The Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov

Rating:
Summary: Neat analysis
Review: In the mid 70s, Patrouch wrote a very useful analysis of Asimov's science fiction output. As you know, Asimov had a prodigious output, and this book only covers up to 1974. This includes his classic Foundation series and the Robot series.

Patrouch deliberately aimed his analysis at a level intelligible by a mass readership. Unlike some analyses of Asimov in literary journals, which were done at more abstruse level.

He pans several of the Lucky Starr stories. These were Asimov's equivalent of Heinlein's juvenile stories. Except that some were rather badly done. Unsurprisingly, few of the Lucky Starr books are available these days.

More interesting is Patrouch's analysis of Asimov's better known works. Like his take on the Foundation series. Patrouch points out that Asimov often ignored classic writing tips in this series. Often, he builds up to a climax. Then, in the next chapter, we see a retrospective discussion after the event was resolved. Very much a cerebral approach, as distinct from how someone like Pournelle might have scripted it.

Patrouch considers "The End of Eternity" to be one of Asimov's best laid out and conceptually coherent novels. Very tightly integrated plot.

Perhaps the only pity about Patrouch's book is the lack of a newer edition. Asimov would later write extensions to the Foundation series, and other works, for which Patrouch's views would be interesting.