A collection of four short stories (or maybe technically novellas) from the 1950s. Like much of Asimov's work, the driving force behind all the plots is "what if?" The characters aren't much to write home about, but the concepts and visuals are unforgettable. My favorite is the mental picture I got of floating in space with Saturn looming overhead, as described in the titular story. Breathtaking. ( )

This collection of short fiction represent Asimov's response to several ways of thinking at the time. The titular story responds to McCarthyism, while the middle two respond to the view of humans as the most important element of the universe (sometimes called anthropocentricism), both physically and psychologically. The final story discusses the importance of being a generalist.

Though responding to the times, these stories do not come off as preachy, but instead aim to entertain while informing, as good writers tend to do. This collection of short stories is in some ways the antithesis of Earth is Room Enough, featuring interplanetary settlements and the attempts thereof.

Sure to be enjoyed by fans of Asimov, those following the literary responses of McCarthyism, or even fans of old school science fiction. ( )

One of Asimov's anthologies and a fairly good one, but not his best. ( )

A very readable collection of short stories. All of the stories have their twists, especially "Youth." Had me tricked the entire time! ( )

A collection of four fine short stories (more like novelettes) by Asimov, each with a nice twist at the end of the kind Asimov is so fond of. Asimov's strengths are generally not in characterization or emotional string-pulling (although he can be quite adept at these when he tries), but at the careful construction of a layered and logically plotted sequence of events that make perfect sense upon completion, no matter how fantastic the book. ( )