Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Grafton (1967), Edition: Paperback Reprint, 176 pages
Description
Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it--Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else. And then, one day, Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to friends at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I sometimes joke that Isaac Asimov is my intellectual father: although that's not that far from the truth. His essays, pro-reason and pro-science, had a huge influence upon me growing up. He's probably best known for his science fiction novels, but I think his best fiction by far is to be found in
1) "The Dead Past" - This is my favorite Asimov story, not just of the collection, but of any I've read. It might very well have been the first Asimov, maybe even the first work of science fiction, I ever read, and it's amazing, because it forever shifted my perception of the meaning of time. And more than that, it's psychologically penetrating and emotionally moving in ways Asimov rarely managed.
2) "The Fun They Had" - The irony in this light-hearted story of computer-schooled children is smile-worthy. One of Asimov's most anthologized stories.
3) "Dreaming is a Private Thing" - This is something of an allegory for creative writing in general, but it's one story that really stayed with me, that I recognized just from the title, and even had imagery so vivid and memorable I immediately recognized it.
I'd probably recommend Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Volume One as an introduction to Asimov's fiction over this one--that book includes the content of Earth is Enough but this book is definitely full of memorable classics. Some details in the stories are dated, certainly, especially in social matters. Asimov considered himself a feminist and he created one of the most brilliant female characters in science fiction in robotologist Susan Calvin (featured in "Satisfaction Guaranteed"). But in these stories that men make all the important decisions, both at work and home, is taken for granted. Central planning--done by computers, of course--is also taken for granted as the wave of the future. But what struck me nevertheless is how well these stories held up, and how memorable they are. With many here I only had to see the title to remember the story--even though it had been decades. With others it didn't take many pages for them to come back to me. The ideas are clever, the twists unforgettable.
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his short stories. There are 15 short stories here in this 1957 anthology. Below I name my three favorites:1) "The Dead Past" - This is my favorite Asimov story, not just of the collection, but of any I've read. It might very well have been the first Asimov, maybe even the first work of science fiction, I ever read, and it's amazing, because it forever shifted my perception of the meaning of time. And more than that, it's psychologically penetrating and emotionally moving in ways Asimov rarely managed.
2) "The Fun They Had" - The irony in this light-hearted story of computer-schooled children is smile-worthy. One of Asimov's most anthologized stories.
3) "Dreaming is a Private Thing" - This is something of an allegory for creative writing in general, but it's one story that really stayed with me, that I recognized just from the title, and even had imagery so vivid and memorable I immediately recognized it.
I'd probably recommend Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Volume One as an introduction to Asimov's fiction over this one--that book includes the content of Earth is Enough but this book is definitely full of memorable classics. Some details in the stories are dated, certainly, especially in social matters. Asimov considered himself a feminist and he created one of the most brilliant female characters in science fiction in robotologist Susan Calvin (featured in "Satisfaction Guaranteed"). But in these stories that men make all the important decisions, both at work and home, is taken for granted. Central planning--done by computers, of course--is also taken for granted as the wave of the future. But what struck me nevertheless is how well these stories held up, and how memorable they are. With many here I only had to see the title to remember the story--even though it had been decades. With others it didn't take many pages for them to come back to me. The ideas are clever, the twists unforgettable.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
A decent collection of short stories, all taking place on Earth in the future. Some of these have appeared in other collections before, particularly the ones concerning computers or robots, those have appeared in 'I Robot' among others. For me, 'The Dead Past' was the best with 'Franchise' next.
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The two poems he included about himself and his writing process were not good. Show Less
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Collected in this volume are several short stories telling of a future Earth, showing all sorts of futuristic happenings in an antithesis to stories of extraterrestrial wandering.
Recommended for fans of Asimov and early science fiction.
Recommended for fans of Asimov and early science fiction.
LibraryThing member jjsreads
Short stories. 1950s, yet still may apply today. scary
LibraryThing member RBeffa
When I was young I enjoyed Asimov's stories a lot. I almost always found them smart and clever. His later work didn't thrill me and I suppose I outgrew him also. He was an incredibly prolific author and there are a lot of stories I have never read. This collection published in 1957 is one of
There are a lot of stories in this collection:
7 • The Dead Past • (1956) • novelette
55 • The Foundation of S.F. Success • (1954) • poem
57 • Franchise • (1955) • shortstory
75 • Gimmicks Three • (1956) • shortstory
83 • Kid Stuff • (1953) • shortstory
97 • The Watery Place • (1956) • shortstory
103 • Living Space • (1956) • shortstory
119 • The Message • (1956) • shortstory
121 • Satisfaction Guaranteed • (1951) • shortstory
137 • Hell-Fire • (1956) • shortstory (variant of Hell Fire)
139 • The Last Trump • (1955) • shortstory
157 • The Fun They Had • (1951) • shortstory
161 • Jokester • (1956) • shortstory
175 • The Immortal Bard • (1954) • shortstory
179 • Someday • (1956) • shortstory
189 • The Author's Ordeal • (1957) • poem
193 • Dreaming Is a Private Thing • (1955) • shortstory
These science fiction stories are all set on earth. That is where the title comes from. The subtitle of the book is "Science Fiction Tales of Our Own Planet." The 15 stories and 2 poems were first published in a wide variety of science fiction magazines primarily in 1956, with the earliest from 1951 as can be seen in the dates listed above. This is an OK collection of stories that I enjoyed reading, although they really feel dated. On the downside here, Asimov's humor always fell flat, very flat, with me.
There are only a couple stories that I can say I really enjoyed. My favorite stories here start with the first one, "The Dead Past." I've read this a long time before (I even have the 1956 magazine copy of Astounding in which it first appeared) but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. An older professor of ancient history wants access to a time viewer and super-computer to further his research on Carthage. That is how it starts but it rather quickly runs away from that. The story was set in what is our present. The technology here is way off the mark but the political and social ramifications are spot on. This was the longest story by far. Other favorites here were "Living Space," and "Satisfaction Guaranteed." There are several stories I'd call clunkers, but passable, and the two poems ... blah.
I would only recommend this collection to Asimov fans and those who enjoy old-time science fiction stories.
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them.There are a lot of stories in this collection:
7 • The Dead Past • (1956) • novelette
55 • The Foundation of S.F. Success • (1954) • poem
57 • Franchise • (1955) • shortstory
75 • Gimmicks Three • (1956) • shortstory
83 • Kid Stuff • (1953) • shortstory
97 • The Watery Place • (1956) • shortstory
103 • Living Space • (1956) • shortstory
119 • The Message • (1956) • shortstory
121 • Satisfaction Guaranteed • (1951) • shortstory
137 • Hell-Fire • (1956) • shortstory (variant of Hell Fire)
139 • The Last Trump • (1955) • shortstory
157 • The Fun They Had • (1951) • shortstory
161 • Jokester • (1956) • shortstory
175 • The Immortal Bard • (1954) • shortstory
179 • Someday • (1956) • shortstory
189 • The Author's Ordeal • (1957) • poem
193 • Dreaming Is a Private Thing • (1955) • shortstory
These science fiction stories are all set on earth. That is where the title comes from. The subtitle of the book is "Science Fiction Tales of Our Own Planet." The 15 stories and 2 poems were first published in a wide variety of science fiction magazines primarily in 1956, with the earliest from 1951 as can be seen in the dates listed above. This is an OK collection of stories that I enjoyed reading, although they really feel dated. On the downside here, Asimov's humor always fell flat, very flat, with me.
There are only a couple stories that I can say I really enjoyed. My favorite stories here start with the first one, "The Dead Past." I've read this a long time before (I even have the 1956 magazine copy of Astounding in which it first appeared) but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. An older professor of ancient history wants access to a time viewer and super-computer to further his research on Carthage. That is how it starts but it rather quickly runs away from that. The story was set in what is our present. The technology here is way off the mark but the political and social ramifications are spot on. This was the longest story by far. Other favorites here were "Living Space," and "Satisfaction Guaranteed." There are several stories I'd call clunkers, but passable, and the two poems ... blah.
I would only recommend this collection to Asimov fans and those who enjoy old-time science fiction stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bzbooks
nice collection of short stories, some better than others and many dated technologically (punch cards with super powerful multivac etc). Asimov gets quickly to the point with an interesting premise and conclusion without a lot of wasted time and develops the stories with just the right amount of
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flesh. Show Less
LibraryThing member salubanski
Lots to love here, with a good amount of humor. My favorites are, "The Dead Past", "Jokester" , and "Living Space". I'll have to finally try out some of his longer works.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1957
Physical description
176 p.; 6.77 inches
ISBN
0586010424 / 9780586010426