Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection [Paperback]

Isaac Asimov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2003

Gold is the final and crowning achievement of the fifty-year career of science fiction's transcendent genius, the world-famous author who defined the field of science fiction for its practitioners, its millions of readers, and the world at large.

The first section contains stories that range from the humorous to the profound, at the heart of which is the title story, "Gold," a moving and revealing drama about a writer who gambles everything on a chance at immortality: a gamble Asimov himself made -- and won. The second section contains the grand master's ruminations on the SF genre itself. And the final section is comprised of Asimov's thoughts on the craft and writing of science fiction.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

To list Isaac Asimov's honors, as to list his books, would be excessive. Let it simply be noted that Isaac Asimov was the most famous, most honored, most widely read, and most beloved science fiction author of all time. In his five decades as an author, he wrote more than four hundred books, won every award his readers and colleagues could contrive to give him, and provided pleasure and insight to millions. He died in 1992, still at work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060556528
• ISBN-13: 978-0060556525
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Collection of Asimov's Work, January 17, 2004

By 

Zac Hanscom (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection (Paperback)

If you're a diehard Asimov fan like I am, you'll probably like this book. The main story, "Gold," details a filmmaker realizing the second part of ...And the Gods Themselves. For that alone, it's worth a look.

Asimov's more famous collections are a little more fun. If you're becoming an Asimov fan, it's best to start with his early science-fiction and then move through his career.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, March 17, 2011

By 

Aramil - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold (Kindle Edition)

First and foremost there are a couple points you must consider if you are reading this review as a means of deciding whether or not to read this book. First off: I did not read the first section of the book, yet. Secondly I intentionally read the second two sections because I am endeavoring to be a science fiction author myself. I can say I did not agree with everything Asimov had to say but his honors and body of work alone definitely indicate that his opinion carries merit.
Secondly: This would not likely be a good "starter" book for someone who has never read Asimov as over half of it is Asimov the author writing about science fiction and about writing science fiction.

That being said I absolutely loved this book. I felt it was a great insight into the way Asimov thought and wrote. It inspired me to continue to improve my writing.

Finally, a previous reviewer (who only gave the book 2 stars) made some comment along the lines that the book was just a collection of Asimov yelling about how great he is. I can understand how the obviously misinformed reviewer might hold that ignorant opinion. It is my personal assumption that the last two thirds of the book were mostly collected from Asimov's Science Fiction (the magazine) within which he would regularly write, as the editor, a letter from the editor. Frequently in the various pieces in the final two parts of the book Asimov makes obvious reference to the magazine in such a way that these pieces could only have come from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Bearing that in mind several of the pieces may come across as repetitive and several of them refer to the various words he had invented and his Three Laws of Robotics (regardless of whether they are "laws" that is what he called them and that is how they are known). However, this repetitiveness never once struck me as someone with an overly inflated ego.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Forgettable, June 12, 2011

By 

Challenger Nuke (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection (Paperback)

Like one of the other reviewers, I didn't purchase this book for the short stories. None the less, I read them and two words come to mind: terrible and forgettable. Writers beware. Just because you can concoct some hair brained idea, doesn't mean that you should turn it into a SF story.

I was interested in what Asimov had to say about SF and SF writing. Unfortunately, a disappointment here. Too much pontificating and in places, just poor writing. There is not much here that someone can glean on to that would make them a better SF writer. Don't buy this book; get it from your local library. I look forward to reading some of Asimov's early work some day; it has to be better than this one.