Fantastic Voyage [Hardcover]

Isaac Asimov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1966

Four men and a woman are reduced to a microscopic fraction of their original size, sent in a miniaturized atomic sub through a dying man's carotid artery to destroy a blood clot in his brain. If they fail, the entire world will be doomed.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1st edition (June 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395073529
• ISBN-13: 978-0395073520
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,521,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Sci-Fi, July 31, 2000

By 

"kevbo-l" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantastic Voyage (Mass Market Paperback)

The book "Fantastic Voyage", by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, is one of the greatest sci-fi books I have ever read. The book is about five people, who are shrunk down to miniature size and injected into a man's body to destroy a blood clot. If they fail, the man will die and the Americans will lose all of the information he can tell them to win a war they are fighting. It described the exact situation of the main characters in wondrous imagery. It was told in third person omniscient point of view, and described, in incredible beauty, the feelings of every character. I also enjoyed the feeling of suspense that Asimov projects by causing several problems to fall upon the characters, rerouting the course of their sub several times. I think anyone who enjoys books about the future, government, anatomy, and sci-fi in general will love this book, which ought to be a classic.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the novelizations of a motion picture...., January 15, 2000

By 

Edward J. Cunningham (Silver Spring, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fantastic Voyage (Mass Market Paperback)

When I was in junior high school, I stumbled upon this book in the library. Since I loved the movie when I first saw it on TV, I eagerly checked this book out. As it turned out, "Fantastic Voyage" was a book I usually checked out repeatedly. Years later, I rented the movie again years with the book fresh in my mind, and I realized that Isaac Asimov's version was much better than the Richard Fleischer film. The characters are more interesting and complex on paper than they were in the film. Robert Boyd is extremely bland and boring, and it's painfully obvious Donald Pleasance is the villain. Asimov makes Boyd's character charming and resourceful, and Pleasance's character is very interesting. (In fact, his motives in the book are much different than in the film.)

Another thing that Asimov does is try to make the plotline a little bit more scientifically realistic. In the movie, the crew simply suck in air from an alveolus in the lungs when their oxygen tanks are depleted. In the book, Asimov has the crew MINIATURIZE the air so that it can go through their tube faster.

Personally, I think this is a great book. But if any sci-fi fans are disappointed in this, so was Asimov. He didn't like the idea that he was adapting someone else's work, so in 1987 he wrote an original novel called "Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain." (The title is misleading, since it isn't a sequel.) People who do not like this book are advised to read the other one...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Of course it's good, we have the same name., May 22, 2006

By 

Grant - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantastic Voyage (Mass Market Paperback)

Isaac Asimov's novel is based on the screenplay by Harry Kliener and a story by Otto Klement and Jay Lewis Bixby and is a very easy read. The world has been divided and battling for control for over half a century. A scientist, Benes, from the Other Side, has been vital in keeping the two factions of the world technologically even, and has now defected. He claims to have important information involving the fate of the world. Grant is the agent in charge of getting Benes to into the hands of the good side "With him in charge, I feel as safe as it is possible to feel, which isn't much. Grant ran the whole thing; flicked Benes out of Their hands like a seed out of a watermelon". However, while being transported to headquarters, the Benes is injured in an assassination attempt. Five scientists are shrunken and injected into Benes' blood stream. They must survive traveling through his body and successfully operate on a deadly blood clot in his brain. The "submarine's" journey is filled with dangers and challenges and it seems as though there is a traitor on board. "For every trick We've got, They've got a counter-trick; for every man We've got planted on Their side, They've got one planted on Ours." The only complaint is the mass amount of dialogue, the cliché cast of characters might bother some people, but I thought they were humorous. Overall I found this book to be an easy-to-read, quick source of entertainment and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read.