Customer Reviews

Tech-Heaven

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I believe that I have all of Linda's available works (except for Memory which is in the mail).

However, I found this book disturbing; _Tech_Heaven_ is my least favorite of hers (but still 4 stars). Mostly it was due to the story that results from when Kate puts Tom in cryonic suspension. The daughters are confused -- Daddy's not dead, but there was a funeral, Grandma is furious at Mommy for not letting Daddy die?

Because I found it disturbing, I think I was less forgiving of the imperfections in the plot & characters. And frankly, the "spiritual netherworld" didn't sit well with me either.

BUT - I would recommend the book, if only as serious food for thought or a precursor to LoV and her (excellent!) NanoTech books.

So the book is good, but it's not a a "feel good" read.

The book opens in a near-future America more vividly realized than even most contemporary fiction, and sets off from there. It doesn't fall into the easy ruts of "cautionary tale" or escapist "freeze yourself into the future" type fiction, but dares to explore cryonics and futurism in a personal, pragmatic sort of way; like it or not, the future is where we're headed. With action and great characters, too!

Interesting topic idea. Poor writing. I had to start skimming after trudging through one third of it. Rather poor assumptions such as experiences while cryogenically preserved. Poor conclusion including claim of selfishness by the protagonist.

Forget ideas and extrapolation (wich this book has plenty of). This is just a good story, hands down. Nagata has a gift for crafting engrossing, vivid stories. A personal favorite of mine, highly recommended.

This book is amazing. It takes some very interesting ideas about cryonics and whips them up with poor characters and shallow conversation to come out to a rather poor novel. I'd hoped for more, but instead I found the main character to be someone so far from a person I could identify with that I almost cheered at the obstacles set in her way. I haven't read other Nagata works, but I hope that they are better than this.