''The First Immortal'' (1998) is a novel by
James L. Halperin
James L. Halperin (born October 31, 1952) is an American businessman and author, who is the co-founder and co-chairman of Heritage Auctions, now the largest American auction house with 2022 sales in excess of $1.45 billion. In 1985 Halperin author ...
about life of a man born in 1925 who dies in 1988 and is re-animated after a
cryonics
Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...
procedure. The novel spans 200 years and gives a futuristic account of the first immortal human. The novel explores the future prospects of cryonics,
A.I.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech rec ...
,
nanotechnology, and
eternal life. It is the sequel to Halperin's earlier book, ''
The Truth Machine''.
It is recommended as an educational resource by the two major cryonics organizations,
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is an American nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Alcor advocates for, researches, and performs cryonics, th ...
and
Cryonics Institute
Cryonics Institute (CI) is an American nonprofit foundation that provides cryonics services. CI freezes dead humans and pets in liquid nitrogen with the hope of restoring them with technology in the future.
History
The Cryonics Institute was fo ...
.
The novel was optioned as a ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' miniseries, but the miniseries was never produced.
1998 novels
Fiction about suspended animation
Transhumanist books
Del Rey books
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