Nemesis

Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Science Fiction Book!
Review: Nemesis is a science fiction story about Marlene, a girl on Rotor, a space colony; she finds out that the star, Nemesis, will explode! I'm an 8-year old 3rd grader. When I first picked it up, I couldn't put it down! It has long, descriptive dialogue. This book is recommended, in my opinion, for people 8+ years old. The most exciting part is when Marlene learns that Nemesis threatens Rotor as well!

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular, but not exhilerating.
Review: Nemesis is great book, but somehow not exiting enough to keep you turning pages. If you're the kind of person who reads the first few chapters of a book and puts it down just because the first half is boring, this is not a book for you. Even though it does get a little boring in the middle, I admit it is one of his best

Rating:
Summary: Nemesis is Brilliant
Review: Nemesis is often looked down upon in the world of science-fiction, and fans, as you can tell by the other reviews posted here, find it to be rather weak. And so it was only with reluctance that I picked up a copy of Nemesis, and again it was only with reluctance that I began to read. I had come expecting trash and the worst of Asimov but what I got was a surprise, a rather pleasant one actually. Despite what you may hear, Nemesis is great. It features many artistically crafted characters and a fine blend of science and adventure. If you've heard that Nemesis was no good, just take my advice, don't believe it.

Rating:
Summary: Nemesis is well written but flawed
Review: Nemesis is very well written. The characters created in the book are exceptional. But this story lacks a lot of things. I think that it never solved many of its debates, and the fact the star was coming towards the planet was still irrelevant.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Asimov - But Where Does it Fit?
Review: Nemisis is another masterpiece of Asmoivian Sciene fiction. The settings are as grandiose and inspiring as any of Asimov's creations are: the Solar System is awash with metal colonies that tend to look down on Earth, even though they are psychologically dependant on it. One colony, Rotor, decides to leave the Solar System in order to pursue a social experiment of its own. It uses proprietary technology to find and transport to a star much nearer than Alpha Centauri, a star that no one else in the Solar System knows exists. But in finding the star Nemisis, the Rotorians also discover that Earth's days are numbered.

This is NOT an action novel, nor will you encounter some mythical "Dark Force" of the universe guiding Nemisis against humanity. As fans of Asimov know, the Grand Master of Science Fiction does not dwell on the fantastic to create his stories. The real story here is a speculation into human nature. The book explores what migration patterns into the stars might be like, and expressly demonstrates the futility of powerful individuals to create homogenous, uptopian societies by hiding away from the rest of mankind. The science is good, but merely a backdrop.

The book is mostly dialouge, another Asimov standard. For those who like lazer fights in space, Nemisis is not a good book. The conversations are eloquent and deliberate, however, always advancing the plot and posing interesting ideas while developing the characters.

The only complaint I have with this book is the introduction. Asimov makes it very clear this book is NOT part of the Robot/Empire/Foundation universe... and yet the book makes MANY references to these series' ideas, proper names, and themes. If the hyperdrive invented in I, Robot was a precursor to the hyperassistance they use in Nemisis, I would put this book immediately prior to The Caves of Steel in the Asimov universe. It seems like Asimov wrote a book in a different universe, but was unable to leave the one he had already created.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece. Slow at times, but superbly gripping.
Review: One of Asimov's later novels, this is clearly an example of his mastery of Science Fiction. In this novel, Asimov details the beginnings of Superluminal (faster than light) flight. The story revolvs around a young girl with unusual perceptive abilities, who proves to be the key to the provocative mystery that surrounds a habitable planet which revolvs about an unknows star.

The book is written clearly and concisely, and allows the reader to concentrate on the magnificent story rather than trying to decipher the style. The pace of the story is, admittedly, slow, but it is nevertheless a page-turner. The plot is so intricately fascinating that one can easily see past the long conversations and little action that is, in essence, Asimov's style. While the story moves at a leisurly pace, the plot is simply mind-blowing. It is imaginative and intersting beyond words, and leaves one with a feeling of awe at the end of the novel.

This book is, in itself, a prelude to the hailed Foundation series; A catalyst to the Hyper-Spatial flight that makes much of the Foundation Universe work. And thus the Epilogue of the book, perhaps the most effective and most breathtaking two pages of literature I have ever read, ties the story explicitely to it's Foundation roots. Those of you who've read the Foundation novels will no doubt be thunderstruck by that ending, but even those ignorant few will enjoy it for it's sheer brilliance.

I hearly recommend this book, as it's plot is intricate and fascinating, and Asimov ends the story so well, so as to make everything that bit more worthwhile. Buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing novel with good characterization.
Review: One of Asimov's most popular stand-alone novels, Nemesis combines accurate scientific information, intriguing conjecture, and sturdy characters that you can sympathize with in a setting that is breathtaking. Read this book.

Rating:
Summary: "Nemesis had indeed come."
Review: Out of all the works of Isaac Asimov that I have read, my favorites are undoubtedly The Foundation Trilogy, and Nemesis. Nemesis is an interesting book. Its not really an adventure like so much science-fiction writte today. No, it's more of a social commentary on the types of changes we could likely expect when humanity reaches out for unknown territory. And it's also the story of a girl who is blessed with an uncanny ability to read people like an open book. Needless to say, it's quite interesting to observe what happens when a person simply cannot be lied to in any way, shape or form. And it's also about her mother and father and how they adapt to and deal with their environment.

But the real meat of this book is three-fold. First, it's about a planet in peril. The earth is going to be wiped out when the Sun's closest star approaches it, and no seems to belive the girl who knows. Second, this book is about the alien intelligence living on an inhospitable planet and it's desire to communicate with humans. And thirdly, this book is about the development of super-luminal (faster than light-speed) travel. Asimov explains the science of this like it's an actual phenomena that's really possible (which of course it is not as far as we know). I really enjoyed the science part of this novel. And I found the characters and their actions interesting too...

But the real kicker comes at the end of the book, when the man who's dreams of isolation and subsequent experimentation on a small group of humans are destroyed. To say much more would spoil it. But let's just say that the word Nemesis has several meanings, and the plot twist on the last page (as we realize what's REALLY going to happen in the years to come) is awesome. Perhaps the greatest ending plot twist I have ever seen (and a darn cool tie-in to the Foundation Series to boot).

If you love Asimov's sci-fi writing, definitely check this one out. Especially if you love the Foundation Trilogy. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Planetary Chauvinism...
Review: Out of the many concepts explored in science fiction, from space exploration, to the colonization of other worlds, to new earths, and terraforming, I find that the concept that seems to have fallen by the wayside the most is that of the settlement of space through artificial habitats. Issac Asimov once commented that a sort of "planetary chauvinism" existed while commenting on all the efforts and speculations spent on searching for another planet like earth, both in science and in science fiction. In Nemesis Asimov tackles these concepts as well as a range of other issues.

Taking a break from the two (or one) universes that have made Asimov's name a staple in science fiction, that of the Foundation and the Robots/Spacers universe, Asimov has created a brand new world where humanity has settled the stars in space habitats that is as fascinating and deep as his others. In the two or so centuries following the twentieth, overpopulation has resulted in the mass migration of humanity to artifially created habitats located throughout the solar system. These habitats are not your usual modular space stations. they are like those envisioned by the likes of Gerard K. O'neil et. al. They are massive vessels with vast swaths of land, lakes, blue skies, curving horizons and artificial gravity. Through self selection, these communities have become thousands of little islands in the sky. Their citizens have developed a curious love/hate relationship with the earth, the origin of humanity. On one hand they hold their habitats and lifestyles to be superior to Earth, yet on the other hand, they hold an irrational reverence and psychological link with the Earth, perhaps as a reaction to the isolation imposed by life in the habitats from the rest of humanity.

The story revolves around a colony, Rotor which declares its intent to be free of the earth's dominion and mysteriously dissappears one day. The rest of humanity does not realize that Rotor and its citizens have resolved to isolate themselved from the rest of humanity by moving the colony to a near by star, a previously undiscovered star only 2 light years from Earth called Nemesis. However, this ominous name may have far more meaning and deadly consequences than its namer could have realized, for Nemesis is on a collision course with the Solar system. This knowledge is kept secret from the citizens of Rotor, and only a young Rotorian girl knows this deadly secret. This girl now holds the fate of both Earth and Rotor in her hands. But she is far more than what she appears to be, for she has strange empathic abilities. However, she is not the only one with strange mysteries. When she is drawn for some unknown reason to the planet around which Rotor now orbits in the Nemesis star system, she must uncover its strange nature which could potentially be the salvation of both Earth and Rotor.

Nemesis is an great work not only for its unique concepts, but also for Asimov's characters. Characterization and dialogue have always been Asimov's weak points, however it was an aspect that was always continously improving through the years. As one of Asimov's late works, Nemesis contains a vibrant cast of interesting characters and good dialogue. There's still the tendency for characters to go into science textbook recitations for paragraphs at a time, but that's trademark Asimov.

What really makes Nemesis work though, are the concepts and issues Asimov explores. As with the Foundation and Robot novels, there is much more here than just a story about a big space station, or a mystery, or an adventure. Asimov uses his habitats to reflect on the nature of human society and the formation of communities. The habitats as "Islands in the sky" are used to discuss the propensity for humans to self select in the formation of communites, especially regarding their racial and ideological makeup. There are implications here that comment on real life things including racism, and the effects of gated suburban communities. Rotor is itself a standin for the numerous attempts throughout history, from the Pilgrim's Mass. to William Penn's Quaker Pennsylvania, at social experimentation by establishing ideologically motivated "cities on a hill" in splendid isolation from the rest of the world.

On the whole, while not as great as Asimov's most well known works, Nemesis is a nevertheless a good story in its own right, and one that one would expect from an author of Asimov's calibur.

Rating:
Summary: We get it! Marlene isn't pretty.
Review: Story: Decent plot and characters, but the pacing doesn't allow for much suspense.

Dialogue: Little over the top and unconvincing.

Marlene: Not pretty. Yes it's the beauty that's inside, but does Asimov need to keep going on about how ugly she is. It's almost like he was picking on her. There's a part where one of the major characters who actually likes her tells this 15 year old girl to her face, how unattractive she is. Who the hell does that? Especially someone who is supposed to be a friend and a father figure and who is trying to score with her mom?

"Hey fatty, where's that hot mother of yours? You know, the one who must have adopted you because you're ugly and you make me nauseous every time I look at you"