Customer Reviews (6)

The Good Doctor proves he can write science fiction mysteries
Asimov's Mysteries


The Singing Bell (1954)

The Talking Stone (1955)

What's In A Name? (1956)

The Dying Night (1956)

Pate De Foie Gras (1956)

The Dust Of Death (1957)

A Loint Of Paw (1957)

I'm In Marsport Without Hilda (1957)

Marooned Off Vesta(1938)

Anniversary(1959)

Does Asimov predict the Internet?

Obituary(1959)

Star Light(1962)

The Key(1966)

The Billiard Ball(1967)


Highly recommended for fans of Asimov's mysteries.The Good Doctor proves a point.

Gunner March, 2009

Mystery and Science Theater
Many of Isaac Asimov's science-fiction stories contained elements of mystery tales, even if they were not full blown mystery stories themselves.Indeed, I remember reading a quote from the Good Doctor in which he pointed out that scientific discovery and the unfolding of many fictional plots held similarities to detective stories.But ASIMOV'S MYSTERIES is a collection of straight up science-fiction/mystery hybrids.Fourteen such short stories make up this anthology which range in publication date from 1939 (his first published short story) to 1967.

Note that while Asimov did occasionally write mysteries with no science fiction aspects to the story -- his Black Widowers series -- no such stories appear in this collection.These stories are mysteries which usually turn on a point of science.Criminals are caught up by Newton's Laws.Murderers take full advantage of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.By the way, don't be intimidated.Even if you struggled with your Middle School science classes, Asimov always had the ability to convey the more esoteric scientific concepts in easy to understand language.And -- as he acknowledges in the introduction -- he doesn't try to fool the audience by having the final mystery solved by a random law of nature being revealed to a scientifically-illeterate reader.As with most true detective novels, the audience is not cheated; any scientific knowledge which is necessarily for the climax will have been mentioned (perhaps subtly) by the author during the story's build-up.

Although I've read quite a number of Asimov's stories, this was the first time I encountered the character of Wendell Urth who appears a handful of times here.He's the scientist-turned-detective who is called upon to solve cases in which scientific expertise about extraterrestrial bodies is required.He's a very typical Asimov scientist in that he's logical, extremely intelligent and carries with him a few of Asimov's own personality quirks.

Like the characters, the stories and the prose are exactly what you would expect from Asimov: simple, direct and fun.Asimov's style was always very consistent; this is no exception.I can't really point to any particular standout story from this collection as I enjoyed them all about equally (even the ones I had read in other compilations).For me it was nice to finally read "Marooned Off Vesta" which was the first story Asimov ever had published and which I had never read before.I also enjoyed reading the sequel -- "Anniversary" -- which had been written to celebrate the twentieth year since the story's original publication.

These stories are enjoyable and relaxing.I read the bulk of these while making a couple of airplane flights (the thought of which would have made Asimov's skin crawl) and it's great to read something that can make the reader think while at the same time being genuinely fun and absorbing reads.


For convenience's sake, I'm including the table of contents here:

"The Singing Bell" (1955)
"The Talking Stone" (1955)
"What's in a Name?" (1956)
"The Dying Night" (1956)
"Pâté de Foie Gras" (1956)
"The Dust of Death" (1957)
"A Loint of Paw" (1957)
"I'm in Marsport Without Hilda" (1957)
"Marooned Off Vesta" (1939)
"Anniversary" (1959)
"Obituary" (1959)
"Star Light" (1962)
"The Key" (1966)
"The Billiard Ball" (1967)

Description
13 Incredible tales by the incomparable master of science fiction: The Singing Bell; The Talking Stone; What's in a Name; The Dying Night; Pate de Fois Gras; The Dust of Death; A Loint of Paw; I'm in Marsport Without Hilda; Marooned Off Vesta; Anniversary; Obituary; Star Light; The Key

Mysteries for the scientific mind
I love cerebral mysteries, so when I read this book, I was rapturous. The mysteries involve scientific principles, so as a scientist, I was pleased with that as well. As you read the thirteen short stories in the book, your brain cells are exercised, as you try to mix the clues with scientific facts to piece together the solution. The only drawback is that the stories were written before 1970, so some of the �facts� about the planets have been shown to be inaccurate. However, that does not detract from the quality of the story, it just requires you to set aside some of the knowledge that you may have.
To many, these mysteries will be of marginal interest, in that there is no sex whatsoever, very little in the way of violence and the mildest of harsh language. I found that appealing, not out of a sense of being prudish, but because their absence forces the story to succeed without titillating distractions, and Asimov has certainly accomplished that admirable feat.

A classic collection of short stories
This book is a collection of 14 short stories (two of which are paired) that Issac Asimov classified as mysteries.They range from humorous stories like "Pate de Foie Gras," to actual murder mysteries such as"The Dust of Death."In the murder mysteries, the guilty person is not always caught.Victims sometimes set themselves up for the perfect crime.Two of thestories involve time travel.Some of the stories are traditional science fiction, while others are standard mysteries involving a little science, e.g., "What's in a Name."The stories are all entertaining, with some unexpected twists.Asimov had a tendency to occasionally include a horrid pun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Sociological Insights into Stimulating Human Progress
Foundation is the story of one man's attempt to positively influence human history beyond the grave for centuries to come. Set far in the future, Hari Seldon's goal is to shorten an impending period of Dark Ages from tens of thousands of years to one thousand years. To do so, he creates an organizational entity, the Foundation, and maneuvers to create circumstances so that the Foundation will recreate the Galactic Empire amid a blossoming of science and technology.

This book is the first in a series that will keep you happily reading for days. In Foundation, the stage is set for the problem, and you will begin to understand the plan that Seldon has employed by examining the first 150 years after the Foundation is established.

The book is built around four crises (Seldon Crises) that shape the potential of the First Foundation to fulfill its goal. In the first crisis, the Foundation is viewed as being a traitorous activity by the political authorities. Seldon explains that his purpose is to create an encyclopedia to encompass all current knowledge before it is lost. The crisis is survived when he agrees to take the project into exile on a planet with few natural resources at the far edge of the galaxy.

Fifty years later, that fledgling is threatened by its powerful neighbors who have greater resources and military power. The Emperor can no longer protect the Foundation. Thirty years after that, another attempt to militarily capture the Foundation occurs. Another seventy years later, a fourth crisis occurs when remnants of the Empire start funneling advanced weapons to planets at the edge of galaxy that oppose the Foundation.

Each crisis is overcome with a different approach, by a different leader. And the Foundation continues to develop towards its eventual form.

These crises are much like a good mystery story. You know there's been a crime that needs to be solved, but you haven't quite figured out how yet. Because there are four crises, you get to enjoy that problem-solving experience four times in one book! Pretty neat!

The Foundation's advantage in all of these crises is that it has advanced knowledge and has applied it, while the rest of the Empire is losing knowledge. Pretty soon, things are falling apart technically for those outside the Foundation. The key technology is built around atomic power (as it appeared it would developed in the 1950s).

Reviewing Foundation is a challenging task. This book has become a science fiction classic, yet many will see little value in it because the science fiction perspectives and forecasts about science are dated. The book has to be read in the context of the books that follow to be fully understood and appreciated, but how does that help the person who has just finished Foundation? Isaac Asimov used a most unusual style in the book, as though you are a historian uncovering bits of primary and secondary sources concerning a long ago period in time (that occurs in our future). That either makes the book more authentic (if you like that) or annoying (if you don't).

At bottom, these contrasts require the reviewer to attempt to capture for the potential reader what makes this book an enduring classic.

First, Foundation squarely asks a fundamental question: How should knowledge be built, maintained, and used for the benefit of all? A subset of that question is: What are the appropriate uses of knowledge? These are questions that we do not wrestle with nearly enough today. Many people enjoy thinking about these questions, and welcome their introduction by this book.

Second, Foundation suggests that progress is faster with the benefit of planning that takes into account human nature. Seldon's discipline is the reliable behavior of large groups of people (psycho-history). Those who like to plan and those that do not will equally enjoy Asimov's scenario for making his point that we should build from our understanding of human behavior. You can debate the point and have lots of fun forever, based on what is here.

Third, many social thinkers have been inspired by the Foundation concept to structure their own changes. Nonviolent political movements match the Foundation concept in many ways, for example. This book gives you a lens to consider many of the global agencies that have been created by international organizations.

Fourth, what should be the relationship between knowledge and power? Usually, they are united. But the Foundation posits a world in which they can be divided, and that division could have some benefits. A current example would be the unharnessed knowledge of the Internet. No government will probably succeed in trying to hold dominion over it.

Science fiction has long played a useful role in helping society to examine its most important scientific questions in advance. Then the concepts that seem useful become the early paradigms of scientific and social progress. In the case of Foundation, that paradigm here is applied to social progress primarily . . . not scientific progress. So think of this as a book about the science fiction of governing.

Foundation suggests a world where knowledge has more power than today, and is also more effective at curbing harmful exercises of power than currently. That shining ideal, I believe, is at bottom the key to understanding Foundation's lasting and broad appeal.

Whether you like, love, are indifferent to, or hate Foundation, I suggest you read the initial trilogy before making up your mind about this book. Much of the genius of Foundation (the first book) isn't apparent to most readers until the trilogy is read and grasped.

One word of caution: Asimov wrote lots of one-draft wonder books, and was certainly not a great craftsman in his writing. Look past that writing quality to the conceptual brilliance of the picture he is painting.

After you have finished the trilogy, ask yourself the question of how you can make knowledge more effective in promoting human moral and economic progress. I think you will find that to be an intriguing question well worth the attention you give to it. And you can think of Foundation to remind you of the question.

good series
I love the foundation series, I started reading it in 7th grade and never stopped

A classic epic in sci-fi.I'd love to see it as a movie!
Many stories, be they sci-fi or others, rarely span a thousand years of time.And if they do, I rather doubt they would hold the reader as spell-bound to the saga as the Foundation & Empire series has.I've read this classic three times in my life (except for the fourth book) since I was ten years old.The Mule was my first introduction to the series and I have since been captivated by the style, flow and imagination (which is not too wild) of this panorama of time and space in the dim (10,000 years from now) future.The scope of the book alone would be a challenge to write, keeping the characters and theme focused, while still providing side voyages into military, social, economic and political life in an empire the size of the galaxy.It's grander than the fall of the Roman Empire or Third Reich, as would be a galactic empire's demise.A must for anyone's library, let alone sci-fi buffs ... Read more

Product Description

The Foundation Trilogy

In this landmark of imaginative fiction, winner of a special Hugo Award as Best All Time Science Fiction Series, Asimov has brilliantly conceived a whole new world for mankind, set far in the future and spanning a period of more than a thousand years.

The beginning of the epic, Foundation, describes how one man creates a new force for civilised life as the old Galactic Empire crumbles into barbarism.  Foundation and Empire is the story of the mighty conflict for mastery of the stars between these two major powers.  In Second Foundation a new and even more terrifying threat to the future of humanity arises in the form of a dangerous mutant, capable of manipulating men's minds and destroying the universe. . .

The Stars, Like Dust

A masterpiece of suspense and drama: Biron Farrill sets out on a dangerous quest through the galaxies to find "Rebellion World" and its key to man's future peace.

Customer Reviews (1)

Fabulous REAL-FICTION stories
Asimov did a hell of a job gathering all his stories in a series of books. In The Complete Stories Vol. 1 his handwrittings from the 1940's just up to 1967 are printed in a wonderful science-fiction masterpiece. Asimov is well reknowned as the father of SciFi, and this stories demonstrate how he can write about politics, medicine, science, anthropology, or even sexuality. This book gives you down-to-earth, really involving stories, that will surely catch your attention. You'll find stories about the gigantic Multivac predicting electorial votes from just one person; a robot flirtering his bosses' wife; a super-intelligent computer who wants to comit suicide; and lots of different stories in a wide variety of topics, but all related to SciFi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

We Need More Sherlock and More Time & Space
I was disappointed with this anthology of science fictional Sherlock Holmes tales, expecting more sizzle. The stories, in general, lacked the sort of adventure and mystery that SF fans and SH fans love. Surely, I think, there are better examples of stories dealing with Holmes through time and space. One can only wait for Volume 2. ... Read more

Product Description
series, Hari Seldon struggles to perfect his revolutionary theory of psychohistory while the great Galactic Empire totters on the brink of apocalyptic collapse. Reprint. K. NYT. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (55)

A good book, but utterly inconsistent with series (SPOLIER ALERT)
I won't repeat what others have said.

It's worth noting that in the first three 'Foundation' books, a much younger Asimov portrayed psychohistory as a scholarly discipline, created by researchers and theorists, and practiced by those who, through education and labor, mastered it.The First Speaker, who, in the first three books, was never identified as a mutant or anything other than a scientist, triumphed over the Mule, a sport of nature. In this book, as in the Robot books' introduction of Giskard (SPOILER ALERT), he centers humanity's fate not on humanity's labors, but the spontaneous rising of particular mutations and changes which create powers essential to the success of the enterprise.The two stances could not be more different.

Asimov has wrestled with such things before.In 'The End of Eternity', (SPOILER) he presents an entity which rules humanity for its own good, at the unacceptable cost of limiting human potential--the exact opposite stance he took with the first three 'Foundation' books.

Forward the Foundation:Gratifying
Title: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Pages: 480

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 years.

Days spent reading it: 2 days.

Why I read it: I wanted to finish the last of the Foundation series that Isaac Asimov wrote.

Brief review: This is the seventh and final book in the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. It was finished just before Asimov died in 1992. In the Foundation chronology it comes just after Prelude to Foundation and just before Foundation. It is really a direct sequel to Prelude to Foundation, but more importantly it is a very gratifying conclusion to the series.

Forward the Foundation chronicles the life of Hari Seldon in 10 year increments. At each decade mark something significant has happened to Hari or his plans for psychohistory. I think this book shines because it reads more like four short novels rather than one long novel (which I've commented on about Asimov's writings before). The character of Hari Seldon is fleshed out a little more, as are many of his associates and family members.

Forward the Foundation is a much better conclusion to the series than Foundation and Earth (the last book in the Foundation timeline). It struck me as almost nostalgic. This is good, because I think that the series really struggled during Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth. I think Asimov really liked the character of Hari Seldon, and so in Prelude to Foundation and this book, we catch a glimpse of a great character during some crisis moments. These crisis moments are my favorite part about the Foundation series.

This was a fitting ending to a fairly solid series. I think it fleshed out Asimov's vision of Hari Seldon who is sure to be a titan among Science Fiction fans for decades to come. Thanks Isaac, job well done. I would definitely recommend this book to Foundation fans, it was worth it.

Favorite quote: "But together...our power is awesome!" (I know, it makes no sense without context, sorry!)

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Gratifying.

Readable, but not that good
Last-written in the Foundation series, this book slots in chronologically close to the beginning, explaining some lose ends and providing more detail about Hari Seldon.Still not that good, but at least well-enough written to be readable without cringing.

Best outside of the original trilogy
I am a huge Asimov fan, but I have always been dissapointed by his later fiction, which never seems to have the life and tight plotting that his earlier stuff does.That is, untll AI read Forward the Foundation. Returning to the style of the original books, Forward the Foundation is a series of short stories, each separated by ten years, rather than a single narrative. And much like in the originals, it work very well.

I guess what I like most about the book is the way it ties up loose end left after Prelude to the Foundation. It also seems more in the spirit of the original than the other prequels and sequels. The characters all shine here, as is typical for any Asimov work. Particularly good in my opinion is the characterization of Emperor Cleon, who trun out to be a rather likable person after all.

Maybe not the best book to just pick up, but certainly a fitting end to the Foundation series and Asimov's brilliant career.

Kind of a strange book, but still worth reading
In terms of Asimov's writing, this is the last work exploring the Foundation; the copyright date is actually after his death. However, in terms of the Foundation chronology, it comes early on in the series of novels exploring the Foundation and Second Foundation. Over the past few months, I have felt a need to go back and reread the Asimov works again (it's been quite awhile since I last read these), and this review is one of the byproducts of that.

As some have noted, there is something of a contradiction here.By the time the Foundation series ends (with "Foundation and Earth"), the Foundation is kaput in terms of the future, and Galaxia is to take its place. So, to make his last novel a Hari Seldon novel is a bit strange. Still and all, though, this is a fascinating novel.

There are a couple other books that link the Robot series with the Foundation series.In some senses, this represents the apogee of that linkage, as we see in the first part of the novel, "Eto Semerzel."This character is a top advisor to King Cleon I, one of the last competent royals of the already declining Empire. And, oh boy, what a link is revealed in this segment to the Robot series.

There are three other main episodes, one focusing on Cleon himself; one is entitled "Dors Venabili"; the final part is "Wanda Seldon." Then, a very brief epilogue representing Hari Seldon's last moments. The varying parts of this novel are not seamlessly welded together.However, by the end of his career, Asimov was capable of creating characters (compare with the essentially lifeless, cardboard figures of the original Foundation trilogy). As a result, this work is fascinating in that it is also an index of Asimov's growth as a writer.He went from an academic teaching Chemistry (if memory serves) to a pretty skilled author.

Anyhow, the work is not tightly pulled together, but it is fascinating in its character development, its place in the Foundation series, its linking of the Robot series to the Foundation series.Surely not the best of the Foundation series, but one of the most intriguing.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Gratified Customer
The book I ordered came in a timely fassion, in the condition I imagined from the seller's description.
I am completly satisfied with the whole transaction and would use this merchant again; as well as recomend them to others.

Asimov
Didn't love it, a little too light for me.Maybe others will love more.Perhaps a better introduction.He was certainly no Classical expert.

Fragrance of Myth...
This book contains only 9 small chapters. Before I read this book, I have already perused Greek myth; hence I enjoyed this book a lot. Especially, Isaac's coherent explanation was admirable. He never makes a cursory attempt at delineating the origin of words concerning myth. In addition, his ebullient expression not only showed his own unique creativeness but elicited my deeper imagination about the myth itself. Even though there are prodiginous ways of interpreting the symbols of myth, his erudite opinion enabled me to assimilate some astronomical esorteric terms easily and even explicitly. I felt sullen just to see the epilogue, this book is too short!
This book is mainly concerned with the origins of words that are connected to mainly greek myth. If you have an ardor about myth and the derivation of english words, I strongly recommand this lucid text.

Do you know the origin of the word "mysterious" concerned with the eleusinian ceremonies? Why do you call anything that is airtight as "hermetically sealed"? Can you discern claustrophobia to agoraphobia?

TRY this book~ It won't take long...

New Insight
I am still reading this book that I managed to fish out from a boxsomewhere. I find it to be tremendously insightful on the subject of themytholgical gods of ancient Rome and Greece. Not everything is as it seems.It is too bad that this important work of literature is out of print.Published in 1969 this book is a treasure. I urge anyone with an interestin ancient history (not just science fiction) to find this book.

Words From Wich Myth?
I think that this is an o.k. book about words it's almost like a dictionary of words used in myths but they are not in alphabetical order. It doesn't say wich myth this word comes from or anything. It could be a little better but at least it gave part of a story. Whoever wrote it had agood idea about it but I don't think they knew how to start. It mostly hadthe names of the gods and goddesses. If it is called words from myths itshould have explanations of the places too. ... Read more

Product Description
The master of science fiction discusses the structure and operation of the human body, from the basic skeleton to the reproductive system, offering up-to-date information in biotechnology, transplant surgery, and more. Reissue. LJ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mr sci-fiction talks talks structure & funtion
He starts us out withone cell and the keeps our mindeye focus through the process that makes us we. Easy to stay with this guy; he keeps it simply complex by throwing cool facts your MD would have to look up. Along with witty analagies thatre-enforce the that people are best at nothihg but master of everything per small chaneges that gave us the right stuff. nice quik read prior to college Anat-Phys ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (36)

As Tightly Wound as a Hyperspace Jump
Perhaps the first thing to notice about Isaac Asimov's _The Stars, Like Dust_ (as _Tyrann_, _Galaxy_, 1951; 1951) are the chapter titles. They are frequently in pairs, like couplets to a poem: "Uneasy lies the Head/ That Wears a Crown"; "A Lady's Skirts/ And an Overlord's Trousers"; "Hounds!/ And Hares!" and "Maybe/ And Maybe Not". The chapters frequently involve a revelation in one chapter followed by a twist or reversal of that revelation in the next. In other words, the novel has a tightly wound plot, with suspense that never lets up.

Some critics and readers prefer loose plots and complex characters. But I believe that there are pleasures to the well-plotted tale as well. And in these days when so many science fiction editors encourage bloviated multiple volumns, it is refreshing to read a singleton novel written in a sharp, clear, spare style, with never a word wasted.

The story opens with a few echoes of _Hamlet_. The hero is a young college student who discovers that a deathtrap has been rigged in his dorm room and that his aristocratic father has been killed under myterious circumstances. He is then off and running, the catspaw of the militaristic Tyranni leaders, rebel spies, spaceship captains, military officers, and planetary politicians. Part of the fun in this novel comes from watching how young Biron Farrill manages to stay just one jump ahead of his antagonists. Also thrown into the mix is a missing document that could destroy both the Tyranni and the rebels and a "rebellion world" that might or might not exist.

Asimov expressed dissatisfaction with the ending to this novel, which H.L. Gold, the editor of _Galaxy_, insisted upon. I don't know exactly what ending Asimov would have preferred. But I am just as glad that he chose to let the original ending stand, whatever its faults. This novel is not in the same league as some of Asimov's later novels like _The Caves of Steel_ (1954), _The End of Eternity_(1955), and _The Gods Themselves_ (1972). But it is still very good. It holds up well upon rereading.

Blech
Ah boy. Man, Asimov disappointed me a bit with this book. Fortunately it was short enough to where I could make it through without throwing in the towel.

The Stars, Like Dust is often regarded as the first book in the Empire series, though as far as I know it really doesn't have much to do with the other books in the series, or really much to do with the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series as a whole. This story surrounds Biron Farrill whom at the beginning of the book is studying at a University on Earth when thanks to a man named Jonti he is made aware of a bomb that has been planted in his room. He is then made aware of his father's death. His father holds a high position as the Rancher of Widemos. Jonti convinces Biron to travel to the strongest Tyranni controlled planet, Rhodia. This is where he hears rumors about a rebellion against the Tyranni and it becomes his goal to find the rebel planet. Oh, the Tyranni is an empire of few that have found a way to rule 50 planets, despite being well underpopulated.

On the surface this seems like decent Asimov fare, but there are some real glaring flaws with this book. First, I almost couldn't believe this was Asimovs writing, it just felt so - uninspired. I've only read the Robot series before this, but some of my favorite aspects of those books were the characters (namely R. Daneel and Elijah) and the commanding dialog. Here in Stars the characters are incredibly boring to me and the dialog is very flat.

Also, the plot here starts to feel really clunky. We have a lame contrived love story and more lame twists, double-crosses, double-double-crosses, double-double-double-crosses (you get the point) than I care to read about. For the first time Asimov's prose feels very amateurish. I actually had to re-read pages because I often found myself so bored that I would just glance words rather than really read them, it was just that bad for me.

The book does start to pick up a little bit towards the middle, middle-end and when I finally started to see some redeeming value he throws in one doozy of a hokey ending.

So, there's a few interesting moments but as a whole this book didn't work for me at all. I wasn't too surprised when after reading this book I did a little research and found that this is Asimov's least favorite book, so far this is my least favorite Asimov book. All is well though, I'm certainly not going to give up on Asimov and I look forward to forgetting this one and moving on.

Scifi literature, Asimov, Robert Series
Very pleased to have this novel.Excellent seller.Most accomodating.Will buy again.

Not at all like I remember
I read this novel in my early teens, when I was devouring much of what is now called classic SF.Either I found it more exciting when I was a kid, or my memory is failing me.This time around I found The Stars Like Dust to be talky, boring, and confusing.There is almost no action.

sci-fi classic, but disappointing
I enjoy old, classic SF novels occasionally, but this Asimov novel about the search for the empire's rebellion world did disappoint me. The lead character, Biron, is believable only to a naive teenage reader (as I was 40 years ago). The romance is even less believable. The plot was more interesting than the characters, with some interesting twists. The ending was hokey, though I did like it. This is not Asimov at his best, but there were still parts I enjoyed. ... Read more

Product Description
These two renowned writers have invented a world not unlike our own--a world on the edge of chaos, torn between the madness of religious fanaticism and the stubborn denial of scientists. Only a handful of people on the planet Lagash are prepared to face the truth--that their six suns are setting all at once for the first time in 2,000 years, signaling the end of civilization!. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (76)

Disappointing
I am ashamed to say that out of all the science fiction books that I have read, this is my first by Asimov.I know that it is based on a short story by Asimov and that that story was expanded by the Silverberg into a book.

The plot is weak and all of the big realizations are foreshadowed to the point of being obvious long before they are revealed.When reading I felt like the author kept beating me over the head with the same information by having the same stories repeated by the main character(s) multiple times to different people.It became annoying and slowed the story down to the point that I almost wanted to put the book down and never open it again.

Asimov gives a forward that this is an "alien" planet and race with a different language and culture, but that has been sort of "translated" into our terms for the reader's benefit.So what is the point?Why do I need to be told that these aliens have a different language that you have translated for me.Isn't that a pretty commonly accepted assumption when reading science fiction that takes place on alien worlds?Then there are aspects of their culture that are included but never explained (or given any significance) such as the numbers after everyone's name.

The premise is interesting enough (a world that almost never has a nighttime) except it is hard to be convincing with it.The idea of the tunnel of mystery is ridiculous.These people have never experienced darkness.Am I supposed to believe the no one has ever stepped into a room without windows and turned the light off or spent time in a cave?The first time that anyone has "experimented" with the dark is at a fair?Just silly.

Maybe this book should have remained a good short story instead of expanding into a poor book.

Interesting concept, unsteady execution
This books examination of a theoretical society facing absolute darkness for the first time (in recorded/remembered history) is interesting.However the characters are not particularly likeable and it would have been nice if we cared more about their fates.At times when interesting short stories are stretched into novels it feels like a TV mini-series that lasts too long because they want to place in all the commercials and sponsorships.Maybe this would have been best if it stayed a short story.

Stick to Asimov only.
I normally don't bother with reviews, but Silverberg's expansion of Asimov's short story masterpiece was so abominable I must let those who are planning to read it know what is in store for them.

The message of this book was, in a nutshell, the only way to save humanity from itself is by allowing a manipulative religious dictator to rule, while slowly letting "enlightened" thinking to seep into the government.

There is no "enlightened" thinking when government is forcing you to be civilized. Civilization occurs when individuals choose to be civilized.

If only the expanded version of this story had truly been written by an "enlightened" thinker. Instead, it is the same old un-evolved tribalism.

What a disappointment.

disappointing
I love Robert Sylverberg books, but this one did not made the cut. For starters how did these people know about stars and star maps if there was really no night at all. They had day light 24/7 with 4 Suns. We dont see any stars during the day with one sun alone, and they had 4 Suns! It does not make sence for an evolving civilization to experience day light nonstop, and for their people to know about star maps and astrology. When I read that It kind of blew off the story, what could have been an excellent work of science fiction was blown from the start.

A great yarn aboutsocial collapse and the will to survive
A great yarn about the fate of Kalgash ... a planet with 6 suns, and a civilization that developed in perpetual light.

A multi-disciplinary team of scientists (astronomers, archeologists, psychologists, a journalist, etc.) slowly assemble frightening evidence of a recurring calamity that befalls their planet every other millenia ... total darkness.

What does it all mean ?How to prepare the public in order to head off mass hysteria ?How to deal with nihilistic religious cultists who, with growing alarm, the scientists realize may have the right of things ?How to handle the media ?

It's a great tale about a civilization faced with immanent collapse, the nature of human frailty, and the will to survive.

Highly recommended.
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Product Description
Asimov tells the stories behind the science: the men and women who made the important discoveries and how they did it. Ranging from Galilei, Achimedes, Newton and Einstein, he takes the most complex concepts and explains it in such a way that a first-time reader on the subject feels confident on his/her understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The last Renaissance man
In addition to being a legendary science-fiction writer, Isaac Asimov is one of the most successful science popularizers of all time, and this book demonstrates why.In it, he delivers a comprehensive, well-organized, well-written survey of the known sciences as of the time of publication.But, since that time was over twenty years ago, is his book still worth reading today?Of course, it is!This is because Asimov takes a historical approach, first explaining the initial questions that puzzled observers of the natural world, then following the research of talented and brilliant scientists over the centuries that brought us to our present-day understanding.This lends much of the text the fascination of a mystery story, and gives the attentive reader a good basic grounding in the sciences.

Asimov -- brilliant but difficult
Isaac Asimov is surely a brilliant scientist and an expert his subject, biochemistry. But that doesn't translate to easy and clear reading nor a smooth flow of ideas. Asimov goes off into so many side tangents, often for 10 to 20 pages or more, that it is extremely difficult to follow his primary ideas that led to the tangents. I found this book very abstruse and poorly written. I wouldn't recommend it to the casual reader, and I was in a college course that required it. The tedious details that Asimov goes into are entirely unnecessary, in my opinion, and that contributes to the almost 900 pages of pedantic and excruciatingly boring science history. He's a terrific science fiction writer but forget about this way-too-long tome. It will put you to sleep.

Just a great book
I was a young reader and my personality was still not set. So many "bad" books kept pulling me in the wrong directions. I read all bestsellers though they taught me nothing. A day came when I had nothing to read and I happened to come across this book in my elder brother's library. It was written long before I was born. Yet, as I was truly bored, I began to read it and I was hooked before long. The world of Science was visible to me and, for the first time in my life, it looked attractive. I can truly say that this book changed my life. I now am completing my pre-med degree and will be off to medical school before long. I have never been happier; Science has become my life. Thank you Isaac Asimov.

Fantastic!...but dated...
As a science teacher, I give this book my highest possible recommendation!It tells the stories behind the science: the men and women who made the important discoveries and how they did it.My only complaint is that the text is now 20 years old.I wish someone could recommend a more recent text--written with as wide a scope--that was more up-to-date.

The most exhilarating text !
I have a personal small "library" of scientific books. This book has to be, by far, the most well structured, well explained, systematic and exhilarating read. I would rate this book as number 1 among possibly 50 similar books that I have read. If you are technically enthusiastic, would like to know about anything and everything pertaining to science and have a jolly good read at that, I would highly recommend this book. Asimov is gifted as a writer, in that he takes the most complex concepts and explains it in such a way, that a first-time reader on the subject feels confident of his/her understanding. If you have lots of time (900 pages of size 10 text!), are a thinker and want to begin to understand the great works of genii ranging from archimedes, galileo, newton and einstein, this book is for you! Well done to a man long gone. He leaves a legacy of genius ! ... Read more

Product Description
Creation. The beginning of time. The origin of life.In our Western civilization, there are two influential accounts of beginnings. One is the Biblical account, compiled more than two thousand years ago by Judean writers who based much of their thinking on the Babylonian astronomical lore of the day. The other is the account of modern science, which, in the last century, has slowly built up a coherent picture of how it all began. Both represent the best thinking of their times, and in this line-by-line annotation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, Isaac Asimov carefully and even-handedly compares the two accounts, pointing out where they are similar and where they are different. "There is no version of primeval history, preceding the discoveries of modern science, that is as rational and as inspiriting as that of the Book of Genesis," Asimov says. However, human knowledge does increase, and if the Biblical writers, "had written those early chapters of Genesis knowing what we know today, we can be certain that they would have written it completely differently." Isaac Asimov brings to this fascinating subject his wide-ranging knowledge of science and history-and his award-winning ability to explain the complex with accuracy, clarity, and wit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Presentation. Oversimplification
Asimov states well the historical probabilities of Genesis, but simplifies it beyond the area of possability.

The J and P documents are well stated there, but if that were the whole story between Genesis 1 and 2 creation stories, then why did one of the accounts become apocraphal (much like the Keys of Enoch.)?

Other than that, Asimov did a superb job in laying out Genesis as it was, a beautiful myth.

Science and God ,history and reallty...
It is two theroris,by science and by Bible of the creation of the world.You must read to understand ... Read more