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Reviews (300)

The Messianic Era
I first read these books when I was in high school and although
Good idea competently realised, but...
Not surprisingly this is a second reading - I first enjoyed this classic about twenty years ago.
Romans in Space
I like Foundation because it's a solid piece of sci-fi from olden days.(George Lucas's stealing of Asimov's city-planet for his Coruscant - tsk tsk, Georgie - amazed me most.) Foundation does have peculiarities.People hundreds of thousands of years in the future speak like us.They use phrases like us. They also have the same atomic technology as people did in the 1950s.Asimov got a bit lazy here; he could've imagined something cooler than nukes.The galaxy is a metaphor for a crumbling Roman empire.Perhaps Terminus is Ireland.As for A's style, I found his use of long adverbs rather funny.In sum, a good book if you can ignore this stuff. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - High Tech    4. Science Fiction - Series    5. Fiction / Science Fiction / High Tech   

Reviews (74)

The Last Book of the Foundation Series (in Foundation Timeline), 4 stars, 356 Pages, Publ 1986
Golan Trevize looks for Earth.The novel picks up right after the end of Foundation's Edge.I found Foundation's Edge slightly confusing in that there was something effecting the minds of both the Foundation confederation and the minds of the Second Foundation, and wasn't completely sure if it was a Third Foundation or what.Foundation and Earth clears that up, well sort of.It is not a Hari Seldon originated organization, it is the planet Gaia, but calling it a Third Foundation could be used if you redefine The Foundation.It is hinted that there may be yet *another* group effecting events in the galaxy; the equivalent of a Fourth Foundation... or maybe a Zeroth Foundation.This is one of the slight, but exasperating aspects of this novel.In the Author's Note of Prelude to Foundation, Asimov wrote that he could and may add to the Foundation series and as for books after Foundation and Earth he could add "additional volumes - as many as I like").In parts it feels like that, that Asimov is setting himself for additional volumes, rather than this being the definitive end to the Foundation series, as it now is.Another thing is that Asimov groups his Robot, Empire, and Foundation series in one all encompassing series.For whatever contradictions exist between the series, Asimov gives preference to his Robot series.
The best Foundation novel !!!!
This is, in my humble opinion, the best Foundation book of all!
Good, not great, entry in Asimov's Foundation Series
Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION AND EARTH is the fifth or sixth book (depending on how you count) in the Foundation series.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction - General    5. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (55)

The Messianic Era
I first read these books when I was in high school and although
An Excellent Conclusion to the Original Foundation Series
This final installment of Asimov's Original Foundation Series is an excellent, although incomplete ending to a monumental accomplishment by the beloved science fiction author.It is perhaps more beautifully arranged than the others but also lacks some degree of coherence because of its overall twisty-turny plot line.Nevertheless it is an excellent, exciting story which pursues the interrelation between the individual and the whole.
Best book in the foundation series
Asimov takes it to the next level with Second Foundation. It has more charecter development, more technology, more suspense, more cunning, and an unsuspected ending for once. This book is great.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - Series    4. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (73)

The Messianic Era
I first read these books when I was in high school and although
The Mule is out there!
Here in the second installment of Azimov's fantastic Foundation epic, you have a continuation from the first that at first seems a let down. Then the Mule shows up and the action really gets going.
Individuality in the Face of Psychohistory
Once again, Asimov serves up a thrilling read for the sci-fi fan.The two story-lines followed in the text pertain particularly to the question of if/how spectacular individuals can alter the Plan of Hari Seldon.The first pertains to a final thrust of the Empire while the second pertains to the question of an anomalous power known as the Mule.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Life on other planets    4. Psychohistory    5. Science Fiction    6. Science Fiction - Series    7. Seldon, Hari (Fictitious chara    8. Seldon, Hari (Fictitious character)    9. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (62)

Fantastic!
Listen, no one likes really long or ending spoiling reviews, so here it goes, short and sweet.
An Older, Better Asimov
In "Foundation's Edge," author Isaac Asimov returns to the fascinating storylines he initiated in the Foundation trilogy some 30 years earlier. The older Asimov turned out a new novel that is not only better technically than its predecessors, it is much more subtle and nuanced. It is a thought-provoking and enjoyable book.
Third Foundation
Foundation's Edge won the 1983 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year.Asimov himself, in his humble way, said that this prestigious award should go to some other younger writer.His own self-imposed controversy aside, this is a great novel and is arguably deserved of the Hugo Award for that year.That aside, it's the sequel to the original 1950's Foundation series, and thus with a 30 year gap between the two sets of books, it has a different flavor.I myself am leery of sequels.I thoroughly loved Dune and I suppose what could have been called the original Dune trilogy, but by the 4th Dune book became uninterested in following that series any further.But Foundation's Edge is worth reading.I haven't continued on with the series after this so I cannot comment on the subsequent books.However, after reading reviews of Foundation & Earth (which is the sequel to Foundation's Edge), it seems Asimov's novels follow the `Star Trek syndrome' of the movies with the original crew.It's not clear if there will be a follow up sequel so the books conclude fairly nicely, so that when the next one is released, it has to shake up the previous book's ending to continue.That's somewhat the case with Foundation's Edge.There's another entity that seems to manipulating events.It's not clear what this is (I don't know if Asimov planned Foundation & Earth when he wrote Foundation's Edge), but I've always thought of this new entity as possibly a Third Foundation, if not in name, then in spirit.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - General    4. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (73)

Used to be great
I loved this book as a teenager in the 70s. I still think it should have been turned into a movie back then. I recently reread it (in 2006) and I was dissapointed. It hasn't aged well. Part of it is the science fiction, which seems especially dated, but mostly it's that the story and character development seemed ham fisted.
Asimov's first foray into the sci-fi detective genre.Amazing!!(4.5 stars)
Asimov's Caves of Steel is the first novel in his famous Robot series and takes place after I, Robot (a collection of short stories which I recommend reading first).The Caves of Steel takes place 1400 or so years in the future where human live under huge domes and live amongst robots of varying technological sophistication and ability.The story is a detective novel at heart and parallels the classic Sherlock and Holmes cannon in more ways than one.
Enemy Robots or Paranoid Humans?
This is truley a classic when the genre of AI is visited.Asimov'sdetective thriller brings about the questions of the downfall of technology.Are human beings replacable?By machines no less?This is the question a Detective Elijah Baley asks himself along with his wife and the commisioner and a vast other peoples in this urban world.What I believe is most interesting about this novel is not the intarrogations of robotics, though that is very inticing, but the fact that this book is really about mankind's struggle with himself and his self-destructive tendencies.The robots only expose this corruption in man's nature.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction - High Tech    5. Science Fiction - Series    6. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

Winner of the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Hugo and Nebula awards? How?
I frankly cannot believe it won both Hugo and Nebula awards.
Really bad
I picked this up at the library since I didn't recall reading it. What a horrible borefest. It drags on and on and on. Even the first few chapters are completely repetetive. In short, he had a poor three-part short story that he turned into a dreadful three part novel.

The Gods Themselves
Six years ago I was friends with a very smart girl at UCLA.Since she was so smart I thought I would ask her what she read.(This proves that I do read books that people recommend to me:I just might be a bit late in reading them).She recommended that I read the book, The Gods Themselves, written by sci-fiction author, Issac Asimov.There is no doubt that the author is incredibly intelligent and well-versed in the field of science.However, the man is not very good at character development.The story does delve into a lot of interesting scientific knowledge (a great deal of which goes over my head but was still intriguing).The problem I had with the book is the character formation.The characters seem wooden, stiff, and unlikable.I couldn't feel really connected to any of the characters.They just didn't have any intriguing personalities.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction - General    5. Science Fiction - Space Opera    6. Fantasy    7. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (53)

The third and possibly best of the series.
The Robots of Dawn is the third novel in Asimov's Robots series, which integrates excellent detective plot threads with "social" science fiction.This book follows the others with the formula of introducing the readers to a new location, with a new murder to solve while continuing the relationship between human detective Elijah Bailey and robot Daneel Olivaw.This book has more action then Asimov's previous works which works well despite not being one of Asimov's best strengths.
some detecting, but more set up for future novels
Isaac Asimov, the Grand Master of Science Fiction, brings us another detective story set in the Robot series: The Robots of Dawn.Some two years after the events of The Naked Sun, police detective Elijah Baley is called upon to investigate a crime on the Spacer planet of Aurora.He is accompanied again by the humanlike robot Daneel Olivaw.After the events on Solaria which have been turned into what amounts to a "movie" in this setting, Baley is famous which has caused his superiors on the police force to be resentful.This new case is one which will have deeper consequences than discovering truth and justice: if he does not succeed in clearing Dr Falstofe of roboticide then Baley's career will be destroyed and the opportunity for Earth to ever reach for the Stars again and colonize the Universe will be eliminated as a powerful group of Spacers (those humans who have already colonized several planets and now will not permit Earth to take to space again).In short, it is imperative that Baley succeeds.Dr. Falstofe has been accused of causing one of his own robots, the humanform Jander, to "mind freeze" and render the robot useless.The accusation is given on the presumption that the Doctor did this so that the Spacers who are against Earth would be discredited.By his own admission Dr. Falstofe is the only human alive with the intellectual capacity and knowledge to be able to force a robot into "mind freeze".He also maintains that he is innocent.While there is no "crime" in the sense of breaking a law, it is a "crime" in the sense that being guilty would discredit Dr Falstofe and Earth would suffer the consequences.
great book!
I was pretty surprized that Assimov explored human-robot sex in this book. very fast moving story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction - General    5. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (48)

Could have used a good editor
After getting hooked on the Foundation series over the past six months, "Forward the Foundation" was a real disappointment for me.I understand that this was the last book he wrote before passing away, and this explains a lot.But it still doesn't justify the sloppy inconsistencies of the storyline.
The end of an age.
This book pulls a lot of threads together, unifying the Robot stories and the Foundation stories to a far greater extent than the innuendo of Foundations Edge. Hari Seldon at last becomes a person with hopes and failings; We see his relationship with Robots, including our old freind R. Daneel Olivaw and finally we see how the first and second foundations came to be through a set of circumstances that has plot twists that only the master himself could have envisaged.
Excellent but Disappointing End to Foundation Series
Book Review by C. Douglas Baker
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - Series    4. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (53)

Robots, The Future, and Murder
This book is great for those of you looking to escape this sometimes dull planet and time. If you have a passion for science fiction mystery or just science fiction in general this book is for you. Those of you who have seen the movies like I,ROBOT, Blade Runner, or Metropolis will find yourselves wrapped up in this enticing view of not only our planets future but also the future of life in this galaxy. The obviousness of this whodunnit is very subtle throughout the story and you will find yourself smacking your forehead when you realize what actually happened in the end.

If you liked Caves of Steel, then pick this up.....perfect!!
The Naked Sun is the second book in Asimov's robot series and probably my favorite but all are worth reading.This book continues the futuristic Sherlockian adventure of Elijah Bailey and his straight-man robot sidekick Daneel Olivaw.This time they journey to the planet of Solaria to solve a murder that has political implications across the galaxy.
Made Me Stop Wearing Sunglasses--but that's about it.
Elijah Baley solves another case with his logical yet unreasonable partner, R Daneel Olivaw. This time it is not within the steel caves of New York City, but in the open plains of the sparsely populated Solaria. A world that has reached the epitome of technological paradise.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - Series    4. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

In this collection, one of the great classics of science fiction, Asimov set out the principles of robot behavior that we know as the Three Laws of Robotics.Here are stories of robots gone mad, mind-reading robots, robots with a sense of humor, robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world, all told with Asimov's trademark dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction. ... Read more

Reviews (190)

A great collection about robots
If you have any interest whatsoever in robots, this is a must read for you.The three laws that Asimov creates to govern robot behavior seem so simple, but Asimov exposes and analyzes every possible loophole in them.Usually each story focuses on some way that a robot malfunctions or apparently breaks one of the three laws.Liar! and Little Lost Robot stick out as the best stories from this collection; both are very suspenseful and shocking at the end.These stories are a great introduction to Isaac Asmiov's work.After reading these, I was hooked and have since read about 15 books by Asimov.He was truly a brilliant man.

Pure Science Fiction, But So Are Most of His Books.
This story is the basis for the movie of the same name.It is good to remember that robots are man-made machines and have no human attributes or emotions; no feelings or pain (Does it hurt to die?), no love for another robot or human being.No pain, no gain, no smiles or grins from ear to ear, no crying or frowns to compound an impossible situation.The movie was a bit much and never in a million years would you find a Chicago that sparse of beings and things.
Remembering the late, great Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was, of course, a mover and shaker not just in the field of science fiction, but as a science educator for the masses. His prodigious output of books and articles was one of the seven wonders of the modern world, yet it's a relatively small number of short stories and novels for which (I predict) he'll be remembered. Stories like "Nightfall," "Bicentennial Man," and of course his robot stories with their "three laws" will still be read and appreciated for years to come. By showing us how the three laws worked (or sometimes didn't) in these stories, he created a practical foundation for the future of robotics, and Carl Capek aside (who wrote one of the first robot stories, RUR, in 1921) Asimov is considered by many as the father of modern robotics. The Japanese in particular seem fascinated with robots and their potential, so it shouldn't be surprising that Honda named their sophisticated humanoid robot Asimo in his honor.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    4. Robots    5. Science Fiction    6. Science Fiction - General    7. Science fiction, American    8. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (103)

The Fall of the Empire... and the Start of the Foundation, 3-1/2 stars, 403 Pages, Publ 1988
This novel has a subtle beginning.I would take a little to time reading the beginning to absorb Asimov's setting and style here.The science of psychohistory that laid out the Foundation had to start somewhere, and this is where it starts and with Hari Seldon.So there's a lot written of Seldon's early life and a lot about different sections of the Galactic Empire capital planet of Trantor.Seldon is not represented as some sort of superman, but if you've read other books in the Foundation series, as someone to admire, and is seen as a person outside of just psychohistory.Sort of like seeing the famous photograph of Albert Einstein riding a bicycle.And as others in the Empire see the potential power of psychohistory, even before Seldon does, thus begins the race to harness that power.The joy, and the point, in reading this novel is in the knowing the eventual power of psychohistory and thus how it develops.Seldon has to be persuaded to progress his theory of psychohistory by the other interesting characters in the novel.Can you imagine, early in the 20th century, having to go "come on Albert, will you at least *try* to develop the theory of General Relativity".
Science Fiction at its Best
If you have read Asminov's Foundation series many eons ago, this is a must read.It gives you an excellent idea of how everything started.I read the Foundation series years ago and never read the prelude.Since reading this I am reading the series again.It is fascinating and as always Asminov touches on truths.Anyone interested in Astronomy or any type of science for that matter must read this book and of course the whole series.
The early life of Hari Seldon
In his later novels, ASimov attempted to tie together his Robot, Empire and Foundation series into a cohesive whole.THis book is one of the main links in the chain.In the Foundation books written previously, Seldon was a legendary figure revered by the people who owed him their existence.In this story, the early adulthod of Seldon is revealed as he sets out on the path that will lead to his refinement of his psychohistory system.Asimov brings in several recurring themes from his books to unite the works.We see the legend of a mythical homeworld of humanity, the stories of robots and the myth of a unique long-lived robot dedicated to protecting humanity.All are linked with Seldon in this masterful story.He shows his ability to create a world of various cultures in Trantor.I try to read the series every few years and each reading rewards with a new insight each time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - Series    4. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (11)

Old, but still very good
The worst part: Some of the stories in this volume are old, and you can tell that without looking at the published date. There are a significant number of them about the "future" where large companies have an entire computer of their own, or use jargon that is outdated.
A must for those who like to read good fiction
I have been a fan of Isaac Asimov's short stories since I was a teenager and I have rarely found better since.While I had already read most of these, to have them in one book was quite the treat.Many of my favorites were listed here including some that previously were only available from some obscure sources.Why read Asimov?Because few writers, if any, deal with the great "What If" questions as Asimov does.His explorations into human nature and what potential pitfalls our improvements in technology will bring us are central to his writing.Some of these stories are dated now and in "The Dying Night" he even acknowledges that in the introduction to that story.Even so, it makes for good reading...and entertaining.

Asimov presents his visions of the future of mankind
This is a nice collection of some stories by Asimov. I enjoyed the book, as it reminded me some stories which I have read and showed me some new stories, which I haven't read.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Science Fiction    3. Science Fiction - Short Stories    4. Science fiction, American    5. Short stories    6. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (16)

Mostly NON-robot short stories
I expected this to be a collection of robot stories because of the title, but only two are robot stories.They are the first two, and the first one is also a story from _I, Robot_ (which I just re-read).The second one is "Robot Dreams" from which the book takes its title, and it is another Susan Calvin robot story like those from _I, Robot_ but was written in the mid-'80s (_I, Robot_ was written 30 years earlier).It is in the same mold with the earlier stories, but with a nod to advancing technology (small computers, for instance). Good story sampler, great art.
Someone wrote that he only knew of one story being in another collection, and another wrote that it's only complete if you have Robot Visions as well. Here's the scoop. One of two fine collections
This books is a great example of the stories Asimov has locked away in his mind.Some of these stories he had been thinking about for years before he actually wrote them down.The book is really not complete however unless you get Robot Visions as well. Robot Visions is actually the better of the two, but you can't miss out of some of the stories in here if you are a fan of his Robot Series. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy - General    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Science Fiction    4. Science Fiction    5. Science Fiction - General    6. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (9)

Great collection of stories & Asimov's thoughts on robots
This is a companion book to "Robot Dreams," but unlike that book, all the stories in "Robot Visions" are actually about robots.Six of the stories also appear in the collection "I, Robot."The stories were written over a wide range of time, from 1940 to 1989, and they reflect the character of their times.(The way to check when a particular story was written is to look at the copyright page at the front of the book.) The stories cover a range of issues well, mostly hinging on the three laws of robotics that Asimov quotes and uses repeatedly.One might think going back to the well like this would result in repetetive stories, but that is not the case at all; robots are involved in these stories in jobs as mundane as checking galleys for publication to jobs as unforgiving as performing microsurgery, and in all cases Asimov carefully considers how the humans and robots--each acting on their motivations (the robots' is hardwired, of course)--interact with each other and the situations they are confronted with.One stands out: "The Bicentennial Man," about a robot who was unusually creative, and over a period of decades acts on his desire to become more independent and acquire more rights, going so far as to replace his robotic systems with organic ones in an attempt to become closer to being human.
One of two great collections of Asimov's shorts
Robot Visions and Robot Dreams would not be complete without each other.Robot Vis