Customer Reviews

Foundation's Friends: Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a collection of stories set in Asimov's worlds, written by other authors. It is subtitled "Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov", and that's exactly how these stories come across - as tributes to Asimov and his creations.

And a fine collection it is. Much of Asimov's fiction is covered; there are a few Foundation stories, a few robot stories, and even a couple of mysteries. Some are disappointing - or have very little to do with Asimov's worlds - but the majority of the stories are very enjoyable and very well done.

Most of the authors play it straight, trying to capture the flavour and style of Asimov's own stories. They succeed, for the most part. None of the authors were too ambitious, either; all of the serious stories stay nicely within the confines of the worlds Asimov created. For this reason, I enjoyed this collection more than other works set in Asimov's world - such as the Second Foundation Trilogy, for example.

However, some of the authors take a more humourous approach, writing take-offs or spoofs of Asimov's stories. The best of these are _Dilemma_ by Connie Willis, and _Maureen Birnbaum After Dark_ by George Alec Effinger. Both of these stories were funny enough to make me laugh out loud, and yet it is clear that no lack of respect for the Good Doctor is intended by them. While the straight stories were impressive, I think my favourite stories were the humourous ones.

I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys Asimov's fiction. The stories may not be of Grand Master calibre, but they are still a fitting tribute to a Grand Master.

This is a mostly very enjoyable collection of stories, most of which are set in Isaac Asimov's Universes and within the confines of those universes. Particularly memorable are the Foundation stories: Foundations's Conscience, Trantor Falls, and The Originist (my favorite). Its very entertaining to read stories with the Good Doctor's characters, but in another writer's voice. These stories fit perfectly into the spaces left between the ornate blocks used by the Good Doctor to construct his worlds. The mysteries and robot stories are not bad either. The worst, IMHO, is Maureen Birnbaum After Dark. The story is set in the Nightfall world and has a great concept behind it, but is so tediously written that I didn't have enough patience to get to the end. Overall, the positives of the collection greatly outweigh the negatives.

This book was meant to be a 50th anniversary tribute, but now it reads more like a posthumous tribute. The personal essays by those close to him are emotional and touching to read. Made me see, once again, how much influence the Good Doctor had, and will continue to have, on his readers.

It's incredible to see through this collection of stories, just how much Isaac Asimov has inspired us all through his writings. It's truly amazing to see what can be done through his work, by others. Although none of the stories match his brilliance, I urge you to get a copy of this book if you can find it, and see what an effect he has had on science fiction.

Once you have sampled every piece of fiction written by the Grandmaster, fan fiction is the "fix" of last resort ;-)

Having said that, I recall being quite amused by this quirky collection of Asimovian stories. They stand on their own as being good science fiction.

To make an analogy, I would compare this collection to the Star Wars: Tales series of comic books in the context of new fiction in relation to the canon.

Some of the Foundation 'extension' books have been less than satisfying... this series of short stories placed in the Foundation universe is different. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each story is an interesting and a wonderful addition to Asimov's work. Orson Scott Card's contribution is especially good and contributes much to the Foundation story.

Most of the stories in this collection are not to the caliber of the good Doctor, however the Orson Scott Card is fantastic, well worth the price of the book

I enjoyed this book. I am a fan of the Foundation series of books, and I enjoy anything relating to them. These were pretty good.

I read this on a flight and ended up skipping several stories because they were so tedious and leaving the book on a recyle bin in O'Hare. The best one is "The Originist" which describes the start of the Second Foundation. "Fall of Trantor" and "Strip Runner" were also memorable because they consistently filled in a portion of the Foundation universe. Some stories were just plain silly, such as one where two robot meet with Asimov and argue to have the 3 laws "repealed".