The Gods Themselves

Asimov es uno de esos autores cuyos libros me entretienen, me gustan o me fascinan. Jamás me topé con uno que no me gustara. Teniendo esto en cuenta, y sabiendo que "Los propios dioses" fue ganadora del premio Hugo y el premio Nébula, arranqué a leerlo como quien se encuentra con un paquete de papas fritas después de una noche entera fumando hierbas lícitas pero ilegales.

"Contra la estupidez, los propios dioses luchan en vano". Esta frase del poeta alemán Friedrich von Schiller deja claro el tema de la obra: La bomba de electrones, llevada a nuestro universo por seres interdimensionales, se transforma en un invento revolucionario descubierto por casualidad, revoluciona el planeta Tierra generando energía gratuita e infinita, lo show more que le reporta a su descubridor una fama mundial avasallante. Sin embargo, un admirador suyo comienza a encontrar evidencias de que la dichosa Bomba de Electrones podría cambiar las condiciones del universo aumentando tanto la actividad del Sol que lo haría estallar en pocos años.

En un relato que nos lleva al parauniverso y nos instruye durante varios capítulos irónicos y fascinantes acerca de la naturaleza del sexo alienígena, Asimov narra una gesta científica donde compiten egos, intereses económicos, atracción sexual y reputaciones destruídas por gritar al mundo el peligro al que se exponen.

Sin embargo, Asimov da un giro a la frase de Schiller. Un giro que deja en claro el tono de toda su obra. Ni la humanidad es estúpida y se encamina a su destrucción, como no se cansan de decir los autores distópicos, ni se puede alcanzar la verdad resignándose a la derrota.

Y es por eso que Isaac Asimov parafrasea el título de la tercera parte de este relato impecable con unos sutiles y determinantes signos de interrogación:

"Contra la estupidez, los propios dioses, ¿luchan en vano?" show less

Themes of sexuality and gender identity, sustainable power and the stupidity of Man.

In the first part Asimov satirises men, swaggering about with their PhDs and swinging their dicks around. Squatting a bit to make them look like they hang closer to the ground. He also points up some of the thinking mistakes we all fall into.

The second part is one of the most virtuoso displays I’ve ever read. He creates a universe with different physical laws and peoples it with aliens utterly different physiologically from us. He’s thought it all out from the psychological and sociological implications to literally the subatomic level. These aliens have three genders:

Rational (he/him)
Parental (he/him)
Emotional (she/her)

The Emotional in the triad we show more follow is transgender Rational and there’s a kind of gay three-way going on.

Back in the day I read in an interview or something Asimov saying the reason there weren’t many women in his books was because he didn’t know any. It was only years later reading his wikipedia page that I realised this was because they were avoiding him. He satirises women in this second section as empty-headed sunbathers. I think there’s a bit of a double standard here. The men may be idiots, but at least they have thoughts. Women, according to Asimov, have none at all. Also interesting that the Parental of the triad, though he/him, carries the babies and is an idiot. Only the Rational, the closest to our male is clever. The Emotional’s inner Rational seems to consist solely of being clever too.

Up to this point we’re on course for 5 stars. Consistently interesting and though-provoking, finely written and with a real sense of mystery. But then Asimov goes and screws it up. The third part features a middle-aged man bouncing around on the moon in the nude with a much younger woman. I have subjected this section to a number of scientific tests, including the Bechdel, and have failed to find any evidence that Asimov is satirising himself. I think he’s literally written down his sex fantasy. Toe-curling and just painful to read. The plot’s in place and is interesting but we need more of that and less bouncing and transparent blouses. show less

"Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." – Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, The Maid of Orleans

The overarching storyline involves a method by which matter is exchanged between our universe and a parallel universe, resulting in what at first appears to be an unlimited supply of free energy to both. The process has been initiated by otherworldly beings, but Dr. Hallam, a scientist from earth, takes credit for it, to great acclaim. Later, a lone dissenter, Dr. Lamont, believes the exchange may cause our sun to explode, but faces tremendous opposition from Hallam and those who are enjoying the unlimited free energy and don’t want to give it up. They say there is no proof of an upcoming explosion and dismiss show more Lamont as a crackpot.

This is hard science fiction. In order to fully enjoy it, the reader will need to internalize the overall concept and follow the scientists’ trains of thought, and in order to do so, will need to have a certain level of interest in scientific detail. It does not require advanced knowledge of physics or chemistry, as the principles and processes are described in layman’s terms. For example, it references such topics as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, radioactive isotopes, electrons, protons, fusion, fission, electromagnetism, quarks, and the like. Here’s an example of what to expect:

“We are faced with a substance, plutonium-186, that cannot exist at all, let alone as an even momentarily stable substance, if the natural laws of the Universe have any validity at all. It follows, then, that since it does indubitably exist and did exist as a stable substance to begin with, it must have existed, at least to begin with, in a place or at a time or under circumstances where the natural laws of the Universe were other than they are. To put it bluntly, the substance we are studying did not originate in our Universe at all, but in another—an alternate Universe—a parallel Universe. Call it what you want.”

It is divided into three sections, which are related only by the overall story arc. Section 1 sets the stage, beginning in the year 2070. It shows how the universes interacted initially to establish the energy exchange, and how the rivalry between Hallam and Lamont developed.

Section 2 is my personal favorite. It describes the lives of the beings in the para-universe, comprised of “hard ones” and “soft ones,” who have differing levels of ability to move through each other. The “soft ones” live in triads: one rational, one parental, and one emotional, who bond together in a reproductive process called melting to produce offspring. A “hard one” is assigned to each triad as a mentor. Dua, an emotional “soft one” is the protagonist of this section. She is an atypical emotional, and anyone that has ever felt “otherness” will easily identify with her. She brings up the ethical questions of what the energy exchange is doing to the two universes.

Section 3 takes place on the moon, with one of Hallam’s discredited rivals, Dr. Dennison, doing research in conjunction with the Lunarites (humans born on the moon) to either prove or disprove Lamont’s hypothesis regarding whether or not the sun will explode. It provides an engaging picture of what life on the moon is like and how that proof is obtained.

As with all great science fiction, it not only tells a great story, it imparts plenty of observations about our own time. People with power are not easily persuaded to release it, even for the greater good. People live in denial and engage in short-term thinking, even when the results could be disastrous. I’m thinking specifically of the climate change debate. I find it amazing that it was published so long ago (1972) and yet the themes are still very relevant. show less

This is a truly masterful piece. A sudden realisation gives birth to a system that provides unlimited power by sucking it out of an alternate universe. Of course everybody jumps on that and before long, the people of Earth live in a paradise where almost nobody has to work. In the other universe, their invention of the system solves the certain extinction they are faced with as all of their suns are extinguishing. But nothing is for free and some disgruntled people discover the ultimate price that will need to be paid. But nobody on either side wants to switch off their glorious accomplishment...

Isaac gets deep into the heads and characters of the persons involved, and also describes a unique alien race in the other universe.

This is a show more book that will stimulate your intellect long after you finish it. Reading it again and again will give you more and more insight and realisation just how ingenious this book is. show less

Everybody knows Isaac Asimov, author of Foundation and I, Robot and Nightfall and The Caves of Steel. What most people don't remember about him today is that all the great books I listed were written prior to 1955. For most of the 1960s, Asimov made his name as a pop historian and science writer. 1972's The Gods Themselves is a return to hard-SF form: three linked novellas around a single fascinating breakthrough.

The Electron Pump is the source of clean energy for a devastated and demoralized Earth. Discovered by accident, it involves an interdimensional exchange of Tungsten for Plutonium. The accidental discoverer of the Electron Pump, Dr. Hallam is a scientific thug, jealous of his power and privilege, and unwilling to see the exact show more mechanisms of the pump investigated, because that might reveal that he was a mere conduit for the aliens. Worse, long-term use of the pump would change the workings of the strong nuclear force, causing the sun to go nova in decades. Hallam, and the comfortable people of Earth, refuse to stop the pump, despite concerning messages from the intelligent para-Universal beings on the other side.

The second section of the book concerns those para-Universal beings, an imaginatively constructed three-sexed species. The Soft Ones are divided into Rationals, Emotionals, and Parentals, with each mated triplet needing one of each. Photosynthetic Soft Ones flow like smoke, and can meld and penetrate each other and physical objects. Hard Ones are enigmatic, long-lived, the true power on their dying world. With the sun dying, they have invented the Electron Pump, first to exchange energy with humans, and then to borrow energy from a sun gone nova.

The third section takes place on the moon, following Dennison, the disgraced co-discoverer of the Electron Pump as he adapts to lunar society with the help of the beautiful (and Intuitive, with a capital I) tour guide Selene. They enjoy lunar sports like the melee and slope gliding, and Dennison invents a counter to the Electron Pump, that draws from a universe with a weaker Strong Force, general energy while preserving the balance of forces around Earth.

There's a lot to like here. The depiction of a senior scientist not as a genius, but as a grasping and jealous politician, is one area where Asimov's life experience as a professor and science writer paid off. I wonder if Hallam was based on anyone specific. Maybe Edward Teller or James Watson, or just a particularly obstinate department head. The alien Soft Ones are a fascinating species that is, I think, just on the limits of reliability. The third section, with lunar life, is weaker and a retread of ideas better developed by Heinlein, but the overall themes of sustainability, the long-term safety of technologies our civilization depend on, is quite well-developed. Not the best Asimov, but a good book regardless. show less

I'm sure eventually I'm going to read an Asimov book and not be completely compelled, or not be inspired to think beyond the stars, of humanity's struggles, of future technology, of intergalactic colonization, of philosophy and science and environmental concerns. It may happen, but not after The Gods Themselves. The usual glee I felt reading a well-paced, extremely inventive and hopeful story of Asimov's was here. Extremely relevant to today's political and scientific climate with Covid-19 going on and Global Warming being a concern.

Fantastic book, the 2nd portion is really something. Extremely unique, though it took me longer to wrap my head around than I'd like (I was reminded of A Fire Upon the Deep in terms of understanding super show more different alien activity) but eventually settled in.

The only complaint I had is that it was too short! But that's a backhanded compliment in a way. Loved this book! show less

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 show more 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. show less