Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
by Isaac Asimov
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Twenty-four tales set in diverse locations are accompanied by critical and autobiographical commentary.Tags
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The best of Isaac Asimov's science fiction stories are amazing. The first volume of his Complete Stories earned five stars from me. Just running my eye down the table of contents I often could remember the stories just from the titles, even though it had been decades since I first read them--that's how much of an impression they made upon me. These stories? Not so amazing. These are all lesser known stories--Asimov himself said they were chosen because as of the date this book appeared they were his least anthologized. They're arranged in order of original publication from 1950 to 1973, and most are very short--he says in the introduction they average around 2,500 words.
I'd read this book before, years and years ago, but I only show more remembered two out of the 24: "The Monkey's Finger," a humor piece about writing and the creative process, and "2430 AD," among the saddest works I've ever read by Asimov, about the last zoo on Earth. I tend to think of Asimov as a fairly sunny writer, optimistic about the future. Not as much as Arthur C. Clarke perhaps, or even Heinlein, but it's striking actually how many of these stories reveal a very gloomy outlook. Several stories involved a nuclear doom and are pretty heavy-handed in its message. Asimov himself in the introductions to the stories says so--he said at the time watching the nuclear arms race between America and Soviet Union he felt bitter and hopeless about humanity's future. He said of the date of this anthology, he still felt pessimistic but for different reasons. He doesn't say what those reasons are, but given what's represented in this anthology and elsewhere I'd guess he was worried about overpopulation and the environment.
Otherwise the stories are the usual stuff of science fiction: dinosaurs, supercomputers, robots, space travel, time travel. Besides the two stories mentioned above, I especially liked "Each One an Explorer" with among the most unusual aliens I've ever read. The title story is pretty cute too. There were only a couple of stories I found complete clunkers--notably "Shah Guido G" with it's groaner of a pun. I also did love the little biographical asides that followed each story, so for an Asimov fan I do think this book is worth the read. But this isn't what I'd recommend as an introduction. show less
I'd read this book before, years and years ago, but I only show more remembered two out of the 24: "The Monkey's Finger," a humor piece about writing and the creative process, and "2430 AD," among the saddest works I've ever read by Asimov, about the last zoo on Earth. I tend to think of Asimov as a fairly sunny writer, optimistic about the future. Not as much as Arthur C. Clarke perhaps, or even Heinlein, but it's striking actually how many of these stories reveal a very gloomy outlook. Several stories involved a nuclear doom and are pretty heavy-handed in its message. Asimov himself in the introductions to the stories says so--he said at the time watching the nuclear arms race between America and Soviet Union he felt bitter and hopeless about humanity's future. He said of the date of this anthology, he still felt pessimistic but for different reasons. He doesn't say what those reasons are, but given what's represented in this anthology and elsewhere I'd guess he was worried about overpopulation and the environment.
Otherwise the stories are the usual stuff of science fiction: dinosaurs, supercomputers, robots, space travel, time travel. Besides the two stories mentioned above, I especially liked "Each One an Explorer" with among the most unusual aliens I've ever read. The title story is pretty cute too. There were only a couple of stories I found complete clunkers--notably "Shah Guido G" with it's groaner of a pun. I also did love the little biographical asides that followed each story, so for an Asimov fan I do think this book is worth the read. But this isn't what I'd recommend as an introduction. show less
Ok, found a copy at the univ. library... no dustcover so no cover art, of course. Skimming the notes, and in fact reading the stories lightly as they are indeed rather simplistic, even juvenile.
Old science: saurians did *not* need to stand in water to support their bodies, and were *not* cold-blooded. Sexist: "Women were more single-minded, more fanatic, less given to doubts and remorse than ever men could be." (I don't know if that insults men or women more, and in any case ignores that fact that individual members of a group vary more than the groups themselves do.)
The newer stories are somewhat better written. I think that his move to do most of his work as non-fiction may have helped, actually. I found it disconcerting though that show more he admits he didn't develop a library until he started writing NF... as if he didn't do research to make his science accurate in his fiction.
This collection valuable to see all the ideas he flashed out, that other writers have fleshed out into entire novels. A few have not yet been used (afaik) and might be available to you & your writing, as loose inspiration only, of course. Also interesting is a pair of stories both inspired by a quote from J.B. Priestly about an ultimate solution to the overpopulation problem, 2430 A.D. and The Greatest Asset.
But imo, just about the only works of Asimov's that've held up on their own merits are the Robot stories (and not even all of those). show less
Old science: saurians did *not* need to stand in water to support their bodies, and were *not* cold-blooded. Sexist: "Women were more single-minded, more fanatic, less given to doubts and remorse than ever men could be." (I don't know if that insults men or women more, and in any case ignores that fact that individual members of a group vary more than the groups themselves do.)
The newer stories are somewhat better written. I think that his move to do most of his work as non-fiction may have helped, actually. I found it disconcerting though that show more he admits he didn't develop a library until he started writing NF... as if he didn't do research to make his science accurate in his fiction.
This collection valuable to see all the ideas he flashed out, that other writers have fleshed out into entire novels. A few have not yet been used (afaik) and might be available to you & your writing, as loose inspiration only, of course. Also interesting is a pair of stories both inspired by a quote from J.B. Priestly about an ultimate solution to the overpopulation problem, 2430 A.D. and The Greatest Asset.
But imo, just about the only works of Asimov's that've held up on their own merits are the Robot stories (and not even all of those). show less
A collection of his not so great stories livened up by his autobiographical commentary
I've never been able to get into Asimov's novels very much, but his short stories are engaging and entertaining, and occasionally a bit profound. This is a good collection.
Buy Jupiter and Other Stories is a collection of Asimov's short fiction published in 1975. Included in the collection are several works that are classic examples of Asimov's work such as Does a Bee Care?, Each an Explorer, Light Verse, and Buy Jupiter. Many other stories are quite obscure, such as Everest, having only been published once in an obscure format. Interspersed through the volume are comments provided by Asimov concerning the background behind each story, and commentary on each of the individual stories.
Many classic Asimov motifs are present in this volume. There is an explicit Multivac story, as well another story involving a society controlled by computers. There are a couple of time travel stories. There are stories show more involving the use of word play and puns in their resolution (Asimov was an unabashed punster). Several of the stories reflect Asimov's fears of nuclear war, and the inherent foolishness of using nuclear technology to make weapons (for example, the stories Silly Asses and The Pause).
Overall, this collection provides a good selection of Asimov's fiction. I wouldn't recommend it as one of the first collections of Asimov's work for someone to read, but for someone who had read his more famous collections (such as I, Robot, or Nine Tomorrows) this is a good follow-up. show less
Many classic Asimov motifs are present in this volume. There is an explicit Multivac story, as well another story involving a society controlled by computers. There are a couple of time travel stories. There are stories show more involving the use of word play and puns in their resolution (Asimov was an unabashed punster). Several of the stories reflect Asimov's fears of nuclear war, and the inherent foolishness of using nuclear technology to make weapons (for example, the stories Silly Asses and The Pause).
Overall, this collection provides a good selection of Asimov's fiction. I wouldn't recommend it as one of the first collections of Asimov's work for someone to read, but for someone who had read his more famous collections (such as I, Robot, or Nine Tomorrows) this is a good follow-up. show less
This is another Asimov short story collection. The following stories appear in the book, although I have already read a couple as part of either the Robot short stories or the Nightfall collection of short stories.
To be honest these stories aren't Asimov's strongest. They entertaining, but they're not as amazing as some of his other stuff. I guess its hard to be a genius all the time.
http://www.stillhq.com/book/Isaac_Asimov/Buy_Jupiter_Short_Stories.html
To be honest these stories aren't Asimov's strongest. They entertaining, but they're not as amazing as some of his other stuff. I guess its hard to be a genius all the time.
http://www.stillhq.com/book/Isaac_Asimov/Buy_Jupiter_Short_Stories.html
A collection which includes a fair number of Dr. Asimov's more off-the-wall stories. There are a few standouts, but generally most are okay-ish. Of course, the little biographical introductions that the good Doctor writes for each story are all immensely entertaining (often more so than the stories themselves!) and because of them, this gets bumped up a half star. Not an essential collection, but one that most Asimov fans will probably find satisfying enough.
1) Darwinian Pool Room: 2/5
A conversation between a few scientists about how evolution and mass extinction events were all part of God’s plan comes to a chilling conclusion.
2) Day of the Hunters: 2/5
While shooting the breeze in a bar, the author and his friends come across someone show more who explains the real reason the dinosaurs died out. I remember being really impressed by this idea when I was a wee kid but it really seems very goofy now.
3) Shah Guido G. 3/5
A ‘Sha-ggy Do-G’ story about the fall of Atlantis with a truly awful pun as the punch line (which I admit I didn’t see coming at all).
4) Button, Button: 3/5
A comedy story that does prompt a chuckle or two about a gentleman who is able to recover copies of very small amounts of matter from the past. Obvious surprise ending though.
5) The Monkey’s Finger: 2/5
Another comedy story about an author and editor arguing over the structure of a short story. They decide to consult a scientist who has created an experimental monkey who is able to write according to all the rules of literature. The story being discussed seems suspiciously like the Asimov story ‘C-chute’ (printed in Nightfall).
6) Everest: 2/5
A throw-away story about Martians living atop Everest. Written before Everest was climbed (though was published afterwards).
7) The Pause: 3/5
An alien being intervenes to remove radioactivity and all knowledge of it from Earth as the first step in trying to cure humanity of its self-destructive pathology. Only a handful know about what has happened. But is this done out of a sense of philanthropy, or are there more sinister motives afoot?
8) Let’s Not: 2/5
Despairing professors try to motivate themselves to keep knowledge alive following a nuclear holocaust and the survival of only a handful.
9) Each an Explorer: 4/5
A two-man exploration team comes across a strange two-planet star system where the planets have similar plant life that is cultivated by two very different species. An interesting look at first contact with a great ending.
10) Blank!: 2/5
An attempt to time travel goes awry.
11) Does A Bee Care: 3/5
Human scientific progress over the centuries was a result of the influence of an immortal alien being in its larval stage, who takes advantage of the first space flight to make its way home. An interesting concept.
12) Silly Asses: 3/5
A short, short story about the stupidity of nuclear testing on Earth.
13) Buy Jupiter: 4/5
Aliens seek to buy Jupiter now that the opening up of a distant planet has but the solar system along a major trade route. Fairly clever.
14) A Statue for Father: 3/5
An amusing story about a son recounting his father, the now world-famous inventor’s greatest invention which arose from a failed attempt to create a time-travel machine: fried dino-steaks!
15) Rain, Rain, Go Away: 4/5
There’s something odd about the new neighbours next door. A fun take on a common SF trope of the 50s.
16) Founding Father: 3/5
A story written to go with a magazine cover, which does not sound promising, but it actually kind of works. 5 astronauts crash land on an alien planet and live out the rest of their lives with no hope of rescue, but determined to leave a monument behind for mankind.
17) Exile to Hell: 2/5
Damaging vital equipment is a crime that can get you exiled to Hell (or Earth as the case may be).
18) The Key Item: 3/5
Even Super-computers can get surly and go into a sulk sometimes.
19) The Proper Study: 2/5
A scientist wants the military to allow him to reveal his discovery of telepathy to the global scientific community so he sets out to “convince” the general in charge.
20) 2340 A. D.: 2/5
A dystopia where the world is in fine ecological balance – carefully managed to support its trillions of people, with no room for animals, plants or quirky people.
21) The Greatest Asset: 3/5
Another world in fine ecological balance, where it is realised that people need to have quirks and intellectual challenges if the human race is not to grow stale.
22) Take a Match: 3/5
A pretty good tale with a poor ending about a spaceship that cannot navigate because it is stuck in a gas cloud in space, and running low on fuel.
23) Thiotimoline to the Stars: 2/5
Another story that suffers from dr. Asimov’s goofy sense of humour at the end. Thiotimoline is something that allows material to travel through time and accelerate to any speed.
24) Light Verse: 4/5
A great robot story. A harmless old lady murders a harmless gentleman after he manages to unwittingly destroy the very thing that has brought her fame and fortune. show less
1) Darwinian Pool Room: 2/5
A conversation between a few scientists about how evolution and mass extinction events were all part of God’s plan comes to a chilling conclusion.
2) Day of the Hunters: 2/5
While shooting the breeze in a bar, the author and his friends come across someone show more who explains the real reason the dinosaurs died out. I remember being really impressed by this idea when I was a wee kid but it really seems very goofy now.
3) Shah Guido G. 3/5
A ‘Sha-ggy Do-G’ story about the fall of Atlantis with a truly awful pun as the punch line (which I admit I didn’t see coming at all).
4) Button, Button: 3/5
A comedy story that does prompt a chuckle or two about a gentleman who is able to recover copies of very small amounts of matter from the past. Obvious surprise ending though.
5) The Monkey’s Finger: 2/5
Another comedy story about an author and editor arguing over the structure of a short story. They decide to consult a scientist who has created an experimental monkey who is able to write according to all the rules of literature. The story being discussed seems suspiciously like the Asimov story ‘C-chute’ (printed in Nightfall).
6) Everest: 2/5
A throw-away story about Martians living atop Everest. Written before Everest was climbed (though was published afterwards).
7) The Pause: 3/5
An alien being intervenes to remove radioactivity and all knowledge of it from Earth as the first step in trying to cure humanity of its self-destructive pathology. Only a handful know about what has happened. But is this done out of a sense of philanthropy, or are there more sinister motives afoot?
8) Let’s Not: 2/5
Despairing professors try to motivate themselves to keep knowledge alive following a nuclear holocaust and the survival of only a handful.
9) Each an Explorer: 4/5
A two-man exploration team comes across a strange two-planet star system where the planets have similar plant life that is cultivated by two very different species. An interesting look at first contact with a great ending.
10) Blank!: 2/5
An attempt to time travel goes awry.
11) Does A Bee Care: 3/5
Human scientific progress over the centuries was a result of the influence of an immortal alien being in its larval stage, who takes advantage of the first space flight to make its way home. An interesting concept.
12) Silly Asses: 3/5
A short, short story about the stupidity of nuclear testing on Earth.
13) Buy Jupiter: 4/5
Aliens seek to buy Jupiter now that the opening up of a distant planet has but the solar system along a major trade route. Fairly clever.
14) A Statue for Father: 3/5
An amusing story about a son recounting his father, the now world-famous inventor’s greatest invention which arose from a failed attempt to create a time-travel machine: fried dino-steaks!
15) Rain, Rain, Go Away: 4/5
There’s something odd about the new neighbours next door. A fun take on a common SF trope of the 50s.
16) Founding Father: 3/5
A story written to go with a magazine cover, which does not sound promising, but it actually kind of works. 5 astronauts crash land on an alien planet and live out the rest of their lives with no hope of rescue, but determined to leave a monument behind for mankind.
17) Exile to Hell: 2/5
Damaging vital equipment is a crime that can get you exiled to Hell (or Earth as the case may be).
18) The Key Item: 3/5
Even Super-computers can get surly and go into a sulk sometimes.
19) The Proper Study: 2/5
A scientist wants the military to allow him to reveal his discovery of telepathy to the global scientific community so he sets out to “convince” the general in charge.
20) 2340 A. D.: 2/5
A dystopia where the world is in fine ecological balance – carefully managed to support its trillions of people, with no room for animals, plants or quirky people.
21) The Greatest Asset: 3/5
Another world in fine ecological balance, where it is realised that people need to have quirks and intellectual challenges if the human race is not to grow stale.
22) Take a Match: 3/5
A pretty good tale with a poor ending about a spaceship that cannot navigate because it is stuck in a gas cloud in space, and running low on fuel.
23) Thiotimoline to the Stars: 2/5
Another story that suffers from dr. Asimov’s goofy sense of humour at the end. Thiotimoline is something that allows material to travel through time and accelerate to any speed.
24) Light Verse: 4/5
A great robot story. A harmless old lady murders a harmless gentleman after he manages to unwittingly destroy the very thing that has brought her fame and fortune. show less
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Author Information
Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia, on January 2, 1920. His family emigrated to the United States in 1923 and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where they owned and operated a candy store. Asimov became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of eight. As a youngster he discovered his talent for writing, producing his first original fiction at show more the age of eleven. He went on to become one of the world's most prolific writers, publishing nearly 500 books in his lifetime. Asimov was not only a writer; he also was a biochemist and an educator. He studied chemistry at Columbia University, earning a B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. In 1951, Asimov accepted a position as an instructor of biochemistry at Boston University's School of Medicine even though he had no practical experience in the field. His exceptional intelligence enabled him to master new systems rapidly, and he soon became a successful and distinguished professor at Columbia and even co-authored a biochemistry textbook within a few years. Asimov won numerous awards and honors for his books and stories, and he is considered to be a leading writer of the Golden Age of science fiction. While he did not invent science fiction, he helped to legitimize it by adding the narrative structure that had been missing from the traditional science fiction books of the period. He also introduced several innovative concepts, including the thematic concern for technological progress and its impact on humanity. Asimov is probably best known for his Foundation series, which includes Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. In 1966, this trilogy won the Hugo award for best all-time science fiction series. In 1983, Asimov wrote an additional Foundation novel, Foundation's Edge, which won the Hugo for best novel of that year. Asimov also wrote a series of robot books that included I, Robot, and eventually he tied the two series together. He won three additional Hugos, including one awarded posthumously for the best non-fiction book of 1995, I. Asimov. "Nightfall" was chosen the best science fiction story of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America. In 1979, Asimov wrote his autobiography, In Memory Yet Green. He continued writing until just a few years before his death from heart and kidney failure on April 6, 1992. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
- Original title
- Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
- Original publication date
- 1975 (collection) (collection); 1970 (2430 AD) (2430 AD); 1957 (Blank!) (Blank!); 1952 (Button, Button) (Button, Button); 1958 (Buy Jupiter) (Buy Jupiter); 1950 (Darwinian Pool Room) (Darwinian Pool Room) (show all 25); 1950 (Day of the Hunters) (Day of the Hunters); 1957 (Does a Bee Care) (Does a Bee Care); 1956 (Each an Explorer) (Each an Explorer); 1953 (Everest) (Everest); 1968 (Exile to Hell) (Exile to Hell); 1965 (Founding Father) (Founding Father); 1971 (The Greatest Asset) (The Greatest Asset); 1968 (Key Item) (Key Item); 1954 (Let's Not) (Let's Not); 1973 (Light Verse) (Light Verse); 1952 (The Monkey's Finger) (The Monkey's Finger); 1954 (The Pause) (The Pause); 1968 (The Proper Study) (The Proper Study); 1958 (Rain, Rain, Go Away) (Rain, Rain, Go Away); 1951 (Shah Guido G) (Shah Guido G); 1957 (Silly Asses) (Silly Asses); 1958 (A Statue For Father) (A Statue For Father); 1972 (Take a Match) (Take a Match); 1973 (Thiotimoline to the Stars) (Thiotimoline to the Stars)
- Dedication
- To all the editors, whose careers,
at one time or another,
have intersected my own—
good fellows, everyone. - First words
- It has always been my custom, Gentle Readers, to take you into my confidence, since I have nothing hide.*
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Then we could perhaps work up a man-and-wife collection some day.
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- In the french edition, the book was divided in 2 volumes.
Contents:
"Darwinian Pool Room" (1950)
"Day of the Hunters" (1950
"Shah Guido G." (1951)
"Button, Button" (1953)
"The Monkey's Finger" (1953)
"Eve... (show all)rest" (1953)
"The Pause" (1954)
"Let's Not" (1954)
"Each an Explorer" (1956)
"Blank!" (1957)
"Does a Bee Care?" (1957)
"Silly Asses" (1958)
"Buy Jupiter" (1958)
"A Statue for Father" (1959)
"Rain, Rain, Go Away" (1959)
"Founding Father" (1965)
"Exile to Hell" (1968)
"Key Item" (1968)
"The Proper Study" (1968)
"2430 A.D." (1970)
"The Greatest Asset" (1972)
"Take a Match" (1972)
"Thiotimoline to the Stars" (1973)
"Light Verse" (1973, one of Asimov's positronic robot stories)
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