant changes to technology, society, and culture. As the story progresses through the years you notice the differences, but the way Nagata presents them doesn't slap you in the face - there's no culture shock. That was really well done.
Overall, an interesting story and I did enjoy it.
It was tough getting through this one, but I want to read the books this is a prequel for, so I slogged on. If you are looking for fast-paced you won't find it here. The pace did finally picked up a bit in the last quarter of the book.
The thing I most enjoyed from this novel was the significant changes to technology, society, and culture. As the story progresses through the years you notice the differences, but the way Nagata presents them doesn't slap you in the face - there's no culture shock. That was really well done.
Overall, an interesting story and I did enjoy it.
March 24, 2025
An interesting take on nanotechnology and how it could progress and help humanity. The book also takes a two sided approach and also explores the implications of the use of technology and how immortality can have a negative impact for the planet and what it means to live and die. Love is a powerful thing, keeping your loved ones alive for as long as possible is what anyone wants. When a loved one dies, how far would you go to bring then back? Would you consider the use of nanotech to revive them? This story asks this question but it isn't as straight forward as you might think.
February 9, 2015
Interesting take on cryogenics and to a small extent nanotechnology. So 4 books in I'm willing to say Linda Nagata is a fantastic author who I hope somehow gets her books back in print (rather than buying them directly from her, which is what I did). Anyway, this book isn''t perfect - I found the dream sequences quite irritating. But otherwise interesting ideas and good writing. 4.5 of 5.
September 28, 2016
Amazing book with great thoughts about the future
Loved the book. Personally the alternate time bits were a bit off and I am not sure how to fit them in, except that it all made sense in the end.
Loved the book. Personally the alternate time bits were a bit off and I am not sure how to fit them in, except that it all made sense in the end.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews