JWHITE%MAINE.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA (10/25/85)
From: JWHITE%MAINE.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA (Jim White)
I feel compelled to rush to the defense of poor (figuritively) Dr. A. He's
been getting quite alot of bad press on SFL.
Jim Brunet writes,
>Asimov's fiction today is as painful to contemplate as watching a
>great, over-the-hill ballplayer (like Willie Mays?) trying to hang
>on. Sad.
> Finally, the WRITING. Asimov -- and I do love the man, his
> early works along with Heinlein's and Norton's juveniles were
> what brought me into the sf field -- has become a literary 800
> lb. canary. Nobody will edit him. Nobobdy *has* to. Why
> should Doubleday bother, when anything he now writes is
> guaranteed megabucks best-seller?
>
> His dialogue has gotten excruciating and much of the narrative
> is dull and plodding. If you or I had turned in those
> manuscripts with our names on them, they would have been
> returned at light-speed, perhaps with a note saying "you have
> potential, but do join a workshop, okay?"
I believe, that like any writer, Asimov is entitled to hot and cold spells.
I agree, in part, with what jmb has stated. Asimov has become a machine of
sorts, (Hmmmmm, maybe he's actually been replaced by a humaniform robot),
churning out books upon whatever subject he's asked. I disagree however, that
they're all lousy.
** Mild Spoiler Warning **
The Foundation's Edge, judged against the backdrop of the original books of
Foundation Trilogy, does come up short. I think the concept of Gaea was/is
an unfortunate idea and I was saddened to read about the once great mentalists
of the 2nd Foundation reduced bickering children. Asimov does have a
tendency to make his characters a little too smart, and this problem was
exaggerated in this novel.
** end spoiler **
I like the Robots of Dawn however....really liked it. Lije Baley continues
to be one of my favorite science fictional characters. I think this novel
even comes out clean in comparison to the earlier Robot novels, particularly
The Naked Sun, which I thought the weaker of the two earlier ones. Truth is
I liked it better than the Naked Sun, and on par with the Caves of Steel.
The Robot novels do represent the marriage of science fiction and the
mystery, with which Asimov dabbles, (Murder at the ABA, The Union Club
Mysteries). One of Asimovs strengths is the surprise ending and the R of D
had a good one.
To be fair to Isaac in his declining years, I think that it should be noted
that some of his 'Golden years' stuff were duds or near duds. Take the
'Stars Like Dust' for example, or the 'God's Themselves' (yes I know it was
later, but really, if you think sex with robots is wierd) . Yes, I would
put Foundations Edge well ahead of each.
Were I to give a rough ranking of some of Asimovs major novels, it might look
something like this;
1) Foundation
2) 2nd Foundation
3) Foundation and Empire
4) Caves of Steel
5) Robots of Dawn
6) Pebble in the Sky/ End of Eternity/Naked Sun
7) Currents of Space
8) Foundations Edge
9) Gods Themselves
10) Stars Like Dust
I have just received from the Sci Fi bookclub, my copy of Robots and Empire.
Am looking forward to reading it next.franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) (10/28/85)
[Not food] In article <216@caip.RUTGERS.EDU> JWHITE%MAINE.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA writes: >I believe, that like any writer, Asimov is entitled to hot and cold spells. > > [Damning of _Foundations Edge_ with faint praise] > >I like the Robots of Dawn however....really liked it. > >To be fair to Isaac in his declining years, I think that it should be noted >that some of his 'Golden years' stuff were duds or near duds. Take the >'Stars Like Dust' for example, or the 'God's Themselves' (yes I know it was >later, but really, if you think sex with robots is wierd) . Yes, I would >put Foundations Edge well ahead of each. You've got to be kidding. (You're not? Oh, well...) _The God's Themselves_ is easily the best novel Asimov has written. (In my opinion, of course.) Actually, I don't think Asimov has so much fallen off lately, as failed to keep up. What was fresh and innovative in the 50's is dry and stale in the 80's. I don't agree with those who disparage Asimov's characterization. I think a lot of the believability of characters depends on what characters you believe in. Personally, I find Asimov's characters more real and believable than, for example, the characters in _Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand_ (which I think is a very good book, by the way). The problem is that he doesn't have any new *ideas*. Frank Adams ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka Multimate International 52 Oakland Ave North E. Hartford, CT 06108
peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (11/03/85)
> To be fair to Isaac in his declining years, I think that it should be noted > that some of his 'Golden years' stuff were duds or near duds. Take the > 'Stars Like Dust' for example, or the 'God's Themselves' (yes I know it was > later, but really, if you think sex with robots is wierd) . Yes, I would > put Foundations Edge well ahead of each. Interesting. I consider "The Gods Themselves" (no posessive) one of his best. Incidentally, Robots and Empire is rather good, though he does telegraph his punches rather badly. As for The Robots of Dawn: There's a bug in it. At one point Lije Bailey is shown a starscape using a machine that directly stimulates the visual cortex. This turns out to be important later on. The problem is that they blank out Aurora's sun to protect his retina? His retina? What does his retina have to do with it? -- Name: Peter da Silva Graphic: `-_-' UUCP: ...!shell!{graffiti,baylor}!peter IAEF: ...!kitty!baylor!peter