Fantastic Voyage [Mass Market Paperback]

Isaac Asimov (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 1, 1988

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.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (July 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553275720
• ISBN-13: 978-0553275728
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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#25 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#64 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#25 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#64 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

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

By "kevbo-l"

Format: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.

12 of 13 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

Format: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...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mini Adventure June 9, 2002

By David Huang

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Fantastic Voyage is really a fantastic voyage. The book starts with a mysterious man on a plasma plane, heading towards some secret destination. Then General Carter and Colonel Reid is introduced. They are the directors of a mission, to welcome a man of great importance. Then Dr. Michaels and Dr. Duval and his assistant Mrs. Cora Peterson is introduced as high, professional doctors. Then the book talks about Charles Grant, an old friend of this mysterious important person. As the scene turns to the airport, Captain Owens is introduced as another good friend of this mysterious person. Finally, the plasma plane lands and the important person, now called Benes, greets Captain Owens. They go into a limousine headed towards headquarters but on the way, a kamikaze car slams into the limousine and injures Benes. There is a blood clot forming in his brain and surgery is impossible to perform because the clot is inside the brain. Therefore, the only way to help Benes is to go into his body using a miniatuized submarine. A crew is chosen, Dr. Michaels, Dr. Duval, Cora Peterson, Capt. Owens, and Grant to get into Bene's bloodstream to the clot to destroy it. Along the way, a series of misfortunes happen and a enemy agent is suspected. First, a mishandled laser gun, then, the air tank leaks, afterwards, many close to death encounters. However, inside the submarine Proteus, relationships develop and new characteristics about each person is discovered. Finally, the mission is a success and Benes is saved.

I was first given the book by my English teacher as a book project. She wanted us to read the book, write questions about the book, find significant paragraphs in the book, locate new and difficult words, and illustrate interesting parts of the book as our book project. Later, she would want us to do commercials and advertise the book to other students inthe class, convincing them of why the book I read was the book to read and buy. At first, I found the book very boring and uninteresting, but for a good grade, I read on. Later, the book started becoming more and more exciting, more action, less talk. At the end, I was hooked on the book and I reread the whole book again.

My favorite part was when the crew was in the process of miniaturization. It was interesting to learn and see how the submarine is shrunk and how the crew reacts to the new experience of shrinking. The process is long and difficult. First, the crew enters the ship and a big machine fires a laser beam at the sub. The ship shrinks to the size of a speck of dust. Then the sub is picked up, ever so carfully and lowered micrometer by micrometer at a time into a saline container. Then miniaturization continues until the large tank is the size of a bottle. Then a hypodermic needle is inserted into the ampule and the ship is injected into Benes' neck. A very interesting book and I really enjoyed the adventure of the mini people.