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| Isaac Asimov - Empire Series (LIT) English | 
| Stars, Like Dust
It is a great shame that Isaac Asimov's fun, if not exactly profound, Empire series is now entirely out of print. Like the rest of the series, the first of them, The Stars, Like Dust, is an entertaining, fun romp that is a quick read that will keep you glued to your seat. The plot is not Asimov's most original, but it is gripping and suspenseful, and will keep you reading (and guessing) right up until the end. Asimov, in his day, tried his hand at writing just very nearly every type of book there was to write, but I, and I am sure most will agree with me, have always felt that his true bread and butter was science fiction. He brought a touch of the mainstream (Asimov was fond of making a murder mystery or logic puzzle out of his SF stories) to the genre, which, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things scientific, made him attractive both to the diehards of the genre as well as to more conventional generally-non-SF readers. The Stars, Like Dust is a fine book that deserves to be back in print and deserves to be read. If you're an Asimov fan, I recommend picking this book up if you see it.
The Currents of Space
The Currents of Space is the second of Isaac Asimov's Empire novels, the first one being The Stars, Like Dust, and the final one being Pebble In The Sky. The Empire books fill the chronological gap between his Robot book and his Foundation books, all of which intertwine together to form a very long and convoluted fictional universe (this is ignoring the books set in this universe that were written by other authors.)
Sound confusing? It is; but don't let that worry you. Although the books are best read in sequence, they all work fine on their own as well, outside of the larger universe in which they are set, and they will serve the reader just fine, if he or she elects to pick and choose, though they will be missing a lot. I have no doubt that, after reading any one of the books, any reader will want to read all of them, owing to their high level of quality.
This particular novel is a fast-moving, suspenseful, science fiction/mystery/adventure romp. Improving upon the previous Empire novel, Asimov here wrote a very tight, smooth book that is very entertaining to read and can be enjoyed by almost anyone, whether they are a fan of science fiction or not. Like most of Asimov's novels, the book, though ostensibly science fiction, has the basic structure and feel of a mystery novel. Not surprisingly, then, his novels, though always scientifically literate and full of interesting scientific ideas, not to mention eminently worthy political and philosophical concepts, have a generally wide appeal. This is one of the reasons that Asimov is one of the most well-known and perennially popular of all science fiction writers: many of his novels feature a mainstream appeal that is atypical for the genre. His books are also invariably well-written and deserving of their large readership. The Currents of Space is no exception. Here Asimov displays his immense plotting talents, which would come to full fruition in his later works, weaving an interesting and complex web of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. He writes a solid, tight story that will keep the reader interested and entertained -- not to mention on his or her toes -- all the way through. It also makes very clear one of the most admirable traits of Dr. Asimov's: his love of peace. This book, like the later Foundation stories, features practical, sensible political solutions as an alternative to war. One cannot help but admire the good doctor for not using his premise of a futuristic world and technology as an excuse to fill his pages with senseless interstellar wars, as many science fiction writers, even the great ones, often do.
This is a book that any fan of Asimov will definitely want to read. That said, although it is a definite improvement on its prequel, this is not on the same level as some of the author's later and better-known work: though it is a solid story, well-told, it lacks, for the most part, the extra layer of deeper meaning that much of his later work would contain. It is for this reason that I give the work four stars. It is a bloody shame that the entire Empire series is no longer in print: they are a worthy series of books and fill in an important chronological niche in the Asimovian universe. Pick it up if you can find it.
Pebble in the Sky
Pebble In The Sky is probably the reigning titleholder of "Undiscovered Classic" in Isaac Asimov's impressive lexicon. It may take a little searching to locate this book, but believe me, it's well worth it.
Dr. Asimov constructed a huge universe that traces humanity from the near future (the Robot stories) to its first creaking footsteps into the unknown (the Robot novels), to the founding of a Galactic Empire (the Empire novels), and finally to the ultimate destination of mankind (the Foundation novels), although this was not his original intention - the Robot universe and Empire/Foundation universe were knotted together by later books. Anyway, of these four categories, the Empire novels are easiest the weakest. This is partly because it is very early Asimov (but Foundation and I, Robot, both classics, are equally early), and partly because the idea behind it all maybe isn't as inspired as the others.
However, Pebble in the Sky is a true work of literary genius. It is set on Earth in the year 827 of the Galactic Era. A man called Joseph Schwarz is found by a farming family, who find that he cannot communicate. They take him to a doctor at the city of Chica, Dr. Shekt, who uses his new Synapsifier to increase intelligence. Soon, they discover that Schwarz is in fact from the year 1949 AD, an era thousands of years back. Schwarz is equally amazed to find himself thousands of years in the future. And what a future he finds waiting for him...
I will not give any further information because it may well spoil the plot for you. It is a well-written enjoyable book. It showcases Dr. Asimov's incredible ability to render cultures, as his portrayal of Earth is one of the most haunting things I have ever seen. It is only a shame that he never wrote later Empire novels (maybe team Schwarz and R. Daneel Olivaw together!) to add to this forgotten chapter in his works.
Finally, a quick word about the contradictions. This work was written in 1949 and published in 1950, and so Dr. Asimov's knowledge of nuclear physics was a little rudimentary, as was anyone else's. Only four years removed from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the idea of a fullscale nuclear war seemed a very real possibility, and this was the reason that the Earth was radioactive. However, when Asimov wrote a later book entitled Robots And Empire, he realized that this was impossible and devised a more scientific solution. Everyone's belief in the story that it is because of a nuclear war can be put down to folklore - after all, the book does seem to say that much of our knowledge has been forgotten.
Read Pebble In The Sky and enjoy it as the classic that it truly is. You won't be disappointed.
5 out of 5 stars.
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