A review by sowalsky
The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov

4.0

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.