by G. Jack Urso
In the late 1970s, Fawcett Crest published Isaac Asimov: Five Books by the Master of
Science Fiction, a box collection of novels and anthologies by the author that
ably demonstrate the breadth of Asimov’s talent. The purpose here is not to
review the books per se, but rather to highlight the trends in society and
science fiction as reflected in Asimov’s works.
Most science fiction today is actually science
fantasy, or rather science action.
The science element is usually fairly minimal and seldom explained except in
the form of Star Trekesque
technobabble, meaning it sounds scientific, but is actually just nonsense.
Asimov — being the proliferous polymath that he was — centered his stories around core scientific principles often manifested by
advanced computers, robots, space travel, and future how technology will affect
humans on a day-to-day basis. Asimov succeeds in connecting his audience to
science fiction because the characters populating his novels were usually very
familiar to mid-Twentieth century readers. Instead of square–jawed space
mercenaries like Han Solo from Star Wars,
Asimov opts for a retired tailor as the protagonist in Pebble in the Sky, or a hard-boiled detective in The Caves of Steel. Familiar
faces allow the reader to explore Asimov’s worlds without getting lost in
the science, or the fantasy.Indeed, Asimov infuses distinctly human traits in the
robot Andrew Martin in The Bicentennial
Man or R. Daneel Olivaw in The Caves
of Steel. These aren’t the mindless automatons of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon,
or even the silent film Metropolis.
While the tension between human and artificial life forms is always present in
Asimov’s works, the purpose of the robot protagonist is usually to explore the
meaning of what it means to be human – an idea that influenced the character
development of the android Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Nine Tomorrows: Tales of the Near Future
[Fawcett Crest 1969 edition]
The first book in the collection is an anthology of
nine short stories first published in the mid- to late-1950s. Here, the
technology Asimov explores reflects the paranoia of the 1950s. The Cold War and
the Space Race created great concern in the United States that the educational
system was inadequate to meet the demands of a high-technology society. The
potential impact of meeting those demands is explored in “Profession” and “The
Feeling of Power.”The stand-out stories here include “All the Troubles
in the World” and “The Last Question,” concerning the computer Multivac. Asimov
explores the impact of sentience on a computer mind in the former story and
introduces a potential explanation for the Big Bang in the latter.
Reading these stories, and reflecting on the whole
oeuvre of The Twilight Zone, one can
see where Rod Serling took his cues.
· “Profession”: First published in Astounding Science Fiction, July 1957. In
the 66th century, learning takes place via a direct computer feed to
the brain called taping, an effective
way of quickly training a highly educated workforce, but with the result of sapping
the creative spirit. A citizen, George Platen, is determined to be
“feebled-minded” and refused education via taping; however, George’s
independent, creative thinking may turn out to be just what the Earth needs for
its survival.
· “The Feeling of Power”: First published in If: Worlds of Science Fiction, February
1958.
In the far future, computers have advanced
to the point that humans have forgotten how to do simple mathematical
calculations. When someone discovers how to work out math problems on their
own, without computers, the military quickly realizes how to use it to continue
an interstellar war.
· “The Dying Night”: First published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1956.
The invention of a teleportation device
leads to a murder to suppress its discovery.
· “I’m in Marsport without Hilda”: First published
in Venture Science Fiction, November
1957.
Max, a Galactic Service agent, is trying
to set up a liaison with an old flame, Flora, when his boss calls him away to
find a drug smuggler. Can he do so before his wife Hilda arrives and ruins his
plans with Flora?
· “The Gentle Vultures”: First published in Super Science Fiction, December 1957.
A race of tailed-alien vegetarian primates,
called Hurrians, believe all omnivorous ape-like species without tails, such as
humans, invariably cause their own destruction through atomic war. When they
discover Earth-humans have not done so, the Hurrians must decide whether to
protect their own existence by starting an atomic war on Earth, or passively
accept that their influence in the galaxy will wane as the Earthlings ascend.
· “All the Troubles in the World”: First published
in Super Science Fiction, April 1958.
Multivac, the world-spanning computer,
processes all of the data generated by human civilization, which is then used
to forecast future events, including predicting crime. As the burden of its
duties increase, Multivac begins to act erratically. When the computer predicts
its own murder, the identity of the would-be killer, if revealed, could unravel
the whole society.
· “Spell my name with an S”: First published in Star Science Fiction, January 1958.
Upon the advice of a numerologist, an
American scientist changes his name from Zebatinsky to Sebatinsky in the hope
it will improve his fortunes at work. Instead, it brings him under suspicion of
working for the Soviets. The numerologist, however, is an alien manipulating
the scientist in a deadly bet with another alien on the Earth’s future existence.
· “The Last Question”: First published in Science Fiction Quarterly, November 1956.
The
most powerful computer in existence, Multivac, is asked a question, “How to
stop entropy?” As time marches on, Multivac evolves, becoming more and more
complex. Each version of the computer is asked the same question, “How to stop entropy?”
In the far distant future, Multivac becomes so large that it guides humanity
from its home in hyperspace. Trillions of years later, long after the last
human has died and all matter and energy in the universe has dissolved into
elementary particles, Multivac finally discovers how to reverse entropy. The
answer is a twist worthy of any Twilight
Zone episode.
· “The Ugly Little Boy”: First published in Galaxy Magazine, September 1958.
Researchers reach into Earth’s past to
bring a Neanderthal child into the present, where a female scientist forms a
mother-son bond with the boy. Eventually, the boy acquires a taste for modern
life, but when the experiment ends he must be sent back to the past. Knowing
the child, now acclimated to life in the future, will not be able to survive in
the ancient past, his modern-day “mother” must decide whether to send him back
alone to face a certain death…or join him.
Pebble in the Sky [Fawcett Crest
1971 edition; first published in 1950]
Joseph Schwartz, a retired tailor from the mid-20th century,
is transported into the distant future where he acquires great psychic powers.
In this future, the Earth is part of a galaxy-spanning empire that has depleted
the planet's resources and left it irradiated. A “Procurator” rules the Earth
from a domed city in the Himalayas, where he plans to release a virus against
the empire in revenge. Knowing that such an act would also doom the Earth,
Schwartz uses his newfound mental powers to stop the plot before the virus is
released.Two themes emerge in the novel. First, Asimov
utilizes the growing post-war fear of radiation and threatened natural
resources as a plot device. Second, the concept of a man out of time and/or
place is influenced by such earlier tales as John Carter of Mars, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon. The influence
of these works on Pebble in the Sky
makes sense in light of the novel’s dedication to Asimov’s father, “Who first
introduced me [Isaac Asimov] to science fiction.” Given Asimov’s birth date of
1920, John Carter, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon were certainly on his early reading list. Asimov’s genius
though is in selecting a humble retired tailor as the protagonist. We can’t all
be Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon, but everyone can be Joseph Schwartz.
The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories [Fawcett Crest 1976 edition]
As Asimov moves into the 1960s and 1970s, we see in
the anthology The Bicentennial Man and
Other Stories further use of the robot to explore the human condition. In
doing so, Asimov quite wisely integrates various social issues reflective of
the times. Moving beyond the question of which is superior, man or robot,
Asimov explores uniquely female qualities to enhance a robot’s human qualities
in “Feminine Intuition.” Issues such as overpopulation, famine, undersea
exploration, developmental disabilities, and political intrigue round out other
themes in the book.Of particular note as a writer are the prefaces to
the stories Asimov includes, which reveal that even during the height of his
career in the 1960s and 1970s, he still wrestled with getting rejection slips.
Sometimes, these were from friends in the publishing industry, which must have
affected him deeply. To his credit, Asimov is open with his experiences, which
puts the rejection experience in better perspective for all writers.
An additional aspect of Asimov’s writing not always noted
is his readiness to adapt science fiction to publications outside the usual
sci-fi magazines, such as New York Times
Magazine, High Fidelity Magazine, Bell Telephone Magazine, and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. These
are not always his best works, but their purpose is to expand sci-fi interest
beyond the usual genre magazines and to that end they succeed.
· “Feminine Intuition”: First published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, October
1969.
Here, we are introduced to Asimov’s Laws of Robotics. U.S Robots constructs
a robot with feminine intuition, a mix of knowledge and psychological analysis,
in the hope it will discover habitable planets. When the robot is destroyed and
the head of U.S. Robots is murdered, it takes a woman’s “intuition” to solve
the crime.
· “Waterclap”: First published in Galaxy, May 1970.
An engineer from the moon visits Earth
with the intention of sabotaging an experimental undersea colony so the
government will divert funds to outer space exploration. Undeterred by the
potential loss of life, can the engineer be talked out of his nefarious plan?
· “That Thou Art Mindful of Him”: First published in
Fantasy and Science Fiction, May 1974.
The Three Laws of Robotics requires that
robots obey the orders of humans (as long as they don’t harm other humans); however,
not all humans are trustworthy, so how can robots tell the difference? U.S.
Robots create two robots who discuss the problem and over time come to the
conclusion that ultimately robots are the superior life-form and destined to
dominate humanity. [Title comes from Psalm 8:5:"What is Man that thou art
mindful of Him?"]
· “Stranger in Paradise”: First published in If:
Worlds of Science Fiction, May-June 1974.
In an a post-apocalyptic world where full
siblings are few in order to protect the genetic diversity of the human race,
two brothers work to create a positronic brain capable of operating on Mercury.
Surprisingly, they find the answer for a superior robot brain in the mind an
autistic human, people who are otherwise terminated in order to prevent their
genes from entering the gene pool.
· “The Life and Times of Multivac”: First published
in New York Times Magazine, 5 January
1975.
The global computer Multivac has helped
humanity survive following a series of great catastrophes that almost wiped-out
their existence. Now, Multivac’s “benevolent” control is threatened by a
saboteur determined to destroy the great computer, but is humanity ready for
freedom from Multivac, and do they really want it?
· “The Winnowing”: First published in Analog February 1976.
The year is 2005 and famine is ravaging
the Earth’s population of six billion people. In order to reduce the demand for
food, The World Food Organization decides to lace food shipments with a
random-acting poison and blackmails a scientist ay threatening to withhold food
from his family. Forced to go along, the scientist strikes back by giving the
Council a taste of their own harsh medicine — and sharing in their fate.
· “The Bicentennial Man”: First published in Stellar Science Fiction, February 1976.
Two hundred years in the life of Andrew
Martin, a robot with a positronic brain who slowly transforms himself through
a series of operations from a metallic robot to a human android. Over time,
Andrew sees members of the family who purchased him die off and decides that
there is just one more operation left that will finally make him fully human,
and it will be his last.
· “Marching In”: First published in High Fidelity Magazine, April 1976.
A jazz musician is asked by a doctor at a
mental hospital to help devise a treatment for depression. The novel idea of
using a laser to record brain wave patterns is discussed, but eventually it
decided that the upbeat rhythm of revival hymns can reset a person’s brain wave
patterns and treat their depression.
· “Old-fashioned”: First published in Bell Telephone Magazine, February 1976.
Two asteroid miners encounter an uncharted
black hole which damages their ship. Unable to radio for help, one of the
miners notes that black holes generate x-rays whenever anything falls into it.
With cargo hold full of rocks, the miner comes up with a way to communicate by
throwing stones into the black hole to generate an S-O-S in Morse code.
· “The Tercentenary Incident”: First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, August
1976.
By July 4, 2076, the United States no
longer exists as an independent nation, but as part of a federation that
includes the Earth and colonies in outer space. The current president, a
failure, in his first term, has been replaced by a sophisticated robot
duplicate — superior to his human counterpart — who goes on to win reelection.
When two government officials uncover the secret, one must decide whether the
nation is better off now and how far he should go to keep the other silent.
· “Birth of a Notion”: First published in Amazing Stories, April 1976.
Simeon Weill, a physicist from 1976, goes back in time to 1925 to
meet with his hero Hugo Gernsback, who created the first Science Fiction
magazine, Amazing Stories in 1926.
Weill tells Gernsback some of the discoveries over the next fifty years and
inadvertently suggests a name for the new magazine.
The Gods Themselves [Fawcett Crest
1972 edition]
A scientist invents the Electron Pump, which
exchanges matter between our universe and a parallel universe, creating a
source of cheap, clean energy. Apparently successful at first, it is soon
discovered that the Electron Pump is destabilizing our Sun and will cause it to
go supernova. Further, the sun of the parallel universe Earth will cool down, so
continued use of the Electron Pump will destroy both worlds. It takes the
sacrifice of a triad of aliens from the parallel Earth (whose race has three
sexes) to stop the Electron Pump and save both universes.This is among Asimov’s most challenging novels. Rooted
in strong scientific concepts, the story is hard sci-fi. Asimov succeeds in
creating alien characters imbued with qualities both truly alien, as in the
approach to sex, but also with very relatable human characteristics such as curiosity
and self-sacrifice. Asimov wisely determined that his readers in the early 1970s
were prepared for more sophisticated discussions of sex and uses the novel to
explore the youthful aliens’ sense of experimentation contrasted with their
society’s generally more conservative attitudes — a situation no doubt quite
familiar to Asimov’s readers in 1972.
The Caves of Steel [Fawcett Crest
1972 edition, first published 1954]
Three thousand years in the future, two detectives,
Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw, are assigned to solve the murder of an
ambassador. Bailey is a human and Olivaw is a robot — a
very unique robot created by the murdered man. The conflict between human and
robot is used to explore the nature of life, both natural and artificial, and
whether one is superior to the other.Reading Olivaw’s dialogue, one can easily imagine the
words being spoken by the android Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Olivaw is in a sense an alien in
human society, and the human-alien buddy concept is played out in numerous
sci-fi films, such as James Caan and Mandy Patinkin in the 1988 film Alien Nation.
This collection of books followed me around
throughout high school and college and nearly four decades later continues to remain
a personal literary touchstone. Isaac
Asimov: Five Books by the Master of Science Fiction presents a talented
author whose passionate love of science fiction helped to raise it from a
marginal genre to important literature that helps an increasingly technological
civilization figure out its place in the universe — literally.I always imagined Isaac Asimov as your typical
Northeastern intellectual, with a bit of a mid-Atlantic accent. It wasn’t until
the early 1990s that I first saw an interview with Asimov and instead found a
typical New Yorker with an accent that reminded me of any number of cab drivers
I’ve encountered. I close with a clip of that interview from Apollo 11: As it Happened, ABC News
coverage of the 1969 Moon landing. Rod Serling interviews a panel of science
fiction authors about the past and future of the genre.
Editor's Note: All book images above from author's collection.
Works
Cited
Asimov, Isaac. Nine Tomorrows. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1969. Print.
– – –. Pebble in the Sky. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1971. Print.
– – –. The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories. New York: Fawcett Crest,
1976. Print.
– – –. The Caves of Steel. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1971. Print.
– – –. The Gods Themselves. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1976. Print.
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