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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
This is the first novel by Aismov that I've read, and I was feeling terrible for not liking it very much at all. Then I found a note on Wiki that said Aismov himself called this novel, at some point, his "worst." There was nothing wrong with it, in any specific terms, it just wasn't all that interesting or compelling. I'll certainly try another of his works another time.
I didn't like the reader on this on. The plot was good but the scenes often sounded like a soap opera. I did like the ending.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm not sure how to account for my reaction to this novel. Like many works from its era (the early 1950s) it has dated badly. Its science doesn't hold up, and its Eisenhower-era take on gender roles is typically clueless. There are numerous plot elements which are painfully predictable, including at least one major "mystery" which is revealed in the denouement, but which any reader could easily predict from its first mention near the top of the novel. And its set-up for a sequel is equally transparent although, to give credit where it's due, the story stands well enough on its own. All of this should argue for a poor rating. And yet I found myself enjoying this novel thoroughly. Perhaps it was Asimov's palpable joy as he wrote. Perhaps it's the naive charm of the same era which also dates it. Perhaps it's the fact that, taken in its historical perspective, what seems trite to the 21st century reader probably was fresh and new to those reading this in the mid-20th century. For whatever reason, I found this fast-paced hybrid of speculative fiction, action, and intrigue a real pleasure to read, and a stand-out among Asimov's sometimes dry early works. So sue me. Call it a guilty pleasure.
It was okay, I guess. I'm feeling either a 2.5 or a 3. I have to sit on it for now. At least it was short.
Isn’t this just Foundation, but worse? Like, we need to find and save the hidden good civilization… It’s the same plot with worse characters. It suffers from the same insecure, whiny hero as The End of Eternity along with Asimov’s underbaked heroine, typical of his writing. It’s quite skippable.
Stars like dust had me captivated from the start. Asimov never ceases to surprise me with his keen attention to detail. Even though this is a very short read, Asimov manages to pack in quite a bit. Foundation’s edge remains my favorite of Asimov’s work, and Stars Like Dust captures that same space travel element that I absolutely loved about Foundations Edge.
Set in the same universe as the Robot series, but set many millennia in the future, when the earth is radioactive, robots have gone, and many thousands of new worlds have been colonised, however, politics have returned to empires and ruling classes.
Typical of the time it was written (ie the 1950's) the characters are mainly men and women are left to a minor role, but that does not make it any the less of a story. This one is one about the greed of power and all the trappings that come with it. Good short read by modern standards.
Typical of the time it was written (ie the 1950's) the characters are mainly men and women are left to a minor role, but that does not make it any the less of a story. This one is one about the greed of power and all the trappings that come with it. Good short read by modern standards.