Biron Farrell was young and naïve, but he was growing up fast. A radiation bomb planted in his dorm room changed him from an innocent student at the University of Earth to a marked man, fleeing desperately from an unknown assassin.
He soon discovers that, many light-years away, his father, the highly respected Rancher of Widemos, has been murdered. Stunned, grief-stricken, and outraged, Biron is determined to uncover the reasons behind his father’s death, and becomes entangled in an intricate saga of rebellion, political intrigue, and espionage.
The mystery takes him deep into space where he finds himself in a relentless struggle with the power-mad despots of Tyrann. Now it is not just a case of life or death for Biron, but a question of freedom for the galaxy….
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Editorial Reviews
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Praise for The Stars, Like Dust:
“Science fiction on the larger scale is Isaac Asimov’s specialty. The scene of his new book, a rousing adventure story of the remote future, is the Galaxy, which, with its hundreds of inhabited planets has been taken over by a dictatorial race called, appropriately enough, the Tyranni. A small group of rebels wage a determined battle against the dictators, giving Mr. Asimov plenty of opportunities to plot those involved and subtle twists for which he is known.… Its clear writing and excellent suspense make this book a welcome addition to the science fiction lists.”
--The New York Times
“This little novel will transport you back to a simpler time, when storylines we are jaded towards today were fresh and intoxicating, and that gosh-wow! sense of wonder covered science fiction like a layer of fine, gold dust.”
--SFReviews.net
About the Author
Born in Russia, Isaac Asimov lived in Boston and in New York City most of his life. He died in 1992 at the age of 72.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic SF,
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This review is from: The Stars, Like Dust (The Empire Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)
"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.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The least of the Empire novels,
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This review is from: The Stars, Like Dust (The Empire Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad, but not Asimov's best,
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This review is from: The Stars, Like Dust (The Empire Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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neuronic whip, rebellion world, radiation bomb, pilot room, like dust Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Uncle Gil, Biron Farrill, Rancher of Widemos, Major Andros, Nebular Kingdoms, Autarch of Lingane, Hinrik of Rhodia, Palace Central, Lady Artemisia, Director of Rhodia, Biron Malaine, Sander Jonti, Simok Aratap, University of Earth, Horsehead Nebula, Palace Grounds, Colonel Rizzett, Tedor Rizzett, Lord Gillbret Browse Sample Pages:
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