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Nine Tomorrows
Nine stories: Profession; The Feeling of Power; The Dying Night; I'm in Marsport without Hilda; The Gentle Vultures; All the Troubles of the World; Spell my Name with an S; The Last Question (one of Asimov's most often requested stories); and The Ugly Little Boy (Asimov's own personal favorite).
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
70 people are currently reading
3,570 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,616books26.7kfollowersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
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December 31, 2024
مجموعهای از داستانهای کوتاه آیزاک آسیموف درباره آینده. تکتک داستانها عالی هستن. کتاب با ترجمه آقای سعید سیمرغ از انتشارات کتابسرای تندیس منتشر شده. پیشنهاد جدی برای علاقهمندان به ادبیات علمی تخیلی.
March 25, 2023
Nine Tomorrows is an early Asimov collection that contains stories from the mid- to late-1950s. It's sub-titled "Tales of the Near Future." The collection is bracketed with a pair of original amusing poems, but he had not yet adopted his persona of egotism and sexism and there are no autobiographical notes or introductions. Among the stories are The Feeling of Power (one of his most anthologized pieces; it was in my seventh-grade American literature text), The Last Question (which many people, including Asimov himself, felt was his best short work), I'm in Marsport without Hilda (an amusing Heinlein-like story), and The Ugly Little Boy (which proved that he could write good, convincing female characters.) One thing that's worth noting is that only one of the stories, Profession, appeared in John W. Campbell's Astound SF magazine. Asimov was known as a "Campbell writer," but the other stories were printed in Galaxy, If, Venture, F & SF, SF Quarterly, two from Super SF, and one from Frederik Pohl's Star original paperback anthology series. It's an excellent collection and serves as an example of true science fiction in the era it was evolving out of "The Golden Age" genre work into modern literature.
September 30, 2016
Atât de faină a fost colecția asta, Asimov nu mă dezamăgește niciodată! Dintre cele nouă povestiri ale volumului, cel mai mult m-au impresionat Ultima întrebare, Corbii blânzi, Toate necazurile lumii ș Băiețelul cel urât.
Ingenioasă, oarecum înspăimântătoare ș scrisă cu un fantastic simț al anticipației, Întrebarea finală e sclipitoare nu atât prin personaje cât mai ales prin ideile atât de complex disecate în câteva sute de pagini - inteligența artificială ș relația ei cu umanitatea, expansiunea oamenilor printre stele, evoluția ș sfârștul Universului.
Fabulous job, Mr. Asimov, just FABULOUS!
Materia şi energia se sfârşiseră, iar o dată cu ele spaţiul şi timpul. Chiar şi AC exista numai pentru acea ultimă întrebare, la care nu găsise încă răspuns, din clipa când, cu zece trilioane de ani în urmă, un tehnician pe jumătate beat o adresase unui calculator care, prin comparaţie cu AC, se găsea cu mult mai departe decât fusese omul faţă de Om.
Ingenioasă, oarecum înspăimântătoare ș scrisă cu un fantastic simț al anticipației, Întrebarea finală e sclipitoare nu atât prin personaje cât mai ales prin ideile atât de complex disecate în câteva sute de pagini - inteligența artificială ș relația ei cu umanitatea, expansiunea oamenilor printre stele, evoluția ș sfârștul Universului.
Fabulous job, Mr. Asimov, just FABULOUS!
Materia şi energia se sfârşiseră, iar o dată cu ele spaţiul şi timpul. Chiar şi AC exista numai pentru acea ultimă întrebare, la care nu găsise încă răspuns, din clipa când, cu zece trilioane de ani în urmă, un tehnician pe jumătate beat o adresase unui calculator care, prin comparaţie cu AC, se găsea cu mult mai departe decât fusese omul faţă de Om.
August 18, 2011
Isaac Asimov may very well be the most prolific author in modern history. With over 500 books to his credit (506, to be exact...go to asimovonline.com for the full list, if you don't believe me!), covering just about every subject in the Dewey Decimal System (except philosophy, I believe), the man was a real marvel. One of these 500 volumes, "Nine Tomorrows," is a collection of short stories that Doc Ike first had published in various magazines during the period July '56 to November '58. As the title suggests, all nine tales deal with possible futures that may face mankind, and all feature the wit, erudition and clarity that are the hallmarks of every Asimov story/novel that I've ever read.
The collection kicks off with the longest tale, "Profession," in which Asimov presents a 65th century when one's vocation is determined by a kind of computerized psychological profile, and in which youngsters compete in Olympics-style games for plum jobs on other planets. But what happens if it is deemed that you're cut out for nothing at all? That's what happens to young George Platen, in this consistently interesting tale. (Asimov does make one rare goof in this story: George should be 20, not 19, by the story's end. Has anyone else noticed this?)
In "The Feeling of Power," Asimov tells us of a scientist who is actually capable of doing simple math problems on paper (gasp!), without the aid of a computer (!), and how the military minds of that distant century make use of these newfound skills. But the old ways of doing things lead to nothing but trouble, in this brilliantly cynical tale.
Asimov has been called "the Agatha Christie of Science Fiction," and in "The Dying Night," a murder mystery of sorts, we see an early example of how he earned that title. A scientist lies dead, his papers on mass transference stolen, and three of his old school chums are suspect. This somewhat contrived story nonetheless leads to a satisfactory conclusion that most readers will never foresee. (The 1965 observations of Mercury, by the way, have dated the science in the tale, but this is certainly nothing that Asimov could have foreseen in July '56.)
What is certainly the most humorous tale in the bunch comes next: "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda." Written in Heinlein-like, tough-guy prose, this tale concerns a Galactic Service agent who must determine which of three men is attempting to smuggle a powerful drug out of the eponymous port. This one really had me chuckling out loud, and winds up very amusingly indeed. A most entertaining tale.
In "The Gentle Vultures," the author tells us that an alien race has been living on the Moon's far side for several decades, waiting for Earth's Cold War to blow up so that they might come to our aid...for a fee, of course. Asimov would have us believe that these folks are the source of the 1940s' and '50s' UFO's, and who knows...maybe he's right! Anyway, the interaction between the chimplike aliens and their kidnapped Earthling is very well done in this unique tale.
In "All the Troubles of the World," a computer is responsible for not only caring for everyone on Earth, but also for predicting and preventing crimes. Is it possible that this 1958 story was inspired in part by P.K. Dick's "Minority Report," published two years before? Who knows? The story is very clever, though, and has a most touching ending.
"Spell My Name With an S" shows how the smallest alteration in one's life can occasionally lead to great worldwide changes. A way-out surprise ending caps off another very clever Asimov short story.
And then there's "The Last Question," in which Asimov theorizes on nothing less than the end of the universe 10 trillion years in the future...and what might happen after that. This is a truly mind-expanding short story that offers much food for thought in its 12 pages.
The collection wraps up with perhaps my favorite story of the bunch, "The Ugly Little Boy." Here, a nurse is hired to take care of a 4-year-old Neanderthal tyke who has been plucked from the past by a scientific institute. The tale should be instructive to all those critics who have accused Asimov of being unable to depict convincing female characters. Nurse Fellowes is VERY well drawn, I think, with some psychological complexity and surprising maternal tendencies. The ending of this tale is nicely sentimental, and lingers long in the memory. Thus ends a really fine collection of stories from one of sci-fi's true masters. Trust me, you'll wish there were 20 tomorrows here, instead of just nine!
The collection kicks off with the longest tale, "Profession," in which Asimov presents a 65th century when one's vocation is determined by a kind of computerized psychological profile, and in which youngsters compete in Olympics-style games for plum jobs on other planets. But what happens if it is deemed that you're cut out for nothing at all? That's what happens to young George Platen, in this consistently interesting tale. (Asimov does make one rare goof in this story: George should be 20, not 19, by the story's end. Has anyone else noticed this?)
In "The Feeling of Power," Asimov tells us of a scientist who is actually capable of doing simple math problems on paper (gasp!), without the aid of a computer (!), and how the military minds of that distant century make use of these newfound skills. But the old ways of doing things lead to nothing but trouble, in this brilliantly cynical tale.
Asimov has been called "the Agatha Christie of Science Fiction," and in "The Dying Night," a murder mystery of sorts, we see an early example of how he earned that title. A scientist lies dead, his papers on mass transference stolen, and three of his old school chums are suspect. This somewhat contrived story nonetheless leads to a satisfactory conclusion that most readers will never foresee. (The 1965 observations of Mercury, by the way, have dated the science in the tale, but this is certainly nothing that Asimov could have foreseen in July '56.)
What is certainly the most humorous tale in the bunch comes next: "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda." Written in Heinlein-like, tough-guy prose, this tale concerns a Galactic Service agent who must determine which of three men is attempting to smuggle a powerful drug out of the eponymous port. This one really had me chuckling out loud, and winds up very amusingly indeed. A most entertaining tale.
In "The Gentle Vultures," the author tells us that an alien race has been living on the Moon's far side for several decades, waiting for Earth's Cold War to blow up so that they might come to our aid...for a fee, of course. Asimov would have us believe that these folks are the source of the 1940s' and '50s' UFO's, and who knows...maybe he's right! Anyway, the interaction between the chimplike aliens and their kidnapped Earthling is very well done in this unique tale.
In "All the Troubles of the World," a computer is responsible for not only caring for everyone on Earth, but also for predicting and preventing crimes. Is it possible that this 1958 story was inspired in part by P.K. Dick's "Minority Report," published two years before? Who knows? The story is very clever, though, and has a most touching ending.
"Spell My Name With an S" shows how the smallest alteration in one's life can occasionally lead to great worldwide changes. A way-out surprise ending caps off another very clever Asimov short story.
And then there's "The Last Question," in which Asimov theorizes on nothing less than the end of the universe 10 trillion years in the future...and what might happen after that. This is a truly mind-expanding short story that offers much food for thought in its 12 pages.
The collection wraps up with perhaps my favorite story of the bunch, "The Ugly Little Boy." Here, a nurse is hired to take care of a 4-year-old Neanderthal tyke who has been plucked from the past by a scientific institute. The tale should be instructive to all those critics who have accused Asimov of being unable to depict convincing female characters. Nurse Fellowes is VERY well drawn, I think, with some psychological complexity and surprising maternal tendencies. The ending of this tale is nicely sentimental, and lingers long in the memory. Thus ends a really fine collection of stories from one of sci-fi's true masters. Trust me, you'll wish there were 20 tomorrows here, instead of just nine!
August 6, 2016
I devoured this little but mighty short story collection! It amazes me at how much Asimov can pack into such a small amount of space. He continues to blow me away with his thoughtful, critical, complex science fiction. I wanted more than just the nine "tomorrows!"
Favorites: The Gentle Vultures, The Ugly Little Boy & The Last Question (which I have previously read & loved!)
Favorites: The Gentle Vultures, The Ugly Little Boy & The Last Question (which I have previously read & loved!)
August 30, 2024
"Дев’ять завтра” справді хороша збірка, яку б вартувало видати українською. Цікавий факт, майже всі оповідання були перекладені і видані у різний час у журналі "Всесвіт". Гадаю, оповідання "Фах" читали майже всі шанувальники фантастики, а воно одне із чільних у цій збірці. До кращих я б ще додав:
-"Всі клопоти світу" - державний апарат країни підпорядковується мультиваку-щось на кшталт ШІ, який по-суті керує всіма аспектами життя суспільства. Одна із його функцій- передбачати злочини. Маю підозру, що ідею запозичив з добре відомого оповідання Філіпа Діка "Окрема думка".
-"Прізвище на С" - чолов’яга звернувся до нумеролога з метою підкоригувати успішність кар’єри, тільки от нумеролог виявився не тим ким себе видавав. Цікава оповідка, яка грається з темою конспірології та ядерної "гарячки" яка панувала в 50-х.
-"Потворний хлопчик" - дитинча неандертальця перемістили з минулого у наш час. Проводячи досліди, молодій няні доручили доглядати за ним і з цього моменту життя обидвох кардинально змінюються.
-"Всі клопоти світу" - державний апарат країни підпорядковується мультиваку-щось на кшталт ШІ, який по-суті керує всіма аспектами життя суспільства. Одна із його функцій- передбачати злочини. Маю підозру, що ідею запозичив з добре відомого оповідання Філіпа Діка "Окрема думка".
-"Прізвище на С" - чолов’яга звернувся до нумеролога з метою підкоригувати успішність кар’єри, тільки от нумеролог виявився не тим ким себе видавав. Цікава оповідка, яка грається з темою конспірології та ядерної "гарячки" яка панувала в 50-х.
-"Потворний хлопчик" - дитинча неандертальця перемістили з минулого у наш час. Проводячи досліди, молодій няні доручили доглядати за ним і з цього моменту життя обидвох кардинально змінюються.
November 22, 2020
Given the year of original publication, I was pleasantly surprised to see how most of the stories here have bravely stood the test of time and still manage to touch on some relevant topics and subjects that are still around. The collection is rather light and consists of pretty short stories except for two novella length tales, so character development is somewhat stunted. As a whole the order of the stories give way to linear connection between them, but it is not apparent throughout them all.
February 24, 2013
Read this when I was a lot younger. I liked it as I like almost all of Asimov's works. I liked the fact that he did not show the world as having this perfectly rose colored future. Maybe it was due to his Russian heritage. Maybe it was due to the cold war. Whatever the reason it reflected the times in which I lived and life sure as heck was not perfect. There were great things like computers, electronics and landings on the moon. There were terrible thing like horrible poverty, war and racism. That was life for all of history. He and Larry Niven wrote that probably was not going to change just because science and technology progressed. This book contained stories about people, in the future yes but nevertheless stories about what might happen with new and improbable technology in the hands of unchanging man.
December 24, 2012
Didn't put a lot of stock into this book simply because they were short stories - but I have never been more wrong. These are by far my favorite writings by Asimov. Could. NOT. Put. The. Book. Down. Asimov, god of scifi, managed to remain thought provoking in a limited amount of space and really raised a ton of valid questions about out actions today. Since he wrote this around the Cold War time, it is a little out of date with current events, but the main idea about mathematical theory still holds true. 'The Last Question' story was reread about three times by me. If you're too nervous to begin the Foundation series start small with this book, or at least read 'The Ugly Boy' short story. All in all it was a lovely read.
March 22, 2016
These stories prove the greatness of Isaac Asimov. He successfully predicted supercomputers, downloading, scanners and more. And even if you don't acknowledge his foresight, you can't deny these are excellent stories. In particular, the last two tales tug at your heart strings and blow your mind (not necessarily in that order). Asimov deserves his place in history as one of science fiction's great prophets and storytellers.
February 4, 2019
Asimovi Asumi-sari ja kogu robootika kontseptsioon on ju väga kuulus ja minulgi ulmesõbraks saamise teekonna alguses läbi töötatud ja see on mind palju mõjutanud. Nii et ootasin jutukogult tugevat kvaliteeti.
Novellikogu "Üheksa homset" annab üheksa vaadet tulevikku ja kuigi tase on kohati kõikuv, siis need kõik on tugevad lood! Mõned muidugi kerkivad teistest rohkem esile.
Asimovit huvitab empaatia ja inimhinge sügavused - valikud on ikka aja alati inimlikud ja küsimused moraalsed, toimugu tegevus 200 või 2 miljardit aastat hiljem. Seepärast võiksid need lugemiseks sobida ka neile, kes muidu sci-fid ei armasta ja pelgavad liig tehnilist ulmet. Minu totaalne lemmik oli kogumiku lõpulugu, kus teaduskatse nimel toodi 40 000 aasta tagant tulevikku 4-aastane neandertaallasest poisike. Pisara võttis silma. Oma sügavalt filosoofilise puändiga võlus ka "Viimane küsimus". Aga nagu ütlesin, kõik 9 juttu on head! Tugev soovitus, kõigile!
Novellikogu "Üheksa homset" annab üheksa vaadet tulevikku ja kuigi tase on kohati kõikuv, siis need kõik on tugevad lood! Mõned muidugi kerkivad teistest rohkem esile.
Asimovit huvitab empaatia ja inimhinge sügavused - valikud on ikka aja alati inimlikud ja küsimused moraalsed, toimugu tegevus 200 või 2 miljardit aastat hiljem. Seepärast võiksid need lugemiseks sobida ka neile, kes muidu sci-fid ei armasta ja pelgavad liig tehnilist ulmet. Minu totaalne lemmik oli kogumiku lõpulugu, kus teaduskatse nimel toodi 40 000 aasta tagant tulevikku 4-aastane neandertaallasest poisike. Pisara võttis silma. Oma sügavalt filosoofilise puändiga võlus ka "Viimane küsimus". Aga nagu ütlesin, kõik 9 juttu on head! Tugev soovitus, kõigile!
January 16, 2025
Great book with 9 different interesting stories.
Some were a bit too long with not a lot of depth in my opinion, but I enjoyed it overall.
Worth it so you can read The Last Question. :)
Some were a bit too long with not a lot of depth in my opinion, but I enjoyed it overall.
Worth it so you can read The Last Question. :)
October 25, 2008
"Two nights ago I really wanted to read a book before bed, but it was late, and I knew that I would end up reading until all hours of the morning and regret it the next day. So, I scoured the mass market Mt. TBR and found a thin book, which also happened to be a collection of short stories. Yay! Last night I finished reading this book, and as can be expected, it was an engaging read, with each short story providing a different insight into how (in some cases, minor and insignificant) actions and events of now might evolve into the future. Some of the characters in the stories were charged with solving mysteries, but mostly it was left to the reader to figure out what was going on and how humanity got to that point. The book is a product of its time. The copyright is 1959, and the stories themselves were originally published in magazines in that decade. Understandably, the Cold War and nuclear research play roles in several of the stories. Asimov also explores his (apparent) favorite social science theme of societies where the actions of individuals or the whole can be predicted through mathematical theory. If you are looking for some bite-sized Asimov, I recommend picking up a copy of this book, if you can find one."
January 26, 2019
This volume contains one of my all time favorite stories, Profession. It is not action packed, although it has drama. A very smart friend of mine put me on to this some years ago. I really enjoyed re-reading it. But I realized this time, whether Asimov intended it or not, the story itself is a kind of test. When I finished it this time, I flashed back to lending this book to an engineer friend. When he returned it to me his comment made it clear that he missed the entire point. I did not attempt to explain.
(I should add that this story is a big tribute to reading and books as explicitly valuable in a way that technology cannot replace).
I found it online (with a couple of typos). Let's see what you make of it....
(I should add that this story is a big tribute to reading and books as explicitly valuable in a way that technology cannot replace).
I found it online (with a couple of typos). Let's see what you make of it....
March 24, 2017
This collection of short stories was first published in 1959, and contains one of Asimov's most well known sci-fi short stories, "The Feeling of Power," which I first read in a school reader, and at that time it made a powerful effect on me. This truly fits the actual hard core definition of scifi because science is at the heart of most of it. I am not longer a fan of Asimov's writings, but you can see where so many of today's scifi tales started--with authors like this. Unlike Jules Verne, Asimov wasn't as good at predicting future technology (people were using teaching tapes 4 millenia from now, for example) and I do stumble over that, but not why I don't care much for his writing.
So, no summary, after all it's short stories, but they are all set in the future from his time, and have the feel of classic scifi.
So, no summary, after all it's short stories, but they are all set in the future from his time, and have the feel of classic scifi.
July 27, 2023
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. All The Troubles of the World was perhaps my favourite, and all seem quite ahead of their time in one way or another. There were a couple less interesting stories but overall a pleasurable read.
October 28, 2020
i have already read a lot of these stories. in general, very good. classic asimov.
January 28, 2020
ENGLISH: Nine short stories/novellas by Asimov. The best -new for me- was the first in the collection, "Profession." I had read three of the stories before. Among the new ones I liked were "The feeling of power," "Spell my name with an S" and "The ugly little boy." The worst -one of the worst I have ever read by Asimov- is "I'm in Marsport without Hilda," one of those I had read before. This time I skipped it.
ESPAÑOL: Nueve cuentos y novelas cortas de Asimov. El mejor, nuevo para mí, fue el primero de la colección, "Profesión". Había leído antes tres de los cuentos. Entre los nuevos que me han gustado están "La sensación de poder", "Mi nombre se escribe con S" y "El niño feo". El peor, uno de los más malos de Asimov que he leído, es "Estoy en Puertomarte sin Hilda", una de las que ya había leído antes. Esta vez me lo he saltado.
ESPAÑOL: Nueve cuentos y novelas cortas de Asimov. El mejor, nuevo para mí, fue el primero de la colección, "Profesión". Había leído antes tres de los cuentos. Entre los nuevos que me han gustado están "La sensación de poder", "Mi nombre se escribe con S" y "El niño feo". El peor, uno de los más malos de Asimov que he leído, es "Estoy en Puertomarte sin Hilda", una de las que ya había leído antes. Esta vez me lo he saltado.
June 10, 2023
Una cosa totalmente distinta. Al margen de su repercusión en el género, leer a Asimov es trazar nuevos horizontes en cuanto a imaginación se refiere. En esta colección consigue usar universos utópicos o distópicos como un escenario sobre el que plantear sus historias, y sus particularidades ayudan a la construcción del relato sin robar el protagonismo de la acción.
Podría definirlo como la ciencia ficción de aquellos que no leen ciencia ficción, una obra muy asequible para los que quieren aproximarse al género, además el formato relatos lo hace una lectura muy ligera.
Podría definirlo como la ciencia ficción de aquellos que no leen ciencia ficción, una obra muy asequible para los que quieren aproximarse al género, además el formato relatos lo hace una lectura muy ligera.
August 2, 2023
Es la primera vez en mucho tiempo que leo ciencia ficción, y me ha encantado. Los relatos son independientes, pero el ambiente futurista es compartido, con lo que da una sensación de integridad y continuidad que a veces echo en falta en otros libros de este estilo.
El autor consigue encontrar el equilibrio perfecto para que el lector empatice con los protagonistas. La construcción ficticia de una sociedad con inteligencias artificiales, extraterrestres o viajes intergalácticos no hace que las historias sean menos humanas ni menos verosímiles. Chulisimo.
El autor consigue encontrar el equilibrio perfecto para que el lector empatice con los protagonistas. La construcción ficticia de una sociedad con inteligencias artificiales, extraterrestres o viajes intergalácticos no hace que las historias sean menos humanas ni menos verosímiles. Chulisimo.
April 8, 2024
everyone needs to read this book NYOW!! it’s so adorable and well written and like so unexpectedly heart-wrenching. i’ve learned something new every time i’ve read it.
October 2, 2020
Profession (1956) - 5/5
A really fun and clever story about the possible future of education, just what I needed with my work related anxiety :D :D
The Feeling of Power (1958) - 3.5/5
Hope humanity doesn't come to that :))
The Dying Night (1956) - 4/5
Clever take on a 'closed room mystery' genre
I'm in Marsport without Hilda (1957) - 3/5
Meh :D
The Gentle Vultures (1957) - 4.5/5
Fun look at humanity from alien perspective :D
All the Troubles of the World (1958) - 5/5
:’(
Spell My Name with an S (1958) - 4/5
The Last Question (1956) - 4.5/5
The Ugly Little Boy (1958) - 4.5/5
A really fun and clever story about the possible future of education, just what I needed with my work related anxiety :D :D
The Feeling of Power (1958) - 3.5/5
Hope humanity doesn't come to that :))
The Dying Night (1956) - 4/5
Clever take on a 'closed room mystery' genre
I'm in Marsport without Hilda (1957) - 3/5
Meh :D
The Gentle Vultures (1957) - 4.5/5
Fun look at humanity from alien perspective :D
All the Troubles of the World (1958) - 5/5
:’(
Spell My Name with an S (1958) - 4/5
The Last Question (1956) - 4.5/5
The Ugly Little Boy (1958) - 4.5/5
June 15, 2017
আজিমভের উপন্যাসের চেয়ে ছোটো গল্প, বৃদ্ধবয়সের চেয়ে যৌবনের লেখা, আমার ব্যক্তিগতভাবে বেশি ভালো লাগে।
আজিমভরে আমি কীভাবে দেখি বলতে পারবো না। তার অনেক গল্প এতবার পড়া, এতবার, অনেক গল্প আবার পড়া কী না মনে করতে পারি না।
যেমন এই বইয়ের এন্ট্রপির গল্পটা, আমি মানুষেরে শোনাইছিই নিদেনপক্ষে অর্ধশতবার। আবার পেশাগত দায়বদ্ধতার গল্পটা, কোনোভাবেই আগে পড়া বলে মনে হচ্ছে না।
আজিমভের অনেক সমস্যা, একে ত সেন্সরিং(এই বইটারই, বেনাপোল বন্দর নিয়ে যেটা), তার কিছু প্রেডিক্টেবল ব্যাপার আছে - আরো বোঝা যায় যেহেতু তার লেখার পরিমাণ ভুড়ি ভুড়ি, আড়ষ্টতা থাকে কিছু, তার উপর আবার লেখে সাইন্স ফিকশন, এইসব জানরার বই লিখলে ত, যারে বলে সমালোচক, তারা ত, আর কারে বলে পাঠক, কই পাঠক -
আমার ভালো লাগছে এই বইটা। আজিমভের কাছ থেকে যেমন চাই আমরা, পড়ে বোঝা যাবে, পড়ে ভালো লাগবে, চিন্তা ত আমরা করা ছেড়েই দিছি, সমস্যা নাই, লেখক বলে দিবে কী হইছে, আমরা একটু দেরীতে নিতে পারবো আর কী। সঙ্কলন হিসেবে সুন্দর গল্পগুলি, পাশাপাশি রাখি যদি।
তবে আজিমভরে আমি কীভাবে দেখি আসলেই বলতে পারবো না। অনেক বেশি আশেপাশে থাকে কী না সে।
আজিমভরে আমি কীভাবে দেখি বলতে পারবো না। তার অনেক গল্প এতবার পড়া, এতবার, অনেক গল্প আবার পড়া কী না মনে করতে পারি না।
যেমন এই বইয়ের এন্ট্রপির গল্পটা, আমি মানুষেরে শোনাইছিই নিদেনপক্ষে অর্ধশতবার। আবার পেশাগত দায়বদ্ধতার গল্পটা, কোনোভাবেই আগে পড়া বলে মনে হচ্ছে না।
আজিমভের অনেক সমস্যা, একে ত সেন্সরিং(এই বইটারই, বেনাপোল বন্দর নিয়ে যেটা), তার কিছু প্রেডিক্টেবল ব্যাপার আছে - আরো বোঝা যায় যেহেতু তার লেখার পরিমাণ ভুড়ি ভুড়ি, আড়ষ্টতা থাকে কিছু, তার উপর আবার লেখে সাইন্স ফিকশন, এইসব জানরার বই লিখলে ত, যারে বলে সমালোচক, তারা ত, আর কারে বলে পাঠক, কই পাঠক -
আমার ভালো লাগছে এই বইটা। আজিমভের কাছ থেকে যেমন চাই আমরা, পড়ে বোঝা যাবে, পড়ে ভালো লাগবে, চিন্তা ত আমরা করা ছেড়েই দিছি, সমস্যা নাই, লেখক বলে দিবে কী হইছে, আমরা একটু দেরীতে নিতে পারবো আর কী। সঙ্কলন হিসেবে সুন্দর গল্পগুলি, পাশাপাশি রাখি যদি।
তবে আজিমভরে আমি কীভাবে দেখি আসলেই বলতে পারবো না। অনেক বেশি আশেপাশে থাকে কী না সে।
October 5, 2011
Mais um grande clássico de contos de FC escritos por Isaac Asimov. No 1º volume, contam-se 4 contos visionários de Asimov: gostei, em particular, do 1º e do 4º. No 2º volume incluem-se mais contos magistrais, surpreendentes e surpreendetemente actuais. Excelente referência da FC!
October 4, 2015
Such an incredible collection of short stories. My favourite was The Ugly Little Boy. So heartbreaking :( What was amazing (and terrifying), was how realistic all of these scenarios were. So thought provoking. 100% recommend.
October 19, 2016
Gostei muito da leitura deste 1º volume da coletânea de contos de Asimov de 1959. Apesar de ser uma edição portuguesa antiga e ter somente uma parte do conto "Estou no Porto de Marte sem a Hilda", a nota foi dada pelo conteúdo dos contos, provocativos e questionadores.
October 8, 2017
Not all the stories in this volume are five-star standard - some are better than others - but it still gets a five-star rating from me for 'Profession' alone. An inspiring tale that has stuck with me for years and gets timelier as technology races along.
February 15, 2018
Consisting of nine short stories, Asimov writes in a way that was incredibly inventive for his time. Not all of the stories are equal in quality, but the ones that are great are truly great. A good use of time for fans of older science fiction, and not too hard to breeze through in a week or so.
February 13, 2016
A good short story collection from Isaac Asimov.
Favourites:
The Feeling of Power
The Gentle Vultures
The Ugly Little Boy
Favourites:
The Feeling of Power
The Gentle Vultures
The Ugly Little Boy
March 14, 2025
Having grown up with Isaac Asimov's robot stories, I picked up this tattered paperback from a box outside someone's house. It's a collection of short stories written in the late 1950s, bookended by two fairly substantial pieces, 'Profession' and 'The Ugly Little Boy', and with some interesting shorter stories in between as well as a few bits of literary flotsam. As such, it's quite interesting - not a "greatest hits" but a representative sample of what Asimov was producing at the time.
'The Ugly Little Boy' is probably the outstanding piece, in which a team of scientists pluck a Neanderthal boy out of time as an experiment. Centred on the relationship between "Timmie" and the woman tasked with looking after him, it's the only story that packs a real emotional punch and the only one in the collection with an important female character (it's disappointing, from a modern perspective, that Asimov's "near futures" all turn out to be as male-dominated as the 1950s). There are interesting parallels with Golding's , which was published only three years earlier and shares this story's sense of moral disquiet.
'Profession' imagines a future in which careers are chosen for individuals based on their apparent aptitudes before relevant knowledge is downloaded into their brains. Initially appearing to be a dystopian nightmare, the story then takes a different and unexpected turn. It offers social comment that is scarcely less relevant today than it was 70 years ago.
Some of the stories contain a single interesting idea. In 'The Feeling of Power', a computer programmer relearns the lost skill of mental arithmetic in an age when even the simplest calculations are done by computer. In 'All the Troubles in the World', a supercomputer is developed that can foresee and prevent almost all of humanity's problems, but comes to desire the end of its own existence.
Perhaps the weirdest story, 'The Last Question', is a journey into the far future, in which we see humanity taking less and less corporeal form until consciousness is entirely disembodied in a universe that is almost completely dark. In the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is decidedly eerie but - typically for Asimov - not entirely pessimistic as it grapples with existential questions about the fate of humanity and whether it is possible to escape entropy.
The attractive thing about Asimov's writing is his interest in ideas and his ability to develop them in quirky yet logical ways. While some elements of these short stories have dated - such as the sidelining of women and the amount of cigarette smoking that is going on - other elements are prophetic (there are versions of the smartphone and the internet) and some of the tomorrows still seem plausible.
'The Ugly Little Boy' is probably the outstanding piece, in which a team of scientists pluck a Neanderthal boy out of time as an experiment. Centred on the relationship between "Timmie" and the woman tasked with looking after him, it's the only story that packs a real emotional punch and the only one in the collection with an important female character (it's disappointing, from a modern perspective, that Asimov's "near futures" all turn out to be as male-dominated as the 1950s). There are interesting parallels with Golding's , which was published only three years earlier and shares this story's sense of moral disquiet.
'Profession' imagines a future in which careers are chosen for individuals based on their apparent aptitudes before relevant knowledge is downloaded into their brains. Initially appearing to be a dystopian nightmare, the story then takes a different and unexpected turn. It offers social comment that is scarcely less relevant today than it was 70 years ago.
Some of the stories contain a single interesting idea. In 'The Feeling of Power', a computer programmer relearns the lost skill of mental arithmetic in an age when even the simplest calculations are done by computer. In 'All the Troubles in the World', a supercomputer is developed that can foresee and prevent almost all of humanity's problems, but comes to desire the end of its own existence.
Perhaps the weirdest story, 'The Last Question', is a journey into the far future, in which we see humanity taking less and less corporeal form until consciousness is entirely disembodied in a universe that is almost completely dark. In the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is decidedly eerie but - typically for Asimov - not entirely pessimistic as it grapples with existential questions about the fate of humanity and whether it is possible to escape entropy.
The attractive thing about Asimov's writing is his interest in ideas and his ability to develop them in quirky yet logical ways. While some elements of these short stories have dated - such as the sidelining of women and the amount of cigarette smoking that is going on - other elements are prophetic (there are versions of the smartphone and the internet) and some of the tomorrows still seem plausible.
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