Customer Reviews

OPUS 200

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While others wrote more than Isaac Asimov did, no one can match the breadth of his writing. To many people, he was a science fiction writer, but in fact that was only a small percentage of his output. Furthermore, all of writings were well done. None were scholarly works by any means, but it is clear that he knew what he was talking about. A chemist by training, he wrote about all areas of science, history, literature, religion, and social and political commentary.

In this book, he has put together a collection of what he considers the high points of his second hundred books. He has split the excerpts into fifteen groups, which demonstrates the wide range of topics that emerged from his fertile mind.

* Astronomy

* Robots

* Mathematics

* Physics

* Chemistry

* Biology

* Words

* History

* The bible

* Short-shorts

* Humor

* Social sciences

* Literature

* Mysteries

* Autobiography

In reading this book, you cannot help but be impressed by the quantity and quality of his writing. He can take topics ordinarily considered either incomprehensible or dull and uninteresting and make them come alive. I was most impressed by his forays into explaining literature, especially Shakespeare. It is still some of the greatest dialog in the history of the English language, but few of us can appreciate the plays in their historical context. Asimov supplies that in his "Guide to Shakespeare" and it is very interesting to read of the historical events that provide the backdrop to most of the plays.

If you are unfamiliar with the work of Isaac Asimov, this book will give you an excellent sampling of his writing. In some areas, his books are the best way to begin a process of study.

Like Opus 100, Asimov here takes material from the second hundred books that he published, and this is in a similar vein, although he had less science fiction work in this stretch as he said, so there are fewer fictional pieces presented here, but it is higher quality.

Here he holds forth on another astounding array of subjects, done if the breezy and amusing style that he soon learned was popular after he introduced some stories in the Hugo Winners and received a lot of feedback - as mentioned in the previous volume.

Opus 200 : from The Gods Themselves - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : The Bicentennial Man [short story] - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : Good Taste - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : The Dream - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : Light Verse - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : from Isaac Asimovs Treasury of Humor - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : Earthset and Evening Star - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : The Thirteenth Day of Christmas - Isaac Asimov

Opus 200 : from Murder at the ABA - Isaac Asimov

Moon manoeuvres.

3 out of 5

Robot evolution legal test case.

4 out of 5

Prime food contest.

3 out of 5

Ben Franklin convo.

3.5 out of 5

Busted robot art.

3.5 out of 5

Black Widower lunar crater mystery.

3 out of 5

Orthodox calendar solution.

3 out of 5

Metawriter mystery mumblings.

3.5 out of 5