Issac Asimov

[LadyLuck]

Is anyone familiar with Asimov? I recently read Pebble in the Sky, and I enjoyed it very much. I've been looking into reading more books of his, but they are not available through the libraries here, and I hate to buy something only to find it sits on my shelf and I never read it. Then it is nothing more than a dust collector ;)

If I enjoyed the plot and pace of Pebble in the Sky is it likely I'll enjoy his other novels? I know that this was one of his first, and often it isn't the best indication of a writers style, so I figure it doesn't hurt to ask.

[MystyrMystyry]

I read most of his books (I think) when I was in primary and high school. The Foundation series was fun at the time (the rise and fall of the Roman Empire in space!), not the least because Rome was a special area of interest. He's one of the few 'important' science fiction authors, and if science, astronomy, space travel, robotics, time travel etc are your thing, he's covered most of the sci fi sub-genres.

Story-wise: well he does tell a story, though it might not be the one you expect to read. Back in the day it would often be better than I expected it to be - about a fifty-fifty chance I'd say.

[PeterL]

Asimov wrote more than 100 books, and most of his fiction was pretty good/ There is a lot of information about him online, so you might look at reviews before reading. The Foundation Trilogy was significant in the development of Science Fitsion, and hoe Robot series was essential to the development of the Laws of Robotics. He might have been the first to write those laws, but it's murky.

[classicpegasus]

I haven't read any of his novels—just short stories and novellas. As far as short stories go, here's what I recommend:

Nightfall
A planet that has only know daytime is about to enter a period of darkness. John Campbell, the famous sci-fi editor/publisher, asked Asimov to write it.

The Last Question
Asimov's personal favourite. About a series of supercomputers tasked with preventing the heat-death of the universe. Spans over hundreds of years.

The Deep
The story focuses on a race of telepathic aliens that need to depart their dying world. They happen to choose earth as their new destination. It's kind of a silly concept, but POV raises a lot of interesting psychological questions.

There's a book called "The Best Of Isaac Asimov" that I suggest checking out. You can find a PDF online if you look hard enough. A lot of sci-fi from that era consists of silly and far-fetched stories (I wouldn't be surprised if there was one on sentient lunch containers (http://www.onyxcontainers.com/department.aspx?DeptID=14)), but Asimov's stories raise some interesting philosophical questions.

By the way, The Foundation series is a huge commitment (considered the longest ongoing work of sci-fi ever), so you might want to start off with the shorter stuff.

[LadyLuck]

Thanks! I'm easy with commitment as long as it is worth it. I suddenly find myself with much more free time than I ever used to have.

[billl]

Also, by the way: I checked the Pebble in the Sky Wikipedia page and saw that the book actually is set in the same fictional universe as the Foundation series. It doesn't appear to play a huge role in things, but it might be interesting to spot the odd detail/connection here and there.

(I loved Asimov's stories as a kid, but Foundation was too long, a couple lukewarm comments was enough for me to give it a pass in those days, and I never heard much about Pebble in the Sky so I never tried that one either. But I loved those short stories--great twist-endings, neat ideas, and some barely over a page or two long, perfect for the school bus!)

[LadyLuck]

But I loved those short stories--great twist-endings, neat ideas, and some barely over a page or two long, perfect for the school bus!)

I'll have to give them a read. I love reading just about anything, but I don't read short stories overly much unless I have them in an anthology. Mostly, I'm looking for good stories that are higher level than the latest pop fiction, but not too taxing to read after a long day and the kids are in bed. Pebble in the Sky fit the bill, and because they're in the same universe the Foundations series seems like a logical jump.