Heads [Hardcover]

I finished reading this book just over a week ago, and I must say the work is lacking. Bear has developed an interesting storyline with wonderful potential that is too rich to be smashed into 151 pages.There is only a superficial attempt at character development which makes the characters one dimensional. This is all very discouraging to the reader, becuase the premise is good sci-fi. In the future there is an independent moon colony originally developed by entrepreneurs. Our heros are a part of the moon elite syndicate of families. They are attempting two aspiring projects. 1)An experiment trying to create absolute zero, purportably able to freeze space-time itself (I'm not sure if this sounds very safe, although the characters seem only moderately concerned). 2)410 cryogenically frozen "Heads" from the 20th century, which will be scanned for memories still intact in their lifeless brains (wierd, but an interesting idea). If this work was stretched into a full length novel, Bear could have created some classic sci-fi, unfortunately he didn't.

I would recommend this book only to die-hard Greg Bear fans.

Don't get me wrong. This book had a very good and original premise that could have had a great story made out of it. However, the writing in it is (in my opinion) pretty weak. Besides some fairly interesting history behind it, there is not much else. Also, a lot of the characters seemed pretty one-sided, but I can imagine that's hard to avoid in writing a relatively short story such as this.

I've become quite a Greg Bear fan lately--for Christmas I got both The Forge Of God and Anvil of Stars, and I'd finished both of them by Jan. 5. Delighted with them, I picked up Heads at a local bookstore, although I admit having some doubts about the book after looking at the blurb. It seemed an awful lot to juggle in such a small space--410 cryogenically stored disembodied heads, along with Moon colony politics and an attempt to reach absolute zero which might change the nature of matter and of time itself, all within about 150 pages. At the same time, I've ocasionally thought Bear was a bit too drawn-out, so I decided I'd give it a try.

Curiously enough, spacetime was indeed apparently affected by Heads, because I must have seen the future--I was right, and it was all a bit much to handle in such a short book. By necessity, Bear's writing was much more expository than usual, and I didn't find that very satisfying. The story was promisingly offbeat, but behind the story was a blatant parody of Scientology--now, I'm not a Scientologist, nor do I know any Scientologists and I have a healthy skepticism of any religion founded by a science fiction writer, especially one that espouses Body Thetans--ghosts of an alien civilization--as the source of physical illness. It's a valid target, but somehow I'd like a touch more subtlety, a soupcon of sophistication about it...perhaps that's a bit much to ask of a book titled after decapitated noggins...

At any rate, it's a good story, with an effective and creepy climax...it's merely the baldness of Heads that detracts.