This compilation of short stories was enjoyable, even though science fiction is not my favorite genre. Some stories were better than others. My favorites were "Green Patches", "The Hostess" (which seem interrelated), and "The Machine that Won the War". This last story critiques man's overreliance on making decisions using computer technology. It seems more relevant now than it was when published. Was Asimov precognitive?
A short story collection was the perfect way to dip my feet into a genre I do not usually read. Also, Asimov wrote an introduction to each story, describing what was going on in the country and in his life. I enjoyed reading about his evolution from Biochemistry Professor to science-fiction and popular science writer. ( )

This was a short story, but the material feels stretched and the story laboured in this novel form. ( )

Twenty stories comprise this collection of what Asimov himself considered his finest work up to 1969. These tales had been originally published in such periodicals as Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, Playboy, Star Science Fiction Stories, Scientific American, and more.

My favorites include:

An advanced civilization panics when five of their suns have set and the sixth is about to be eclipsed, casting their part of the world into "Nightfall" for the first time in generations. Arguably one of Asimov's best stories of all time.

To the chagrin of her police officer husband Drake, biologist Rose Smollett volunteers to play "Hostess" to an alien scientist from Hawkins' Planet. It isn't long before Drake discovers that the alien has ulterior motives, one that could ignite an interstellar war.

When a physicist named Ralson threatens to commit suicide, he is placed under psychiatric care by the Atomic Energy Commission with the caveat that any therapy must be quick. Ralson has the uncanny ability to rapidly solve almost any scientific problem and the A.E.C. thinks that he can create a force field to repel atomic energy. Of course, they want it done yesterday in "Breeds There a Man...?"

A merchant ship from Earth is captured by an alien enemy known as the Kloro. While the humans aboard are antagonistic toward one another, one man named Mullen rises above by volunteering for a dangerous mission. If he is successful, the other passengers will be able to retake the ship. Mullen must suit up and walk the exterior hull of the craft in magnetic boots, but to get there, he'll have to be ejected from the corpse chute, otherwise known as the "C-Chute."

Jeff Stock and Dick Altmayer have been friends for decades, during which Jeff has risen through the military ranks and Dick, a conscientious objector, has been arrested multiple times for draft dodging, terrorism, and treason. Yet, in the end, it's possible that both men are heroes "In A Good Cause—".

After discussing what might have happened if they'd each made different choices in life, a married couple named Norman and Livvy encounter a eccentric old man on a train who presents them with a mirror that allows then to ask "What If—" and see the results play out. Will Norman and Livvy's love survive this test?

A con-man named Gellhorn visits a mechanic named Jake who restores old automatic cars and allows them to roam free on his farm. Gellhorn tries to make an offer that Jake cannot refuse—take parts from Jake's restores and use them to refurbish old vehicles to sell at new car prices. After Jake turns him away, Gellhorn returns with muscle, but they are no match for "Sally", Matthew, and the rest of the cars with minds of their own...

"It's Such a Beautiful Day" when young Richard decides to walk to school after the teleportation "Door" in his home malfunctions. The problem is that in this perfect utopia, no one ever walks outside when you can simply use the Door system to teleport anywhere in the world. When Richard begins to form a habit of strolling outdoors at every opportunity, a psychiatrist is called in, but in the end, who ends up being the true counselor?

An elderly sociologist travels to the human asteroid colony of Elsevere to study their caste society. Upon arrival, he suspects something is wrong and is proven correct upon learning that the head of sanitation, who lives well and is highly compensated, is nevertheless treated like a second class citizen. No one else on Elsevere will even speak to Ragusnik or his family. As a result, Ragusnik has stopped work and in the end, it's up to Lamorak to be the "Strikebreaker." ( )

A collection of Asimov's short stories from the 1950s and '60s. I like Asimov's style, so I wasn't surprised to find I enjoyed most of these. The language is a bit dated, of course, and I don't think "space" as a generic exclamation will ever enter the lexicon, but I found the tales generally pleasant reads. The introductions to each story were the real stars, though. I loved reading about Asimov's aversion to the outdoors and his reaction to a rejection letter. He comes across as someone who genuinely loves the genre and would have been fun to talk to. If you like old school SF, Asimov is your man, and this isn't a bad collection to start with. ( )

"Nightfall and Other Stories" contains twenty of Asimov's short-stories published in a variety of magazines between 1941 and 1967 (though most are from the 50s).

Some of these are a little dated now but nevertheless display Asimov's very readable writing style and are accompanied by autobiographical comments or sometimes how the story originated. These provide a fascinating insight into Asimov's personality and life as a writer.

The eponymous "Nightfall" stands out as the most significant of the stories but "Jostess", "Breeds there a man", "It's such a beautiful day" and "Segregationist" are all very good two.

Asimov makes it so easy to read his writing though that you'll enjoy them all ( )