OK - NOT GREAT

It has been a very long time since I read this book but I remember loving it. It is science fiction but based on a lot of true chemistry facts. Some of the chemistry parts are hard to follow but the overall story is quite well put together. The author presents three stories that are intertwined together into one amazing major story. Whether you like science fiction normally or not, I would definitely recommend this story about technology, advancement and love. ( )

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1972, won both of the biggest awards in science fiction: the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. It has always been one of my favorite books of one of my favorite authors. Much of the plot can be summarized by the lyrics of “Modern English” in “I’ll Melt With You”:

I'll stop the world and melt with you
You've seen the difference and
It's getting better all the time
There's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you

The book concerns our own universe and a parallel, or “para” universe. In the para-universe, there are three types of beings, a Rational, an Emotional, and a Parental. As adults they enter into triads, and to reproduce, they “melt” together with one another. The Emotional thins, and the other two immerse themselves in her shimmer and in each other. They melt for days at a time, and through this process merge into a oneness that provides ineffable joy.

The focus in the paraverse is on Odeen, the Rational, Dua, the Emotional, and Tritt, the Parental. Another group, the “hard ones” do not melt together, but seem to exist as teachers to the rationals, bringing them to adulthood under their tutelage. And critically, in this universe, energy is food.

Back in our universe, energy is just as vital, if not in such a direct sense, and so when energy-releasing material is exchanged from the para-universe to ours, scientists jump on the opportunity. Electron Pumps multiply to facilitate the exchange, and earth is soon freed from any energy dependence.

But there are doubters in both universes: is it a good idea to disturb the laws of a universe? What might happen to the earth as the balance of nuclear charges becomes disrupted?

This is a lovely book, for many reasons. For one, Asimov’s earth has its problems, but he doesn’t create the nightmarish dystopias that characterize contemporary science fiction. Secondly, he is not afraid to teach his audience science, and he remains, even after death, an enormously popular “popularizer” of esoteric concepts in physics. And finally, his romantic visions of love are unparalleled (and unlike Heinlein, for example, a respect for the intelligence and contributions of women are part of any world Asimov creates).

For anyone who has ever thought of sex as a way to merge, to become one, and to experience fully the essence of one another, this book is for you. For anyone who has not read this, this book is for you. In my opinion, it is one of the best science fiction books ever. ( )

I love this book. It shows an alien culture that is truly alien. It is not an alien invasion story. Its about sharing technology and discovery and reminding ourselves that not everyone, human or not, has our best interest in heart. ( )

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

In The Gods Themselves, Asimov presents a tale of three cultures woven around a device which offers unlimited free energy. The Electron Pump offers two universes a way to feed their need for energy, but at what cost? As para-physicist Dr. Lamont delves into the pump’s past he uncovers a critical flaw that could endanger both universes. He is thwarted by the self-proclaimed Father of the Electron Pump, Dr. Hollam, who is loathe to believe his invention is anything but a panacea. Dr. Lamont and his associate, Dr. Bronowski, attempt to communicate with the beings of the para-verse in a final effort to end the pumping project. The messages they receive are cryptic and disturbing. The tale turns to the lives of the para-beings, a strange species divided into four classes and finally to the moon colony and Dr. Denison whose snide remark started it all.

Though the first two thirds of the book are plotted remarkably well, the entire work is plagued by poor writing. Reading the first few pages, I was struck by the relative poverty of Asimov’s writing style. How could such a revered writer produce such stumbling and cliché-ridden prose? As I pressed on, the excellent plot veiled the poor writing and I was utterly immersed in the story.

I was thoroughly enjoying myself until the end of part one. At the beginning of part two, I thought I would have done things differently. The book is divided into three parts each with different main characters and plots that hang together on the string of the Electron Pump and it’s dangers. The problem with this method of story telling is that readers are often irritated when asked to leave an interesting set of characters behind for a new set. I put the book down at this point and almost didn’t pick it back up. Obviously, anything that causes a reader to contemplate abandoning a book is something to avoid. So when I saw that the new section would not retain any of the characters from the previous, I was a bit annoyed. However, after reading the second section, I realized it was one of the strongest points of the book and was glad Asimov structured the book in this way.

I’m sorry to say I cannot be so generous of the third part. It was by far the weakest part of the book, which is unfortunate as the end should be at least the second strongest section. If I were Asimov’s editor, I would have suggested he begin the book with the development of the pump, rather than relying on long and distracting info-dumps throughout the narrative. Then the original part one would become part two and part two becomes part three, with the book ending on the combination of the Trit-Dua- Odeen triad into Estwald. This would have created an interesting and open ending and avoided the cliche “older scientist man gets younger girl” that plagues so many earlier sci-fi works. If Asimov wanted to end the book with a happy ending, he could have drug out the para-verse section a bit longer and shown Estwald to have a new consciousness thanks to Dua’s wanderings through the rocks- perhaps having absorbed some worldly wisdom from them.

All in all, I’m not sorry I read it, but I don’t think I’d recommend it unless you’re a fan of Asimov or parallel universe theory. ( )

I love this book. It shows an alien culture that is truly alien. It is not an alien invasion story. Its about sharing technology and discovery and reminding ourselves that not everyone, human or not, has our best interest in heart. ( )

One of Asimov's true novels and a great story at that. He looked into the future and decided to see what would happen if man discovered and new energy source what they would do when it was discovered to have a dark side to it. He also goes into great detail on tri-sexual beings from a another universe.

The parallel universe is interesting. The politics are intriguing. The characters are wonderful. ( )

Absolutely positively MEMORABLE! A classic right along with Dragons Egg by Robert L. Forward. I read it the first time in the late '60's or early '70's and again in 1999 or 2000, and plan to read it again. It stands out in my memory even more clearly than the Foundation Series. With the new developments in string theory, speculation about hidden dimensions, and parallel universes with different physical laws, its more timely than ever. ( )

Not my favorite Asimov book, though this is supposed to be a 'classic'. Like a lot of classics, this is deep, mysterious and confusing. ( )

this book is ok. Its pretty creative, and i like most of the characters, but there are parts that kinda drone on. ( )

Having read a lot of science fiction over the years, and being a big fan of Isaac Asimov, I can't for the life of me imagine how I neglected to read this masterpiece. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, in my opinion, this is Asimov's best work and one of the finest science fiction works I've encountered.

The book is written in three distinct parts, seperated by location, though the time frame is more or less contemporaneous (circa 2070). The first section of the novel sets the stage and takes place on Earth. Through contact with a parallel universe, with radically different physical laws, a source of free and plentiful energy is discovered, a revolutionary development for human society. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and the remainder of the novel deals with complications arising from the ensuing Electron Pump.

The second part of the novel is simply mind blowing. In it, Asimov has created an alien culture (beings occupying the aforementioined parallel universe) that is so fascinating and complex as to be well deserving of the awards which this novel has garnered. Were this 50-75 page chapter released as a short story, it would be deserving of the title, "Best Science Fiction Short Story Ever Written". The last two pages of the chapter contain two different, shocking plot twists that will literally cause goose bumps.

Finally, the third chapter of the story results in an elegant resolution of the crisis presented in the first two. Set on the Moon, Asimov creates a lunar colony, that while not entirely original, has aspects I've not seen before. The creativity, while not up to the standards of the second chapter (how could it be) is nevertheless top rate.

The story involves complex physics, which Asimov explains well and simply enough to be understood by the average non-scientific layman. This science fiction work is among the best novels I've ever encountered in any genre. I've read that Asimov considered it his best work, and I agree completely. If you're not a science fiction fan, take two hours and read the second chapter alone, as a short story. It will be well worth your time. ( )

This is one of Asimov's relatively few stand alone novels, and the one for which he received the most awards. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as good as I would hope a novel that won the Nebula and Hugo awards should be, although it is still quite good.

The novel stems from, essentially, a physics trick: under what circumstances could the impossible isotope Plutonium-186 exist, and what would it mean if we could locate a parallel universe in which those conditions existed. The novel also explores what a wholly and completely alien society without any contact with humanity (and only limited contact with our universe) might be like.

The first part of the novel is basically a story that asks what if we discovered a dangerous perpetual motion machine, and explores the political ramifications that might have. This section is interesting, but not particularly exceptional, mostly focusing on the fact that once people have something that is immediately beneficial, the long term negative consequences will usually be ignored.

The second part of the novel is probably the best section, as Asimov tackles a universe with entirely different physics from ours, as well as a wholly alien culture. As a science fiction author who rarely included aliens in his works, and was clearly uncomfortable dealing with sex, he seems to have saved up a decade's worth of both for this book, creating some very unique aliens, an alien culture, and throwing in a fair amount of alien sex. This is the best section of the book, and focuses on how the aliens deal with a huge ethical problem, and why they can also not turn their back on a process that provides immediate benefits but potential long term negative (and unethical) consequences.

The final section of the book is the weakest, and really drags down the other two. In this section, the problems raised by the first two sections are wrapped up neatly and without inconveniencing anyone. As a matter of fact, the final solution makes everyone better off than before, and eliminates all the problems previously encountered. This ending is really too facile for the rest of the book, and essentially gives all the short-sighted characters in the first two sections an easy out.

Still, the book is considered to be a classic of science fiction, and the second section of the book alone makes it worth reading. It isn't as good as Asimov's best work, and of his books, this is not the one I would have picked to win all the awards, but it is still a good book. ( )

This book kicks so much ass! Not sure what really draws me in but I've re-read it a few times now and definitely will again. I love parallel stories that intersect. I love the holycrap-we-gotta-save-the-earth storyline. ( )

A fine book with an interesting twist on multiple universes and how these universes could interact. Asimov introduces some keen ideas that make the book worth reading. The big theme of the book seems to be how arrogant humanity is. ( )

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classic" books, then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label

Book #12: The Gods Themselves, by Isaac Asimov (1972)

The story in a nutshell:
Originally published as three interrelated novellas in magazine form, Isaac Asimov's 1972 The Gods Themselves is a "hard science-fiction" tale in every sense of the term; so look out, because things are about to get a little complicated...

Set in the year 2100, part 1 starts with a prickly and arrogant scientist named Frederick Hallam, who accidentally discovers one day that someone has swapped a dusty old test tube of congealed tungsten in his lab for what appears to be a beaker full of plutonium-186, apparently as a practical joke...except for the fact that plutonium-186 should theoretically not be able to actually exist in our universe. And indeed, after lots of testing and theorizing, the scientific community determines that the mysterious plutonium is actually the work of a parallel universe (or "para-universe" as they call it), one filled with people either smarter than us or more evolutionarily advanced, who have figured out how to "pump" such material into our own universe in the hope (presumably) that we will pump tungsten back to them, thus creating a form of free energy for both worlds based on the nuclear reactions these elements have in their unnatural environments. The remainder of part 1, then, concerns the growing conflict between the now Nobel-winning Hallam (who is desperately trying to hide the fact that he doesn't understand how any of this actually works) and another young physicist named Lamont, who has become convinced that this energy exchange spells the doom of our universe, even while leaving this theoretical para-universe in fine shape (in fact, maybe even better than before if our sun just happens to go supernova, which Lamont is convinced more and more will exactly happen the longer we let this "electron pump" run).

In part 2, then, we suddenly shift to this para-universe only talked about in theory during part 1; and it is indeed a strange place, a planet that appears to actually have two different forms of intelligent life, so-called "Hard Ones" (their equivalent of humans) and also what they call "Soft Ones" (eight-foot-tall gelatinous amoebas, who through the different laws of physics in this para-universe actually exist in only a semi-solid form, so that they "eat" by directly absorbing nutrients from sunlight and "have sex" by basically melting into each other). The plot of part 2 is much too difficult to summarize here; but let's just say that it takes a detailed look at one of the three-member "family units" of this Soft society (a Rational, an Emotional, and a Parental), and their growing realization not only about what adult life has in store for them in the near future, not only what the relationship is between their species and the advanced Hard Ones, but also the fact that what Lamont in part 1 theorized is actually true, that this energy exchange actually does threaten to cause a supernova on the Earth side, and that the para-universe of their own side would actually benefit if such a thing were to happen.

(WARNING: The next paragraph reveals important information about the end of this book.)

In part 3, then, we switch back to our universe but again travel to a strange society, Asimov's version of what a permanent Moon population might be like a century after breaking off from Earth culture (which is exotic, sexy and highly titillating, by the way -- imagine an entire populace who because of selective breeding all look vaguely like the love-child of Angelina Jolie and Tiger Woods, who foster an environment of casual nudity and even more casual sex partners, and who also happen on average to be twice as intelligent as the average 'Earthie' as well, because of it being mostly scientists and artists who initially flocked to the Moon in the first place). To tell you the truth, Asimov seems more interested in part 3 in simply detailing what kind of society such a populace might produce, and all the ways it would be so much better than contemporary Earth society; it seems like only an afterthought near the end that one of these people actually comes up with a way to avert the looming crisis being talked about throughout the manuscript, by tapping into yet another para-universe that is in its pre-Big-Bang phase, thus offsetting the massive amounts of nuclear energy that the first para-universe has been pumping into our own.

(Spoilers finished!)

The argument for it being a classic:
Of all the writers in the so-called "Golden Age" of science-fiction, fans say, none were quite as important as Isaac Asimov; he brought to the genre all the mainstream respect of an Arthur C Clarke, the audacity of a Robert Heinlein, the prolific nature of a Ray Bradbury, and an enthusiasm usually only seen in fanboys. (For example, for those who don't know, Asimov actually published over 500 books while he was alive, and is the only person in human history to have books published in nine of the ten major divisions of the Dewey Decimal system.) So how do you even begin to start picking what might possibly be considered the "best" out of all this? Well, in this particular case, the argument goes that you start with outside sources; because of all the books Asimov ever wrote, The Gods Themselves was the only one to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards in the same year (a pretty big feat unto itself, in that these are competing organizations), a standalone book that you can simply read and enjoy on its own, unlike the vast majority of Asimov's best-known works that in one way or another always seem to be part of some giant 75-book series that you will never get caught up with before you freaking die. There might be specific books of Asimov's that are better in nature than The Gods Themselves, but only if you take them in context with a whole group of pieces published both before and after them; if you're looking for a single manuscript, though, that plainly shows why people go so nuts about his work, you could do a lot worse than to pick this one.

The argument against:
As you can tell, the main argument against this being a classic is that it simply isn't his best work; that it won all the awards it did mostly because it came late in Asimov's life, at a point when the community suddenly wanted to start recognizing him in a way they never had when he was younger. And besides, critics of the novel would reluctantly argue, Asimov was actually at his best back in the squeaky-clean times of the Modernist '50s and '60s; that he was already approaching old-man status even by the 1970s, and did not transition into that looser, sexually freer era nearly as well as such young SF authors at the time like Philip K Dick, Robert Zelazny and Ursula Le Guin. Asimov should certainly be considered in the "classic" realm of SF, most everyone will agree to by now; just that The Gods Themselves might not be the best one to add to the canon, some would say, but rather one of the series of books he is better known for at this point.

My verdict:
So let me freely confess off the bat that this is something like the 30th book of Asimov's I've now read, so am in a position to judge both his standalone work and his never-ending long series of books. And that's what makes my reaction to The Gods Themselves so frustrating too, because I can understand and empathize with both of the attitudes described above; it is in fact a great introduction to Asimov's work, and also a letdown to those who become bigger and more obsessive fans. And as a matter of fact, this is a persistent problem with all genre work when it comes to talking about "classic" examples, of books that non-fans can read to understand why fans become fans; because that's the nature of genre work, that you become an obsessive fan in the first place by reading and enjoying an entire series of books by a particular author, not simply by plucking one single book out of the fray with no historical context whatsoever. To truly love Asimov, I and other obsessive fanboys would say, what you really need to do is read the remarkable 15-book series he wrote over the course of his life that detailed the next ten thousand years of human history: the "Robot" series (set in the near future, as humans expand into neighboring galaxies for the first time), "Empire" series (in which all these now-mature galaxies go to war with each other), and "Foundation" series (regarding the next stage of human evolution, set thousands of years from now). But that's a ridiculous amount of books for a mere casual fan to take on; hence the constant struggle like today to find a single book of Asimov's that can stand as the best self-contained example of his work. This is always the biggest challenge with Golden Age science-fiction authors, to tell you the truth; that since they were such prolific writers, working in a genre that was still widely considered a minor pulpish one when they were alive, their work is usually best considered when looked at as a whole, not as a sum of its parts. It's always something to keep in mind while reading Asimov's work, as well as any other SF writer from the 1950s and '60s.

Is it a classic? Yes ( )

Very very clever. ( )

Link to a review on my personal website ( )

This was a pretty good book. In many ways it is "clever": the plot, the aliens, the "science," the depiction of academia, the alien races, the ultimate resolution of the looming crisis. On the other hand, characterization is fairly weak. The only character in the book with whom I felt any empathy was Dua, the emotional third of the alien triad from the middle story. The motivations of and relationships between the human characters were largely unconvincing (especially in the third episode). And I would say that both in terms of the alien society described in the second episode, and the lunar society described in the third episode, others have come up with much more imaginative and convincing models. The obsession with nudity on the moon struck me as particularly out of place; was that supposed to increase sales to young male readers?

As an aside, the first edition hard back that I checked out from the library had a very amusing photo of Asimov on the back cover. . . Wild hair and long sideburns, an action shot of the author at his hip and cosmopolitan best (despite the thick nerdy glasses), standing on a New York street corner hailing a cab. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2L... ( )

http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/sf/gods...

I've really grown out of Asimov since I was a teenager. His reputation was clearly built on an ability to communicate well with readers of his non-fiction, on the early success of his Robot stories (with the gimmick of the Laws of Robotics), and on the continuing success of the Foundation trilogy (which are still the only Asimov I can re-read without cringing). All the rest of it I find just embarrassing. However, the veneration felt for Asimov by the sf community then and indeed now is undeniable. The Gods Themselves was his first proper science fiction novel for fifteen years (not counting two juveniles and a movie novelisation), and I suppose that both fans (via the Hugo) and his fellow writers (via the Nebula) were rewarding his past contributions to the genre at least as much as the quality of his latest writing.

If The Gods Themselves had been by anyone else, I don't think it could have won either award. There are huge flaws of plausibility and consistency, the portrayal of gender relations is old-fashioned and cliched, and as a result it completely fails to engage my willing suspension of disbelief. I'm well aware that this is a minority view, but I will justify it as follows.

1) The first bit, "Against Stupidity", describing how Hallam and his allies successfully manage to muzzle discontent with his approach to the physics, is seen by some as a courageous attempt by Asimov to move away from the traditional Golden Age portrayal of "scientist as hero" by engaging with the findings of the sociology of science school; perhaps even as a wake-up call to Asimov's readers that there are deeper currents going on behind the standard narratives of discovery and invention (see on this point particularly "Lacey"'s extensive review on the Asimovians website). The problem is that Asimov doesn't quite dare to go the whole way. To a 21st century reader, the most striking thing about his 20th century portrayal of the 22nd century scientific enterprise is that there are no women involved with it at all.

In addition, as an occasional politician myself, I ground my teeth with frustration when Lamont gave up after his meeting with the Senator. In any legislative system where the level of freedom for individual parliamentarians is greater than that of, say, present-day Turkmenistan, there is always someone who can stir things up. The Senator chaired the committee; what about the members who wanted to chair the committee and were passed over? What about those who were interested in the subject and didn't get on the committee? Of course from time to time you find that certain subjects are completely beyond the pale of political discourse, but this is never a long-lived situation.

I was able, oddly enough, to forgive the most scientifically implausible bit - any plutonium 186 nucleus in our universe would, of course, immediately disintegrate as the electromagnetic repulsion between its protons overcame the strong nuclear force - because a certain amount of handwaving (or as one might term it, magic) is necessary for most speculative fiction. Yeah, I know there is an explanation given in the book, leading to the potential explosion of the Sun. Of course, this would also mean that there would be very measurable effects in the vicinity of the plutonium samples, which Lamont never tries to verify experimentally.

So, basically, I found huge problems with the setting, plot and characters of the first section.

2) The second bit, "The Gods Themselves", supposedly represents Asimov's response to the taunt that he was unable to write about either aliens or sex (see for example the Wikipedia article on Asimov, John H. Jenkins and Shehzad Rehman). Well, while the basic idea behind the triple-gendered aliens is indeed novel and daring, there's an awful lot of this that simply doesn't make sense even on the story's own terms. The most striking absence is that there seem to be no other types of organism on the world of Odeen, Dua and Tritt. Where did they evolve from? What on earth is the evolutionary point of melding to form a new Hard One personality - and then subsequently splitting again into personalities that don't retain the memories and experience of the time as a Hard One? (Thanks to Alan Peakall, in a brief review that seems to have slipped off the Amazon site, for raising questions about this in my mind.)

Again, it's striking that the sexual politics of the alien society seems extraordinarily conformist - is there no adultery? sexual variety? Are there no Parentals seeking liberation from domestic chores, no Emotionals looking to set up theatre groups, no Rationals looking for a quiet weekend away from their studies? Their very names indicate a strict hierarchy - Odeen equates to the Russian "один" meaning "one" (actually pronounced "adEEn" though spelt "Odeen"); Dua obviously echoes the word for "two" in many languages (Russian "два"; Latin "duo"; Malay and Indonesian "dua"); and Tritt is similarly echoes the German "dritte" and Russian "треть", both meaning "third". As an Emotional, it seems that you are always a second-class citizen, but at least you are considered too refined for the bothersome business of child-rearing.(Perhaps I have missed the point, and this is all meant to be satirical; if so then it is fatally subversive of us taking the plot seriously.)

And the least explicable part of all is the question of Dua's interaction with our universe. Somehow, she manages to teach herself to write in badly spelt English, and also to ooze past the Hard Ones' security and yet become substantial enough to tamper with their samples of plutonium before they are sent to Earth without triggering any alarms. This is completely implausible even within the parameters we have been given. And I take Estwald's final comment - "There is much work to be done" - to indicate that Dua's agenda has failed. (Incidentally, how come Estwald has not already tipped off the other Hard Ones to prevent Dua from doing her sabotage? Does he not retain her memories and experiences?)

So, in summary, I found huge problems with setting, plot and characters of the second section.

3) The third bit, "Contend in Vain?", is an attempt at Hegelian synthesis of the first two. Again, I found myself querying Asimov's attempts to portray a sexually liberated and liberal society; his inability to do this comfortably and convincingly is particularly striking in contrast with the other sf writers active at the time - Silverberg and Haldeman have already been mentioned. Again, gender roles seem predetermined: Selene (rhymes with Melanie), the only interesting character, is not a scientist like the men but a tourist guide who is endowed not only with a secret superpower of feminine intuition, but also with visible breasts. The moment when she solves the physics problem is strangely reminiscent of Asimov's woeful early story "Half-Breed", published three decades earlier, where the half-Martian lab assistant realises that x^2 y^2 z^2 might have something to do with a sphere.

And the basic problem raised by the resolution for the entire plot is that the solution available to the lunar scientists is also, presumably, available to the Hard Ones in their universe. Nobody has any need to raid one particular universe, as the Hard Ones are doing to ours - they could just as easily take their extra energy from a whole spectrum of cosmic eggs, as Denison (presumably) plans to do. The whole dramatic point of the novel is groundless. (And of course we are left to wonder about the consequences of a surplus of electrons on the Earth and of positively charged particles on the Moon...)

So, in summary, I found huge problems with the setting and the plot of the third section.

On the other hand the one merit the book does have, in comparison with the later novels, is that it is much shorter. Oh yes, and the title is a mistranslation of the original line from Schiller, "Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens" - rather than "the Gods themselves", a better English version would be "Against stupidity even gods contend in vain". ( )

What I like about Asimov is his ability to write intelligently, he expects his readers to be able to follow his words and understand them. No dumbing down. I'll admit that this book lost me more than once, the second part confused me for much longer than it should have. I'm not sure the third part tied it all together for me although it did answer some questions I had. Not an Asimove I'd recommend to many. ( )

A unique thing for Asimov, a book that stands by itself. I hear he referred to this as his best work and I can see why. Given that Asimov is one of the ABCs of science fiction, this made me expect a lot.

What we find inside is true science fiction, no magic, a narrative that pulls you into it, human stupidity, pride and arrogance almost destroying the world - what more can you ask for.
Well arguably one of the most alien races ever described in described in science fiction - but with just enough relevance to human drives to make them comprehendable.
Some interesting twists and a great story. Well worth a read. ( )

This is one Asimov novel that has no ties to any other of his books. The physics and chemistry used in the plotting are amazing, but the center section that presents an alien culture with three sexes is singularly unique among Asimov's work. ( )

This book can be seen as consisting of 3 sections. The first section really hooked me because of how closely it follows how research life is.
I really recommend this book for people who are currently doing research. You may not want to finish the whole book, but the first part will make you smile.

As a teaser, let me reveal what Asimov uses as the sub-title for the 3 sections:
* Against stupidity...
* ... the gods themselves...
* ... argue in vain?

Now, go read it! :) ( )

http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/book... ( )