Vol. 1, Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories

Re-reading these stories years later they have lost none of their wonder. Some of the stories might seem dated though the bulk of technology is simple and understandable as the stories are not hard science sci-fi but more people oriented 'what if' sort of questions. This volume is also a perfect collection that just seems to flow so well together.

My favorite has always been stories of the multivac. Read 'The Last Question'. Amazing story of multivac through the eons of human expansion. This is a must read volume for even casual fans, well worth the price if you can find it.

Asimov outdoes himself in this novel - it is a real masterpiece of hard science fiction. Asimov clearly utilized all of his PhD knowledge of science and poured it all into the ideas that drive this book. His biochemistry mastery also enables him to create an alien race that is far beyond any I've yet encountered in the realm of Para-Universe Science Fiction.

Three stories link and twist through time and space and worlds and the technology he invents is like a character all on its own by the time the novel reaches its complex and satisfying conclusion.

While it was very imaginatve in scientific possibilities and multiple space scapes, it was not as rewarding in the depth of personal relationships, nor in creating the excitement of struggles and conflicts.

It was a pleasurable, quick read. Asimov paints a picture that is a wonder to observe, and even more interesting to participate in. The middle portions of the book can be jarring,, but upon completion and seeing the entire picture drawn out in front of you makes the whole experience wonderful.

Isaac Asimov is obviously one of the most popular Science Fiction writers of all times. He wrote over 300 books in the course of his life, from the 1950s to the 1990s.

This volume is not the Complete Story VI as stated above, but the Complete Story I and contains his earliest short stories. For over 600 pages, the book is a fairly quick read.

The stories are typically themed around the troubles of the times (1950s). The 1950s saw the growth of television, atomic energy, the hydrogen bomb, rocketry, computers and other new forms of electronics. The stories involve these themes as he probes into "what-if" scenarios.

Being his earliest works, he had not yet reached his potential as a writer. As such, some of the stories are choppy. Also, in many ways they are dated. For example, many of the stories involve a type of computer he calls a "Megavac". At the time, computers who enormous, heavy objects that cost lots of money. What he foresaw was the growth of the computer in size as it increased in complexity. Megavac is completely underground, is miles and miles long, and pretty much runs the world. A variety of people manually enter information into Megavac, who processes the data, and spits out answers on IBM cards. These cards need to be interpreted or translated by specially trained people. This is a far cry from the miniaturization and improved communications we see today. In one story, he did explore the idea of a smaller computer, but this was not carried on in any of the other short stories in the book.

If you are a fan on Asimov, your reading is not complete without understanding his early work. Understand, though, this is only the first volume of three. I have not yet purchased any of the others, and plan to wait and get through some different books in other genres before returning to Asimov.

Was a really interesting book. Especially part 2. That's where the real imagination kicks in and is just fantastic. The ideas concerning the moon at the end are just not plausible. But if you ignore that, it's just fabulous.

Although you can't necessarily call "The Complete Stories: Vol 1" a definitive collection - as it lacks all the short stories from I Robot, as well as a few others - its worth should be immediately apparent to any Asimov fan. As a collection of somewhere around fifty stories, it's to be expected that not all of them reach the "genius level," typical of Asimov's writing, but the gems far outshine the duds, and the shear number of quality stories makes the entire collection a worthwhile read. For me, the first few stories were probably the weakest, with the best stuff coming in the last two-thirds of the book. Standouts include "Profession" (my personal favorite,) "The Dying Night," "Living Space," "I'm in Marsport without Hilda," "All the Troubles in the World," "The Last Question," "The Ugly Little Boy," "Nightfall," "Green Patches," "Hostess," "Breeds There a Man?" "C-Chute,"In a Good Cause," "What If," "Sally," "It's Such A beautiful Day," "Strikebreaker," "And Jokester." In the Introduction, Asimov names "The Last Question," and the "Ugly Little Boy," his first and third favorite short-stories. If you pick this book up, and the first couple of stories don't knock your socks-off, you are urged to skip to any of the ones listed above. Overall, a great collection.

Of course, Asimov is outstanding. I would give "The Gods Themselves" 4.5 stars if possible, because I don't think it is quite the equal of the "Foundation" series or "I, Robot". It does, however, introduce now-iconic SF themes, including self-aware machines, non-terrestrial colonization, parallel universes, and the strange physics of sub-atomic particles.

It nails the political aspect of great human technical advances and the dangers of hero-worship.

Asimov is at his most imaginative in the second part of the book describing life in a parallel universe, which I found delightful.

Excellent book. Arrived within the given dates and in acceptable condition. Thank you seller.
These stories are pretty hit or miss. Some of them are amazing but some of them are just ok. A solid book tho and necessary for any sci fi collection

I revisited the works of Isaac Asimov. The short stories were as good as I remembered. In many ways he was ahead of his times and as always the human factor was a prime factor in the tales. I enjoyed his introductions to the stories. He was one of the major authors in early Science Fiction.

I just discovered Asimov a few months ago and have just finished reading the 7 Foundation books and 4 Robot series books. This book was really good but in a very different way. I was up until 3am reading this book because I was so involved. I was really sad when it turned out to be a single book. I wanted a series of a 600 pager that I could spend some time with. Good Stuff.

Anticlimactic, but a good read. Without giving anything away, it felt like there were a few loose ends. However, the book is an interesting and well-written take on an alternate fuel source and the difficulties associated with the science of it. Easily compared to recent events and concerns, such as global warming and, of course, the fuel crisis. Asimov manages not to be messagy, and it's a good example of this type of science fiction.