What do you love about Asimov?

[Mirannan]

My favorite author is most likely Philip K Dick, but I really appreciate Isaac Asimov for his everyday approach to technology, which makes reading his science fiction works feel like reading non-fiction. Also, the incredible chronological scope from Robots to the Foundation series. To me only Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time comes close in terms of sheer time-span.

I think I can suggest a few that beat either. Asimov's own Last Question, for one. Or try the Baxter stories involving the Downstreamers, or for early SF Stapledon's Last and First Men or, even more so, Star Maker.

There are quite a lot of stories set in the extremely far future, but most of them don't take us on the journey so IMHO they don't count.

 

[mistri]

I probably haven't read Asimov for 20 years or more. But when I was a teen getting into SF my local bookshop didn't really stock much other than Asimov, Arthur C Clarke and Star Trek tie-in books. I adored I Robot and still admire the laws of robotics for their neatness today. I read and enjoyed the Foundation books too but I have a worry that if I read them again now they wouldn't quite stand up in the same way.

 

[BAYLOR]

Foundation , soon to be a tv series.

 

[Al Jackson]

I appreciate Asimov's "big picture" perspective of the story of humanity. He doesn't fall for cliches about heroes saving the world. In the Foundation and Robot series, he looks at humanity as a whole and portrays a positive perspective on where we may be heading. It is a refreshing break from dystopian stories.

Asimov was the science fiction writer to give a serious gravitas to a Galactic Empire. That was in 1942! John Campbell help too since he was mentoring Asimov as a writer then.
Asimov and Heinlein , under Campbell's editorship, were prime in changing the face of prose science fiction in the 1940s.
Later Lucas borrowed Asimov , only in part, for use in Star Wars.
Asimov's Galactic Empire was sure more benign than Star War's.

 

[Al Jackson]

Foundation , soon to be a tv series.

Apple has greenlighted it.... I was reasonably pleased when the option was at HBO since Jonah Nolan had it there, but then Westworld took off and HBO let it lapse.
I hope there is not a screwup like there was with Star Ship Troopers!
Also the story needs a little action-o-fying , as was done with Man in a High Castle.... this will take care.

 

[BAYLOR]

Asimov was the science fiction writer to give a serious gravitas to a Galactic Empire. That was in 1942! John Campbell help too since he was mentoring Asimov as a writer then.
Asimov and Heinlein , under Campbell's editorship, were prime in changing the face of prose science fiction in the 1940s.
Later Lucas borrowed Asimov , only in part, for use in Star Wars.
Asimov's Galactic Empire was sure more benign than Star War's.

I rather liked Asimov's Galactic empire. The series has aged pretty well too.

 

[picklematrix]

I like that asimovs vision of the future can tell us a lot about the past, and the mindset of people from his age.
Im always intrigued by reading books written decades ago, and seeing what predictions they got right and wrong, but mainly pondering why the author saw things as they did.

 

[BAYLOR]

Because I could read Foundation and believe in the possibility that something like it could become a reality.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Probably not the most popular opinion, but I actually prefer his rare fantasy stories. Other than that, the only books of his I've read are I, Robot and The Naked Sun, but I enjoyed them. Also, I have seen him in at least one interview and know enough about him to say that I like him for his logical take on the nature of reality.

 

[Vkaaaaaa]

I love his insight and foresight.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

The Caves of Steel

I'll second this. I'm not a huge Asimov fan, but I liked Caves of Steel a lot. I really need to get round to Naked Sun...

 

[BAYLOR]

I'll second this. I'm not a huge Asimov fan, but I liked Caves of Steel a lot. I really need to get round to Naked Sun...

The Naked Sun is a very good book .

 

[The Scribbling Man]

The Naked Sun is a very good book .

Better than Caves of Steel?

 

[BAYLOR]

Better than Caves of Steel?

I thought so. I liked it better than Caves of Steel.

I also like the the first Three Foundation Novels

 

[The Scribbling Man]

^^ I read and enjoyed the first Foundation novel, but I didn't get on very well with the second. I did like The End of Eternity and some of The Complete Robot.

 

[farntfar]

My favourite book of his is The Gods Themselves.
The most convincing aliens I'd read about that were not simply anthropomorphised lizards or something or simply in the dumb squishy blobs mold.
I exagerate, but these were real believable aliens, with a convincing and very different biology/sexuality, which you really didn't find elsewhere.
Also the physics questions seemed very plausable.

 

[AE35Unit]

Can't put my finger on what makes me love Asimov. Just his unerring Asimovness

 

[Vince W]

Can't put my finger on what makes me love Asimov. Just his unerring Asimovness

Very true. It's difficult to confuse Asimov with another author. And I don't just mean the muttonchops.

 

[AE35Unit]

Very true. It's difficult to confuse Asimov with another author. And I don't just mean the muttonchops.

For me its more about the man himself than his fiction. I went through a phase of reading all his biographies and memoirs and I grew to really like him.

 

[Vince W]

For me its more about the man himself than his fiction. I went through a phase of reading all his biographies and memoirs and I grew to really like him.

I keep meaning to read those myself.