Customer Reviews

THE STARS LIKE DUST

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Stars, Like Dust" is either the first or second novel, chronologically, in Asimov's Empire Series, depending on whether you believe the consensus (first) or Asimov's Author's Note in Prelude to Foundation (second). Nonetheless, it probably doesn't matter a great deal, the other contender "The Currents of Space" has Trantor as just another would-be empire, and this novel doesn't see any need to bring Trantor into the story. In all other respects too, there's little to connect either book, no common characters, political forces, no anything, beyond a shared past where Earth is radioactive. So read either book in any order you wish. In case it hasn't been hammered in yet, the Empire books form the middle of Asimov's Robots-Empire-Foundation universe timeline.

Beyond that, this is a nice piece of SF that George Lucas wouldn't have trouble making a film around. It's the old story - Boy loses father in confusing circumstances, boy goes to take what is rightfully his and possibly avenge his father's murder at the same time, boy is being chased by mysterious murderous groups, boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl fall in love... well, ok, it's not the old story, it's half a dozen old stories in one, but it's a good thriller and mystery with enough twists and turns to please anyone.

It's also mercifully short, the characters are fleshed out in a most unasimovian way, and the science is there but not stupifyingly overbearing. My edition includes an apology at the end from the master about his assumption that a lifeless planet would have an oxygen-rich CO2-free atmosphere, and while I know roughly which part of the book is being refered to, it wasn't a big deal.

In all, I think I prefered The Currents of Space, but there's no reason to read one in favour of the other rather than read both. If you can find a copy, and you're after some intelligent light entertainment, you could do worse than read this.

It is really an enormous tragedy that so many of Isaac Asimov's greatest Science Fiction works remain out of print. The three `Empire' novels by Asimov are a great example. All three books are wonderfully written and fill the gap between The Robot novels and the Foundation series beautifully. These novels are also a glimpse at the state of science in the fifties. If you are an Asimov fan and see any of the Empire novels available for loan or purchase please do so. You will not be sorry. To clear up some confusion on the part of another reviewer the reason these novels are called `Empire' novels is because they take place just before the Empire began, during its infancy and at its peak. Very much fun indeed.

As the first Empire novel, this introduces us to the state of the colonized galaxy far in the future, after the events of the Robot novels have played themselves out.

The Earth is a radioactive cauldron, inhabited only in carefully chosen locales. A student near to graduating is suddenly thrust into danger as a bomb is discoverd in his closet. It becomes clear that it must have been placed by the same faction that arranged for the death of his father, a prominent political figure.

This young man is thus forced to flee Earth and seek assistance from a contemporary of his father, one who may be able to offer him asylum from his pursuers. Of course, though, Asimov makes sure that things in life are never easy, as we can all relate. Refused assistance, he must flee still further, with the skein becoming more tangled as the chase proceeds.

Eventually, he deduces the murderer's identity, and a confrontation must follow. The result helps set the stage for a human Galactic Empire, begun in Robots and Empire, in which the source of Earth's radioactive nature was initiated, paving the way for galactic colonization, and in fact forcing humans to leave Earth as it became more uninhabitable. It is interesting that Asimov was able to incorporate all three of his epic series into a single long narrative of future history.

As the first Empire novel, this book is nevertheless not the most necessary for continuity of the storyline, but it is still worth the read.

This is a very early work by the great Isaac Asimov that is set in the same Universe as his Foundation series. In this work, Mankind has colonized far and wide in the Galaxy, but there is no Galactic Empire or other unifying political entity. Planets are organized in small "kingdoms" of one or more planets, warfare is common, and humans still remember that Earth is the original planet of humanity. Thus, this novel is set in a time long after the 50 Spacer Worlds era, but long before the Foundation series, and even before "The Currents of Space" (where man had mostly forgotten that Earth is humanity's home world, and the Trantorian Republic is evolving into the Empire).

This is a rather basic story of a young nobleman who is opposing a tyrannical star system and searching for a secret document which his late father (murdered by the tyrants) believed would put an end to the totalitarian governments in the Galaxy. More would be telling.

The writing in this one is not bad, if one's expectations are not too high, and there are some interesting twists and speculative concepts woven into the story. There are some quaint anachronisms, like the complete absence of computers for tasks that even in our day would be computerized, but overall this novel has aged well and holds the modern reader's interest.

A good read and an early work by one of Science Fiction's giants.

Stars Like Dust is the first of Asimov's Empire trilogy. The other two books are The Currents of Space and Pebble in the Sky. In Stars Asimov describes events immediately following the execution of a prominent political figure convicted of treason. His angry son Biron is the main protagonist of this novel. The "enemy" is a race known as the Tyranni who quickly subdued many formerly independent kingdoms and is taxing the heck out of them.

Stars is short at less than 200 pages and easy to read, yet still gives lots to think about. For example, Asimov's portrayal of the vast distances between stars and the utter darkness within a dark nebula are convincing and fire the imagination. There are a couple good twists in the novel and all questions I had were resolved by the end. The ending hints at a rebellion soon to come that will create the Empire. I believe The Currents of Space is set in the new Empire.

Stars also has a side plot about a secret document from Earth said to be the ultimate weapon against the Tyranns. We find out what this document is at the very end and I must say it's possibly the cheesiest ending to a sci-fi novel that I've ever read. Apparently Asimov himself hated it but was forced to incorporate this subplot by the editor. It kind of makes sense given that the book was published in the 1950s (read it to see what I mean).

I haven't yet read the other two Empire novels or the Foundation series, but I did read the four-book Robot series. The final Robot novel, Robots and Empire, provides a satisfying link between the two series. Also, the first Foundation book (Prelude to Foundation) is chronologically after Pebble in the Sky, so the three series together compose a grand 14-book epic!

Unfortunately the entire Empire series is out of print. This is a shame since Stars is definitely worth picking up and so are the other two from what I've heard....

To correct a few people here, there are (were) actually three books in the 'Galactic Empire Series'.

The Stars, Like Dust: A novel of the days when warring star kingdoms wrought havoc, before Trantor gained ascendancy in the galaxy.

The Currents Of Space: A novel of the period when Trantor ruled only half the galaxy, and every independent kingdom guarded it's right to corruption.

Pebble In The Sky: A novel of the time when Trantor ruled the galaxy, while Earth dreamed of it's ancient glory - and plotted revenge.

From the '87 and '89 Ballantine/Del Rey printings of the series...

IF you can find them, and read them, you would enjoy them... I think the series is a great 'pre-Asimov' set for readers new to his writing. IMO...

I read this novel in my early teens, when I was devouring much of what is now called classic SF. Either I found it more exciting when I was a kid, or my memory is failing me. This time around I found The Stars Like Dust to be talky, boring, and confusing. There is almost no action.

I enjoy old, classic SF novels occasionally, but this Asimov novel about the search for the empire's rebellion world did disappoint me. The lead character, Biron, is believable only to a naive teenage reader (as I was 40 years ago). The romance is even less believable. The plot was more interesting than the characters, with some interesting twists. The ending was hokey, though I did like it. This is not Asimov at his best, but there were still parts I enjoyed.

It is really an enormous tragedy that so many of Isaac Asimov's great Science Fiction works remain out of print. The three `Empire' novels by Asimov are a great example. All three books are wonderfully written and fill the gap between The Robot novels and the Foundation series beautifully. These novels also give us a glimpse at the state of science in the fifties. If you are an Asimov fan and see any of the Empire novels available for loan or purchase please do so. You will not be sorry. To clear up some confusion on the part of some, the reason these novels are called `Empire' novels is because they take place just before the Empire referenced in the Foundation series began, during its infancy and during its peak. Very much fun indeed.

If you want to read them in order read The Stars Like Dust First, which takes place before the birth of the Foundation referenced Empire. Then read The Currents of Space which takes place during the infancy of the Foundation referenced Empire. Lastly read Pebble in the Sky which takes place during the peak of the Foundation referenced Empire.

I know that this is often cited as one of Asimov's worst novels, but I'd have to disagree. The story is probably the closest to space opera that Asimov ever gets, with plenty of intrigue, drama, and betrayal. The story unfolds well, with just the right amount of foreshadowing. It's got the typical Asimovian trappings, with twists galore, nearly omniscent characters, and lots of political bickering. In terms of overall quality, it's not as good as the original Foundation stuff, but for be it's certainly better than the Robot and later Foundaton books.

The thing that has received the most criticism, including form Asimov, who didn't wish it to be included, is the use of the constitution. While I agree it is implausible that it could totally revolutionize the Galaxies government, I don't think that's what's important. They only have to think it has that power. Though The Constitution would probably not be effctie for governing 50 planets, the charcters in a book are leading a revolution, and they need it as a symbol more than anything. Well, that's just my thought.