yah baby! ya kno ya wanna read this book by asimov. it was really cool reading it because asimov has always been good, but in his youth he screwed up a lot. hehehehe

Picking up where the first volume left off, The Early Asimov - Book Two continues to showcase the growing confidence and talent of a young Isaac Asimov. With these 14 stories the talent continues to grow. In some of the stories we see ideas that will turn up later in his Galactic series. As with part one of this two book collection, Asimov continues to write introductions and literary histories of each story. Once again, they are intriguing. As with any short story collection, it is unreasonable to expect that you will enjoy every single story. However, most of the stories are good. Loyal Asimov fans should like this book. It is definitely a worthy addition to the legendary collection of science fiction books written by a true legend himself.

I rather liked this book, which I read as a translation into Spanish. It's an interesting idea and offers many possibilities for the author. I would certainly like to buy more titles in this series, although I find that they are out of print in English.

My one complaint about the book is its rather slow pace. There is not a great deal of what you can call action. Transport to China, find Marco Polo, get access to the court, find robot, beat the bad guy to the punch... not a lot for so many pages.

I did wonder about how a group of travellers from our future could find it so easy to transport to China, integrate themselves into society, pass for Chinese (or races known to the Chinese) and get along with so little difficulty. Perhaps it would have given more scope to the author if he had made life a bit more tricky for his characters. Barring a rather easily foiled kidnap attempt, things seem just too easy for our superhuman heros.

Anyhow, the book is a good read (although associating it with Isaac Asimov's name certainly influenced me into buying it, it's relation to Asimov is tenuous apart from using his laws of robotics) and I felt that it was money quite well spent.

This is not the best of the Robots in Time series, but certainly a recommended reading. The Time Travel Team from Mojave Center goes back to 13th century China to recover the 5th component of MC governor. Along the way they come in contact with Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. A good book for anyone who enjoys good Science Fiction.

The narration of a crime/mystery scenario was not among Asimov's strongest virtues. I haven't come across another Asimov novel with the same theme, so I'm certain that Asimov realized his limitations in this particular field.

Asimov was such a prolific and varied writer that it's not difficult for committed readers to treat him almost as a personal friend. As well as literally hundreds of science fiction novels and stories, he wrote articles and books on almost every subject from physics and evolution to biblical commentaries, and occasionally, just occasionally, would insert himself into the thick of things. Which means that there are two types of reader who will approach Murder at the ABA in two entirely different ways. Those who have not reached that oneness with Asimov will probably read it, and reach the end in bewilderment. At least, that's what one has to assume from the generally negative reaction ABA received.

But those of us who worship at the Cult of Asimov will treat it differently. For this is a tremendously odd, readable, and funny work, and while the in-jokes may be lost on Asimov novices (they were on me), the book's other strands of humour, from the depiction of the victim (right down to the sexual fetishes) to the author himself, make this a hilarious and enjoyable read.

Murder at the ABA concerns an entirely fictional (honest) author, Darius Just, who attends a convention of the American Booksellers Association, only to find a colleague dead in his hotel room. Police and the hotel believe the death was accidental, but Just suspects otherwise, investigating the events that lead up to the death and finally catching the culprit.

Whether this is a book for the devoted detective novel reader is open to question, and it may be Asimov but is certainly isn't science fiction. It is, however fun, light, satire and damned readable with it.

I picked this book up because it was (co)authored by Isaac Asimov. But even though it is published under the names of Asimov and Pohl, the book definitely does NOT read in the style of Asimov. It is a disappointment for those looking for the usual 'wit and charm' of the old Doctor. 'Our Angry Earth' lacks emotion as the author(s) dryly present point after point on the diverse ways in which we are abusing our planet (i.e., toxic emissions, acid rain, deforestation, global warming, etc.). Hence, the title. Though much of the content may be (and probably is) accurate from a scientific perspective, the authors present it in such a way that you can't help but feel you're listening to a street-corner doomsday prophet. Very unconvincing. Finally, in the early sections of the book, we are lead to believe the authors will propose 'workable' solutions to our environmental ills. Yet, by the end of the book, we are presented with solutions that are nothing new and questionably workable (writing letters, forming environmental clubs, getting involved in politics). Are we polluting our planet? Unquestionably, yes. Have the authors galvanized us to action? Unfortunately, no

Every once in a while you hear something about the environment, namely the ways in which we're destroying our world - global warming, ozone depletion, toxic waste, etc. Then you nod and say: "Oh yes, it's very important, something has to be done", but you just go on with your life doing absolutely nothing. This book is out to change that. It will give you a new way of looking at the world - and you won't like what you see. This book isn't just excellent - it's a "must". Through flowing style and easily understood points, the two grand masters of science fiction give us their most important work ever - and this book is all REAL. Written a year before Asimov's death, it's not only an account of the "maladies and cures", but also a loud wake-up call for every one of us to get up and ACT. Even if the political- and activist-oriented sections are somewhat schematic, the book's importance is in it's true power to influence people. I know that at least for me, "Our Angry Earth" was the beginning of a new stage of life. Asimov and Pohl, who wrote about a great future for humanity, are asking us not let our race finish itself off just when we were getting started. We just can't go down like that. It's time for YOU to read this book and look out your window. Can you smell the smog? It's going to kill your children if you don't do something about it.

So, it may not be the best story ever written, but it does carry on the Asimov Robots storyline. If you can quote the three laws of robotics, you gotta read this whole series. It will not knock your socks off or anything, but you will enjoy it.

I though this book was interesting because of a robot that can manipulate its body and obeys the three laws of robotics very loosly. Also I love any book that deals with Isaac Asimov's ideas. I suggest if you like this book you should read also I, Robot a collection of short stories dealling with robots and the three laws of robotics.

In this volume of essays on the history and future of science, Asimov manages to convey simply and lucidly that which all my years of teachers in high school had only made difficult and remote. Handing a classroom full of kids his essay on elements, for example, would be a great way to make clear what isotopes actually are and how it all fits into the future.

All the same, I was expecting a little less teaching and a little more Asimov. While it's all interesting, it was in places unfortunately rather dry. Particularly if you're used to other Asimov essays, you really have to switch your expectation gears pretty abruptly. The first half of the book (as per the title) focuses around great moments in science past. The second half is more about where science is going.

I think that the second half, had I read it when the book was written, would have carried a lot more charm. The problem was that the time frame for many of his predictions have come and gone and very little of it is relevant. The little that is, however, is rather astonishing. His warnings on population and resource depletion ring truer than ever today.

All in all, a mixed reading experience, but I certainly am not sorry that I read it.

This is one of Asimov's longer non-fiction works, tackling such subjects as the transistor, transportation, the environment, overpopulation and sex in space.

The first of the three sections is a group of essays about the history of science, Science Past. A main theme in many of them is the change in technology over the 20th century, in subjects like transportation, communication, etc...

The second section is ",", as Asimov explains. It consists of two essays about himself, one of which was reprinted in Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection (along with several other essays from this collection and others).

The third section is Science Future, where Dr. Asimov discusses the future of mankind. You'll learn about amusement parks of the future and other changes in sociology and technology.

While Asimov's essays about the environment and overpopulation were revolutionary at the time, most people are aware that the world is grossly overpopulated and that humans are having a negative effect on the environment. Back in the 1970s, when this book was written, that wasn't so. Also, if you've read other non-fiction books by Dr. Asimov (or, say read a newspaper in the past 20 years), you've heard most of his arguments against population growth.

Other essays in this section, including Sex in Space, are very derivative of a book he wrote around the same time (or rather, vice versa), The Gods Themselves, and perhaps reading the book itself would be a better way to learn these concepts.

Why did I give it four stars, then? I've rated many of Asimov's books on Amazon, rating them from two to five stars. This book is actually pretty good. You get a real feel for Asimov the man in this book, much more than you do in his non-fiction books of the 60s. His agoraphobia, first seen in The Caves of Steel, once again emerges in The Amusement Park of the Future. It's a fun book, and if you like Dr. Asimov's non-fiction, read it.

This book, like most of the other non-fiction books Asimov has written, is a bit dry. It covers all the relevant information you need to know about the universe (in 1966)

For anyone at all interested in astronomy, this book is a must-read. Asimov outlines the process by which man built up his astronomy starting in ancient times and moving right up through the present (when this book was published - the late 60s, I believe). It describes all the observations and measurments make to figure out everything from the size of the earth to the size of the galaxy, to the number of stars in the galaxy, to the distance of far-away galaxies. He writes it in such a way that anyone, regardless of your level of math, could say, "Wow! If I only had the data, I could figure that out!" Unfortunately, this book stops in the 60s, so, towards the end, I knew more about some things than he did. However, up until then, this is truly a fascinating read.

Turtledove grabs us by the throat with an interesting premise then drops us and leaves the room, never to return. That's how I felt after reading this. The only alt history this so called "Grand Master of Alternate History" has ever written worth it's salt is "Guns of the South" Shine this one on.

Intrigued with the alternate history scene and learning that Harry Turtledove is the "grandmaster" of it, I read "A Different Flesh" with high hopes of inspiration & imagination. Boy, was I let down.

The idea of the book is great. Instead of finding the Indians, the early explorers find "sims"...a shorter way of saying Neanderthal caveman. The book goes through several short stories with very likeable characters and intriguing plot lines.

However, the plot goes from the 1600s to the 1800s at a good pace and then all of a sudden jumps to 1988 and then that's the end. I feel that Turtledove only had to write x amount of words for the publisher and that's exactly where he stopped.

What about all the years between the 1800s and 1988?

Why not explore future years past 1988? I realize that would have been predicting for the author, but that is the fun of science fiction.

The ending of the book did not wrap anything up...the sims go to either medical research or reservations. And?!? Then what?!? Turtledove could have easily turned this into a 400-500 page epic novel and connected many loose ends while stabbing at greater philosophical, political, religious and social issues.

Overall, a let down at the end after a promising start.

I was intrigued with the premise of the book long before I located a copy. Reading it, I was disappointed to find that there wasn't much more to it than that. It's written as a series of vignettes, starting with early American colonists encountering the Sims, and continuing forward through time to the present day, with Sims being used as medical test-subjects. I liked that approach at first, but now I'm wondering if a novel would have worked better. None of the characters are very well fleshed out (excuse the pun), and the alternate-reality world of the sims seems disappointingly similar to our own. I'd love to see a different writer work from the same starting point - the results could be fascinating.

'Caliban', the first in this trilogy, is a good book and well worth seeking out, so is the third one, 'Utopia'. This is easily the least of the three. Although Allen tries to expand his examination of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics by introducing New Law robots the concept is not done with any verve, pace or excitement. As noted by another reviewer it has an Agatha Christie feel to it but without the charm or style of her mysteries. It's not even a particularly interesting puzzle. There's nothing in this middle book that can't easily be caught up with in the third. And the concept of Three Law/No Law and New Law is better examined there as well. You really don't need to spend the time on this one.

While the murder mystery was well set up, the ending was more of Agatha Christie ending, with a parlor room scene and a head shaker of a perpetrator. The political intrigue which should have been the height of this story was not focused on well enough. This is a society in the grips of an awful set of diriving forces that should have rocked the foundations of the planet. But you didn't feel that pain from the governor. The 4 law Robot introduced isn't given the same exploration that Caliban was in the first book. You do not get behind his head. The pain of transition should have been brought to bear hear as their are real world examples all around us. This missed the boat.

If he were alive to see what Allen did to his Robot Universe, he would strangle the guy. This is a perfect example of why Allen should've stuck to those Little House On The Prairie sequels. The basic idea of Inferno (Just like it's predecessor, Caliban) is the creation of two new kinds of robots: The New Law robots and the No Law robot, and their effect on the society of the planet Inferno. The New Law Robots are freer than the original Three Law robots in Asimov's books, but have their own share of problems; Caliban, the only robot created with no laws, is of course the most free, but is far from human. This is all well and good, and in a more capable writer's hands would have been interesting, but Allen takes his one or two good ideas and throws them in a turbine. I'm sorry, Mr. Allen, but I don't really care about the intimate details of Tierlaw Verick's body, or anyone else's, for that matter. Whatever happened to "don't tell, show"?

Isaac Asimov was one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, but this book showed that there was a limit to even his talents. Most of the "jokes" are (a) not his; (b) not funny; (c) corny; and (d) sexually boring and/or gross. I was astonished that this was published in the 90's. It was so dated, I thought (before I checked the copyright notice) that it was published in the '70's and was supposed to be "shocking."

Put this down and reread the Foundation series!

Asimov is a great author but this book just isn't funny. I found myself struggling to stay awake through out the entire book. The majority of the jokes aren't even his, he is just retelling someone elses joke. Overall very boring.

This book is more helpful then some of my fellow reviews suggest, as it reflects greatly on who Asimov the man actually was.

He was an unrepentant sexist, as many men of his generation were. He was arrogant, as many successful men are. He was self centred, as most of us are.

However, through this book you can see the pain of the failure of his first marriage and his love for his second wife and daughter. You can see many of the people he liked.

Sure some of it is unfunny, some of it is just plain crude and some of it is rambling. I liked it and return to it every couple of years.

One reason I did like it was it showed how autobiographical much of Asimov's other writings were. If you cross check some of the Foundation series, you can see a reflection in Issac's own life at the time of writing. This makes this volume a worthy addition for any Issac-ophile.