First Immortal

by James L. Halperin

A man becomes the first immortal human and sees the rest of humanity follow him.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 1998

About the author

James L. Halperin is an American author and businessman. He attended Harvard University between 1970-1971, where he majored in psychology and later philosophy. After three semesters, Halperin took a permanent leave of absence to pursue a career in numismatics. In 1976, he established a rare coin fund for investors, New England Rare Coin Fund (NERCF). Upon liquidation at auction in April 1980, each investor in NERCF received 460% of their initial investment after commissions and fees.

In 1982, he sold his coin company to a former employee, entered into a 50/50 business partnership with renowned numismatist Steve Ivy and settled in Dallas, Texas. Halperin and Ivy still co-direct Heritage Auction Galleries, of Dallas, Texas, which advertises itself as the world's largest rare coin company and third largest auction house.

Halperin also endows The James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, which supports several health and education-related charities.

He has been married to his wife Gayle since 1984 and they have two sons, David and Michael.

Reviews

[Acturi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book has to be reviewed 3 different ways.

For the first way, you've got roughly the first half of the book. For this bit, the book is historical fiction, and takes the form of a series of musings on life, death, and immortality. What classifies as "natural" when dealing with keeping someone alive, how that translates into Cryonics. There's also a lot of well researched bits about the legal implications of cryonics, and the rights of a legally dead person in cryonic suspension. This bit is good, and I think I would likely rate this book about 4 stars if I had stopped there.

But I'm also reviewing this book another way, as Science Fiction. And the moment the book hits the future, it gets it wrong. Not only in the sense that the time frame of "the future" has already happened to a large extent. That's excusable for near-future sci-fi. The problem is more that his main character is dead and suspended, and the author forgets that he has a plot. It takes 100 pages of muddled ramblings to get to a point where we can bring the main character back, and for that time it becomes strictly futurism. Bad futurism, at that, rooted in a fundamental idea about humans that makes me wonder if he's ever met one.

Which brings me to the third bit of this review. Particularly in the second half this book gets as preachy as any Fundamentalist. Except that instead of JESUS! he screams LOGIC! with this absolute faith that science can and will answer all questions in the universe, and that any question that science cannot answer is mere mysticism. It relentlessly pushes an agenda of science as the only possible savior or source of meaning for mankind. A view that is, curiously enough, not shared by the huge majority of scientifically trained people I know.

By the end of it, what stuck with me was the preachiness and one other scene. A scene where our logical, rational author goes into a side character's POV for a single scene. We are there just long enough for him to show us that not only is she a lawyer, and therefore evil, but she's even more evil because she has an active libido!

Because, kids, science tells us that women who are evil must also be whores.

Wait a second...

[Jonatron · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as I like the ideas behind the book, the book itself is pretty awful. It's basically just a long-winded version of the Alcor FAQ with some amateurish stories tacked on. I couldn't wait to be done with it.

The characters are inhuman, the conflicts and challenges and constant speeches are implausible and yawnworthy.

There are tons of cheesy, already-dated predictions of the future, like Al Gore being elected President or people sending emails using "PC wristwatches". What are we going to do, type on tiny little keyboards with toothpicks?

At one point, we're supposed to believe that nanotechnology can restore frozen people to life, and restore their youth, by rebuilding every cell in their body on a molecular level, but they'll somehow still die of old age. Makes sense? No. Later, they do eventually figure out how to stop old age. Maybe by using the exact same technology they used to restore them to youth? Maybe it just took them a while to realize it could do both?

The standard answer for "How will we correct the cellular damage caused by freezing?" is "nanotechnology", with some handwaving. Instead, this book uses "nanotechnology plus artificial intelligence", with some handwaving. I guess that's an improvement. I did like the idea of general-purpose AIs taking the place of computers, though, even if it's only used here as a deus ex machina solution for unsolvable problems. Also interesting is the idea of implanting memories into a clone from *other* people's external memories of that person, to make an imperfect reproduction of someone who was otherwise completely lost.

At one point, two women get married and have a (designer) baby, then one dies in a skiing accident. While she's frozen, the other marries a man, and then the technology becomes available to revive the dead wife. They do, and instead of relationship drama, they just become a triad. Yay! Most of the characters are still intent on building long-lasting nuclear families and life-long monogamous relationships, though, despite everyone living for the rest of eternity in physically perfect 23 year old bodies. Good luck!

The author's really big on family and children and marriage and parents and big families and having lots of children and family relationships and children. Even after people can live forever they still can't wait to have more kids. Hundreds of kids each. The government pressures people to have even more children because there are only 26 billion humans and that... isn't enough? The obsession with big families of adults living under the same roof for eternity is weird enough already, but it gets creepier when they clone the main character's dead wife and she is raised from infancy as his grandchild, and he can't wait for her to grow old enough that he can take her pants off. She resists the attentions of boys her own age because she's saving herself for her grandfather, despite being a completely different person from his now-dead wife. Hmmm...

Also a weird emphasis on religion, despite repeatedly arguing against it from a logical perspective. Even at the end of the book, in the super far future when everyone is immortal, the main character thanks God for the chance at immortality to spend with his ever-enlarging family. Maybe the author is Catholic?

Websites recommend it, though: "The First Immortal by James L. Halperin is arguably the finest novel about cryonics ever written". "A New York Times bestseller, it's widely considered the best cryonics novel ever written." :/

(Cory Doctorow's books with immortality handle it a lot better, in my opinion, though without immortality itself being the primary focus. I guess the point is that those books actually have a story, and immortality is just part of the setting? This book is just the setting.)

[ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucks in so many ways.

The author's literary style blows chunks. The narrative takes place within a family, it's told from the viewpoint of the great great grandson of the main character in this story. It's sloppy though, not only is reading about somebody's great great grandfather not engaging, but he frequently changes in what person we're reading this story from.

This book was written in 1997, before global warming, Bush, 9/11, Katrina... It's recent enough to seem like a familiar future, but the optimism in this books is sickening. The author's belief in technology and man's ability to create utopia through technology is rarely challenged in this book, and simply details the evolution of man into an immortal being over the next 100 years.

In 97, with the dot com boom still booming, it's somewhat understandable that a person would have such a rosy view of the future I suppose. Today however, one has a much more realism based viewpoint, and the author's optimism and disregard for the ugly side of humanity which has followed us since the inception of civilization, are frankly, disgusting and abrasive to my sensibilities.

[Avarice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was surprised how cheesy this book turned out to be, given that it was so well-reviewed on Amazon and is only 10 years old. Suffice it to say, the material hasn't aged well. There aren't many redeeming passages to balance such items as the cringe-worthy (and wholly unnecessary, from a plot perspective) incorrect prediction of Al Gore as the winner of the 2000 elections, the canned ww2 narrative, and the colorless protagonist. The whole wrap-up to this piece was incredibly pat and unsatisfying, inserting wildly under-elaborated technologies to explain why every aspect of modern human nature other than the urge to be a big happy family is suppressed by the end. The only conclusion I can come to is that there are enough drooling cryonics fanboys out there to artificially inflate the ratings on this utter waste of time.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally well written, but often veers into heavy handed moralizing. Also, because the author jumps perspective often, it is difficult to feel invested in the characters. Overall, despite being well conceived, this is not an entertaining read.

[Justin Bremer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now this book is all about cryonics - it follows one Benjamin Franklin Smith from birth, to death, to cryo-preservation, exploring the technical processes, as well as the legal and ethical ramifications of the science and its potential. The author is definitely optimistic, not only about science but about human nature, as well. From some of the early legal battles, I was worried that Halperin's future would be dystopian. I'm pleased to say my fears did not bear fruit.

It was, however, kind of silly. Many of the predictions made regarding 21st century life would have been considered "quaint" had they been made in the 1950s - "The First Immortal" was released in 1998. So the rate and direction of progress that occurs seems ridiculous from here in 2013, and to be fair I think had I read this back in '98 I would have felt the same. Voice-activated wristband computers in 2010. Computers that write software in 2015. Al Gore having won the US Presidency in 2000.

But hindsight is 20/20-ish, and there's no point in harping on a man's inability to tell the future. As I said, Halperin's predictions were optimistic, and necessary to keep the book on a reasonable timeline. It's one thing for a character to be frozen in 1988 and revived in the mid-2000s, it's quite another if humanity just forgets their preserved until, say, the 24½th century. And it isn't as if his predictions were completely unfounded - can we say "Siri?" - just a bit quicker than we're achieving them.

The biggest problem with this book is the characters. Halperin cannot write children, and we start with Ben's youth - as a 45-year-old philosopher in a 16-year-old Depression-era high school student's body, with scientific understanding and optimism a decade or two ahead of his time. Much later, in 2015, we meet George, a 9-year-old descendant with the same mentality and emotional development. George, by the way, is actually the viewpoint character throughout the entire book (yes, even back to 1925, the viewpoint character is someone born in 2006).

Which brings me to another point. The book utterly fails as a novel. It's terribly organized, not least because of the first-person viewpoint of a person not yet born for half the novel, with alternating third-person close expression of the intimate thoughts of characters who die before George is even born, but occasionally popping out of third-close to third-omniscient when necessary, and once in a great while dropping in a nice first-person "I" to really, really confuse the hell out of the reader! The narrative, disregarding what I've already said, jumps from character to character quicker and with less warning than "Game of Thrones," which at least has the decency to stick to one viewpoint per chapter. But I guess none of that matters, because it's always George's viewpoint, even if he's not there to view!

And the characters. I never cared. Not about one of them. Not about any of their conflicts. Oh, there was one I outright hated, but he was pretty minor when it's all said and done. That's the most I ever cared - enough to hate a jerkwad. And even that wasn't a particularly heated hatred, because I didn't like anyone he was hurting.

The real main character in this story was the field of Cryonics. The humans take a back seat to the science, the legal battles, the philosophy. Every person exists specifically to speak - not talk, mind you, but deliver longwinded speeches - about Cryonics, or other science, or human nature, or the law (but only as it applies to Cryonics). Cryonics, in this book, is the Mary Sue who can do no wrong and will be the savior of all humankind - nay, all of LIFE ITSELF! - and the humans are either Cryonics' BFFs or the schoolyard bullies who make Cryonics' life ever so difficult.

Worse still, the existing science never went any deeper than you could have gathered from fifteen minutes on Wikipedia.

The First Immortal: A Novel of the Future would have done much better as a collection of essays. That's practically all that it was. As a novel, I have to grade it a D. I finished it, after all, so it can't be an F. As an exploration of cryonics, I'll give it a C+. It covered a lot of ground, but it could have dug deeper.

So if you really want a wide primer on cryonics, go ahead and pick it up. If you're looking for a tantalizing tale of . . . anything, really - look elsewhere.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I read a book that is clearly Science Fiction, but is not written by someone who is, I would say, a pure SF writer, it is really hard to judge it as just an SF book.
These kind of writers fall into two categories: literary mainstream writers who would like to explore themes that are more far afield than they can writing about the more here and now of the human condition; and the second type of writer which is, the futurist. The First Immortal, by James L. Halperin, seems to fall into the latter group. The futurist is a writer who is attempting to present a vision of what he thinks the future may look like. In these instances he isn’t married to the idea of making his characters supremely compelling.
In reviewing this book I have to say that it is tempting to almost give it two ratings. I settled on three stars because I have to say that as a novel telling a story of people I would give it 1 and a half stars. The reason for this is the flatness of the characters. Even in the instances where the writer is obviously attempting to make them three dimensional, it somehow feels contrived and like he is stretching those characters inner turmoil to fit the story. He also falls into the habit of having his people make what are essentially, speeches. These speeches are obviously meant to be a way of having us understand the changes to society being wrought by the technological advances described.
I would have to give the ideas in this book four stars. This is the area in which Halperin does shine. The book is crammed with many amazing thought experiments that a better (more talented) writer would have turned into several compelling novels. As a story outlining a possible future for humanity, he is outstanding in that he leaves no stone, in terms of research, unturned.
Enjoy this book for its ideas. Enjoy it as an exercise in future world building. What you probably won’t like is the at times preachy, superior, and smug tone its characters take.
Conclusion: a good decently constructed book, that reads like a family history sent back in time, but not a great work of art.

[Bill Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. I read The First Immortal years ago. I didn't like it as much this time around.

Well, let's get this out of the way... Halperin's writing style is as stark and unaesthetic (trying not to say ugly, eh) as any 300 pages I've ever read. The prose feels almost entirely devoid of descriptions of people, places and things. The characters are 2D, which is a common occurrence for sci-fi novels. In short, it was tough slogging at times.

The First Immortal is about the first guy to be frozen upon death and revived in the future. The best part of Immortal is Halperin's predictions about how our future lives will be. The perfection of life in the future comes at a cost. Hey everything's great, but future citizens are emotionally and intellectually fragile. Heck, we see this shift already happening today. Here in the 21st century, life is steadily and not-so-slowly improving, but the din of whining and complaining increases nonetheless.

Some of Immortal's science is interesting too. Here's a fun one related to nanotech.

QOTD

Atoms and molecules are small, I reminded myself, but compared to subatomic particles, they're gigantic. The nucleus comprises less that one-quadrillionth of an atom's volume, and a thousand electrons have less mass that the smallest atomic nucleus. And quarks are even tinier than electrons.
- The First Immortal

I think the greatest challenge in the future will be political, not scientific. Will our basic individual freedoms survive the advances in technology? Halperin's future casually throws individual rights under the bus: too dangerous! In the book, world government is all-powerful and (of course) completely benevolent and non-corrupt. I think that's the only future that we can completely discount as having no possibility of happening. Ha!

An aside... Halperin is an interesting guy. (cough) He wrote one other book called The Truth Machine, and that's it. (I read that one too) Halperin makes his $$$ selling coins and other collectibles, which is necessarily a somewhat shady endeavor. The book's website (www.firstimmortal.com) points you to Halperin's coin-selling venture. Dop.

Not great. But a good read.
yow, bill

[Todd Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

After doing such a good job with the Truth Machine, Halperin stumbled a bit with the First Immortals. While the topic and science are fascinating, the writing was clunky and the plot felt disjointed and poor. Certain threads of the story seemed unnecessary, and it wasn't until the last third that we got to the real substance of the book.

That being said, I would still highly recommend the book, as it does offer a really interesting perspective on cryonics. The reader just needs to approach it with appropriate expectations. The First Immortals is more of a modestly entertaining thought-experiment extrapolating current technological/medical trends, and less of a well-written novel. To use an analogy, the book is kind of like a low-budget History Channel documentary about medieval times- definitely more interesting than a pure text book, but if you are expecting a Game Of Thrones-esque production, you'll be disappointed.

1.5 stars for the writing quality, and 5 stars for the topic and ideas. Also, call me crazy, but I'm going to do some more reading and research on cryonics... (It kind of reminds me of Pascal's Wager)

[Aarti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book spans over 200 years starting from the Great Depression to the 22nd century. It details progress in medicine, technology and nanotechnology at every stage. For a 1997 novel, it does a good job predicting PC watches, the hyperloop, VR and a lot more. Some of the futuristic ideas are absurd and awkward, but the links between psychology and technology are interesting. The plot has extensive coverage and imaginative explanations. Halperin has taken Ben Franklin's big family tree to capture various probable combinations of cryogenics and human cloning across generations.

This is one of the better sci-fi books, something not dealing with technology wars and extra planetary attacks but on the commingling of AI, medicine and nanotechnology (a bit on the lines of Minority Report), which was captivating.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book indeed. It seriously made me stop and think that, whatever my previously-held beliefs, it is worth at least considering the future after you die.

Some people I've spoken to about a similar topic - organ donation after death - used the phrase "it's for us, not you", when I pointed out that as far as I was concerned when my body no longer functioned for me its various parts could, as far as I was concerned, be used to extend the life and health of someone who was still living, unlike myself. It's interesting I should have had that discussion so close on the heals of this book, which despite its length and tendency to wander I still quite enjoyed. Plenty of food for thought in here and some pretty interesting science as well.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about cryonics, nanotechnology and the emotional, social, political, economic and legal implications of a really long lifespan, even immortality. It follows several generations of a family (Smith) from the skeptical beginnings of cryonics, through breakthroughs in nanotechnology enabling successful "thawing" and other never-dreamt-of applications (e.g. DNA repairing)... Very thorough and interestingly written, considering the task that was undertaken (following several generations, at "individual" level, while also giving you an impression of the breakthroughs and conflicts going on in society as decades passed). Recommend it

[Mike Nyberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fascinated me. I thought the author blended a plot and his vision of the future really well. The book explored technology, ethics, religion and philosophy. All presented in a very believable scenario. I also like how the author starts each of his chapters with a blurb about what he thinks the current events of the day are.

[A.T. Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The First Immortal starts out great. The first two acts are very well realised. However, the third act not only becomes messy, but also contains some rather unsettling implications.

[Kym Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading The First Immortal for our next V&A Museum book group, the link being with their new exhibition, The Future Starts Here. Halperin's novel is about the life of Benjamin Franklin Smith - the first immortal of the title - and takes us from the early 20th century through to his 200th birthday in 2125 and throughout, some really important human themes are explored: Our identity and who we think we are, the implications of the struggles and successes we experience in life and as the title would suggest, our relationship with death. While there were places where the story felt a bit laboured, by the end I found it difficult to put down so The First Immortal now holds the dubious distinction of being the first of my 4-star reads to also be on my favourites list. Fascinating stuff!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An EXCELLENT book. Well written, easy to read, and it gives the reader so much to consider. The ideas put forth on our possible future, and the hurdles the human race will undoubtedly have to cross, are well covered and put into a human context. You get to hear the inner thoughts and concerns of great characters as they pass through time and take part in amazing discoveries.

I give this book a full five stars. It's engrossing, easy to read, was obviously well researched, and most of all- it's a great story! I wish he'd written more books like this. Reminds me of Michael Crichton.

[Elliot Manning]

so insane and freaky (not in the good way) that I still think about it often, even though I read it almost ten years ago now

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting treatment of future tech and what life would be like 100 years from now taking certain things as read about political climate and technology. The plot of the book hinges on a few points:

a.) A universal infallible truth machine has been built and that the inability for people to lie has completely changed the way that business is conducted, people live their personal lives, and that all of these changes are generally for the better.

b.) People spend their lives under elective surviellance

c.) There is an act called "Swift and Sure" which means that anyone guilty of committing three violent crimes will be executed soon after being found guilty of their third.

d.) Gore, not Bush, won the 2000 election.

e.) Cryonics is not a fairy tale and is actually feasible.

f.) People are generally good, and want to be reuinted with their families again.

If you don't like the sound of any of these points, don't bother because the book's tone of relentless optomism in a bright and shining future free of disease and full of amazing technology will just irritate you. I consider myself an optomistic realist, and I really enjoyed this book. I read this before reading The Truth Machine, and if I could do it the other way I probably would because the Truth Machine explains a lot more of the development of the technologies which feature so prominently in The First Immortal.

Still, if you want a good escapist bit of sci-fi that has an upbeat tone, I would definitely reccomend this. It's nice to think of a shining future full of nanotechnology and immortals, free of violent crime, where the worst problem in society is people who get addicted to online gaming.

[Gertie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This book was fascinating... while I found myself disagreeing with some perspecivess, for the most part I really enjoyed this book, and expect it to stick with me for some time.

The story begins before our protagonist is born, and is narrated by his great grandson. What I appreciated most about this book was that it really causes the reader to think. The characters themselves are constantly questioning things, why they are the way they are, and if they could or should be different, as well as how to accomplish changing things.

The question of identity comes up repeatedly, in terms of whether souls exist, whether they (or we as people) can exist separate from the body, etc. It also explores a lot of intriguing futuristic or undeveloped technology and methids such as nanotechnology, cloning, and of course cryonics.

Frankly, I'm not sure who to recommend this one to, I just know I found it interesting and thought-provoking.

Memorability Factor 8/10.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like his other book, The Truth Machine, it has been a long time since I have read this. This one is also available for free download:

http://coins.ha.com/tfi/

If I am remembering correctly, this was much better than the The Truth Machine. The basic plot is: what happens if cryonics or cryogenics really work? What kind of world do we re-enter after we are thawed out. Halperin's speculation is probably too utopian, and I don't recall if he discusses the problem of overpopulation, but still a good read.

[Devorah]

Since this is a sort-of sequel to The Truth Machine and follows in the same timeline. Again, I found the use of news clips as well as a general narrative of core characters to be enriching and intriguing. I think Trip does not function as a credible narrator in the early parts of the book, and it really is more of a third person narration with few exceptions, I still liked both the flow and the concepts in the book. It really is more of a concept novel than just an adventure. Somewhat like Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark.

[Justin B]

The style of writing wasn't exemplary, but the topic was interesting. One major shortcoming, in my mind, was that the author was extremely optimistic about the rate of change that would bring in these future technologies he was describing. I think he severely overestimated our potential as a species. This optimism also carried over into his description of the legislation and other political advances which would take place to bring all the ills in the world to an end. Perhaps I'm a pessimist, but it seems that the chances are very slim that all of this will happen within this century.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw this book at the Science Fiction museum at the Experience Music Project so someone there liked it. Picked it up and it is very good review of the science that could be coming our way in the not so distant future. Either our kids or grandkids will probably live a very long time (assuming we solve our climate problems , etc).

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story about how cryonics succeed follows a small group of people “through” cryogenic freezing to the society evolving in the aftermath of its success. The subject matter is very interesting and the book raises some fascinating questions. Unfortunately the writing itself is not particularly inspired.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=786

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pressed me from all sides on all sorts of infathomable issues. The legal, moral, and scientific questions raised in this book were at times disturbing, at others inspiring.

The pacing increases constantly until the very end, making it harder and harder to put the book down.

Not your regular Sci-Fi novel for sure.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional book that spanned over 100 years and told the story of a society that has perfected the science of cryogenics. One of those, books that makes you wonder Is this how its going to be when we get to that point?

[Asif · Rating 4 out of 5]

great ideas and projection about the development of technology in the next 100 odd years but loses a star for the pedestrian prose...

essential reading for science fiction buffs, futurists and anyone with a degree in a scientific or medical and technical subject! Nerds collective wet dream!

[Tymothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this one and I still really enjoyed it. If the world could be a little more accepting of new ideas and ways of existing, I think we could end up in a future similar to the one in this story. It is a must-read if you even a little curious about the field of cryonics.

[Robert Strupp · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about Cyrongenics. Small world, since the Alcor Life Extension Foundation's warehouse is about a mile and one-half from where I type this at the gatehouse I'm working at this Sunday morning in Scottsdale, Arizona, as I'm also being crushed by a tsunami of snowbirds, aka: dodos.

[Donna Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book years ago. I decided to review it now because much of the information, both fact and fiction, has stayed with me. I think it is worth reading, especially as we get closer rand closer to immortality becoming a scientific reality.