Customer Reviews (6)

Asimov's writing is great as always, it is unfortunate that the publishers chose to take the road of hype to sell the book
I am a longtime fan of writer Isaac Asimov, having read and re-read most of his writings on everything. Therefore, I have a natural predilection to think highly of anything that he has written. Unfortunately, in this case, it appears that this book is one that was improperly hyped to increase the sales. For example, the title contains "The Final Fantasy Collection" and on the back cover there is the caption "The Unknown Asimov" and the sentence "In addition, this farewell collection of Asimov's writings also includes his thoughts on the genre of fantasy itself."
These claims are wrong on several counts:

*) This wording makes it appear that this book contains some of the last items Asimov wrote shortly before his death in 1992. While some of the items fit this description, 21 of the 31 articles were written before 1990. Two were written before 1980.
*) These articles are hardly unknown; nineteen are listed as having "first appeared in."
*) Some of the articles are not even about fantasy; there are seven articles that are nonfiction, including one about evolution.

It is unfortunate that the publishers chose to engage in what is clearly deception in order to sell more books. Asimov was such a great writer that no such embellishments are necessary to generate interest.

Not Free SF Reader
A collection of uncollected stories, which is likely to mean they were not that good in general, and that is certainly how it turned out, barring the occasional example like his Batman Black Widowers tale.More interesting is the second half with a few short essays on thinking, fantasy writing, etc.

The average is only 3.05, so this bears out, but the second part is good enough to give the book a 3 overall.


Magic : To Your Health - Isaac Asimov
Magic : The Critic on the Hearth - Isaac Asimov
Magic : It's a Job - Isaac Asimov
Magic : Baby It's Cold Outside - Isaac Asimov
Magic : The Time Traveler - Isaac Asimov
Magic : Wine Is a Mocker - Isaac Asimov
Magic : The Mad Scientist - Isaac Asimov
Magic : The Fable of the Three Princes - Isaac Asimov
Magic : March Against the Foe - Isaac Asimov
Magic : Northwestward - Isaac Asimov
Magic : Prince Delightful and the Flameless Dragon - Isaac Asimov



Cold woman problem.

3 out of 5


Writing abuse.

3.5 out of 5


First gentleman.

2.5 out of 5


Ice hands.

2.5 out of 5


Quackbrain.

3 out of 5


Sobering.

2.5 out of 5


Editor rant.

3.5 out of 5


Triple quest.

3 out of 5


Corporate loyalty problems.

3 out of 5


The Black Widowers help Mr. Wayne solve a problem with a new butler over dinner.

4 out of 5


Virgins not tasty.

3 out of 5

Technically Magic
Like GOLD, the previous "final collection" of Asimov's work from HarperCollins, MAGIC is divided into three separate sections: The Final Fantasy Stories, On Fantasy, and Beyond Fantasy.As a compilation, I found this to be a decent, if not exactly exciting, read.Asimov usually isn't a spectacular writer, but he can be an interesting and engaging one.Even if I didn't fall in love with any of the short pieces presented here, I can't say that I hated any of them either.

The first section contains the fictional content, and is made up of eleven short stories relating to the fantasy genre.Unfortunately, a full eight of these are Asimov's George-and-Azazel tales, which are enjoyable enough, but they dominate the book and are rather formulaic.An entry from Asimov's Black Widowers mystery series (which certainly would certainly seem to fit more under the mystery genre rather than the fantasy) and a couple of delightful fairy tale stories complete this segment.The worst charge that could be leveled at any individual story is that it's a bit dull, and the best ones are fun entertainment.They're amusing diversions, but nothing much more.

The second section contains non-fiction, Asimov's thoughts on various aspects of the fantasy genre.There aren't any earth-shattering revelations, but Asimov had a very enjoyable prose style that quickly and carefully brings his point of view across.Here he writes about Tolkien, applies scientific knowledge to traditional fairy tales (there's a humorous section where he calculates the speed of Seven League Boots, which strongly reminded me of the "how fast does Santa travel on Christmas Eve?" email that now seems to be a holiday staple), and discusses the origins of the genre and many of its staples.

The third section is entitled "Beyond Fantasy", as presumably the title "Things That Have Nothing To Do With Fantasy But We Wanted To Include Anyway" wouldn't fit on the page.That alternate title fairly accurately describes the contents of this section, as it tackles subjects as far ranging as "Ignorance In America" to evolution to translating ancient texts from their various ancient tongues.They aren't exactly the sorts of essays that one might expect to find in a fantasy anthology, but they make for fascinating reading all the same.Asimov's philosophies and beliefs always come across as commonsensical notions that have been explained to you by an expert.There are only seven short entries in this final group, and I wish there had been more, as I found this to be the most interesting section.Of course, as mentioned, the majority of these were so unrelated to the main topic that one should probably just be grateful that they were included in the first place.

No Asimov-completist's library will be whole without this volume, and even people with little interest in fantasy will probably find a few things to enjoy here.I read this book while making a transatlantic journey, and it was a great way to fill those deadening hours of airplane travel.MAGIC isn't a book that demands much from the reader, but it makes for very enjoyable light reading that is still head and shoulders above the average work of most other writers.

Magic The Final Fantasy Collection Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was always a pioneer in writing. Here is his foray into the then-new area of Fantasy. Azazel, the 2 inch extra-dimesional being, and the well-meaning George star in most of the stories. Like the proverbialgenie, George helps his family and friends realize their dreams and wisheswhich they come to find aren't what they really wanted. Also contains afew of Isaac's witty essays on fantastic creatures and figures. A must readfor fantasy readers.

Good book
Asimov was such a great writer. In this book, he will make you laugh, will make you think, will make you imagine. If you want to get started on SciFi, I think this is a good book to start with. One of the short stories I liked the most was the one telling the real BATMAN story. Overall: good book. ... Read more