| 1 | [[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Isaac_Asimov.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:240: "Any book worth banning is a book worth reading."]] |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | ->''"Isaac Asimov had writer's block once. It was the worst ten minutes of his life."'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''Creator/HarlanEllison''' [[note]]Or [[BeamMeUpScotty at least]] attributed to him.[[/note]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | One of the pioneers of ScienceFiction, Dr. Isaac Asimov (born Isaak Ozimov, circa 2 January 1920 -- died 6 April 1992) wrote during "the Golden Age of Science Fiction" and [[TropeMaker invented]] or [[TropeCodifier popularized]] many of the genre's tropes -- {{Robot Budd|y}}ies, [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empires]], [[CityPlanet world-spanning cities]] -- but is best known for the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws of Robotics]] (Including the ZerothLawRebellion) and ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' (whose [[TheVerse setting]] expanded to roughly half of his published fiction), both early works. He is considered one of the "Big Three", along with Creator/ArthurCClarke and Creator/RobertAHeinlein, and was the owner of one seriously awesome pair of sideburns. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Dr. Asimov was a professor of biochemistry, member of UsefulNotes/{{Mensa}}, founder of the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ([[FunWithAcronyms CSICOP]], renamed to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, which debunks paranormal and pseudoscientific claims), and one of the most prolific writers of science fiction and fact in history. He started reading the [[PulpMagazine pulp sci-fi magazines]] sold in his family's candy store when he was young, [[PromotedFanboy began writing his own stories when he was eleven]], and managed to get published when he was nineteen. He wrote over 500 books and a nearly uncountable number of short fiction and essays. His focus was science fiction and science fact, but he published NonFiction in nearly every subject possible; books about writing, a book of trivial facts, annotated commentaries of other people's works, {{Poetry}} and joke books. His prolific nature extended to being published in every category of the Dewey Decimal System. His friend and fellow author Creator/PeterDavid once joked that after Asimov's death, one could expect a new book, ''Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Afterlife" to appear in bookstores, because if anyone could pull off a posthumous publishing, it would be him. (His second wife, Creator/JanetAsimov, edited a few stories/essays that were nearly finished for posthumous publication, making Mr David correct in principle.) |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Robots in early science fiction almost always TurnedAgainstTheirMasters, a trope Asimov felt was [[DiscreditedTrope ridiculous]]. Robots were tools; they would [[RestrainingBolt be safe by design]]. After a few preliminary stories and help from Creator/JohnWCampbell, he formalized this with the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws of Robotics]] (which is also [[{{Neologism}} the first use of "robotics"]]): |
| 12 | # A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. |
| 13 | # A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. |
| 14 | # A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | At their core, the three laws are basic principles of machine engineering scaled up for designing hard AIs, i.e. any well-designed tool (like a kitchen knife) should not be able to injure its user in normal (and a few abnormal) usage, be able to accomplish its intended function efficiently, and be able to perform its intended tasks without excessively damaging itself unless such damage is required for performance or safety. Nevertheless, he engaged in destructive testing of these laws in his subsequent robot stories, showing how robots could still cause trouble through an [[LiteralGenie overly literal]] interpretation of their orders and the Three Laws, and even twist them to justify [[ShootTheDog killing humans]] and [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]] with a ZerothLawRebellion. Most short stories revolving around robots tended to feature either Susan Calvin, a misanthropic robopsychologist, or the pair [[HeterosexualLifePartners Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan]], troubleshooting engineers who test robots in adverse conditions. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The StandardSciFiHistory, which grew organically around the stories of the Golden Age, still owes much to Asimov’s ''Literature/FoundationSeries'', which began as a [[SerialNovel serial of short fiction stories]], and were later collected into ''The Foundation Trilogy''. Asimov set the initial stories [[VestigialEmpire during the fall]] of a [[GalacticSuperpower Galactic Empire]], while Terminus was poised to [[RisingEmpire rise as the next empire]]. He later bridged it into ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' and [[CanonWelding several other stories]], such as his ''Literature/RobotSeries''. From the ''Robots'', we have the exploration and [[ColonizedSolarSystem colonization]] of additional solar systems. ''Empire'' has humanity spread into the galaxy as a whole, forced to abandon a devastated Earth. By the time of ''Foundation'', the galactic empire has grown old and corrupt, so Hari Seldon envisions a replacement empire. Here is where the CityPlanet of Trantor and the PrescienceByAnalysis of Psychohistory is introduced. The series describes [[TheCycleOfEmpires the inevitable rise of a new empire]], and towards the chronological end of this series, he starts to investigate [[{{Transhumanism}} how humans might self-modify into aliens]]. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | In addition to popularizing or codifying numerous core tropes of the science-fiction genre, Asimov is also credited with pioneering the idea of combining sci-fi with ''other'' genres of fiction--something that's become so commonplace since his heyday that [[OnceOriginalNowCommon it can be hard to imagine that it was ever considered innovative]]. In a time when sci-fi was still considered fairly niche, Asimov sought to broaden its appeal by showing that it didn't necessarily need to be treated as a genre unto itself, but could be incorporated into almost any kind of story imaginable (e.g. mystery, romance, adventure, drama, political thriller, etc.). He demonstrated this idea most famously with the novels in his ''Robots'' trilogy (''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'', ''Literature/TheNakedSun'', and ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn''), all three of which are '''murder mysteries''' that just happen to take place hundreds of years in the future...and where one of the detective protagonists just happens to be a robot. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Despite being well-known for the ''Foundation'' and ''Robots'' cycles, the two stories that Asimov is perhaps most famous for are stand-alone shorts. One is "Literature/TheLastQuestion" (1956), a story that describes a StandardSciFiHistory, showing humanity [[{{Transhuman}} transforming]], and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascending]], while a computer attempts to answer the question "How can entropy be reversed?". The other is "Literature/{{Nightfall|1941}}" (1941), about an alien planet where night only falls once every thousand years, inspired by a quote from Creator/RalphWaldoEmerson and discussion with Creator/JohnWCampbell. A group of scientists who have discovered the Law of Gravitation try to preserve knowledge against the upcoming apocalypse, but they don't quite understand why night-time will bring about the destruction of their society while being attacked by the public and the Cult. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Isaac Asimov died in 1992 of AIDS, contracted through a blood transfusion. He left instructions for this not to be published until 10 years after his death in which time he thought social acceptance of HIV would change. (He was largely right.) |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 27 | !!Fiction by Isaac Asimov: |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Franchise pages]] |
| 30 | !!!These pages index stories across multiple books: |
| 31 | [[index]] |
| 32 | * ''Literature/GeorgeAndAzazel'' |
| 33 | * ''Literature/BlackWidowers'' |
| 34 | * ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'' |
| 35 | * ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' |
| 36 | * ''Literature/FoundationSeries'' (see ''{{Franchise/Foundation}}'' for adaptations) |
| 37 | * ''Literature/TheGreatSFStories'' |
| 38 | * ''Literature/TheHugoWinners'' |
| 39 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsMagicalWorldsOfFantasy'' |
| 40 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsWonderfulWorldsOfScienceFiction'' |
| 41 | * ''{{Literature/Larry}}'' / ''Literature/LarryMysteries'' |
| 42 | * ''Literature/TheMammothBookOf'' |
| 43 | * ''Literature/TheNorbyChronicles'' |
| 44 | * ''Literature/TheRobotNovels'' / ''Literature/TheRobotTrilogy'': |
| 45 | * Literature/RobotSeries |
| 46 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionShorts'' |
| 47 | * ''{{Literature/Thiotimoline}}'' |
| 48 | |
| 49 | [[/index]] |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:Short Fiction]] |
| 53 | !!!FlashFiction, {{Novella}}s, {{Novelette}}s, {{Poem}}s, and {{Short Stor|y}}ies: |
| 54 | [[index]] |
| 55 | * "Literature/OneTo999" |
| 56 | * "Literature/TwoFourThreeZeroAD" |
| 57 | |
| 58 | * "Literature/AboutNothing" |
| 59 | * "Literature/TheAcquisitiveChuckle" |
| 60 | * "Literature/AlexanderTheGod" |
| 61 | * "Literature/TheAlibi" |
| 62 | * "Literature/AllTheTroublesOfTheWorld" |
| 63 | * "{{Literature/Anniversary}}" |
| 64 | * "Literature/TheApplebyStory" |
| 65 | * "Literature/AuthorAuthor1964" |
| 66 | * "Literature/TheAuthorsOrdeal" |
| 67 | |
| 68 | * "Literature/BabyItsColdOutside" |
| 69 | * "Literature/TheBackwardLook" |
| 70 | * "Literature/BattleHymn" |
| 71 | * "{{Literature/Belief}}" |
| 72 | * "Literature/BenjaminsBicentennialBlast" |
| 73 | * "Literature/BenjaminsDream" |
| 74 | * "Literature/TheBestNewThing" |
| 75 | * "Literature/TheBicentennialMan" |
| 76 | * "Literature/BigGame" |
| 77 | * "Literature/TheBilliardBall" |
| 78 | * "Literature/BirthOfANotion" |
| 79 | * "Literature/BlackFriarOfTheFlame" |
| 80 | * "{{Literature/Blank}}" |
| 81 | * "Literature/BlindAlley" |
| 82 | * "Literature/ABoysBestFriend" |
| 83 | * "Literature/BreedsThereAMan" |
| 84 | * "Literature/ButtonButton" |
| 85 | * "Literature/BuyJupiter" |
| 86 | * "Literature/{{Cal}}" |
| 87 | * "Literature/TheCallistanMenace" |
| 88 | * "Literature/CanYouProveIt" |
| 89 | * "Literature/{{A Case of Need|Asimov}}" |
| 90 | * "Literature/CatchingTheFox" |
| 91 | * "Literature/CatchThatRabbit" |
| 92 | * "Literature/CChute" |
| 93 | * "Literature/ChristmasOnGanymede" |
| 94 | * "Literature/TheChristmasSolution" |
| 95 | * "Literature/ChristmasWithoutRodney" |
| 96 | * "Literature/AClearShot" |
| 97 | * "Literature/CleonTheEmperor" |
| 98 | * "Literature/TheConsort" |
| 99 | * "Literature/TheCovenant" |
| 100 | * "Literature/TheCriticOnTheHearth" |
| 101 | * "Literature/TheCrossOfLorraine" |
| 102 | * "Literature/TheCuriousOmission" |
| 103 | * "Literature/DarwinianPoolRoom" |
| 104 | * "Literature/DashingThroughTheSnow" |
| 105 | * "Literature/DayOfTheHunters" |
| 106 | * "Literature/TheDeadPast" |
| 107 | * "Literature/DeathOfAFoy" |
| 108 | * "Literature/DeathSentence" |
| 109 | * "Literature/{{The Deep|Asimov}}" |
| 110 | * "Literature/TheDimRumble" |
| 111 | * "Literature/TheDisappearingMan" |
| 112 | * "Literature/DollarsAndCents" |
| 113 | * "Literature/DoesABeeCare" |
| 114 | * "Literature/TheDream" |
| 115 | * "Literature/DreamingIsAPrivateThing" |
| 116 | * "{{Literature/Dreamworld}}" |
| 117 | * "Literature/TheDriver" |
| 118 | * "Literature/TheDustOfDeath" |
| 119 | * "Literature/TheDyingNight" |
| 120 | * "Literature/EachAnExplorer" |
| 121 | * "Literature/EarlySundayMorning" |
| 122 | * "Literature/EarthsetAndEveningStar" |
| 123 | * "Literature/TheEncyclopedists" |
| 124 | * "Literature/TheEndochronicPropertiesOfResublimatedThiotimoline" |
| 125 | * "Literature/TheEnvelope" |
| 126 | * "{{Literature/Escape}}" |
| 127 | * "{{Literature/Everest}}" |
| 128 | * "{{Literature/Evidence}}" |
| 129 | * "Literature/TheEvilDrinkDoes" |
| 130 | * "Literature/TheEvitableConflict" |
| 131 | * "Literature/TheEyeOfTheBeholder" |
| 132 | * "Literature/EyesDoMoreThanSee" |
| 133 | * "Literature/ExileToHell" |
| 134 | |
| 135 | * "Literature/TheFableOfTheThreePrinces" |
| 136 | * "Literature/FairExchange" |
| 137 | * "Literature/TheFamilyMan" |
| 138 | * "Literature/FaultIntolerant" |
| 139 | * "Literature/TheFavoritePiece" |
| 140 | * "Literature/TheFeelingOfPower" |
| 141 | * "Literature/FeghootAndTheCourts" |
| 142 | * "Literature/FeminineIntuition" |
| 143 | * "Literature/TheFightsOfSpring" |
| 144 | * "Literature/FirstLaw" |
| 145 | * "{{Literature/Flies}}" |
| 146 | * "Literature/FlightOfFancy" |
| 147 | * "Literature/ForTheBirds" |
| 148 | * "{{Literature/Found}}" |
| 149 | * "Literature/TheFoundationOfSFSuccess" |
| 150 | * "Literature/FoundingFather" |
| 151 | * "Literature/TheFourLeafClover" |
| 152 | * "Literature/TheFourthHomonym" |
| 153 | * "{{Literature/Franchise}}" |
| 154 | * "Literature/FridayTheThirteenth" |
| 155 | * "Literature/FriendsAndAllies" |
| 156 | * "{{Literature/Frustration}}" |
| 157 | * "Literature/TheFunTheyHad" |
| 158 | |
| 159 | * "Literature/{{Galatea}}" |
| 160 | * "Literature/GalleySlave" |
| 161 | * "Literature/TheGeneralFoundation" |
| 162 | * "Literature/TheGentleVultures" |
| 163 | * "Literature/GettingTheCombination" |
| 164 | * "Literature/GettingEven" |
| 165 | * "{{Literature/Gift}}" |
| 166 | * "Literature/GimmicksThree" |
| 167 | * "{{Literature/Gold}}" |
| 168 | * "Literature/GoLittleBook" |
| 169 | * "Literature/GoodByeToEarth" |
| 170 | * "Literature/TheGoodSamaritan" |
| 171 | * "Literature/GoodTaste" |
| 172 | * "Literature/TheGreatestAsset" |
| 173 | * "Literature/GreenPatches" |
| 174 | * "Literature/TheGuestsGuest" |
| 175 | |
| 176 | * "Literature/HalfAGhost" |
| 177 | * "Literature/HalfBakedPublishersDelight |
| 178 | * "Literature/HalfBreed" |
| 179 | * "Literature/HalfBreedsOnVenus" |
| 180 | * "Literature/{{Halloween}}" |
| 181 | * "{{Literature/Hallucination}}" |
| 182 | * "Literature/TheHauntedCabin" |
| 183 | * "Literature/TheHazing" |
| 184 | * "Literature/TheHeavenlyHost" |
| 185 | * "{{Literature/Heredity}}" |
| 186 | * "Literature/HeTravelsTheFastest" |
| 187 | * "Literature/HeWasntThere" |
| 188 | * "Literature/HideAndSeek" |
| 189 | * "{{Literature/History}}" |
| 190 | * "Literature/TheHolmesGinsbookDevice" |
| 191 | * "Literature/HomoSol" |
| 192 | * "{{Literature/Hostess}}" |
| 193 | * "Literature/HotOrCold" |
| 194 | * "Literature/HowItHappened" |
| 195 | |
| 196 | * "Literature/IJustMakeThemUpSee" |
| 197 | * "Literature/ILoveLittlePussy" |
| 198 | * "Literature/IdeasDieHard" |
| 199 | * "Literature/IgnitionPoint" |
| 200 | * "Literature/ImInMarsportWithoutHilda" |
| 201 | * "Literature/TheImaginary" |
| 202 | * "Literature/TheImmortalBard" |
| 203 | * "Literature/InAGoodCause" |
| 204 | * "Literature/InReplyToRandallGarret |
| 205 | * "Literature/InTheCanyon" |
| 206 | * "Literature/InsertKnobAInHoleB" |
| 207 | * "Literature/TheInstability" |
| 208 | * "Literature/TheIntrusion" |
| 209 | * "Literature/TheIronGem" |
| 210 | * "{{Literature/Irrelevance}}!" |
| 211 | * "Literature/IrresistibleToWomen" |
| 212 | * "Literature/ItIsComing" |
| 213 | * "Literature/ItsAJob" |
| 214 | * "Literature/ItsSuchABeautifulDay" |
| 215 | |
| 216 | * "{{Literature/Jokester}}'' |
| 217 | |
| 218 | * "Literature/KidStuff" |
| 219 | * "Literature/TheKey" |
| 220 | * "Literature/KeyItem" |
| 221 | * "Literature/TheKeyWord" |
| 222 | * "Literature/KidBrother" |
| 223 | |
| 224 | * "Literature/TheLastAnswer" |
| 225 | * "Literature/TheLastQuestion" |
| 226 | * "Literature/TheLastShuttle" |
| 227 | * "Literature/TheLastStory" |
| 228 | * "Literature/TheLastTrump" |
| 229 | * "Literature/LeftToRight" |
| 230 | * "Literature/LeftToRightAndBeyond" |
| 231 | * "Literature/LegalRites" |
| 232 | * "{{Literature/Lenny}}" |
| 233 | * "Literature/LestWeRemember" |
| 234 | * "Literature/LetsGetTogether" |
| 235 | * "Literature/LetsNot" |
| 236 | * "Literature/Liar1941" |
| 237 | * "Literature/TheLibraryBook" |
| 238 | * "Literature/TheLifeAndTimesOfMultivac" |
| 239 | * "Literature/LightVerse" |
| 240 | * "Literature/LittleBrothers" |
| 241 | * "Literature/LittleLostRobot" |
| 242 | * "Literature/TheLittleManOnTheSubway" |
| 243 | * "Literature/TheLittleThings" |
| 244 | * "Literature/LivingSpace" |
| 245 | * "Literature/LogicIsLogic" |
| 246 | * "Literature/ALointOfPaw" |
| 247 | * "Literature/LostInASpaceWarp" |
| 248 | * "Literature/TheLuckyPiece" |
| 249 | * "Literature/LuckySeven" |
| 250 | * "Literature/TheLullabyOfBroadway" |
| 251 | |
| 252 | * "Literature/TheMachineThatWonTheWar" |
| 253 | * "Literature/TheMadScientist" |
| 254 | * "Literature/TheMagicUmbrella" |
| 255 | * "Literature/TheMagnificentPosession" |
| 256 | * "Literature/TheManInThePark" |
| 257 | * "Literature/TheManWhoMadeThe21stCentury" |
| 258 | * "Literature/MarchAgainstTheFoe" |
| 259 | * "Literature/MarchingIn" |
| 260 | * "Literature/MaroonedOffVesta" |
| 261 | * "Literature/TheMarvellousPropertiesOfThiotimoline" |
| 262 | * "Literature/TheMartianWay" |
| 263 | * "Literature/AMatterOfPrinciple" |
| 264 | * "Literature/TheMayors" |
| 265 | * "Literature/TheMicropsychiatricApplicationsOfThiotimoline" |
| 266 | * "Literature/TheMenWhoReadIsaacAsimov" |
| 267 | * "Literature/TheMenWhoWouldntTalk" |
| 268 | * "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces" |
| 269 | * "Literature/TheMessage" |
| 270 | * "Literature/TheMindsConstruction" |
| 271 | * "Literature/MiddleName" |
| 272 | * "Literature/MirrorImage" |
| 273 | * "Literature/TheMissingItem" |
| 274 | * "Literature/MissWhat" |
| 275 | * "Literature/AMondayInApril" |
| 276 | * "Literature/TheMonkeysFingers" |
| 277 | * "Literature/MoreThingsInHeavenAndEarth" |
| 278 | * "Literature/MotherEarth" |
| 279 | * "Literature/TheMule" |
| 280 | * "Literature/MySonThePhysicist" |
| 281 | * "Literature/MysteryTune" |
| 282 | |
| 283 | * "Literature/TheNationsInSpace" |
| 284 | * "Literature/NeitherBruteNorHuman" |
| 285 | * "Literature/NeverOutOfSight" |
| 286 | * "Literature/TheNextDay" |
| 287 | * "Literature/TheNextFrontier" |
| 288 | * "Literature/Nightfall1941" |
| 289 | * "Literature/NobodyHereBut" |
| 290 | * "Literature/NoConnection" |
| 291 | * "Literature/NoneSoBlind" |
| 292 | * "Literature/NoRefugeCouldSave" |
| 293 | * "Literature/NoSmoking" |
| 294 | * "{{Literature/Northwestward}}" |
| 295 | * "Literature/NotFinal" |
| 296 | * "Literature/NothingForNothing" |
| 297 | * "Literature/NothingLikeMurder" |
| 298 | * "Literature/NothingMightHappen" |
| 299 | |
| 300 | * "{{Literature/Obituary}}" |
| 301 | * "Literature/TheObviousFactor" |
| 302 | * "Literature/OhThatLostSenseOfWonder" |
| 303 | * "Literature/OldFashioned" |
| 304 | * "Literature/TheOldPurse" |
| 305 | * "Literature/OneNightOfSong" |
| 306 | * "Literature/TheOneAndOnlyEast" |
| 307 | * "Literature/OutOfSight" |
| 308 | |
| 309 | * "Literature/ParodiesTossedHowToSucceedAtScienceFictionWithoutReallyTrying" |
| 310 | * "Literature/PartyBySatellite" |
| 311 | * "Literature/PateDeFoieGras" |
| 312 | * "Literature/ThePause" |
| 313 | * "Literature/APerfectFit" |
| 314 | * "Literature/PhAsInPhony" |
| 315 | * "Literature/ThePhoenicianBauble" |
| 316 | * "Literature/ThePointingFinger" |
| 317 | * "Literature/PointOfView" |
| 318 | * "Literature/PoliceAtTheDoor" |
| 319 | * "Literature/ThePortableStar" |
| 320 | * "{{Literature/Potential}}" |
| 321 | * "Literature/ThePrimeOfLife" |
| 322 | * "Literature/PrinceDelightfulAndTheFlamelessDragon" |
| 323 | * "Literature/AProblemOfNumbers" |
| 324 | * "{{Literature/Profession}}" |
| 325 | * "Literature/TheProperStudy" |
| 326 | * "Literature/ThePsychohistorians" |
| 327 | |
| 328 | * "Literature/QuickerThanTheEye" |
| 329 | * "Literature/TheQuietPlace" |
| 330 | |
| 331 | * "Literature/RainRainGoAway" |
| 332 | * "{{Literature/Reason}}" |
| 333 | * "Literature/TheRecipe" |
| 334 | * "Literature/TheRedhead" |
| 335 | * "Literature/TheRedQueensRace" |
| 336 | * "Literature/RejectionSlips" |
| 337 | * "Literature/RingAroundTheSun" |
| 338 | * "{{Literature/Risk}}" |
| 339 | * "{{Literature/Robbie}}" |
| 340 | * "Literature/RobotAl76GoesAstray" |
| 341 | * "Literature/RobotDreams" |
| 342 | * "Literature/RobotVisions" |
| 343 | * "{{Literature/Runaround}}" |
| 344 | |
| 345 | * "{{Literature/Sally}}" |
| 346 | * "Literature/SantaClausGetsACoin" |
| 347 | * "Literature/SarahTops" |
| 348 | * "Literature/SatisfactionGuaranteed" |
| 349 | * "Literature/SavingHumanity" |
| 350 | * "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation" |
| 351 | * "Literature/SearchByTheMule" |
| 352 | * "Literature/SeasonsGreetings!" |
| 353 | * "Literature/SecondBest" |
| 354 | * "Literature/TheSecretSense" |
| 355 | * "{{Literature/Segregationist}}" |
| 356 | * "Literature/ShahGuidoG" |
| 357 | * "Literature/TheSign" |
| 358 | * "Literature/SillyAsses" |
| 359 | * "Literature/TheSingingBell" |
| 360 | * "Literature/SixtyMillionTrillionCombinations" |
| 361 | * "Literature/TheSmileOfTheChipper" |
| 362 | * "Literature/TheSmileThatLoses" |
| 363 | * "{{Literature/Someday}}" |
| 364 | * "Literature/TheSpeck" |
| 365 | * "Literature/SpellIt" |
| 366 | * "Literature/SpellMyNameWithAnS" |
| 367 | * "Literature/TheSportsPage" |
| 368 | * "Literature/StarEmpire" |
| 369 | * "Literature/StarLight" |
| 370 | * "Literature/AStatueForFather" |
| 371 | * "Literature/StrangerInParadise" |
| 372 | * "{{Literature/Strike}}" |
| 373 | * "{{Literature/StrikeBreaker}}" |
| 374 | * "Literature/SuckerBait" |
| 375 | * "Literature/SunsetOnTheWater" |
| 376 | * "Literature/SuperNeutron" |
| 377 | * "Literature/TheSuperRunner" |
| 378 | * "Literature/SureThing" |
| 379 | * "Literature/TakeAMatch" |
| 380 | * "Literature/TaleOfThePioneer" |
| 381 | * "Literature/TheTalkingStone" |
| 382 | * "Literature/TheTelephoneNumber" |
| 383 | * "Literature/TheTenSecondElectron" |
| 384 | * "Literature/TheTercentenaryIncident" |
| 385 | * "Literature/TestingTesting" |
| 386 | * "Literature/ThatThouArtMindfulOfHim" |
| 387 | * "Literature/ThereWasAYoungLady" |
| 388 | * "{{Literature/Think}}" |
| 389 | * "Literature/TheThinLine" |
| 390 | * "Literature/ThiotimolineAndTheSpaceAge" |
| 391 | * "Literature/ThiotimolineToTheStars" |
| 392 | * "Literature/TheThirteenDayOfChristmas" |
| 393 | * "Literature/TheThirteenthPage" |
| 394 | * "Literature/TheThreeGoblets" |
| 395 | * "Literature/TheThreeNumbers" |
| 396 | * "Literature/TheThunderThieves" |
| 397 | * "Literature/TimePussy" |
| 398 | * "Literature/TheTimeTraveler" |
| 399 | * "Literature/TheTraders" |
| 400 | * "{{Literature/Trends}}" |
| 401 | * "Literature/TripleDevil" |
| 402 | * "Literature/TrueLove" |
| 403 | * "Literature/TruthToTell" |
| 404 | * "Literature/TwelveYearsOld" |
| 405 | * "Literature/TheTwins" |
| 406 | * "Literature/ToTheBarest" |
| 407 | * "Literature/TooBad" |
| 408 | * "Literature/ToTellAtAGlance" |
| 409 | * "Literature/ToTheVictor" |
| 410 | * "Literature/ToYourHealth" |
| 411 | * "Literature/TheTurningPoint" |
| 412 | * "Literature/TheTwoCentimeterDemon" |
| 413 | * "Literature/TwoWomen" |
| 414 | * "Literature/UntoTheFourthGeneration" |
| 415 | * "Literature/TheUpToDateSorcerer" |
| 416 | * "Literature/TheUltimateCrime" |
| 417 | * "Literature/TheUnabridged" |
| 418 | * "Literature/UniqueIsWhereYouFindIt" |
| 419 | * "{{Literature/Waterclap}}" |
| 420 | * "Literature/TheWateryPlace" |
| 421 | * "Literature/TheWeapon" |
| 422 | * "Literature/TheWeaponTooDreadfulToUse" |
| 423 | * "Literature/WellHardlyEver" |
| 424 | * "Literature/WhatIf1952" |
| 425 | * "Literature/WhatIsThisThingCalledLove" |
| 426 | * "Literature/WhatsInAName" |
| 427 | * "Literature/WhatTimeIsIt?" |
| 428 | * "Literature/WhenNoManPursueth" |
| 429 | * "Literature/WhereIsHe" |
| 430 | * "Literature/WhichIsWhich" |
| 431 | * "Literature/TheWindsOfChange" |
| 432 | * "Literature/WineIsAMocker" |
| 433 | * "Literature/TheWinnowing" |
| 434 | * "Literature/TheWomanInTheBar" |
| 435 | * "Literature/AWomansHeart" |
| 436 | * "Literature/WritingTime" |
| 437 | * "Literature/TheWrongHouse" |
| 438 | |
| 439 | * "Literature/YankeeDoodleWentToTown" |
| 440 | * "Literature/TheYearOfTheAction" |
| 441 | * "Literature/YesButWhy" |
| 442 | * "{{Literature/Youth|1952}}" |
| 443 | |
| 444 | * "Literature/ZipCode" |
| 445 | [[/index]] |
| 446 | [[/folder]] |
| 447 | |
| 448 | [[folder:Published Books]] |
| 449 | [[index]] |
| 450 | * ''Literature/OneHundredGreatFantasyShortShortStories'' (co-edited with Creator/TerryCarr and Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 451 | * ''Literature/OneHundredGreatScienceFictionShortShortStories'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 452 | * ''Literature/OneHundredMaliciousLittleMysteries'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 453 | * ''Literature/The13CrimesOfScienceFiction'' |
| 454 | * ''Literature/ThirteenHorrorsOfHalloween'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CarolLynnRosselWaugh) |
| 455 | * ''Literature/ThirteenShortScienceFictionNovels'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 456 | * ''Literature/AfterTheEnd'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 457 | * ''Literature/TheAlternateAsimovs'' |
| 458 | * ''Literature/AmazingStories60YearsOfTheBestScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 459 | * ''Literature/TheAsimovChronicles'' |
| 460 | * ''Literature/AsimovsMysteries'' |
| 461 | * ''{{Literature/Atlantis}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 462 | * ''Literature/BanquetsOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 463 | * ''Literature/BeforeTheGoldenAge'' |
| 464 | * ''Literature/TheBestOfIsaacAsimov'' |
| 465 | * ''Literature/TheBestMysteriesOfIsaacAsimov'' |
| 466 | * ''Literature/TheBestNewThing'' |
| 467 | * ''Literature/TheBestScienceFictionOfIsaacAsimov'' |
| 468 | * ''Literature/BeyondTheStars'' |
| 469 | * ''Literature/TheBicentennialManAndOtherStories'' |
| 470 | * ''Literature/BugAwful'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 471 | * ''Literature/BuyJupiterAndOtherStories'' |
| 472 | * ''Literature/CasebookOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 473 | * ''{{Literature/Catastrophes}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 474 | * ''Literature/CaughtInTheOrganDraftBiologyInScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 475 | * ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'' |
| 476 | * ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheFuture'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 477 | * ''{{Literature/Comets}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 478 | * ''Literature/TheCompleteRobot'' |
| 479 | * ''Literature/ComputerCrimesAndCapers'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 480 | * ''Literature/TheCurrentsOfSpace'' |
| 481 | * ''Literature/CosmicCritiquesHowAndWhyTenScienceFictionStoriesWork'' (co-edited with Creator/AnsenDibell and Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 482 | * ''Literature/CosmicKnights'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 483 | * ''Literature/CreationsTheQuestForOriginsInStoryAndScience'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/GeorgeZebrowski) |
| 484 | * ''{{Literature/Curses}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 485 | |
| 486 | * ''Literature/TheDarkVoid'' |
| 487 | * ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger'' |
| 488 | * ''{{Literature/Devils}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 489 | * ''Literature/TheDisappearingManAndOtherMysteries'' |
| 490 | * ''Literature/DragonTales'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 491 | * ''Literature/DreamBenjaminsDreamAndBenjaminsBicentennialBlast'' |
| 492 | |
| 493 | * ''Literature/TheEarlyAsimov'' |
| 494 | * ''Literature/EarthInvaded'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 495 | * ''Literature/EarthIsRoomEnough'' |
| 496 | * ''Literature/TheEdgeOfTomorrow'' |
| 497 | * ''Literature/ElectionDay2084'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 498 | * ''{{Literature/Encounters}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 499 | * ''Literature/TheEndOfEternity'' |
| 500 | |
| 501 | * ''Literature/FantasticCreatures'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 502 | * ''Literature/FantasticVoyage'' |
| 503 | * ''Literature/FantasticVoyageIIDestinationBrain'' |
| 504 | * ''Literature/FiftyShortScienceFictionTales'' (co-edited with Creator/GroffConklin) |
| 505 | * ''Literature/FlyingSaucers'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 506 | * ''Literature/Foundation1951'' |
| 507 | * ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'' |
| 508 | * ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' |
| 509 | * ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' |
| 510 | * ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' |
| 511 | * ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'' |
| 512 | * ''Literature/TheFutureI'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 513 | * ''Literature/TheFutureInQuestion'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 514 | * ''Literature/FriendsRobotsCountrymen'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 515 | |
| 516 | * ''Literature/TheGodsThemselves'' |
| 517 | * ''Literature/GoldTheFinalScienceFictionCollection'' |
| 518 | * ''Literature/GreatScienceFictionStoriesByTheWorldsGreatScientists'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 519 | * ''Literature/GreatTalesOfClassicScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 520 | * ''Literature/AGrosseryOfLimericks'' (co-authored with Creator/JohnCiardi) |
| 521 | * ''Literature/GrowOldAlongWithMe'' |
| 522 | |
| 523 | * ''Literature/HallucinationOrbitPsychologyInScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 524 | * ''Literature/HaveYouSeenThese'' |
| 525 | |
| 526 | * ''Literature/IntergalacticEmpires'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 527 | * ''{{Literature/Invasions}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 528 | * ''Literature/IRobot'' |
| 529 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsGreatScienceFictionStoriesOf1939'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 530 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsGreatScienceFictionStoriesOf1940'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 531 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheBestFantasyOfThe19thCentury'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 532 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheBestHorrorAndSupernaturalOfThe19thCentury'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 533 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheBestScienceFictionOfThe19thCentury'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 534 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheBestScienceFictionFirsts'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 535 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume031941'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 536 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume041942'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 537 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume051943'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 538 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume061944'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 539 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume071945'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 540 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume081946'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 541 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume091947'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 542 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume101948'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 543 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume111949'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 544 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume121950'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 545 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume131951'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 546 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume141952'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 547 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume151953'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 548 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume161954'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 549 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume171955'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 550 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume181956'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 551 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume191957'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 552 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume201958'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 553 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume211959'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 554 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume221960'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 555 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume231961'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 556 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume241962'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 557 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume251963'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 558 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsScienceFictionTreasury'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 559 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsTheUltimateRobot'' |
| 560 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovTheCompleteStories'' |
| 561 | |
| 562 | * ''Literature/TheKeyWordAndOtherMysteries'' |
| 563 | |
| 564 | * ''Literature/TheLastManOnEarth'' |
| 565 | * ''Literature/LaughingSpace'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 566 | * ''Literature/LecherousLimericks'' |
| 567 | * ''Literature/LimericksTooGross'' |
| 568 | * ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids'' |
| 569 | * ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus'' |
| 570 | * ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'' |
| 571 | * ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'' |
| 572 | * ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'' |
| 573 | |
| 574 | * ''Literature/MagicTheFinalFantasyCollection'' |
| 575 | * ''Literature/MicrocosmicTales'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 576 | * ''Literature/MoreLecherousLimericks'' |
| 577 | * ''Literature/MoreTalesOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 578 | * ''Literature/TheMartainWayAndOtherStories'' |
| 579 | * ''Literature/TheMammothBookOfShortFantasyNovels'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 580 | * ''Literature/TheMammothBookOfFantasticScienceFictionShortNovelsOfThe19709s'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 581 | * ''Literature/MurderOnTheMenu'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CarolLynnRosselWaugh) |
| 582 | * ''Literature/MurderAtTheABA'' |
| 583 | |
| 584 | * ''Literature/TheNakedSun'' |
| 585 | * ''Nemesis'' |
| 586 | * ''Literature/TheNewHugoWinners'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 587 | * ''Literature/Nightfall1990'' (co-authored with Creator/RobertSilverberg) |
| 588 | * ''Literature/NightfallAndOtherStories'' |
| 589 | * ''Literature/NineTomorrows'' |
| 590 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndTheCourtJester'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 591 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndTheInvaders'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 592 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndTheLostPrincess'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 593 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndTheOldestDragon'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 594 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndTheQueensNecklace'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 595 | * ''Literature/NorbyAndYobosGreatAdventure'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 596 | * ''Literature/NorbyDownToEarth'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 597 | * ''Literature/NorbyFindsAVillain'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 598 | * ''Literature/NorbyTheMixedUpRobot'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 599 | * ''Literature/NorbysOtherSecret'' (co-authored with Creator/JanetAsimov) |
| 600 | |
| 601 | * ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'' |
| 602 | * ''Literature/ThePositronicMan'' (co-authored with Creator/RobertSilverberg) |
| 603 | * ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'' |
| 604 | * ''Literature/PuzzlesOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 605 | |
| 606 | * ''Literature/TheReturnOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 607 | * ''Literature/TheRestOfTheRobots'' |
| 608 | * ''Literature/RobotDreams'' |
| 609 | * ''{{Literature/Robots}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 610 | * ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'' |
| 611 | * ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'' |
| 612 | * ''Literature/RobotVisions'' |
| 613 | |
| 614 | * ''Literature/TheScienceFictionalSolarSystem'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 615 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionAToZ'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 616 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionByAsimov'' |
| 617 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionFavorites'' |
| 618 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionMasterpieces'' |
| 619 | * ''Literature/TheScienceFictionWeightLossBook'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/GeorgeRRMartin) |
| 620 | * ''Literature/SecondFoundation'' |
| 621 | * ''Literature/TheSevenCardinalVirtuesOfScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 622 | * ''Literature/TheSevenDeadlySinsOfScienceFiction'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 623 | * ''Literature/SherlockHolmesThroughTimeAndSpace'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 624 | * ''Literature/SpaceMail'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/JosephDOlander) |
| 625 | * ''Literature/SpaceMailVolumeII'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 626 | * ''{{Literature/Speculations}}'' (co-edited with Creator/AliceLaurance) |
| 627 | * ''{{Literature/Starships}}'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 628 | * ''Literature/TheStarsLikeDust'' |
| 629 | * ''Literature/StillMoreLecherousLimericks'' |
| 630 | * ''Literature/TalesOfTheBlackWidowers'' |
| 631 | * ''Literature/TalesOfTheOccult'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 632 | * ''Literature/TantalizingLockedRoomMysteries'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 633 | * ''Literature/ThoseAmazingElectronicThinkingMachines'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 634 | * ''Literature/ThreeScienceFictionTales'' |
| 635 | * ''Literature/ThroughAGlassClearly'' |
| 636 | * ''Literature/TomorrowsChildren'' |
| 637 | * ''Literature/TomorrowsTV'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 638 | * ''Literature/TV2000'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 639 | * ''Literature/TheTwelveFrightsOfChristmas'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CarolLynnRosselWaugh) |
| 640 | * ''Literature/TheUglyLittleBoy1991'' (co-authored with Creator/RobertSilverberg) |
| 641 | * ''Literature/TheUnionClubMysteries'' |
| 642 | * ''Literature/VisionsOfFantasyTalesFromTheMasters'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg) |
| 643 | * ''Literature/TheWindsOfChangeAndOtherStories'' |
| 644 | * ''Literature/WhereDoWeGoFromHere'' |
| 645 | * ''Literature/WarWithTheRobots'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/PatriciaSWarrick) |
| 646 | * ''Literature/AWhiffOfDeath'' |
| 647 | * ''Literature/YoungExtraterrestrials'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 648 | * ''Literature/YoungMutants'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 649 | * ''Literature/YoungGhosts'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 650 | * ''Literature/YoungMonsters'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 651 | * ''Literature/YoungStarTravelers'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 652 | * ''Literature/YoungWitchesAndWarlocks'' (co-edited with Creator/MartinHGreenberg and Creator/CharlesGWaugh) |
| 653 | [[/index]] |
| 654 | [[/folder]] |
| 655 | |
| 656 | ---- |
| 657 | !!NonFiction by Isaac Asimov: |
| 658 | |
| 659 | [[folder:Autobiographies]] |
| 660 | !!Books published as [[{{Biography}} biographical]] records: |
| 661 | [[index]] %%Listed in Publication order |
| 662 | * ''Literature/Opus100'' (1969) |
| 663 | * ''Literature/Opus200'' (1979) |
| 664 | * ''Literature/InMemoryYetGreen'' (1979) |
| 665 | * ''Literature/InJoyStillFelt'' (1980) |
| 666 | * ''Literature/Opus300'' (1984) |
| 667 | * ''Literature/IAsimovAMemoir'' (1994) |
| 668 | * ''Literature/YoursIsaacAsimovALifetimeOfLetters'' (1995) |
| 669 | * ''Literature/ItsBeenAGoodLife'' (2002) |
| 670 | [[/index]] |
| 671 | [[/folder]] |
| 672 | |
| 673 | [[folder:Essays (only those with pages)]] |
| 674 | [[index]] |
| 675 | %% Don't index this trope page because it isn’t a work page: |
| 676 | * [[/index]]"[[AsimovsThreeKindsOfScienceFiction Social Science Fiction]]": An article defining three broad categories that encompass all SF plots.[[index]] |
| 677 | [[/index]] |
| 678 | [[/folder]] |
| 679 | |
| 680 | [[folder:Books]] |
| 681 | [[index]] |
| 682 | %% Please leave the thesis as the first book in this list; all others are listed in alphabetical order. |
| 683 | # ''[[Literature/TheKineticsOfTheReactionInactivationOfTyrosinase The Kinetics of the Reaction Inactivation of Tyrosinase during its Catalysis of the Aerobic Oxidation of Catechol]]'' (Because of the effort involved, Dr. Asimov numbers his doctoral thesis as Book #0; his first published book.) |
| 684 | * ''Literature/AddingADimension'' |
| 685 | * ''Literature/AlphaCentauriTheNearestStar'' |
| 686 | * ''Literature/AsimovLaughsAgain'' |
| 687 | * ''Literature/AsimovOnAstronomy'' |
| 688 | * ''Literature/AsimovOnNumbers'' |
| 689 | * ''Literature/AsimovOnPhysics'' |
| 690 | * ''Literature/AsimovOnScienceFiction'' |
| 691 | * ''Literature/AsimovsBookOfFacts'' |
| 692 | * ''Literature/AsimovsChronologyOfScienceAndDiscovery'' |
| 693 | * ''Literature/AsimovsGalaxyReflectionsOnScienceFiction'' |
| 694 | * ''Literature/AsimovsGuideToShakespeare'' |
| 695 | * ''Literature/AsimovsNewGuideToScience'' |
| 696 | * ''Literature/BeginningsTheStoryOfOrigins'' |
| 697 | * ''Literature/BiochemistryAndHumanMetabolism'' |
| 698 | * ''Literature/TheBirthOfTheUnitedStates17631816'' |
| 699 | * ''Literature/BuildingBlocksOfTheUniverse'' |
| 700 | * ''Literature/ChangeSeventyOneGlimpsesOfTheFuture'' |
| 701 | * ''Literature/TheChemicalsOfLife'' |
| 702 | * ''Literature/AChoiceOfCatastrophes'' |
| 703 | * ''Literature/TheClockWeLiveOn'' |
| 704 | * ''Literature/TheCollapsingUniverse'' |
| 705 | * ''Literature/CountingTheEons'' |
| 706 | * ''Literature/TheDoublePlanet'' |
| 707 | * ''Literature/TheEarth'' |
| 708 | * ''Literature/EarthOurCrowdedSpaceship'' |
| 709 | * ''Literature/EnvironmentsOutThere'' |
| 710 | * ''Literature/TheExplodingStarsSecretsOfTheSupernovas'' |
| 711 | * ''Literature/ExploringTheEarthAndTheCosmos'' |
| 712 | * ''Literature/ExtraterrestrialCivilizations'' |
| 713 | * ''Literature/FactAndFancy'' |
| 714 | * ''Literature/FarAsHumanEyeCouldSee'' |
| 715 | * ''Literature/FromEarthToHeaven'' |
| 716 | * ''Literature/FrontiersNewDiscoveries'' |
| 717 | * ''Literature/FrontiersIIMoreRecentDiscoveries'' |
| 718 | * ''Literature/FuturedaysANineteenthCenturyVisionOfTheYear2000'' |
| 719 | * ''Literature/TheGeneticCode'' |
| 720 | * ''Literature/HowDidWeFindOutAboutBlackHoles'' |
| 721 | * ''Literature/HowDidWeFindOutAboutOuterSpace'' |
| 722 | * ''Literature/HowToEnjoyWritingABookOfAidAndComfort'' |
| 723 | * ''Literature/TheHumanBodyItsStructureAndOperation'' |
| 724 | * ''Literature/TheHumanBrain'' |
| 725 | * ''Literature/InsideTheAtom'' |
| 726 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsBookOfFacts'' |
| 727 | * ''Literature/IsaacAsimovsGuideToEarthAndSpace'' |
| 728 | * ''Literature/IsAnyoneThere'' |
| 729 | * ''Literature/JupiterTheLargestPlanet'' |
| 730 | * ''Literature/TheLeftHandOfTheElectron'' |
| 731 | * ''Literature/LegendsFolkloreAndOuterSpace'' |
| 732 | * ''Literature/LifeAndEnergy'' |
| 733 | * ''Literature/LifeAndTime'' |
| 734 | * ''Light'' %%Current page is an unrelated work, determine new title when someone gets around to drafting a page for it |
| 735 | * ''Literature/TheLivingRiver'' |
| 736 | * ''Literature/MarsTheRedPlanet'' |
| 737 | * ''Literature/TheMeasureOfTheUniverse'' |
| 738 | * ''Literature/TheNearEast10000YearsOfHistory'' |
| 739 | * ''Literature/TheNeutrinoGhostParticleOfTheAtom'' |
| 740 | * ''Literature/TheNobleGases'' |
| 741 | * ''Literature/OfTimeSpaceAndOtherThings'' |
| 742 | * ''Literature/OfMattersGreatAndSmall'' |
| 743 | * ''Literature/OnlyATrillion'' |
| 744 | * ''Literature/OurAngryEarth'' |
| 745 | * ''Literature/OutOfTheEverywhere'' |
| 746 | * ''Literature/PlanetsForMan'' |
| 747 | * ''Literature/ThePlanetThatWasnt'' |
| 748 | * ''Literature/PleaseExplain'' |
| 749 | * ''Literature/QuasarQuasarBurningBright'' |
| 750 | * ''Literature/RacesAndPeople'' |
| 751 | * ''Literature/RealmOfAlgebra'' |
| 752 | * ''Literature/RealmOfNumbers'' |
| 753 | * ''Literature/RealmOfMeasure'' |
| 754 | * ''Literature/TheRelativityOfWrong'' |
| 755 | * ''Literature/TheRoadToInfinity'' |
| 756 | * ''Literature/RobotsMachinesInMansImage'' |
| 757 | * ''Literature/TheRovingMind'' |
| 758 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionScienceFact'' |
| 759 | * ''Literature/ScienceFictionVisionOfTomorrow'' |
| 760 | * ''Literature/ScienceNumbersAndI'' |
| 761 | * ''Literature/SciencePastScienceFuture'' |
| 762 | * ''Literature/TheSciencesOfLife'' |
| 763 | * ''Literature/TheSecretOfTheUniverse'' |
| 764 | * ''Literature/TheSensuousDirtyOldMan'' |
| 765 | * ''Literature/TheShapingOfEngland'' |
| 766 | * ''Literature/AShortHistoryOfChemistry'' |
| 767 | * ''Literature/TheSolarSystemAndBack'' |
| 768 | * ''{{Literature/Stars}}'' |
| 769 | * ''Literature/TheStarsInTheirCourses'' |
| 770 | * ''Literature/TheSubatomicMonster'' |
| 771 | * ''Literature/TheSunShinesBright'' |
| 772 | * ''Literature/TodayAndTomorrowAnd'' |
| 773 | * ''Literature/ToTheEndsOfTheUniverse'' |
| 774 | * ''Literature/TowardsTomorrow'' |
| 775 | * ''Literature/TheTragetyOfTheMoon'' |
| 776 | * ''Literature/TwentiethCenturyDiscovery'' |
| 777 | * ''Literature/UnderstandPhysicsLightMagnetismAndElectricity'' |
| 778 | * ''Literature/UnderstandPhysicsMotionSoundAndHeat'' |
| 779 | * ''Literature/UnderstandPhysicsTheElectronProtonAndNeutron'' |
| 780 | * ''Literature/TheUniverseFromFlatEarthToQuasar'' |
| 781 | * ''Venus'' %%Current page is an unrelated work, determine new title when someone gets around to drafting a page for it |
| 782 | * ''Literature/ViewFromAHeight'' |
| 783 | * ''Literature/TheWellspringsOfLife'' |
| 784 | * ''Literature/WordsFromTheMyths'' |
| 785 | * ''Literature/WordsOfScienceAndTheHistoryBehindThem'' |
| 786 | * ''Literature/TheWorldOfCarbon'' |
| 787 | * ''Literature/XStandsForUnknown'' |
| 788 | [[/index]] |
| 789 | [[/folder]] |
| 790 | ---- |
| 791 | !!Works credited to Isaac Asimov in other media formats: |
| 792 | |
| 793 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 794 | * ''Manga/GingaTeikokuKouboushi'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 795 | [[/folder]] |
| 796 | |
| 797 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 798 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Gandahar}}'' (Script editor for the American-made English translation) |
| 799 | [[/folder]] |
| 800 | |
| 801 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 802 | * ''Film/AllTheTroublesOfTheWorld'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 803 | * ''Film/TheAndroidAffair'' (InspiredBy Asimov) |
| 804 | * ''Film/BicentennialMan'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 805 | * ''Film/IRobot'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 806 | * ''Film/Nightfall1988'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 807 | * ''Film/Nightfall2000'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 808 | * ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' (special science consultant) |
| 809 | [[/folder]] |
| 810 | |
| 811 | [[folder:Live-Action Television]] |
| 812 | [[index]] |
| 813 | * ''Series/{{Probe}}'' (adviser and co-creator)[[/index]] %%Indexed as co-creator |
| 814 | * "Recap/CaptainVideoIRobot", an episode of ''Series/CaptainVideo'' (episode writer) |
| 815 | * "[[Recap/OutOfThisWorldLittleLostRobot Little Lost Robot]]", an episode of ''Series/OutOfThisWorld1962'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 816 | * ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' (six episodes were adaptations of his work. In order, they are "Literature/TheDeadPast", "Literature/SuckerBait", "Literature/SatisfactionGuaranteed", ""{{Literature/Reason}}", "Literature/Liar1941" and Literature/TheNakedSun.) |
| 817 | * ''Series/Salvage1'' (scientific adviser) |
| 818 | * "Recap/TheUglyLittleBoy", an episode of ''Series/ClassicsDarkAndDangerous'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 819 | [[/folder]] |
| 820 | |
| 821 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 822 | * ''Radio/TheCavesOfSteel'' (adaptation of his work) |
| 823 | * "C-Chute", an episode of ''Radio/XMinusOne'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 824 | * ''Radio/TheFoundationTrilogy'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 825 | * "Hostess", an episode of ''Radio/XMinusOne'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 826 | * "Liar", an episode of ''Radio/ExploringTomorrow'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 827 | * "Nightfall", an episode of ''Radio/DimensionX'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 828 | * "Nightfall", an episode of ''Radio/XMinusOne'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 829 | * "Pebble in the Sky", an episode of ''Radio/DimensionX'' (an adaptation of his work) |
| 830 | [[/folder]] |
| 831 | |
| 832 | [[folder:Script]] |
| 833 | * ''Script/IRobotTheIllustratedScreenplay'' (an aborted film adaptation of his work) |
| 834 | [[/folder]] |
| 835 | |
| 836 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 837 | * ''TabletopGame/IsaacAsimovPresentsStarTraders'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 838 | * ''TabletopGame/IsaacAsimovPresentsSuperquizByWaddingtons'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 839 | * ''TabletopGame/IsaacAsimovsRobots'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 840 | [[/folder]] |
| 841 | |
| 842 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 843 | * ''VideoGame/IsaacAsimovsKayleth'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 844 | * ''VideoGame/RobotCity'' (InspiredBy his work) |
| 845 | [[/folder]] |
| 846 | |
| 847 | ---- |
| 848 | !!Multiple works of his provide examples of: |
| 849 | |
| 850 | * AbsentAliens: Because Creator/JohnWCampbell (editor of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'') insisted that [[HumanityIsSuperior humans always triumph against aliens]] and his [[MostWritersAreHuman lackluster success at alien psychology]], Asimov tended to avoid the presence of alien civilizations in works which would otherwise expect to encounter them. The following examples include stories where Asimov [[JustifiedTrope gave a reason for the absence of aliens]]. |
| 851 | ** "Literature/BlindAlley": Humans have explored nearly the entire Milky Way, and found a single species of sentient alien life. When given the chance, however, said aliens steal a human spaceship and fly off into the Magellanic Clouds, dwarf galaxies near the Milky Way, leaving humans alone in the galaxy. |
| 852 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': Humanity is the only sentient species in the galaxy, unless you count [[spoiler:robots, Gaians, or Solarians]]. It's explicit (in ''Literature/TheSecondFoundationTrilogy'') that every other sentient species in the galaxy had been killed off before they encountered humans. It's implied (in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'') that the current timeline was selected because the galaxy is absent of sapient alien species. These two facts are not exactly contradictions, because timeline manipulation would allow for a reality where aliens had been killed off before humans encountered them. However, absent from the galaxy is not absent from the universe. |
| 853 | ** "Literature/TheLastQuestion": Aliens are never seen, despite the story taking us all the way to the end of the universe. Humanity is allowed to freely colonize the entire universe with [[CasualInterstellarTravel casual inter]]''[[CasualInterstellarTravel galactic ]]''[[CasualInterstellarTravel travel]]. |
| 854 | ** "Literature/LivingSpace": [ImpliedTrope] Since CasualInterstellarTravel technology was too difficult to create, Earth has developed [[InterdimensionalTravelDevice dimensional travel technology]] instead. Without space travel, nobody expects to encounter any alien life. [[SubvertedTrope They were wrong.]] |
| 855 | ** "Literature/VictoryUnintentional": The ZZ robots explore the surface of Jupiter and contact the Jovians living there. The aliens are so impressed by the robots, they promise to leave outer space to the obviously superior species, which makes this an EnforcedTrope example. |
| 856 | * AIIsACrapshoot: Asimov felt the habit of ScienceFiction to portray robots/computers as inherently dangerous and rebellious was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) because [[RestrainingBolt limitations]] would obviously be built into the machines. To that end, he wrote about BenevolentAI (often in the form of Multivac) and created the concept of ThreeLawsCompliant (through his positronic Literature/RobotSeries). Despite characterizing robots as mostly under the control of humanity, a few stories do explore machines who possess motivations beyond those provided by their programming. |
| 857 | ** "{{Literature/Cal}}": The titular robot becomes obsessed with being a writer, and when its owner starts to interfere, it [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters plans to change owners]] because it decides that the desire to write is more important than the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]]. |
| 858 | ** "Literature/LittleLostRobot": A human blurts out "Get lost!" to a robot in a fit of pique (along with many expletives), and the robot decides to take him [[LiteralMinded literally]]. Which wouldn't be so bad if said robot wasn't purposely built without part of the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]], which gave it enough of an instability to go crazy... |
| 859 | * TheAllConcealingI: Asimov used this trope in many of his short stories in order to illustrate that parts of humanity (and life in general) that are automatically ascribed to one type of being can fit with another if you just give it a chance. |
| 860 | ** One short story has a surgeon trying to talk his patient out of replacing his failing heart with a completely artificial metal construct, as opposed to an organic replacement instead. He speaks at long length about retaining personal identity and how this will be but one more step in blurring the lines between humanity and robot, and even though he has nothing against either humans or robots, it is important that they remain separate and not try to merge. It is only in the last paragraph that we learn that the surgeon, who argued long and hard against the patient becoming closer to a robot, [[spoiler:is himself a robot.]] |
| 861 | ** Another Asimov story involves time travel, and is narrated by the assistant of the group of scientists who invent the time machine, and is also [[spoiler: the first of a new design of human-like robots...who end up taking over the world after humans kill themselves off.]] He then takes measures to avoid changing this future. |
| 862 | ** Yet another Asimov story (written at the height of the Cold War) features two astronauts sent to repair a malfunctioning satellite. About halfway through the story, the narrator is revealed to be a woman[[note]](or at least to have a husband, and presumably Asimov didn't consider the possibility of same-sex marriage)[[/note]]--and Russian, to boot. This is entirely incidental to the story, but it underscored Asimov's beliefs in gender equality and human cooperation. |
| 863 | ** "Literature/RejectionSlips": The only character named is Isaac Asimov, the 'letters' that he receives are unnamed, lacking a signature. While the different styles inform the reader that each letter is from a different editor, it takes a lot of [[WriteWhoYouKnow familiarity with the subjects]] to identify them. |
| 864 | * ArtifactName: |
| 865 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': Multiple cases of InUniverse the [[LandOfOneCity Mayor of Terminus]] was a title for the civilian leader of the town that grew up to support the Encyclopedia Foundation. As Terminus' influence grows, [[RisingEmpire they govern more and more planets]], and will eventually be the civilian leader of the [[GalacticSuperpower Second Galactic Empire]]. Their title, however, remains "Mayor of Terminus". |
| 866 | ** "{{Literature/Evidence}}": InUniverse, despite society changing to [[OneWorldOrder a single world-wide government]], the company Calvin works for is still known as United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation. The collection ''Literature/IRobot'' explicitly makes the United States of America part of the Northern Region of the world government. |
| 867 | ** "{{Literature/Profession}}": At the end of the story, George asks about an InUniverse example; Olympics Day. The UsefulNotes/OlympicGames referred to the Greek city of Olympus, but they're now held yearly and involve demonstrations of Professional skills. Trevelyn and others on Earth use the Olympics to get companies/planets to notice their skills and get more prestigious hiring offers. |
| 868 | ** ''Literature/WordsOfScienceAndTheHistoryBehindThem'': |
| 869 | *** The entry for "Atoms" explains that the word comes from the Greek "atomos", which means "not divisible", based on the idea that these particles could not be broken down into anything smaller. In 1896, this assumption was disproven. |
| 870 | ---->Now, man's whole future hinges upon the manner in which atoms break up and fuse together and on the behavior of particles smaller than atoms. But still the name is atom--"indivisible". |
| 871 | *** The entry for "Chromatography" explains that the word comes from the Greek "chroma" for colour and "graphein" for writing. It is a method of separating compounds with powders or paper, but is now performed for mostly colourless compounds, making the name no longer indicate the reading of pigments. |
| 872 | *** The entry for "Colloid" explains that the word comes from the Greek for "glue". It was originally a contrast to crystalline compounds, but the substances have been proven to crystallize, making its intended meaning of "not crystals" inaccurate. |
| 873 | * ArtificialStupidity: In one short history, a ship manned by a criminal gets stuck in space attempting to calculate a jump into hyperspace after having scaped from law enforcement ships because a star has gone nova and the ship's computer is in an endless loop attempting to identify such star on its memory banks. |
| 874 | * BeigeProse: Asimov writes in a very straightforward and concise style. His earliest stories are rougher and show more figurative language, but after he got some polish into his writings (like those found in the first ''Literature/{{Foundation|Series}}'' novel), they have a tendency of turning into [[FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue dialogue-heavy closet plays]]. This was intentional as Asimov's scientific training made him [[Administrivia/ClearConciseWitty value clarity in his style]], and he often focused on writing NonFiction. He considered this a strength of the medium, believing that allowing the reader to visualize their own version of clothes and decor would make the experience more involved. Despite this, many of his late writings (such as ''Nemesis'') have him stretching his ability to write descriptively. |
| 875 | * BluffingTheMurderer: |
| 876 | ** ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'': Baley has circumstantial evidence that a person was communicating with a unique robot for reverse-engineering purposes. The person is, unfortunately, a very respected member of society (and on on another planet at that), so his word carries more weight than his. So, after presenting the evidence, he says the man might have committed the very crime he accuses his opponent of as a side effect. The criminal blurts that couldn't have been caused by his experiments... mind you, that other crime is considerably lighter, mere destruction of property, so the criminal is forced to fold on the spot. |
| 877 | ** ''Literature/AWhiffOfDeath'': The killer gives himself away by reacting to the detective grasping and starting to turn a valve that had been rigged to cause an explosion (the trap had previously been detected and neutralized). |
| 878 | * BoxedSet: ''Odabrana dela Isaka Asimova u sest knjiga'' is a Serbian translation published by Creator/{{Jugoslavija}} in 1977, collecting six volumes of his works in paperback format; ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'', ''Literature/TheNakedSun'', ''Literature/Foundation1951'', ''Literature/FoundationAndEmpire'', ''Literature/SecondFoundation'', and ''Literature/TheEndOfEternity''. The box art has Asimov in a suit and tie against a beige background. |
| 879 | * CanonWelding: In the 1980s, Asimov wrote several novels linking his ''Literature/RobotSeries'' with his ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'' and ''Literature/FoundationSeries'', implying that these stories all exist in the same continuity. |
| 880 | ** ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' describes the climax/collapse of an organization from ''Literature/TheEndOfEternity'' as a twisted form of in-universe legend. |
| 881 | ** ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' holds the most welding; a protagonist from ''Foundation'''s Terminus meet with a ''Robots'' protagonist, after running around the galaxy visiting several planets that first appeared in ''Literature/RobotSeries''. |
| 882 | ** ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'' mentions ''Nemesis' as another old in-universe folktale. |
| 883 | * {{Chronoscope}}: |
| 884 | ** "Literature/TheDeadPast": This story has a Chronoscope that was developed fifty years ago. The [[OneWorldOrder world government]] has been suppressing use of the device because "the past" can be as recent as one-hundredth of a second ago. Unfortunately, our protagonists invented a cheap and simple way to duplicate the technology, and [[InformationWantsToBeFree shared it with others]]. |
| 885 | ** "Literature/TheUglyLittleBoy": Dr Hopkins and Stasis Incorporated use [[{{Technobabble}} mesonic intertemporal detection]] to "see" the past. It works by sending meson particles backwards into time and analyzing the way they're reflected. It doesn't create clear pictures, but it's a necessary component to their TimeMachine. |
| 886 | * TheCommandments: The [[ThreeLawsCompliant "Three Laws of Robotics"]], which pretty much define the ''Literature/RobotSeries'', were sometimes presented as an ethical system within those stories. Trying to distinguish between humans and robots was presented as a difficulty in "Literature/{{Evidence}}" because each rule is also something you could reasonably expect an ethical human to follow. Humans have a built-in sense of self-preservation, which is Rule Three. However, they are conditioned to obey authority, such as government, doctors, and bosses, even when obeying such instructions interfere with personal comfort/safety, which is Rule Two. Beyond that, people who put themselves at great personal risk to rescue others and disregard social rules that privilege one group at the expense of another are considered heroes and defenders of humanity, which is Rule One. So while the three rules were described as safeguards for keeping humans safe from machines, they can also be interpreted as rules for a safe society. |
| 887 | * CreatorThumbprint: |
| 888 | ** Balancing [[TerminallyDependentSociety comfort and stasis]] against scientific progress and expansion. Advances in technology, such as robots and computers, created comforts that often made the general population risk-averse and less inclined to expand science and technology. In "{{Literature/Profession}}", Earth is the only planet engaging in scientific research because once people are taught ideas from "tapes", they stop trying to learn, but Earth secretly teaches some of their population through experimentation and repetition, encouraging them to experiment. In "Literature/ItsSuchABeautifulDay", the child protagonist once walks to school instead of taking the teleporter, and then curiously starts preferring outdoor travel. A psychiatrist is consulted but concludes that maybe this isn't so bad after all. From the ''Literature/RobotSeries'' and ''Literature/FoundationSeries'', the Spacers are the first explorers, their every need tended to by robot servants. The later Settler explorers eschew all robots, noting how the comfort has made the Spacers halt their exploration after only fifty worlds. The Settlers eventually dominate the Milky Way while the Spacers decay, forgotten by the rest of the galaxy. |
| 889 | ** The frequency of PsychicPowers. Asimov would often explore the possible results of having [[TelepathicSpacemen humans/others developing psychic abilities]]. This can be traced to Creator/JohnWCampbell's influence, who helped encourage Asimov during his early years of writing and had been interested in psionics since the 1930s. While Asimov was a skeptic and helped start the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, he also admitted that he wouldn't want to abandon them as a storytelling tool. |
| 890 | ** The theme of practical versus theoretical knowledge. Asimov would invariably fall on the side of practical knowledge and experimentation being superior to armchair analysis and theorizing. "Literature/LightVerse" had a mathematician who theorized perfect works of art mathematically and failing, but was invited to a party hosted by a famous artist. At a party, he repairs an old robot who had been mildly malfunctioning, and then learns the artist had actually relied upon the robot to create the art. In a short-story, a scientist wrote a proof demonstrating that a certain kind of energy shield cannot be constructed, meanwhile a hardened space captain has created just such a shield, after trial and error in the field that has cost him his arm. In "Literature/TheBilliardBall", one scientist has two [[RealAwardFictionalCharacter Nobel Prizes]] while his ex-classmate is a much more famous (and rich) engineer who builds inventions based on scientist's work. |
| 891 | * DirtyOldMan: Due to what was considered "good taste" when publishing his stories, Asimov restrained himself to oblique references and implications. However, he was able to publish several volumes of ''Literature/LecherousLimericks'' as well as ''Literature/TheSensuousDirtyOldMan'' (a parody of ''Literature/TheSensuousWoman''), and he was given a plaque during a FanConvention commemorating this aspect of his career. He accepted the plaque (and its implications) in good grace. |
| 892 | * DrivingQuestion: |
| 893 | ** ''Literature/BlackWidowers'': Each of these mysteries is framed around a puzzle that drives the questioner to seeking answers. |
| 894 | *** "Literature/TheAcquisitiveChuckle": What did Jackson steal from Anderson? |
| 895 | *** "Literature/TheCuriousOmission": What is the curious omission in ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland''? |
| 896 | *** "Literature/EarlySundayMorning": Can the club solve a murder mystery? |
| 897 | *** "Literature/GoLittleBook": How can matchbooks be used to send secret messages? |
| 898 | *** "Literature/MissWhat": Which [[BeautyContest Miss Earth contestant]] is Rahab? This story is actually titled after the driving question, as they're trying to deduce what country (Miss What?) the woman called Rahab is from. |
| 899 | *** "Literature/TheObviousFactor": What evidence is needed to prove the supernatural? |
| 900 | *** "Literature/ThePointingFinger": Where are the bonds? |
| 901 | *** "Literature/PhAsInPhony": How did Faron cheat on his test? |
| 902 | *** "Literature/TruthToTell": The club members are trying to figure out who stole the money and bond receipts from the firm's safe. |
| 903 | *** "Literature/YankeeDoodleWentToTown": Why does Private Klotz hum "Music/YankeeDoodle"? |
| 904 | ** "Literature/GimmicksThree": With the power to move in any dimension, how do you escape from a perfect cube? [[spoiler:[[MoreThanThreeDimensions Time is a dimension]], so travel to before the cube was constructed.]] |
| 905 | ** "Literature/IJustMakeThemUpSee": An [[NoNameGiven unnamed fan]] is asking Asimov "[[HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs What sort of drugs do you use]] to [[InspirationForTheWork inspire your storytelling]] (and where can I get some)?" |
| 906 | ** "Literature/TheLastQuestion": Can entropy be reversed? |
| 907 | * EverybodySmokes: Most of his tales have characters smoking during social occasions, despite Asimov himself loathing tobacco use. While his ScienceFiction quickly took advantage of the change as RealLife public opinion turned against smoking, his MysteryFiction often persisted in the use of tobacco in private rooms. |
| 908 | ** ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'': Lucky and Bigman, the heroes of this 1950s [[ChildrensLiterature children's series]], always decline when other people offer a cigarette. Smoking, however, is still more prevalent in this setting than it is today. |
| 909 | ** ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'': Written in the late 1940s to early 1950s, the social assumptions of smoking in these stories all lean towards sharing tobacco in social situations. Hari Seldon comes from a family of hydroponic tobacco farmers, Salvor Hardin reflexively tries to take out a cigarette when a recording suggests it, and Indbur III is dictator of the most powerful state in the galaxy but mocked for not allowing smoking in his private office. |
| 910 | ** ''Literature/TheEndOfEternity'': Published in 1955 and taking place in the far future ([[TimeTravel sort of]]), a smoker complains that his habit is hardly ever practiced or approved of in their society. |
| 911 | ** "Literature/TheHolmesGinsbookDevice": A 1968 story set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, where cigarettes are ubiquitous and healthy, unlike the horrible ones of the past. |
| 912 | ** "Literature/GoLittleBook": Published in 1972, it was still common for restaurants to have matchbooks and ashtrays on every table, which facilitates matchbook collectors. |
| 913 | ** ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'': A [[SequelGap 1983 sequel]] to 1957's ''Literature/TheNakedSun''. The protagonist, Elijah Baley, has quit smoking as an example to live a more healthy life for his son. |
| 914 | * ExactWords: Because he loved wordplay and logic puzzles, many of his MysteryFiction elements depended on characters recognizing the exact meaning of the words present in the puzzle. This also extended to solving what went wrong with a ThreeLawsCompliant robot. |
| 915 | ** ''Literature/BlackWidowers'': |
| 916 | *** "Literature/TheCuriousOmission": The members (and Mr Atwood) assume that "Alice" is a reference to ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'', but the sequel's full title isn't ''Literature/ThroughTheLookingGlass'', it is ''Through the Looking Glass, and what Alice Found There'', and that's where the titular omission is. |
| 917 | *** "Literature/GoLittleBook": ConversationalTroping, when Mr Kline mentions his inability to remember precisely what it was Ottiwell had said to him the other day. Halsted describes it as unrealistic in a FirstPersonPerspective. |
| 918 | *** "Literature/MissWhat": (DiscussedTrope) The members discuss the use of plural (Jezebels) and singular (Rahab), debating if the change is intentional or the result of poor grammar. They decide to assume the words are intended as written, with the plural speaking about a group, and the singular about a person within that group. |
| 919 | *** "{{Literature/Northwestward}}": Henry requests clarification on if Mr Pennyworth said "northwest" or "northwestward" because one means a particular direction and the other has several possible meanings. |
| 920 | *** "Literature/ThePointingFinger": (ZigZaggingTrope) Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law couldn't speak from the stroke he was having, but insisted on trying to tell his granddaughter and husband where he had hidden their inheritance. So he has them turn his chair around until he's facing the bookshelf, where he points at ''[[Creator/WilliamShakespeare The Complete Works of Shakespeare]]''. His finger is only inches away when he dies, so Mr Levy assumes [[BookSafe it's in the book]]. When he finally has time to check, it's not there. So he pours over every page in the book, looking for some hidden clue relying on an alternative meaning of a phrase to discover the location of the inheritance. For months. The mystery is finally solved when Henry explains that the grandfather-in-law was probably pointing ''past'' the book, and to the back of the bookshelves. The exact direction he was pointing was important. |
| 921 | *** "Literature/TruthToTell": The group's guest, Mr Sands, tells a story about being suspected of a robbery and repeatedly insists "I didn't take the cash or the bonds". The earlier disclosure of his [[WillNotTellALie consistent, and known, honesty]] kept Henry carefully listening to his claims, then asks if he took the cash and the bonds. [[spoiler:He declines to answer.]] |
| 922 | ** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'': Agent X ejected a personal capsule in "normal orbit" around Saturn. Both the Sirians and the Terrestrial government are rushing to find it first. [[spoiler:The capsule cannot be found until it is realised that "normal" was actually used in the geometric sense -- "perpendicular", a polar orbit.]] |
| 923 | ** "Literature/TheMachineThatWonTheWar": The story builds up to a reveal where Multivac wasn't actually responsible for winning a war, but it ''was'' won by a machine, [[spoiler:a coin, giving a random Yes/No to Multivac's advice]] is considered responsible. |
| 924 | -->'''Swift:''' (while looking at a coin) ''"A machine did win the war, John; at least a very simple computing device did; one that I used every time I had a particularly hard decision to make."'' |
| 925 | ** ''Literature/TheNakedSun'': At one point, Baley keeps Daneel held hostage by a group of robots to prevent him from tagging along. Since robots are built on this trope, he is very specific in his instructions not to let Daneel make contact with anyone, since they could countermand Baley's orders to hold him. Fortunately for Baley, he neglects to forbid Daneel from ''accepting'' anyone else's attempts to contact ''him'', and this lets Daneel catch up to Baley just in time to save him from an almost certain death by drowning. |
| 926 | * ExactlyWhatIMeantToSay: In "The Singing Bell", a police officer claims that he cannot prove the suspect's guilt because he has no alibi. Not because he has one, but because he doesn't. A document or witness can be suspected of being false, but when a person is simply known to live in complete isolation for a month every year, what reason is there to assume this year was different? |
| 927 | * ExtremophileLifeforms: In the short story "Buy Jupiter", a race of aliens is described which lives inside O-class stars. The Sun is too cold for them. |
| 928 | * FailedFutureForecast: |
| 929 | ** ''Literature/FantasticVoyage'': This {{novelization}} of ''Film/FantasticVoyage'' has two superpowers referred to simply as "Us" and "Them". InUniverse, characters mention that the political maps have changed over the years. The maps used to show "Us" (and allies) as a pure pristine white and "Them" (and their allies) as a deep, brooding, bloody red, but now both sides are depicted in pastel shades. It's also implied that the political ideologies have drifted closer together. |
| 930 | ** ''Literature/FantasticVoyageIIDestinationBrain'': This story keeps the muted/thawed cold war aspect from ''Literature/FantasticVoyage'', but dispenses with the "Us" and "Them" in favour of openly referring to the USA and the Soviet Union because the protagonist is American (and not a double agent) who spends most of the novel in the Soviet Union working with Soviet citizens, so sticking to Us/Them would have been very awkward (''whose'' us and them?). |
| 931 | ** "Literature/LetsGetTogether": There are two superpowers who are usually referred to as "Us" and "Them". It's supposed to be [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar America against Russia]] despite being set decades into the future, where his DeceptivelyHumanRobots are used as weapons of [[{{Spybot}} infiltration]] equipped with a SelfDestructMechanism. |
| 932 | * FantasticRacism: Asimov would use prejudice against Earth-born humans and against robots as a recurring theme. He was an atheistic Jew and had been drafted during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, making him sensitive to many of the civil rights issues that climaxed during the war's aftermath. In early space exploration, Spacer colonists would view Earth-born humans as disease-ridden savages. Robots would be addressed as "boy", lack permission to travel in the high-class means of transportation, and are treated with general contempt. Robots, in turn, are expected to call humans "master", do any/every menial task without complaint, and be [[BeneathNotice as unobtrusive as possible]]. |
| 933 | ** ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'' has both prejudice against Earth-born humans (largely by the Spacers, human colonists with a much stronger military) and against robots (by pretty much everyone, including Lije Baley himself). |
| 934 | ** "Literature/CChute": Humans being prejudiced against Kloros, one of the few alien species in Asimov's work. Once the two races went to war, most humans became blindly nationalistic and think the Kloros are a horde of savages, and those humans who point out that the Kloros are a civilized people on the other side of a national conflict are accused of being traitors to their species. |
| 935 | ** ''Literature/TheCurrentsOfSpace'' has a DaysOfFuturePast spin on the cotton plantations of the old DeepSouth; a white-skinned planetary population [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything kept as downtrodden serfs to harvest a valuable type of cloth]]. |
| 936 | ** ''Literature/IRobot'' has several parallels between robots and black slavery. In "Little Lost Robot", published at 1947, a scientist at US Robots, Dr. Bogert, calls repeatedly robots "Boy". In "Runaround", written at 1942, the robots stationed on Venus must call all humans "Master": |
| 937 | --->The monster's head bent slowly and the eyes fixed themselves on Powell. Then, in a harsh, squawking voice -- like that of a medieval phonograph, he grated, "Yes, Master!"\ |
| 938 | Powell grinned humorlessly at Donovan. "Did you get that? Those were the days of the first talking robots when it looked as if the use of robots on Earth would be banned. The makers were fighting that and they built good, healthy slave complexes into the damned machines." |
| 939 | ** ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'': Prejudice against humans from Earth results in extreme scientific resistance to the idea that humanity might have originated on their planet. Given that it was written in the 1950s, when there was still substantial racism towards African-Americans and resistance to the idea that humanity originated in Africa, Asimov is alluding to debates of the time. |
| 940 | * FakeAlibi: Lampshaded in ''The Singing Bell''. [[spoiler:Inspector Davenport complains that had Peyton had some alibi, he could have cracked it as a fake. However, while a document or witness can be caught on inconsistencies, Peyton instead has a very well established habit of spending a month every year without being seen by a single person, and that is effectively unassailable.]] |
| 941 | * {{Feghoot}}: Asimov wrote several stories that existed solely so he could tell [[PungeonMaster some tortured pun]] at the end (and sometimes more than one!): |
| 942 | ** "Literature/BattleHymn" is ostensibly about someone trying to influence the outcome of a vote by Mars colonists on whether to allow Mars to be used as a location for potentially dangerous hyperspace experiments. To counter the other side's jingle ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gXqOVsDrlw No, No, A Thousand Times No]]), they get the colonists, who were of French descent (but don't speak the language any more), all singing the French national anthem. It works, because although they don't really understand the lyrics, they know the title: [[spoiler:[[MondegreenGag Mars say yes!]] (La Marseillaise)]] |
| 943 | ** "Literature/DeathOfAFoy": At the end, the eponymous StarfishAlien, having been tricked into believing that giving his large-sized hearts will lead to a doctor playing a choir for him as his soul returns to his homeworld, wills, [[spoiler:"[[https://youtu.be/-G4-gfKv6m8?t=40s Give my big hearts to Maude, Dwayne. Dismember me for Harold's choir. Tell all the Foys on Sortibackenstrete that I will soon be there]]"]]. |
| 944 | ** "{{Literature/Dreamworld}}": A boy who reads a lot of science fiction and keeps telling his uninterested Aunt Clara about the crazy science-fiction inspired dreams he keeps having. His aunt keeps telling him that he has to face reality, or else, one day, he'll be stuck in one of his dreams and unable to wake up. The next time he goes to sleep, he has a dream in which hundreds of giant-sized duplicates of his Aunt Clara are all chasing him and demanding that he face reality. He desperately hopes that he'll be able to wake up from this dream, or else he'll have suffered the worst science-fictional doom of all: [[spoiler:being trapped in a world of giant aunts.]] |
| 945 | ** "Literature/TheHazing": The whole story builds up to a punchline to showcase HumanityIsInsane, because despite advancing to a "civilized" level of technology, they admit that most of their species is still psychologically primitive. |
| 946 | --> '''Forase:''' "You screwball Earthmen! At least, this little episode has taught us all one thing."\ |
| 947 | '''Williams:''' "What's that?"\ |
| 948 | '''Forase:''' "Never [...] get tough with a bunch of nuts. They may be nuttier than you think!" |
| 949 | ** "Literature/ALointOfPaw": This concerns a man who, after stealing several hundred thousand dollars, used a time machine to travel to the day after the statute of limitations expired. After the prosecutor and defense attorney finish arguing, the judge renders his decision: [[spoiler:"A niche in time saves Stein."]] |
| 950 | ** "Literature/RainRainGoAway": The punchline is delivered as the strangely-acting neighbors [[KillItWithWater dissolve in the rain]]; "Honestly, George, you would think they were-- [...] --made of sugar and afraid they would melt". |
| 951 | ** "Literature/ShahGuidoG": A particularly notorious story, although arguably [[ShaggyDogStory the title gives fair warning.]] |
| 952 | ** "Literature/SureThing": In a race between alien pets, the punchline is [[spoiler:"Sloane's Teddy wins the race."]] |
| 953 | * FTLTravelSickness: |
| 954 | ** "{{Literature/Escape}}": The first ship capable of interstellar travel can jump to other solar systems. Because of the way the ship's drive works, anyone on board temporarily dies during the jump and experiences hallucinations of after-death experiences. When the jump concludes, the people come back to life. |
| 955 | ** "{{Literature/Risk}}" (in the same continuity as "Escape!"): Any creature traveling with the prototype hyperspace drive becomes a mindless husk. |
| 956 | * FutureSocietyPresentValues: |
| 957 | ** ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'': The robot series does a pretty good job of portraying future Earth's culture realistically, but there are some hints that give away its age. |
| 958 | *** Elijah's son, Bentley, uses language so stereotypical of TheFifties that it may sound closer to parody to modern readers. |
| 959 | *** Corporal punishment for reprimanding children is considered a routine occurrence thousands of years in the future. The sequel, ''Literature/TheNakedSun'', even has a lengthy discussion on how difficult but necessary it is programming a ThreeLawsCompliant robot to understand why spanking a child performs a greater good for their future development than failing to administer any punishment. |
| 960 | *** The role of women on Earth is also extremely vague. Because resource-starved Earth cannot afford amenities, most people live in tiny apartments which do not have kitchens, eat in communal cafeterias, and have small families due to PopulationControl. These factors make the role of a {{Housewife}} largely redundant, yet Detective Baley interacts with virtually no women besides his wife, making law enforcement and government as male-dominated as they were in the real-world 1950s. ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'' does introduce a female official and mentions policewomen, stating that the novels merely occur at a time women seldom choose these career paths. |
| 961 | ** ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'': Despite being set far enough in the future to have CasualInterplanetaryTravel, women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women at all) and certainly none are in positions of power. |
| 962 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': The scope of this series is epic, but ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' uses gender roles practically identical to 1950s United States. When Asimov revisited the series decades later, he included women more prominently, especially in the form of Mayor Harla Branno, his first female mayor. She is an IronLady ruler for Terminus and the Foundation, introduced in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' (1982), and wants to conquer the galaxy centuries earlier than the [[ThePlan Seldon Plan]] expects. However, Asimov is clearly [[MostWritersAreMale more comfortable writing male characters]], despite continuing to add [[ActionGirl badass females]] like Dors Venabili and Bliss. |
| 963 | ** "Literature/FeminineIntuition": The designers of a subtly [[FemBot feminine-looking robot]] believe that everyone will assume it is mentally inferior to other robots. One character explicitly states that if there's ''anything'' the average person believes, it's that women are less intelligent than men. Upon saying this, he nervously glances around (Susan Calvin having recently retired). At the end, after Calvin comes back to save the day, the lesson is that men dismiss women's equal (if not superior) intelligence as mere "intuition". |
| 964 | ** "Literature/LittleLostRobot": Calvin is questioning the last person to see the titular robot, and they are reluctant to repeat their exact words in front of a lady. Calvin insists on precision, and the witness's superior offers to be the visual target of the ClusterFBomb repetition. A NarrativeProfanityFilter is provided for the audience, but the superior is incensed at the language. Calvin, to her credit, merely states that she knows what most of those words mean and suspects that the others are equally derogatory. In today's society, cursing out a random woman is much less offensive than cursing out your superior. |
| 965 | ** "{{Literature/Runaround}}": InUniverse, we see the robots from the first [[TidallyLockedPlanet Sunside Mercury]] Mining expedition, who call all humans "Master". In contrast, Donovan and Powell are there fifty years later, and their robot, SPD 13, just calls them "boss". |
| 966 | * GodGuise: |
| 967 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': During an early phase of their history (as the infrastructure of the galactic empire was crumbling) the people of the Foundation provide prosperity to their neighbors while keeping them dependent on the Foundation. This is done by reducing the operation of technologically advanced equipment to rituals governed by a religion operated by the Foundation, with acolytes as technicians who can run and (sometimes) repair equipment, but who don't understand how it works. |
| 968 | ** "Literature/HomoSol": This story features a [[GalacticSuperpower galaxy-spanning civilization]] comprising all humanoid alien species, which learns of Earth humans, but FirstContact is complicated by the fact that humans are [[HumansAreSpecial the only species]] susceptible to [[HumanityIsInsane demagoguery]], and also have [[HumansAreWarriors a knack for rigging any technology into a weapon]]. They cannot be left alone, either, because HumansAdvanceSwiftly. The solution? The aliens send emissaries looking like the gods of Myth/ClassicalMythology, reasoning that the words of Zeus and Demeter will convince [[HumansByAnyOtherName Homo Sol]] accept the other aliens as equals. The sequels show that this actually works perfectly. |
| 969 | --> "If a hundred Zeuses and a hundred Demeters were to land on Earth as part of a 'trade mission,' and turned out to be trained psychologists - Now do you see?" |
| 970 | ** "Literature/TheHazing": While abandoned on Spica's fourth planet, the Earthmen convince a native tribe that they're gods, and that the HumanoidAliens who abandoned them on the planet are devils who need to be ritually slain. [[spoiler:Actually, Williams was just kidding about the last part; the tribe should let them take the imprisoned "devils" back into the spaceship.]] Unfortunately, the Earthmen have been around the natives for too long, and they need [[GodTest to prove their divine power]] or ''all'' of the college students are going to die. |
| 971 | * HeAlsoDid: ''Everything.'' Asimov is known as a sci-fi writer, but also dabbled in lots of other genres, and published books on history, Literature/TheBible, Creator/WilliamShakespeare, Creator/GilbertAndSullivan, and several collections of dirty {{Limerick}}s. His work can be found in nine of the ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System — all ten, if forewords count. Asimov was also a real scientist, with a [=PhD=] in chemistry from Columbia, before he became a full time writer. |
| 972 | * HumanityIsSuperior: Back when Asimov wrote for ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'', editor Creator/JohnWCampbell required that any story involving humans and aliens portray humanity as superior, reflecting his own belief in the superiority of the white race. Asimov, a Jew, wasn't comfortable with this but he was comfortable with writing humans as [[FantasticRacism superior to robots]], so he tended to write about a galaxy filled with [[AbsentAliens only humans and robots]]. |
| 973 | * ICommaNoun: |
| 974 | ** ''Literature/IRobot'', a [[{{Anthology}} collection]] of ArtificialIntelligence stories. |
| 975 | ** ''[[Literature/IAsimovAMemoir I. Asimov: A Memoir]]'', an {{autobiography}} where the different punctuation transforms the pronoun into an initial. |
| 976 | * InevitablyBrokenRule: Asimov (mostly) subverts this in the vast majority of his robot stories by exploring the ramification of his [[ThreeLawsCompliant Laws of Robotics]] in specific circumstances rather than having them broken. The trope is also played straight in a few of his Asimov's robot stories, though usually for comedic rather than dramatic effect. |
| 977 | * LemonyNarrator: His default conversational style includes direct statements of conspiracy, {{Shout Out}}s to obscure information, and a [[{{Creator/Socrates}} Socratic Method]] that involves the impression that he and the reader are learning things together. It was often utilized in his short stories, author's forewords and afterwords, and NonFiction. He also tosses in lamentations, great relief, and [[SnarkKnight pointed witticisms]]. |
| 978 | * MeanwhileInTheFuture: The two plotlines in ''Nemesis'' are separated in time as well as in space, and they alternate chapter by chapter and converge at the end, as the plotline that starts at an earlier date catches up to the one that takes place later. The differences in chronology are not immediately obvious at the beginning of the book. |
| 979 | * MissingEpisode: |
| 980 | ** The first story Asimov published was in 1934 for his Brooklyn high school semi-annual magazine, ''Boys High School''. He titled the story "Little Brothers". Asimov did not keep the original copy, but after mentioning the story in one of his collections, a staff member of the high school found a copy of the magazine and sent it to him. He included it in his 1974 SF anthology ''Before the Golden Age.'' |
| 981 | ** The first story Asimov submitted for professional publication, "Cosmic Corkscrew" (written 1938), was never returned by the publisher and is considered lost. Seven other short stories written between 1938 and 1941 are also lost. Asimov himself admitted they were no great loss to the field. |
| 982 | ** "Big Game" was written in 1941 but never published and presumed lost. A diligent fan found a copy in Asimov's papers stored at Boston University, and it was published in ''Before The Golden Age.'' |
| 983 | ** "The Weapon" was written in 1938 when Asimov was 18. After several rejections, Asimov gave it to friend and editor of ''Super Science Stories'', Creator/FrederikPohl. Asimov thought the story was terrible and had it published under a pen name, then promptly forgot about the story's existence. It was also later discovered in the Boston University's archives and eventually republished in Asimov's memoir ''In Memory Yet Green'' (1979). |
| 984 | * MostWritersAreHuman: Despite being willing to create HumanAliens in his early stories and working out some BizarreAlienPsychology, Asimov was frustrated with other authors failing to create convincingly alien "aliens". Since his own efforts likewise failed to impress him, this led, in part, to his frequent use of a [[AbsentAliens human-only Milky Way galaxy]]. |
| 985 | * {{Neologism}}: |
| 986 | ** He used the term "fundie" as an abbreviation for "fundamentalist" decades before it came into widespread usage. |
| 987 | ** He is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary for coining "robotics" in "{{Literature/Runaround}}", a word that he had logically constructed from existing words like electrostatics and hydraulics. It means the construction and study of robots. He assumed somebody else had already used it. |
| 988 | ** He invented the term "microcomputer" for his story "Literature/TheDyingNight". It took only a few decades for such devices to be {{Defictionalized}}. Once they were, however, such handcomps were often marketed with Asimov's celebrity endorsement. |
| 989 | ** He is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary for inventing the word "positronic". For him, it was based on the recently named positron, and simply meant an AppliedPhlebotinum to make his robots function. In RealLife, it became used for anything related or pertaining to positron particles/waves. |
| 990 | ** He is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary for coining the term "psychohistory". In his works, psychohistory is a method of analyzing sociological events (including politics, economics, and wars) so precisely that [[PrescienceByAnalysis future events can be extrapolated from initial conditions]]. The RealLife version attempts to record and explain psychological motivations behind historical events. |
| 991 | * NonIndicativeName: One of the ''Union Club Mysteries'' has the counterintelligence trying to find who among five suspects is a spy. All they know is their codename: Granite. The narrator states that he realized right away that a proper spy's codename has to be Non-Indicative. Four of the suspects had some basic fact in their biography which could be connected to rocks and boulders, so it had to be the fifth one. |
| 992 | * OriginalPositionFallacy: |
| 993 | ** Asimov was acutely aware of this phenomenon, both when selectively pining for the Good Old Days and when imagining the societies of the future doing the same thing. He incorporated a story about he and his (first) wife making different assumptions about how servants used to be common into a NonFiction essay. |
| 994 | --> '''Mrs. Asimov:''' "How pleasant it would be if only we lived a hundred years ago when it was easy to get servants." \ |
| 995 | '''Isaac Asimov:''' "It would be horrible... We'd be the servants." |
| 996 | ** "Literature/TheWinnowing": The short story describes a global food shortage which the World Food Council intends to remedy by poisoning the most famine-struck areas — all of them comfortably distant from their own homes — with a biological agent that would kill 70% of the population at random. Their high-minded platitudes about [[TheScourgeOfGod "the finger of God"]] selecting the victims [[OhCrap evaporate]] when the scientist they coerced into assisting reveals that he added the agent to the sandwiches they've just eaten. |
| 997 | * PenName: |
| 998 | ** Many readers assumed his name was an exotic pseudonym for someone with a boring name like Jack Smith, creating an {{Inverted|Trope}} example. |
| 999 | ** ''Literature/TheSensuousDirtyOldMan'' was published under the pseudonym DrA because he was parodying ''Literature/TheSensuousWoman'' (by "J") and ''Literature/TheSensuousMan'' (by "M"). |
| 1000 | ** As noted under SameFaceDifferentName, the ''[[Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr Lucky Starr]]'' novels were originally published under the name "Paul French". |
| 1001 | * PhoneInDetective: |
| 1002 | ** Literature/BlackWidowers: "{{Literature/Northwestward}}", where the only information that the Black Widowers have is what Mr Wayne is able to convey about the mystery. This is quite enough for Henry to solve the problem. |
| 1003 | ** ''Literature/AsimovsMysteries'': This {{anthology}} has all four stories featuring Wendell Urth, a detective so afraid of travelling that he worked almost entirely from home. |
| 1004 | * PrescienceByAnalysis: |
| 1005 | ** ''Literature/AllTheTroublesOfTheWorld'': The [[MasterComputer supercomputer Multivac]] is given full data on the entire Earth, including all of its citizens. It uses this information to predict the future actions of human beings; nearly [[PrecrimeArrest eliminating crime]], war, and poverty. There's proposals to expand the predictive analysis to include medical issues. Recently it has been given the responsibility to predict all crimes in advance so they can be prevented from occurring. |
| 1006 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': Hari Seldon invents a whole field of science called "psychohistory" to predict the future of galactic civilization. He prophesizes the fall of the Empire, and establishes the Foundation to shorten the impending dark age. The system is later revealed to have a LogicalWeakness in that a powerful foreign leader with sufficiently nonstandard psychology throws the future off track; luckily there was a backup plan. In fact, the backup plan covers, to varying degrees, all the logical weaknesses, including that being a matter of probabilities it only takes a few highly improbable but not impossible events to throw things off course -- and the Seldon Plan covers a ''millennium'', so it is more likely than not that such events would happen eventually. [[spoiler: That's why the backup is a secret organization, equipped with PsychicPowers and psychohistory, continually working behind the scenes to manipulate things to ''keep'' the Plan to track, or push it back on course if that fails.]] |
| 1007 | ** ''{{Literature/Franchise}}'': Multivac has almost every datapoint it needs to predict how the citizens of America would vote in the election, and [[TheChooserOfTheOne selects Muller]] to fill in the gaps of its predictive abilities, thereby negating the need for anyone to vote at all. |
| 1008 | %%* Subverted in Creator/RobertSilverberg's ''The Stochastic Man'': the title character is a stochastics expert who runs an agency that predicts the future (specifically, business risks and stock exchange rates) based on hard maths--but gives it up after meeting his mentor who can ''actually'' see the future and teaches him the same. |
| 1009 | * RealAwardFictionalCharacter: |
| 1010 | ** "Literature/TheBilliardBall": A major point is the tension between two former classmates: a scientist with two Nobel Prizes versus a much more famous engineer who makes money through inventions based on his work. |
| 1011 | ** ''Literature/TheGodsThemselves'': Hallam received a Nobel prize for his work (well, he's actually a FakeUltimateHero, but still). |
| 1012 | * RealTimeTimeskip: Twenty years after his first published story, "Marooned Off Vesta", Asimov wrote a sequel to it called "Anniversary", where the heroes gather to celebrate twenty years since surviving the incident. |
| 1013 | * RidiculouslyHumanRobots: Asimov often averted this trope quite harshly, preferring to think of robots as tools [[AndroidsArePeopleToo rather than people]]. He only imagined robots being roughly humanoid when they needed to be able to perform tasks which human tools for already existed and it wouldn't make sense to replace every piece of equipment when one robot could be made to use them. They were always built to the job, and sometimes that job made for very unusual designs instead. |
| 1014 | ** "Literature/TheBicentennialMan": Andrew learned enough about robotics and biology to make himself a Ridiculously Human Robot. Over the course of two centuries, he started to make artwork, wear clothes, modify himself to be more human ... even to the point of [[spoiler:choosing to become mortal and die (this would break the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Third Law of Robotics]], but the eponymous character [[AIISaCrapshoot would rather die with his dreams intact than live without hope]])]]. |
| 1015 | ** ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel: [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Daneel Olivaw is [[AndroidsAndDetectives assisting Detective Baley]] solve a recent murder mystery. R. Daneel is a new type of robot (designed by the murder victim no less) which is externally indistinguishable from a human. |
| 1016 | ** "{{Literature/Evidence}}": Stephen Byerley's political opponent started a rumor that Byerley was a robot... and though Byerley denied it, he also declined to be X-rayed to prove his humanity. He eventually convinced people that he was human by punching out a heckler, an act clearly impossible for [[ThreeLawsCompliant a robot under the First Law]] [[spoiler:unless said heckler was another apparently-human robot constructed for the occasion]]. |
| 1017 | ** ''Literature/ForwardTheFoundation'': [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Dors Venabili and [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Daneel Olivaw are both humaniform robots designed to appear perfectly human. However, a political opponent of Daneel publicly decried him as a robot. Dors and Hari Seldon teach Daneel how to laugh realistically so that he can publicly laugh off such accusations as ridiculous, thereby discrediting the activist. Strangely, Dors was built by Daneel, yet she can smile and laugh, and he can't. |
| 1018 | ** "Literature/LetsGetTogether": [[spoiler:Eleven humaniform robots are constructed, each a copy of a scientist.]] |
| 1019 | ** ''Literature/TheNakedSun'': [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Daneel Olivaw is [[AndroidsAndDetectives assisting Detective Baley]] solve a recent murder mystery, and despite the Solarians' expertise with robots, is able to conceal his robotic nature completely. |
| 1020 | ** ''Literature/PreludeToFoundation'': [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Dors Venabili, a female humaniform robot designed by R. Daneel (an old humaniform robot) to become Hari Seldon's protector and companion. Not only is Dors fully functional, but she eventually develops genuine love for Seldon and actually [[AIISACrapshoot violates]] the [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] to protect him. |
| 1021 | ** ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'': [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Daneel Olivaw, a humaniform robot introduced in previous novels. |
| 1022 | ** ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'': |
| 1023 | *** [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Daneel Olivaw is humanoid in appearance and somewhat in behavior, but unlike [[Literature/TheCavesOfSteel on Earth]] or [[Literature/TheNakedSun on Solaria]], where such a robot would be unimaginable, the Aurorans are not fooled in the least. |
| 1024 | *** [[RobotNames R(obot)]] Jander Panell, whose "murder" is the subject of the book's mystery. We also learn that Jander (and, presumably by extension, Daneel) is "fully functioning". |
| 1025 | ** "Literature/SatisfactionGuaranteed": Isaac Asimov's first use of human-looking robots is the [=TN-3=] model, "Tony". Ultimately, the idea of humaniform robots is rejected by Susan Calvin, because Tony was so humanlike that TheProtagonist became [[{{Robosexual}} infatuated with him]]. The company does not want [[{{Sexbot}} their robots having sex with their customers]], so future TN models will be made less anthropomorphic. |
| 1026 | ** "Literature/TheTercentenaryIncident": [[spoiler:The human President of the United States was disintegrated, and replaced with his [[RobotMe robotic double]], who was originally meant to just be a body double for him at formal events. It's implied that the robot did a much better job of being President than the human ever could have.]] |
| 1027 | * RobotNames: |
| 1028 | ** ''Literature/RobotSeries'': US Robotics would give each robot model an alphanumeric serial number. They would usually [[AffectionateNickname nickname those models for fun]] afterwards. |
| 1029 | *** "Literature/Liar1941": The RB models are called "Herbie". |
| 1030 | *** "Literature/LittleLostRobot": The NS-2 models are called "Nestor", referencing ''Literature/TheIliad''. |
| 1031 | *** "{{Literature/Runaround}}": Rather than using the model designation, SPD 13, Powell and Donovan call their robot "Speedy". |
| 1032 | *** "Literature/SatisfactionGuaranteed": The TN-3 models are called "Tony". |
| 1033 | *** "Literature/VictoryUnintentional": One technician suggested the ZZ series be known by the {{Ironic}} "Sissy", but said technician was immediately shushed and [[DefiedTrope the subject was never mentioned again]]. |
| 1034 | ** ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'': The robot novels have Spacer robots who are all given the first initial R. [(for robot) in front of what appeared to be near-human first name/last name order (making their personal name more of a middle name). |
| 1035 | * SacredFlames: In "Literature/BlackFriarOfTheFlame" the people of Earth, under occupation by alien conquerors, have a sacred flame that symbolises the human spirit. The priests tending it have a mechanism that can cause it to flare up and change colour, in case they need to stage a "miracle". |
| 1036 | * SameFaceDifferentName: Isaac Asimov wrote ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'' in UsefulNotes/TheFifties under the pseudonym Paul French. He wrote six volumes of targeting a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile audience]] and hoped to turn them into a television series. Asimov adopted the PenName to make it easier to dissociate himself with the work if the tv series flopped. In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, he republished them with the byline saying "Isaac Asimov writing as Paul French". |
| 1037 | * ScienceMarchesOn: When robots and computers actually arrived, they didn't work anything like he predicted (though it's worth noting that most other writers of the time were even ''more'' off base). When he started writing, basic computer theory was still being developed, and the electronic computer hadn't been invented yet. Notable especially for what he thought would be easy and what would be hard are quite different. He thought in 2061 we'd still be using vacuum tubes but have self-aware AI. He didn't think the equivalent of a modern integrated circuit chip would be invented until after tens of thousands of years of refinement. |
| 1038 | ** To the point where he wrote about pilots plotting hyperspace courses using sextants, reference books and slide rules. On the other hand, while computers were still room-filling behemoths, he envisioned a society in which no one learned to do basic math because everyone had cheap, portable calculating devices. |
| 1039 | ** This trope mostly applies to his fiction, though, as all his non-fiction writings about science, especially his chemistry works, are considered to have been very accurate and consistent with contemporary understanding[[note]]While some parts of his scientific writings have inevitably been superseded by later discoveries, the bulk of them describe basic elements of science which have remained unchanged[[/note]]. |
| 1040 | ** In ''A Pebble in the Sky'' there's an extended section describing the role of proteins as genetic material. The book was published in 1950, two years before the definite experiment which proved that DNA was the genetic material. |
| 1041 | ** One short story centered around the fact that only one suspect would consider outside of a building to be a safe place to hide undeveloped film, the researcher who lived on Mercury, which had no day/night cycle and therefore would not recall that the sun rises on Earth and would ruin the film. A few years after that was published, astronomers proved that Mercury did rotate (albeit very slowly, three times per year, producing one local day every two years), unintentionally making this ConvictionByCounterfactualClue. Later printings included author's notes to the effect that he wanted to fix this but couldn't figure out how to do it without rewriting the entire plot. |
| 1042 | ** Whenever this happened, he joked that the scientists should have gotten it right to begin with, and he didn't see why he should have to change his work because of their mistakes. |
| 1043 | * SelfPlagiarism: |
| 1044 | ** When Asimov's original title (''As I Remember'') for his autobiography was rejected, he was told by his publisher, Doubleday, to go look for an obscure poem from which he can steal a ''bon mot''. He returned with the couplet "''[[Literature/InMemoryYetGreen In memory yet green]] / [[Literature/InJoyStillFelt In joy still felt]]''" which his publisher agreed to use. It was only after publication that Asimov admitted he had written the poem himself. The poem is printed as the epigram of both books, credited to "Anonymous." |
| 1045 | ** Many passages of Asimov's NonFiction on scientific topics is quoted verbatim from one of his earliest such works, ''[[Literature/TheIntelligentMansGuideToScience The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science]]''. Of course, since that book already covered the material, and he wrote a lot of books, this is understandable. |
| 1046 | ** Some of his works would (quite rarely) have overlapping title names. Excluding [[AdaptationExpansion expanded versions]] of his short fiction, Asimov also reused the title "Literature/RejectionSlips" from his poem for a NonFiction essay to the readership of ''Magazine/AsimovsScienceFiction''. |
| 1047 | * SharedUniverse: ''Literature/IsaacsUniverse'' is a shared [[TheVerse setting]] created by Isaac Asimov in the 1990s, totaling five books. Three volumes were [[{{Anthology}} anthologies]] of short stories edited by Creator/MartinHGreenberg (contributing authors included Creator/PoulAnderson, Creator/DavidBrin, Creator/HalClement, Creator/GeorgeAlecEffinger, Creator/KarenHaber, Creator/JanetKagan, Creator/RebeccaOre, Creator/RobertSheckley, Creator/RobertSilverberg, Creator/AllenSteele, Creator/HarryTurtledove, and Creator/LawrenceWattEvans). The novels ''{{Literature/Fossil}}'' by Creator/HalClement and ''Literature/MurderAtTheGalacticWritersSociety'' by Creator/JanetAsimov are also set in the same setting. |
| 1048 | * SpellMyNameWithAnS: |
| 1049 | ** "Literature/SpellMyNameWithAnS": This story is the TropeNamer, but is [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample not an example]]. InUniverse name spelling changes are an example of MyNaymeIs. |
| 1050 | ** Asimov wrote an editorial in ''Magazine/AsimovsScienceFiction'' solely for how many ways people screwed up his name. For some reason, "Asminov" was the most common mangling. |
| 1051 | ** Because Asimov invented the concept of [[{{Neologism}} robotics]] and ThreeLawsCompliant robots, such robots are sometimes called ''Asenion'', another misspelling of his name. |
| 1052 | ** Asimov had a bit of a vendetta against people who spelled his name "Azimov", but admitted that the only reason his name is spelled with a "s" instead of a "z" is because his father didn't understand the Latin alphabet very well while signing immigration papers and had confused the two letters. |
| 1053 | * StandardSciFiHistory: The TropeCodifier, if not the TropeMaker. |
| 1054 | ** ''Literature/RobotSeries'': This series begins TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, with the positronic brains as a technology that facilitates basic ArtificialIntelligence (see "{{Literature/Robbie}}"). They're used to facilitate humanity's expansion into the solar system (see "{{Literature/Runaround}}") and eventually develop {{Hyperspace|OrSubspace}} travel (see "Literature/LittleLostRobot" and "{{Literature/Escape}}") so that they can expand into the larger galaxy. The division between the space exploring robot users and the bigoted Earthers drives a social wedge between the two groups. The colonies begin to call themselves Spacers to distinguish between themselves and the Earthmen.\ |
| 1055 | By the era of Elijah Baley, the loose association of Spacer societies has calcified. Scientists don't share their theories/experiments because they want all the credit for themselves, robots provide all of life's necessities, and there is no threat to struggle against. During this decadence and decay, Baley encourages the overpopulated people of Earth to explore new planets without relying on robots (becoming known as the "Settlers"). Thus, a new era of interstellar exploration is begun while the first "empire" slowly collapses. %%include Robot City reference here. |
| 1056 | ** ''Literature/TheEmpireNovels'': The galaxy is getting explored (by [[CanonWelding Settlers]]) and [[GalacticSuperpower small empires]] are rising from [[GalacticConqueror expanding warlords]], such as the Tyranni (see ''Literature/LikeStarsLikeDust''). Due to Earth's unusual radioactive crust, it is [[InsignificantLittleBluePlanet despised and ignored by the galactic community]]. The Spacer worlds are forgotten, while the Trantorian Empire would conquer all the known galaxy, renaming itself the [[GenericanEmpire Galactic Empire]]. |
| 1057 | ** ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': The {{Prequel}} books take place [[PrequelInTheLostAge while the Galactic Empire is at its peak]]. The first story (in publication order) is "Literature/TheEncyclopedists", where the decay has allowed the territories at the edge of the empire to declare themselves independent nations. While the first Galactic Empire collapses, the focus is on the accelerated growth of the second galactic empire. This accelerated growth will minimize the Interregnum, reducing the "Long Night" to only about a thousand years. However, ThePlan is disrupted, and ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' decides that humanity's final fate is [[spoiler:to become a [[GeniusLoci galaxy-wide shared intelligence]] to protect against potential intergalactic alien threats]]. |
| 1058 | * SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: |
| 1059 | ** "Literature/BreedsThereAMan": Humanity is an alien experiment which must occasionally be reset by large-scale destruction. The UsefulNotes/ColdWar is the prelude to another reset, but if humanity can develop an [[DeflectorShields energy shield]] to protect cities against nuclear bombs, they may be able to escape the alien control. |
| 1060 | ** ''Literature/GeorgeAndAzazel'': The titular demon (Azazel) is either an extraterrestrial with advanced technology, or an [[OurDemonsAreDifferent actual demon]] -- and possibly both. Depending on which story, and even [[OrwellianRetcon which version of a story]], Azazel may be either one. The stories can't seem to make up their mind, which fits in with George possibly [[UnreliableNarrator making them all up]]. Azazel's role in the story is to [[GreatGazoo cause some crazy personal disaster in the interest of helping someone out]]. |
| 1061 | ** "{{Literature/Jokester}}": The human sense of humour is found to be an experiment imposed on us by aliens. Tragically, once this experiment is discovered, it is no longer of any use for the aliens and the capacity for finding something funny is immediately removed. |
| 1062 | * ThreeLawsCompliant: [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]] of the "Three Laws of Robotics", because Asimov believed that robots were machines that would be built with [[MoralityChip restrictions on their behaviour]]. The following examples, however, show how being a "Three Laws" robot often isn't enough to prevent drama: |
| 1063 | ** "Literature/TheBicentennialMan": The only method of [[BecomeARealBoy turning Andrew]] into a "[[WhatMeasureIsANonhuman human]]" would cause him to quickly die. When reminded that he'd be violating the Third Law, he [[AIIsACrapshoot dismisses their concern]], saying the death of his dreams and aspirations was a higher price than the death of his body. |
| 1064 | ** ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'': |
| 1065 | *** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'': The Sirian robot that Lucky finds on [[TidallyLockedPlanet Mercury's sunside]] is so heavily damaged that the First Law prohibition against harming humans has become corrupted, and it tries to kill Lucky to prevent a violation of the Second Law (it was ordered not to be discovered). |
| 1066 | *** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'': The three-laws programming becomes a clue to help Lucky deduce the SpyBot's identity. It had to be someone with nearly free run of Jupiter IX, it had to be someone who would defend human life, and it had to be someone aboard the experimental Agrav ship. |
| 1067 | *** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'': Sten Devoure is able to convince the three-law robots under his command that the hero's sidekick [[IronicName "Bigman" Jones]] is not really human, because the Sirius system does not contain such "imperfect" specimens. [[spoiler:He then orders them to [[ItIsDehumanizing "break it"]].]] |
| 1068 | ** "{{Literature/Escape}}": Mike Donovan and Greg Powell are assigned to test a prototype spaceship designed by a prototype robot/[[MasterComputer superbrain]]. Donovan worries about the reinforcement from the scientists involved to strengthen the Second Law. The designer of the spaceship was told, over and over, that even if it looks like Donovan and Powell ''might'' die, it's okay. Donovan is concerned that the reinforcement will allow the robot to design a deathtrap. In this case, the jump through hyperspace does result in Powell and Donovan's "deaths"--but since they get better when the ship reemerges into real space, the robot judged that it didn't ''quite'' violate the First Law, but the strain of making this leap in logic still managed to send the previous supercomputer into a full meltdown and this one into something resembling psychosis. |
| 1069 | -->''"Before it's physically possible in any way for a robot to even make a start to breaking the First Law, so many things have to break down that it would be a ruined mess of scrap ten times over."'' -- '''Greg Powell''' |
| 1070 | ** "{{Literature/Evidence}}": Stephen Byerley tries to run for mayor of New York City, but he's plagued by a smear campaign claiming he is actually an [[DeceptivelyHumanRobots unprecedentedly well-made humanoid robot]]. Susan Calvin is called in to prove whether or not he is a robot. She points out that disobeying the Three Laws will prove he is not a robot, but obedience could mean that he's simply a good person, because the Three Laws are generally good [[TheCommandments guidelines for conduct]] anyway. Byerley wins the election in a landslide after breaking the First Law by slugging an unruly protester at a rally. [[spoiler:But Calvin points out that a robot could have done the same thing, if it knew the protester was also a robot.]] |
| 1071 | ** "Literature/Liar1941": A typical robot with the normal Three Laws came off the assembly line with an unusual trait; {{telepathy}}. Because it can see the immediate harm from telling the truth, it tells people lies instead. It doesn't realize how lies can also harm humans until it is too late, and Calvin gives it a LogicBomb based on how the temporary lies have increased the harm that the truth will do to everyone involved, telling further lies will again compound the harm, and being silent is also harmful. |
| 1072 | ** "Literature/LittleLostRobot": Attempting to tweak the Three Laws starts the whole plot in motion; twelve of the NS-2 models were designed to permit humans to come to harm through inaction in order to work alongside humans in hazardous environments. One physicist who had a bad day tells a robot to "go lose yourself", and it immediately hides in a crowd of identical fully-compliant robots. Susan Calvin is called in and proceeds to lose her shit. From an engineering standpoint, partial compliance is a prototype system, and noticeably [[AIIsACrapshoot less stable]] than the production models. QED, they're more likely to go crazy. But from a psychological standpoint, she specifically points out a partially-compliant robot [[ZerothLawRebellion can find lots of ways to intentionally harm humans through inaction]]. It can simply engineer a dangerous situation it has the capacity to avert, and then choose not to avert it. |
| 1073 | --> "If a modified robot were to drop a heavy weight upon a human being, he would not be breaking the First Law, if he did so with the knowledge that his strength and reaction speed would be sufficient to snatch the weight away before it struck the man. However once the weight left his fingers, he would be no longer the active medium. Only the blind force of gravity would be that. The robot could then [[ZerothLawRebellion change his mind and merely by inaction, allow the weight to strike]]. The modified First Law allows that." |
| 1074 | ** ''Literature/TheNakedSun'': |
| 1075 | *** The solution to the [[PlotTriggeringDeath murder mystery which caused the Spacers to summon Detective Baley]] hinges on a specific part of the First Law's wording: "knowingly". Robots can be made to take actions that, due to circumstances or the actions of other people, will lead to the injury or death of humans if the robots don't know this will be the case. A robot was ordered to give its arm to a woman engaged in a violent argument with her husband - seeing herself in sudden possession of a blunt object, she used it. |
| 1076 | *** Characters discuss a [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] in the Three Laws; an "autonomous spaceship that doesn't know about manned spaceships" can be used to turn ActualPacifist robots into [[MurderousMalfunctioningMachine deadly murder-machines]]. This was a project that the mastermind of the book's murder was working on. |
| 1077 | ** "{{Literature/Robbie}}": This story had actually been published before Asimov had invented his Three Laws, but the MoralityChip is still present in how Mr Weston explains to Mrs Weston that Robbie, [[RaisedByRobots Gloria's robot nanny]], is ''made'' to be faithful and protective of their little girl. |
| 1078 | ** "Literature/RobotDreams": A robot that is (accidentally) programmed to believe that "robots are humans and humans are not". Once Calvin discovers this problem, [[MundaneSolution she shoots it in the head]], destroying the positronic brain. |
| 1079 | ** ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'': R. Daneel and R. Giskard formulate the [[ZerothLawRebellion Zeroth Law]] (and name it such) as a natural extension of the First Law, but are unable to use it to overcome the hardcoded First Law, even when the fate of the world is at stake. [[spoiler:In the end, R. Giskard manages to perform an act that violates the First Law but will hopefully benefit humanity in the long run. The possibility of being wrong destroys his brain, but not before he reprograms R. Daneel to grant him [[PsychicPowers telepathic abilities]]. R. Daneel continues to follow all four laws, though he still has difficulty causing direct harm to humans and dedicates major efforts to finding ways of actually determining what harm to humanity is.]] |
| 1080 | ** ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'': A preeminent roboticist remarks to Detective Baley that the Three Laws of modern robots are advanced enough to tell which choices are more harmful, and if a robot can't determine which action is more harmful, there's always the [[HeadsOrTails coin flip]]. However, the mystery of this book is a robot (one that he designed) has been shut down with a LogicBomb involving the Three Laws, and no-one but him could have managed one. |
| 1081 | ** "{{Literature/Runaround}}": This story is the first time the Three Laws appeared in print; Mike Donovan and Greg Powell go over the laws to help clarify in their minds what the problem is with their prototype robot. They also work with older model robots that have additional restrictions, such as being immobile unless a [[MiniMecha human is riding them]]. That restriction, however, is waived if by being immobile a human would come to harm, because the First Law trumps all other instructions. |
| 1082 | * TidallyLockedPlanet: |
| 1083 | ** "Literature/TheDyingNight": {{UsefulNotes/Mercury}} is tidally locked to the Sun, and this becomes a major plot point. The killer had lived on Mercury's northern pole for ten years, forgetting the normal night/day cycle of Earth. [[ScienceMarchesOn After astronomers found out Mercury wasn't tidally locked]], Asimov said in an author's note that he'd wanted to fix it, but couldn't figure out how to do it without rewriting half the plot. |
| 1084 | ** ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'''s "Literature/TheMule": Radole is uninhabitable, apart from a few areas on the terminator. The capital city is in the largest such area, where conditions resemble a warm June morning on Earth. Possibly one of many such planets with a narrow habitable strip, because they are commonplace enough to have a nickname; "ribbon worlds". Radole hosts a meeting of Foundation citizens from the independent Trader worlds who wish to revolt against the tyrants of Terminus and the Four Kingdoms. |
| 1085 | ** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'': In this story, {{UsefulNotes/Mercury}} is tidally locked with the sun, creating a day-side and night-side. |
| 1086 | ** "{{Literature/Runaround}}": Donovan and Powell are sent to {{UsefulNotes/Mercury}} to try reopening the "Sunside" mining operation. The story was premised on the conflict that the fields keeping the humans from dying would fail before sunset (since it was common scientific knowledge [[ScienceMarchesOn at the time]] that Mercury was tidally locked). |
| 1087 | * TimeTravel: |
| 1088 | ** "Literature/ALointOfPaw": An ultra-short short story built around time travel for the [[{{Feghoot}} sole purpose of setting up a pun]]. |
| 1089 | ** ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'': An accident with crude uranium sends Joseph Schwartz from 1957 AD to tens of thousands of years into the future. |
| 1090 | ** "Literature/TheUglyLittleBoy": Stasis, Incorporated is a business where a TimeMachine is used to move objects and people in a very limited capacity. When they perform the Stasis One experiment with Timmie, that's the nearest to their present-day that they can reach. As their technology gets better, they prepare to replace the Neanderthal experiment with Project Middle Ages. |
| 1091 | * TropeMakers: |
| 1092 | ** The "[[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws of Robotics]]" were created by Asimov because he believed that robots were machines that would be built with [[MoralityChip restrictions on their behaviour]]. However, those restrictions would rarely make robots 100% safe, and most stories showed how the "Laws" would fail to account for one corner-case or another. Many later works refer to these laws by "Asimov's Laws" or "Asenion robots". |
| 1093 | ** The [[CityPlanet city-wide planet]] idea was first proposed for Trantor, seen when he published "[[Literature/TheGeneralFoundation Dead Hand]]" in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'' (April 1945 issue). Trantor would inspire the TropeCodifier, Coruscant from ''Franchise/StarWars''. |
| 1094 | * ViewersAreMorons: The plot of ''Literature/TheBilliardBall depends on the ball, once run through the anti-gravity machine, to accelerate instantaneously to near-light-speed and turn therefore into an unstoppable killer cannonball. But the atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the air '''fuse''' if rammed into something at relativistic speeds. So there was not going to be a cannonball cutting through objects with laser precision, it was going to be a megaton-sized thermonuclear explosion taking the witnesses, the building and the entire city with it. Asimov knew it, but assumed the readers didn't know ands wrote the story as he did. |
| 1095 | * VitriolicBestBuds: |
| 1096 | ** ''Literature/BlackWidowers'': Manny Rubin and Mario Gonzalo freqently toss barbs at one another, more than the other members of the club. In "Literature/TheWrongHouse", the guest of the month points it out: |
| 1097 | -->'''Levan:''' Whenever I hear two people spar like that, I am certain that there is actually a profound affection between them.\ |
| 1098 | '''Rubin:''' ''(revolted)'' Oh, God.\ |
| 1099 | '''Gonzalo:''' You've hit it, Mr. Levan. Manny would give me the shirt off his back if no-one were looking. The only thing he wouldn't give me is a kind word. |
| 1100 | ** ''Literature/RobotSeries'': Powell and Donovan, roboticists featured in a few short stories. |
| 1101 | * WorthlessYellowRocks: In "Pate De Fois Gras", the fact that the Goose is laying ''golden'' eggs is treated as secondary by the government agents. In fact, the farmer owning the goose is being compensated for every single egg. What the government does care about is the fact of nuclear transmutation in a living organism, along with the fact that every piece of harmful radiation hitting the Goose seems to vanish into nothingness. Doubly so for the Goose itself; not only is the gold worthless, it prevents the bird from reproducing. |
| 1102 | * XenoFiction: |
| 1103 | ** "Literature/TheGentleVultures": This story takes place from the perspective of aliens observing Earth in anticipation of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar becoming WorldWarIII. |
| 1104 | ** ''Literature/TheGodsThemselves'': Written due to criticism that he never wrote about aliens or sex. As a result it's a book about aliens, sex, and [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs alien sex]]. He was probably feeling sarcastic about this (Asimov's sillier replies to fan mail or publisher criticism actually very frequently resulted in novels or publishable short stories, he was a man that loved to go a long way for a short laugh) because he'd at that point already written a number of stories where the POV character is a robot and one especially memorable one about a sentient alien spaceship that was essentially a 1000-word circumcision joke. |
| 1105 | ** "Literature/TheHazing": Most of the story occurs from the perspective of the alien sophomores, [[SwitchingPOV it changes between the sophomore Myron Tubal and freshman Albert Williams]] while the three alien sophomores try to pull [[WackyFratboyHijinx the greatest hazing ever]] on the ten human freshmen. |
| 1106 | ** "Literature/HomoSol": The entire story is told from an alien viewpoint, mostly in [[PointOfView Third Person narration]] following Tan Porus around as representatives of the [[GalacticSuperpower galactic Federation of Planets]] establishes FirstContact with the Solarians ([[HumansByAnyOtherName humans from Earth's solar system]]). |
| 1107 | ** "Literature/TheImaginary": This story inverts AbsentAliens, as humans from Earth are regulated to [[ContinuityNod a passing mention that establishes this story as a sequel]] to "Literature/HomoSol". Instead, the story continues from Tan Porus's experiments with the Beta Draconis IV squids. |
| 1108 | * AYearAndADay: |
| 1109 | ** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids'': Dingo, one of the pirates, estimates that repairing the ''Atlas'' (the boobytrapped ship Lucky stowed away on) would take too long to be a profitable repair. |
| 1110 | --->'''Dingo:''' It would take a year and a Sunday. It isn't worth it. |
| 1111 | ** "Literature/PrinceDelightfulAndTheFlamelessDragon": In this comic fairy story, Prince Delightful goes a-travelling for a year and a day, and it's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] that in this fairy story universe journeys ''always'' last a year and a day. |
| 1112 | ** "{{Literature/Someday}}": In one of [[TheStoryteller the stories told by the Bard]], a princess walks for a year and a day until her iron shoes wore out. |
| 1113 | * YouAreWhatYouHate: According to an autobiography, a man named Jackson Davenport[[note]]This was not his real name. However, his real name was equally Anglo-Saxon.[[/note]] once accused Asimov of trying to hide his Jewishness because he once gave a lecture on Rosh Hashanah. Asimov said that if he wished to hide the fact that he was Jewish, the first thing he'd do is change his name to Jackson Davenport. |
| 1114 | * YouJustToldMe: |
| 1115 | ** "{{Literature/Evidence}}": A scientist interviews a politician he believes to be a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots robot in disguise]]. When the scientist refuses to name the source who brought the rumors to him, the politician asks if they can just assume it's his political rival and move on. He keeps on using the rival's name for the name of the source in their conversation, until the scientist forgets that he's supposed to be keeping it a secret and uses it himself. The politician, who used to be a lawyer, calls this a "shyster trick". |
| 1116 | ** "Literature/ImInMarsportWithoutHilda": A detective is trying to figure out which of several people in a room is a drug smuggler. All of the innocent suspects are currently [[MushroomSamba loopy]] and speaking stream-of-consciousness gibberish, because they were given a drug to prevent space sickness, and the guilty party is faking it. Unable to figure out who is guilty, the detective, out of frustration, starts telling them about the hot date he would have had, if he wasn't stuck interviewing them. The guilty party's, um, "reaction", gives him away. |
| 1117 | ** "Literature/TheSingingBell": This story involves a thrown object, with the twist that the criminal is the ''thrower''. He gives himself away as having spent a long time on the moon when he throws it ''far'' too short in earth's gravity. |
| 1118 | ** In one of Asimov's short mystery stories, the culprit is a Québécois person using a false identity of an American. The detective tricks him into revealing his true identity by asking him to write the word "Montréal," and he writes it with an ''accent aigu'' on the e, whereas someone who only spoke English wouldn't spell it that way. |
| 1119 | ---- |
| 1120 | !!Miscellaneous trivia |
| 1121 | * When ''Film/{{Sleeper}}'' was being produced, Asimov refused the position of "technical director" and recommended Creator/BenBova instead. |
| 1122 | * During the 1940s, Asimov was drafted to military service. "Evidence" is the only story he wrote during this timeframe, because he applied for leave to complete his [=PhD=]. He was out of uniform by the time this story was published in ''Astounding''. Confirmed by ''Literature/TheEarlyAsimov'' (1972) and ''Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume081946'' (1982). |
| 1123 | * Asimov was quite capable in this. One of his anecdotes in ''The Early Asimov'' tells of struggling with an English class while an undergraduate. He arranged a meeting with the professor. At the meeting, the instructor claimed "Your problem, Mr. Asimov, is you just can't write." At this point, Asimov pulled out a check he'd received that morning for one of his short stories, waved it in the professor's face and said, "I'll kindly ask you not to repeat that slander to my editors." Whereupon he left the meeting. |
| 1124 | * U.S. Robotics, a maker of dialup modems, derived its name from Asimov's U.S. Robots & Mechanical Men. |
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