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A review by book_concierge
The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg
3.0
Stasis Technologies Ltd has perfected a way to reach back into time and bring forth objects for scientific study. Their most recent triumph was a baby dinosaur and now they’ve taken a Neanderthal child from the Ice-age to the 21st century. The nurse assigned to care for the child must somehow bridge a 40,000-year cultural gap. Initially shocked by the “ugly little boy,” Edith Fellows soon recognizes that he is really a frightened child, and slowly forms a deep emotional bond with Timmie.
Originally written as a short story in 1956, Robert Silverberg teamed with Asimov to expand the work into this novel format (released as The Child of Time). According to Wikipedia, Silverberg added the storyline of the Neanderthal tribe, and the child advocate subplot, both of which definitely do add to the basic plot. This also explains how I was reminded of Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear when reading about Silver Cloud, Goddess Woman, She Who Knows and the other members of the Neanderthal tribe from which Timmie was taken. (I started out wondering if Auel had borrowed from Asimov, but now think Silverberg wrote these sections after Auel’s publication).
I do wish I had a copy of the original story, however, so that I could see how Asimov wrote the ending. I had pretty much figured this would be what happened, but don’t know if it conforms to the original story or is a result of the added elements. Sort of the same conundrum faced by the characters when bringing the child into the future – are you altering the course of history?
I did like that the characters are portrayed as fully developed – having both good and bad qualities. Miss Fellowes is dedicated and truly devoted to Timmie, but also very judgmental and frequently fails to see clear signals of what is to come. Hoskins is not merely a profit-seeking CEO, but a family man who listens to Miss Fellowes arguments and tries his best to provide the child with a nurturing environment given the constraints of the Stasis bubble. Child advocate Bruce Mannheim is originally painted as a rabid rabble-rousing attention-seeking hysteric adept at media relations but turns out to be genuinely concerned and willing to help.
Originally written as a short story in 1956, Robert Silverberg teamed with Asimov to expand the work into this novel format (released as The Child of Time). According to Wikipedia, Silverberg added the storyline of the Neanderthal tribe, and the child advocate subplot, both of which definitely do add to the basic plot. This also explains how I was reminded of Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear when reading about Silver Cloud, Goddess Woman, She Who Knows and the other members of the Neanderthal tribe from which Timmie was taken. (I started out wondering if Auel had borrowed from Asimov, but now think Silverberg wrote these sections after Auel’s publication).
I do wish I had a copy of the original story, however, so that I could see how Asimov wrote the ending. I had pretty much figured this would be what happened, but don’t know if it conforms to the original story or is a result of the added elements. Sort of the same conundrum faced by the characters when bringing the child into the future – are you altering the course of history?
I did like that the characters are portrayed as fully developed – having both good and bad qualities. Miss Fellowes is dedicated and truly devoted to Timmie, but also very judgmental and frequently fails to see clear signals of what is to come. Hoskins is not merely a profit-seeking CEO, but a family man who listens to Miss Fellowes arguments and tries his best to provide the child with a nurturing environment given the constraints of the Stasis bubble. Child advocate Bruce Mannheim is originally painted as a rabid rabble-rousing attention-seeking hysteric adept at media relations but turns out to be genuinely concerned and willing to help.