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Book 6 of 6 in the Black Widowers Series

The Return of the Black Widowers Paperback – November 10, 2005

by Isaac Asimov (Author), Charles Ardai (Editor), Harlan Ellison (Foreword)

20 customer reviews

Book 6 of 6 in the Black Widowers Series

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Until his death in 1992, author Isaac Asimov would write more than 120 ingenious tales of detection and deduction, and in 66 of them he would present his armchair detectives, the Black Widowers, with the mind-teasing puzzles that they would strive to solve in often-quarrelsome conversation. The Black Widowers club is meeting again. In a private dining room at New York's luxurious Milano restaurant, the six brilliant men once more gather for fine fare served impeccably by their peerless waiter, Henry. At table, too, will of course be that requisite dinner guest to challenge their combined deductive wit: a man whose marriage hinges on finding a lost umbrella; a woman shadowed by an adversary who knows her darkest secrets; a debunker of psychics unable to explain his unnerving experience in a haunted house; or a symphony cellist accused of attacking his wife with a kitchen knife. In addition to six stories that have never before appeared in any collection, this volume includes the ten best-ever Black Widowers cases, among them the very first to be published, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, as well as the first brand new Black Widowers story to appear in more than ten years.

The Return of the Black Widowers

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Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Carroll & Graf (November 10, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786716517
ISBN-13: 978-0786716517
Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1699 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Anthologies
- #8995 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories & Anthologies > Anthologies
- #106475 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

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Four stars for Asimov fans, two stars for non-fans

ByVincent Poirieron July 25, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Of course I had to buy it! I love Asimov, I love his style and wit. He passed away in 1992, but that only slowed his output without stopping it.

There are 11 stories repeated from previous collections, six stories gathered for the first time, one Black Widower story by someone else, and an hommage to the Black Widowers also by someone else. There's an essay by Asimov and Harlan Ellison's forward.

Ellison's forward is the first thing wrong with the book. Asimov was famous for refusing to have anyone else write introductions to his books. In his story collections he also appended miniature essays to each story, often about how he came to think of a particular plot; obviously these essays are missing here. Further, the two stories by other writers just didn't belong in an Asimov collection, they're intruding. Finally, a few of the last stories were written when Asimov was dying and they are simply no good. I read and enjoyed them for sentimental reasons only; they would disappoint readers new to Asimov or the Black Widowers.

So if you are already a fan of the Good Doctor's fiction, indulge yourself and enjoy. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and pick up another of his 400+ books.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

22 comments 24 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A bittersweet return.

ByVentura Angeloon December 9, 2003

Format: Hardcover

As a fan of Isaac Asimov, and of his Black Widower stories, I was delighted to read this book. Here you have a selection of ten of the best Black Widower stories ( a good selection, though I'd have included "Earthset and Evening Star". But there are many I consider the best, "Early Sunday Morning" and "The Wrong House" among them); there are also six uncollected BW stories,of which "Lost in a Time Warp" is one of the better examples of Asimov's sense of humour, very like "The Redhead", also included in the volume. At the end we have a commmemorative Black Widower
story written by Ardai, a very clever homage to the Good Doctor.
It's a book well worth having, not only for Asimov's fans, but for the mystery/puzzle stories' readers, also.

0Comment 17 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Starred review from BOOKLIST magazine

ByA customeron November 7, 2003

Format: Hardcover

This review from BOOKLIST used to be on this page, but somehow disappeared. For those who missed it...
*Starred Review* Ah, there's nothing like a Harlan Ellison rant to add some spice to a short story collection, and he delivers a beaut in the form of an introduction to this collection of the late Asimov's Black Widower stories, one of the incredibly prolific author's relatively rare ventures into the mystery genre. Asimov wrote 66 Black Widower tales in all, from 1970 until his death in 1992, and this collection brings together 6 never published in book form in addition to the editor's selection of the 10 best. Each story is framed by a meeting of the Black Widower Club, at which the members, armchair detectives all, are treated to a gourmet dinner and then, for dessert, tested with a classic puzzle mystery. The mysteries tend to be gentle and ironic, solved by deduction instead of mayhem--and explained for the slow of mind by the inimitable waiter Henry. For fans of puzzle mysteries, this one's a gem, from a kinder, gentler era. (What does Ellison rant about? Mostly the book's editor, Ardai.)
Elliott Swanson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.

0Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Ingenious mystery stories by a master

ByA customeron October 1, 2003

Format: Hardcover

Everyone knows Isaac Asimov as one of the all-time great science fiction writers, but what a lot of people don't know is that he also wrote wonderful mystery stories. The best were about a club called "The Black Widowers," and this new book collects the ten best of the Black Widowers stories, plus six "lost" Black Widowers stories that never appeared in any Black Widowers collection before. Plus two extra tribute stories by other authors, an introduction by Harlan Ellison, a Black Widowers story Asimov wrote featuring a character based on Ellison, and an essay by Asimov explaining how he came to write these stories in the first place. It's a terrific book, a real treat for any fan of the Good Doctor or of brilliant mysteries.

0Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Vintage Asimov understated humour!

ByPaul Weisson August 25, 2005

Format: Hardcover

The drill with Asimov's Black Widower mysteries (in music circles, one might call these "divertimenti") is well known to dedicated fans. Six members of the Black Widowers Club (chauvinists one and all, "no women allowed", if you puhhlease!) meet once a month at their club for a gourmet dinner. The members of the group - a lawyer, a cryptographer, a math teacher, a chemist, a mystery writer, and Henry, their inestimable waiter - never fail to ferret out an interesting mystery, theft, disappearance, swindle or some other form of interesting puzzle during the grilling of their dinner guest which invariably starts with the formula question "How do you justify your existence?" Despite the collective intelligence of the group (which Asimov humorously portrays them as being inordinately proud of), the solution of the puzzle always seems just beyond their grasp. Henry, in a quiet, self-effacing manner that doesn't quite succeed in covering his own serving of pride, comes to the rescue with the solution and the explanations for the other members and readers alike!

Readers of previous Black Widower shorts will be thrilled to return to the publication of this posthumous "best of" collection plus a handful of previously unpublished works by the good doctor! Cynicism, word play, jokes, puns, locked room mysteries, irony, sarcasm and other quiet diversions take centre stage. Don't look for violence, mayhem or thrills in this collection. They're just not there. Almost certainly, readers will twig to some of the solutions before Henry provides the answers and those brighter armchair sleuths will undoubtedly indulge in a little chuckling at the expense of the members. Other times, Henry's explanation will result in the proverbial slap in the forehead - "Now why didn't I think of that!" In either event, every story in the collection will provide ten to fifteen minutes of thoroughly enjoyable diversion from this hectic work-a-day world and a satisfied smile at its conclusion.

Give yourself a treat and add some of Asimov's gentle humour to your bookshelf.

0Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

quick & short stories

theses are short stories, good for a few minutes in bed or bathtub

Published 1 year ago by senior in Portland-metro

fun reading

I love it as "fun, easy, reading."

Published 1 year ago by Jane N.

asimov short stories

Loves Asimov's Black Widowers books. If you haven't read them, you need to!!

Published 1 year ago by david q

victorian-type mysteries by a sf master... awesome

one of the great black widowers' series book. henry is still unbeatable, even in the snobbish and pseudo-cultural environment of the black widowers.Read more

Published 1 year ago by leao carvalho

awesome

Published on October 9, 2014 by dennis j hopkins

Nice ,as they all are

Great read. Short stories.

Published on September 6, 2014 by gatorfan

Pure Asimov, to the end

I have been reading Asimov since the 1960s. I loved his science writings. That led me into his fiction. Much later, I discovered the Black Widowers.Read more

Published on January 4, 2014 by john

Made my wife a fan

My wife was 'polite' when I would tell her about these stories, but now that she has read them, she is a fan !!!!!!!!!

Published on October 8, 2013 by grampajay

great reading

As usual, Asimov is one of the best armchair detective story writers. I have read all of his Black Windowers stories and have loved them all.

Published on October 28, 2012 by Richard W. Whitener

Appreciated gift

Bought as a birthday gift for DH. This was actually a replacement for a copy eaten by our 10 month Dogue de Bordeaux.Read more

Published on April 22, 2011 by Pat Misso

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The Return of the Black Widowers Paperback – November 10, 2005

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