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Summary: My favorite Asimov
Review: Tonight the moon was the brightest it will be all year and as I looked up in the sky I couldn't help feeling cheated that I would never have a chance to try gliding across the surface of the moon. More than watching moon walks in the 70's or space shuttle launches in the 80's and beyond, it was this book that made me long to set foot on the moon. Like most Asimov books, the "science" is just the setting for the fiction, not the other way around. This story of drive, ambition, love, greed, revenge and heroics could just as easily be set in the present day or in ancient Greece. Asimov is the master of telling a story so good that you almost forget the "impossibility" of the setting. "The Gods Themselves" is really three books, each with its own tale. It is only in the end that Asimov takes these three stories and winds them together like a rope. To say more would ruin the pleasure. This is a book I have read and reread in part and in whole for 15 years. Strongly recommended!!
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Summary: In my opinion Asimov's best
Review: A clever plot, a clear structure, a great idea and a beautifully written book. if you've not read Asimov this is the best place to start
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Summary: The Demigods Themselves
Review: Hugo and Nebula Award winner. The book is divided into 3 sections, each taking its title from a portion of a quote from a play by the German playright Schiller: "Against Stupidity, the Gods Themselves Contend in Vain". The book is dedicated "To Mankind, and the hope that the war against folly may someday be won, after all". In the first section, Dr. Peter Lamont is recalling the story of the discovery of the "electron pump" process. Dr. Frederick Hallam had stumbled onto a discovery that a jar formerly
containing Tungsten-186 now contained Plutonium-186 (20 neutrons turned into 20 protons, with a net release of energy). He was assisted by Benjamin Allan Denison, a radiochemist. It turns out that Hallam is neither especially bright nor very well liked by his colleagues, but he ends up becoming a hero to the public at large for his fortuitous discovery. In the course of his research, Dr. Lamont interviews Hallam and suggests that Hallam and other humans had had little to do with the development of the electron pump, since the instructions had been sent from an unknown source (the same as the source of the
chemical change). For this impertinence, Hallam ruins Lamont's career. This causes Lamont to dig deeper into the process and develop a theory that the process will be dangerous to Earth in the near future. The danger lay in the fact that, by pumping electons into the parauniverse, its physical laws were slowly seeping into our universe (and vice versa). This meant that the strong nuclear force was gradually becoming weaker in our universe (stronger in the parauniverse). Since the sun works on nuclear fusion, its rate of fusion would increase until it eventually became unstable and the sun exploded. The other physicists knew of this danger but assumed an even distribution in our universe of the effect of the pumping, which meant that there would no danger for eons. Dr. Lamont, on the other hand, understood that the changes would be localized to the areas near the pumping stations and the dangerous effects much more concentrated. In the course of Dr. Lamont's research, he even has several cryptic communications with the "para-universe", the presumed source of the conversion process, which his friend and
colleague Dr. Myron Bronowski helps to translate. These messages seem to indicate that someone on the "other side" is also aware of danger. Unfortunately, as the Schiller quote implies, stupidity wins and Lamont's theory is scoffed at due primarilly to his bad standing with the revered Hallam. In the second section, we meet a few of the inhabitants of the para-universe and learn about their society. The common folks are divided into 3 types, rationals, emotionals and parentals. In addition to these are the "Hard Ones", who seem to be the ones really running things. Events involve one particular triad, whose emotional (Dua) secretly longs to be a rational. She ends up learning about the process and manages to send warning messages to the other side. In the last section, we find ourselves on Luna, with Dr. Denison arriving there as a permanent immigrant ("immi") from Earth. He has become disillusioned with Earth, since Hallam has managed to stunt his career as he had done to Lamont earlier. With the help
of a new friend, Selene (rhymes with 'sell any'), a tour-guide and friend of a local physicist, Denison manages to actually measure the dangerous effect that Lamont had predicted and
prove his theory to be true. He also proposes a solution; finding another para-universe to pass the extra protons to, making Earth merely a transit station and causing no permanent
change to its natural laws. All ends well, with Hallam getting his comeuppance on Earth and Lamont and Denison being honored as heros. Denison chooses to stay on Luna with his new girlfriend, Selene. This is a great science fiction story, highlighted by interesting characters, realistic scientific explanations, plausible basic proposition and an especially imaginative description of the alien world, its inhabitants and their culture. Asimov observes the foibles of mankind but, being an atheist, is unable to rely upon God to guide world events and eventually make things right (we sense his eco-panic, common among atheists and a familiar theme in current events). In place of God, he therefore proposes human intelligence (i.e. learning, science) as the solution to man's problems, ignoring the fact that this tool can be (and has been) used for both good and evil. Man needs more than knowledge, learning, intelligence or science, as important as these are. He needs forgiveness, moral insight and guidance, and courage to do the right thing. Against God, the demigods themselves contend in vain.
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Summary: Sci Fi at its roots
Review: like meny of azimov's books it starts very slowly but builds speed as it progresses down the paths of two universes intertwined by the need for more energy. a tale of overwelming powers that are to blind to see that destruction might come to there world. an advanture in saving the world all wraped in one book. if your willing to read the slow start its well worth the wait
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Summary: One of the best "Alien Novel "ever
Review: Old Isaac was not so hot on aliens,but when his genius applied to it,he came out whit some of the most convincing aliens in Science Fiction.The Three are very meticulously described in their sentiments,in their utterly alien life,all the more alien because it recalls ,distorted,some aspect of our sensibility.By the way,have you noticed the VERY naughty pun hidden in the life-cycle of the Aliens in question? Read the novel and think...
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Summary: Masterful in scientific excellence and imagination
Review: It is yet another homage to the versatility and ability of the author that he can write so well on a wide variety of topics. Whereas the Foundation series deals mainly with the workings of history and the nature of humanity, The Gods Themselves is a study in physical sciences and alien culture. Asimov excells in both areas; particularly notable is the creativity of his alien species, which if not technically flawless, is at least reflective of a very effective foray into biology. The character of Dua is very strong and shows a depth of emotion and feeling in her fear of losing her individuality. In addition, the physics presented in the novel is fascinating, especially the prospect of alternate universes that contain starkly different natural laws.
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Summary: One of Asimov's best, don't miss this one
Review: I have to admit, I am not a fan of Asimov's fiction as much as of other writers. When I was a teen, I enjoyed the plots and surprises, but as I matured, I found Asimov was wanting in character development (probably the hardest thing about novel writing and where even the greats sometimes fail.) Having said that, I still enjoy the robot novels for their inventiveness and good plots. This novel, the Gods Themselves, is not a robot novel and is probably one of Asimov's most creative. In this novel, Asimov creates a totally believable alien race, complete with three sexes (and deftly handles their mating or lovemaking with sensitivity and creativity.) A bridge between the alien universe and ours offers something for each side, seemingly for free, but scientists on both sides begin to sense that something is evilly wrong. How the wrong is righted is quite surprising and touching. I rate this one of the three top novels of Asimov, along with The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun. Asimov deftly creates alternative worlds, and if his characters are drawn more like TV drama cops than true people, it's overshadowed by his amazing imagination.
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Summary: One nagging reservation
Review: When I was in my early teens, I read virtually all Asimov's science fiction, and I welcomed his resumption of the genre when `Foundation's Edge' first appeared in 1982. `The Gods Themselves' was one of my favourites at the time, but in retrospect I am struck by what seems a serious plausibility problem with the much admired tri-sexual extra-terrestrials. They are described as having two phase life cycles with an early, reproductive phase and a later, non-reproductive phase. Asimov never gives us enough evidence of how the organisms in the second phase promote the reproductive success of their particular descendents in the earlier phase to make this pattern of life a plausible product of evolution through natural selection. If you can surmount this problem, then the book is fun to read, but I think that the shortcoming is significant in suggesting a tendency on the part of Asimov (a physical scientist) to be less rigorous in his level of scientific plausibility in the biological sciences.
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Summary: a book exploring thinking (and the avoidance of it) !
Review: There is a lot to be said in favor of this book. It has suspense, a good pace, new ideas in abundance, the opportunity for recognition, interesting new societies to explore, better rounded characters then Asmiov's usuals. It reads swiftly and entertains. For those of you who like puzzles: do try to figure out what Asimov was thinking when he numbered the chapters.But best of all: at last here is a novel dealing with the use and un-use of the brain. "Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain." Asimov has devided the book in three parts The first part of the book (titled: Against Stupidity) has chosen everyday stupidity as central theme. How people (human and otherwise) are interested more in immediate personal comfort then in learning the thruth. How people seem to avoid to think, if thinking might lead to discovering something unpleasant. And how this opens the possibilities for mismanagement, for praise (and careers) for the wrong people, and (hey, this is SF) for the destruction of our universe. This part can give a the feeling of deja vu and recognition to those working in hierarchical environnements, with it's usual not to bright, trouble avoiding, management. The second part (titled: The Gods Themselves) deals with the bond between intelligence, childlike emotions, and parental instructions, that are also present in every human (see Freud (Es, Ego, Superego) or Harris (I'm OK, you're OK)). Asimov paints an interesting and novel alien universe in which these three parts of us are seperate types of characters, that marry in Triads, and how the unity between the 3 transcents them into something very different from the parts. In the last part (Contend In Vain) the concept of advanced Intuition is explored as a means of knowing things, grasping solutions, without actually having a lot of knowledge on the subject. The setting for this is the utopic society living in colony on the moon. Some genetical enginering is implied, but not proven. A book worth your time and money (which ever comes first)!
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Summary: Good, but I expected more
Review: I originally picked up this book because I was working my way through a list of double winners, books that had won the Hugo and Nebula awards in a single year. The list is exclusive, and Azimov is one of only a handful of people to accomplish this (Orson Scott Card - twice, Ursula LeGuin - twice, Arthur C. Clarke - twice, David Brin, Joe Haldeman and William Gibson are the others that I know of). Having read Clarke's "Randezvous With Rama" and Card's "Ender's Game" and "Speaker fo the Dead", I thought that "The Gods Themselves" was going to be a great book. It was good, but my expectations were too high. I like Azimov's writing style, he isn't a literary giant, but he knows this and is intelligent enough not to try. He places an excellent mix of pace, simplicity and plot to carry the book along nicely. I found that the book depends a little too heavily on one plot trick that I guessed early on. This marred the overall impact of the book, but didn't destroy it. The book fully deserves the 3 stars I gave it and maybe more depending on how you like Azimov. If you loved the book and want something similar, you can't go wrong with most of Arthur C. Clarke's material, especially "Randezvous with Rama" which I mentioned earlier. Also, Azimov's "Foundation" books are written in a similar style and carry about the same weight.
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