Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Orbis - Hyspamerica
Description
A spellbinding novel set in the universe of Isaac Asimov's classic Galactic Empire series and Foundation series Due to circumstances within our control . . . tomorrow will be canceled. The Eternals, the ruling class of the Future, had the power of life and death not only over every human being but over the very centuries into which they were born. Past, Present, and Future could be created or destroyed at will. You had to be special to become an Eternal. Andrew Harlan was special. Until he committed the one unforgivable sin--falling in love. Eternals weren't supposed to have feelings. But Andrew could not deny the sensations that were struggling within him. He knew he could not keep this secret forever. And so he began to plan his escape, a plan that changed his own past . . . and threatened Eternity itself.… (more)
Media reviews
The End of Eternity is a love story. Our questions about Andrew’s love are right. In the end as the mists melt — indeed by reflecting on Noÿs — we recognize what he has been and done. His mistakes are worse, and his character better, than we thought. We are left with a man who
Asimov's spare prose is here at its height. It stands in his language, his focus. Hills of detail are at a stroke given to the imagination. Minds and hearts — and this is a novel of the mind and heart — are painted partly by silence, by the author's silence, by what is set before us and what goes unsaid. The reader, the re-reader, who looks, who notes, is rewarded. Theodore Sturgeon used to say "Science fiction is knowledge fiction." That is true not only of physical knowledge.
Show More
learns.Asimov's spare prose is here at its height. It stands in his language, his focus. Hills of detail are at a stroke given to the imagination. Minds and hearts — and this is a novel of the mind and heart — are painted partly by silence, by the author's silence, by what is set before us and what goes unsaid. The reader, the re-reader, who looks, who notes, is rewarded. Theodore Sturgeon used to say "Science fiction is knowledge fiction." That is true not only of physical knowledge.
Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member elmyra
I have to admit, I'm not a huge Asimov fan. The only other thing I ever read by him is my mother's favourite book, "I, Robot", and I really didn't like it for a number of reasons. He has good ideas, but he wastes opportunities, and he sure as hell wasn't a great writer. His characters tend to be
I picked up this book as a result of a discussion with my dad where I aired the above views and he said to try this one, admittedly not for the writing or characters but because the idea behind it was a stroke of genius.
I really was not expecting to enjoy the book anywhere near as much as I did. Having said that, I don't think I read the book that Asimov wrote. See (and this is a gross generalisation), in science fiction you can typically separate works by being idea-driven or character-driven. Of course, rather than this being an either/or situation, it's a continuum, and some works will have distinct features from both sides, but Asimov in particular (in my experience) tends to be firmly settled on the ideas side.
Andrew Harlan, the main character, is a typical emotionally stunted, socially inept almost to the point of being a sociopath, engineer-by-birth, Asimov character, and I strongly suspect that what Asimov meant to write was a pure ideas-driven novel about time travel. At the same time, however, - and I strongly believe this to have been an accident - he has managed to write a brilliant character study of Andrew Harlan. For me, the character really came to life in all his one-dimensionality and neurosis.
From a personality point of view, there is very little difference, for example, between Andrew Harlan and Dr. Susan Calvin, the main character in the Robot series. Both are emotionally immature and socially inept, regardless of what that "I, Robot" movie was trying to tell you. Yet, there is one key difference: Susan Calvin is the product of a society very similar to ours, and it is very difficult for the reader to empathise and understand how that society could produce someone quite so cold. Andrew Harlan, on the other hand, is the product of a very different society: almost exclusively male, with a strong hierarchy/caste system and codified set of rules. Add to that the trauma of having been removed from his "homewhen" and confronted with the concept "Eternity", as well as belonging to a caste even more isolated than usual for that society. Yes, Andrew is a perfect product of that society, Asimov's writing style complements him perfectly, and that's what makes him both believable and fascinating, and what made the book so enjoyable for me.
I also quite liked the "ideas" aspect of the book. It is a fairly unusual take on time travel, and it has, I think, fewer-than-average plot holes for a time travel book. While I found all the robot stories incredibly irritating because the resolution is ultimately within the Three Laws of Robotics and that often ends up being a wasted opportunity, I thought that the resolution here was perfect, raising, as good science fiction should, some interesting questions about the nature and future of humanity. This made the book a very satisfying read, as well as an enjoyable one.
One final note: I don't know if it's this particular edition (I suspect it is), but it could really have done with some quality copy-editing. Typos, missing or duplicated words or sentence fragments really do distract from the reading experience.
Show More
neurotic, one-dimensional engineers, which does get a bit samey after a while. I picked up this book as a result of a discussion with my dad where I aired the above views and he said to try this one, admittedly not for the writing or characters but because the idea behind it was a stroke of genius.
I really was not expecting to enjoy the book anywhere near as much as I did. Having said that, I don't think I read the book that Asimov wrote. See (and this is a gross generalisation), in science fiction you can typically separate works by being idea-driven or character-driven. Of course, rather than this being an either/or situation, it's a continuum, and some works will have distinct features from both sides, but Asimov in particular (in my experience) tends to be firmly settled on the ideas side.
Andrew Harlan, the main character, is a typical emotionally stunted, socially inept almost to the point of being a sociopath, engineer-by-birth, Asimov character, and I strongly suspect that what Asimov meant to write was a pure ideas-driven novel about time travel. At the same time, however, - and I strongly believe this to have been an accident - he has managed to write a brilliant character study of Andrew Harlan. For me, the character really came to life in all his one-dimensionality and neurosis.
From a personality point of view, there is very little difference, for example, between Andrew Harlan and Dr. Susan Calvin, the main character in the Robot series. Both are emotionally immature and socially inept, regardless of what that "I, Robot" movie was trying to tell you. Yet, there is one key difference: Susan Calvin is the product of a society very similar to ours, and it is very difficult for the reader to empathise and understand how that society could produce someone quite so cold. Andrew Harlan, on the other hand, is the product of a very different society: almost exclusively male, with a strong hierarchy/caste system and codified set of rules. Add to that the trauma of having been removed from his "homewhen" and confronted with the concept "Eternity", as well as belonging to a caste even more isolated than usual for that society. Yes, Andrew is a perfect product of that society, Asimov's writing style complements him perfectly, and that's what makes him both believable and fascinating, and what made the book so enjoyable for me.
I also quite liked the "ideas" aspect of the book. It is a fairly unusual take on time travel, and it has, I think, fewer-than-average plot holes for a time travel book. While I found all the robot stories incredibly irritating because the resolution is ultimately within the Three Laws of Robotics and that often ends up being a wasted opportunity, I thought that the resolution here was perfect, raising, as good science fiction should, some interesting questions about the nature and future of humanity. This made the book a very satisfying read, as well as an enjoyable one.
One final note: I don't know if it's this particular edition (I suspect it is), but it could really have done with some quality copy-editing. Typos, missing or duplicated words or sentence fragments really do distract from the reading experience.
Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
One of the best of the non-series Asimov novels. In this one, he posits time travel, but time travel that is rigidly controlled by a group called Eternity. Eternity's mission is to minimize humanity's suffering by carrying out "reality changes" that push history in the "right" direction. A young
Show More
time patrolman named Andrew Harlan gets involved in a time change, then gets involved with a lovely woman (strictly against the rules) and then finds himself involved in something much bigger. Fascinating novel that plays with the paradoxes and possibilities of time travel, which remaining a good and engrossing novel in the process. Show Less
LibraryThing member branadain
This is the first novel I've read by Asimov, and I was very impressed. It tells a fascinatingly human story of desire, betrayal, revenge, and a sort of redemption. Asimov conveyed the complicated mechanics of the fictional science--which were so integral to the plot--in a way that was reasonably
Show More
easy to follow and didn't feel like a lecture. The complexities of the temporal dynamics were an important part of the mystery elements of the plot, and it was fun to try to stay a step ahead of the protagonist. As I would expect from Asimov's reputation, the story brought up many ethical questions, both of the large, philosophical kind and the small, human variety. All in all a very fun and thought-provoking read. Show Less
LibraryThing member clong
I believe that this was the first science fiction novel that I ever read, some 34 years ago. I loved it at the time, and while I have remembered only a few of the basic plot details, my vague but very positive memories of the book have left it high on my list of all time science fiction
So, one of my reading resolutions for 2010 is to dedicate a decent portion of my reading time to going back and revisiting old favorites, and I decided somewhat reluctantly to give this one a try. I say somewhat reluctantly because the last couple of Asimov novels I have read have left me disappointed (especially The Robots of Dawn, which I found almost comically bad). And on some level I felt that it might be better to preserve a distant but very fond memory than find out that, to a more mature reader, the book no longer had much to offer.
I am happy to report that I still like this book a lot. It features clever ideas, a fast pace, and the puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle plotting that Asimov always seems to do well. I found the characters more believable than I often find in this author’s books. There was even a surprisingly large amount of irrational behavior (engineering and scientific bents notwithstanding). And the token female Noys proves much more than the simple lust object that she first appears (I can’t say more than that without getting into spoiler territory). The ending offers a big surprise which is really quite affirming.
After this, I think maybe I will retackle the original Foundation Trilogy, too.
Show More
favorites.So, one of my reading resolutions for 2010 is to dedicate a decent portion of my reading time to going back and revisiting old favorites, and I decided somewhat reluctantly to give this one a try. I say somewhat reluctantly because the last couple of Asimov novels I have read have left me disappointed (especially The Robots of Dawn, which I found almost comically bad). And on some level I felt that it might be better to preserve a distant but very fond memory than find out that, to a more mature reader, the book no longer had much to offer.
I am happy to report that I still like this book a lot. It features clever ideas, a fast pace, and the puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle plotting that Asimov always seems to do well. I found the characters more believable than I often find in this author’s books. There was even a surprisingly large amount of irrational behavior (engineering and scientific bents notwithstanding). And the token female Noys proves much more than the simple lust object that she first appears (I can’t say more than that without getting into spoiler territory). The ending offers a big surprise which is really quite affirming.
After this, I think maybe I will retackle the original Foundation Trilogy, too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Danlikebooks
This is favourite Asimov book, maybe even my favourite of all my books. When you start this book you may think its too far-fetched and illogical by Asimov's standards, but the plot becomes compelling, the nagging questions in your head and seemingly irrelevant, quaint little details from the start
Show More
suddenly start to become important and by the end you will be in awe of a most conclusive treatment of time travel and its ultimate consequences as Asimov's full genius is revealed. A masterpiece. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is one of my favorite novels by Isaac Asimov, and I think underrated among his works, perhaps because it's a one-off, not something that ties into his Foundation or Robot series. I remember the outline of the story even decades after my first read, which is a sign of its ability to have an
Andrew Harlan is a technician in Eternity, helping to make those changes and quite self-satisfied in his role--until Lambent Noys throws a wrench into the gears of his mind and heart. Noys, even if she fits a fairly traditional role in the book, is still one of Asimov's stronger and most memorable female characters. She's more than she seems and in the end Asimov delivers through her quite the critique of patriarchy and paternalism, particularly through the growth of Harlan, one of his most misogynistic characters. I found myself amused by this passage with its reversal of the usual assumptions of women's impact upon history:
Women almost never qualified for Eternity because, for some reason he did not understand (Computers might, but he himself certainly did not), their abstraction from Time was from ten to a hundred times as likely to distort Reality as was the abstraction of a man.
And there's something about the themes and conclusion of this one I find very satisfying. Like all of Asimov's writing, it's great at making you think--but this also had heart.
Show More
impact. What particularly stands out is the world-building. This is as intriguing, imaginative and well-thought out a world than any you can find in Asimov. Eternity is an organization that holds itself out of time. The "Eternals" are from almost all the centuries of man's post-industrial existence--and control and continually tweak that existence, altering reality without the knowledge or consent of those in "Time."Andrew Harlan is a technician in Eternity, helping to make those changes and quite self-satisfied in his role--until Lambent Noys throws a wrench into the gears of his mind and heart. Noys, even if she fits a fairly traditional role in the book, is still one of Asimov's stronger and most memorable female characters. She's more than she seems and in the end Asimov delivers through her quite the critique of patriarchy and paternalism, particularly through the growth of Harlan, one of his most misogynistic characters. I found myself amused by this passage with its reversal of the usual assumptions of women's impact upon history:
Women almost never qualified for Eternity because, for some reason he did not understand (Computers might, but he himself certainly did not), their abstraction from Time was from ten to a hundred times as likely to distort Reality as was the abstraction of a man.
And there's something about the themes and conclusion of this one I find very satisfying. Like all of Asimov's writing, it's great at making you think--but this also had heart.
Show Less
LibraryThing member starfury
If you have read and enjoyed Asimov’s Foundation series, you will almost certainly like “The End of Eternity.” The scope, the suspense, the wonder are all here. On the other hand, if you have not read the Foundation series, then “The End of Eternity” is a great place to start since it is
Because “The End of Eternity” is concerned with the human psyche and social condition more than technological ornamentation, reading it today, decades after publication, still feels fresh – there are relatively few anachronisms, and none so jarring as to veer into ridiculous and detract from one’s enjoyment of the plot. I enjoyed “The End of Eternity” for much the same reasons I have savored Babylon 5 TV series and the Matrix films. What makes each of these stories so compelling is the deep dive into big, existential themes. Until we are no longer mystified by the concepts of time or infinity or human “destiny”, “The End of Eternity” will remain interesting and exciting.
Show More
in some sense antecedent to the events of the Foundation books. Incidentally, if you are looking for a better understanding of the internal chronology of Asimov’s fictional universe, you can find an ordered list of the books here.Because “The End of Eternity” is concerned with the human psyche and social condition more than technological ornamentation, reading it today, decades after publication, still feels fresh – there are relatively few anachronisms, and none so jarring as to veer into ridiculous and detract from one’s enjoyment of the plot. I enjoyed “The End of Eternity” for much the same reasons I have savored Babylon 5 TV series and the Matrix films. What makes each of these stories so compelling is the deep dive into big, existential themes. Until we are no longer mystified by the concepts of time or infinity or human “destiny”, “The End of Eternity” will remain interesting and exciting.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Akikorye
The End of Eternity follows Andrew, a technician who makes small changes in the world to supposedly create a better future.
It started a little slow for where it was going, but overall, I really enjoyed it. Women weren't shown in a very good light, which I will chalk up to the times not only of
Like I said, it started slow, but the last 4 or 5 chapters packed quite a punch. Lots of twists and turns, and very exciting. Only one thing that happened early on in the novel suggested what was to come. I would have preferred it to be spread out a little more, but what can one do.
I especially like the shout-out to the Foundation series. The books really can go together in a way.
It started a little slow for where it was going, but overall, I really enjoyed it. Women weren't shown in a very good light, which I will chalk up to the times not only of
Show More
Asimov but in the reality in which Andrew was living.Like I said, it started slow, but the last 4 or 5 chapters packed quite a punch. Lots of twists and turns, and very exciting. Only one thing that happened early on in the novel suggested what was to come. I would have preferred it to be spread out a little more, but what can one do.
I especially like the shout-out to the Foundation series. The books really can go together in a way.
Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
“Any system like Eternity which allows men to choose their own future will end by choosing safety and mediocrity, and in such a Reality the stars are out of reach.”
In “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov
I took the opportunity of re-reading this novel on account of the re-issue of “The
Run a Feynman diagram backwards and matter becomes antimatter (of course, I think it's more that you can't tell the difference between a charged particle in an electromagnetic field moving forwards in time and its antimatter equivalent moving backwards in time.). Secondly travelling backwards in spacetime while the planet moves at c.300 000 km/s mean you will experience a near instantaneous acceleration of several tons. Splat. You will need a bucket and mop for what is left of our erstwhile time traveller. In short Newton and Einstein have some interesting but very short experiences in store for time travellers…
Feynman also proved that our current physical theories could not distinguish between an electron moving forward in time and an electron moving backward in time (the positron) except by a difference in charge. The real “Now” is moving forward. Except for thermodynamics (with the second law) our best physical theories cannot distinguish between forward time and backward time (of course, even the second law doesn't really differentiate between time directions. Well, not without introducing the observation that we're not already in the highest possible entropy state, and therefore it is overwhelmingly likely to increase). Something is obviously wrong.
I remember Hawking saying something against the possibility of time travel, pointing out that we haven’t been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future yet.
In the novel “The End of Eternity” which I read for the first time in a Portuguese-Brazilian translation 40 years ago, Isaac Asimov posited a time travel mechanism that didn't allow for travel to the past before the machine was invented. The machine opened a corridor which allowed for travel in either direction but only from the point at which it was turned on. Which gets round that objection. In this truly compelling work, Asimov touched on any theme in the SF field, creating one that still holds its place to this day, and I even risk not being able to compete with it in many themes to date. After years of being fed up with the impossibilities and paradoxes of time travel, one runs into such a book and rightly wonders why they cannot write stories of this magnitude and complexity today. A compelling read for anyone who has ever been a little preoccupied with the idea of time travel! It's still a good book.
NB: What matters is that once you get to 80+ waking up every morning feels like an act of time travel. Unfortunately the joys of advanced technology are accompanied by infirmity and the approach of a life-changing event that no time machine can avert.
In “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov
I took the opportunity of re-reading this novel on account of the re-issue of “The
Show More
End of Eternity” in 2020. I think the effects of “The Foundation” on Apple TV are making themselves felt in the SF publishing world…Run a Feynman diagram backwards and matter becomes antimatter (of course, I think it's more that you can't tell the difference between a charged particle in an electromagnetic field moving forwards in time and its antimatter equivalent moving backwards in time.). Secondly travelling backwards in spacetime while the planet moves at c.300 000 km/s mean you will experience a near instantaneous acceleration of several tons. Splat. You will need a bucket and mop for what is left of our erstwhile time traveller. In short Newton and Einstein have some interesting but very short experiences in store for time travellers…
Feynman also proved that our current physical theories could not distinguish between an electron moving forward in time and an electron moving backward in time (the positron) except by a difference in charge. The real “Now” is moving forward. Except for thermodynamics (with the second law) our best physical theories cannot distinguish between forward time and backward time (of course, even the second law doesn't really differentiate between time directions. Well, not without introducing the observation that we're not already in the highest possible entropy state, and therefore it is overwhelmingly likely to increase). Something is obviously wrong.
I remember Hawking saying something against the possibility of time travel, pointing out that we haven’t been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future yet.
In the novel “The End of Eternity” which I read for the first time in a Portuguese-Brazilian translation 40 years ago, Isaac Asimov posited a time travel mechanism that didn't allow for travel to the past before the machine was invented. The machine opened a corridor which allowed for travel in either direction but only from the point at which it was turned on. Which gets round that objection. In this truly compelling work, Asimov touched on any theme in the SF field, creating one that still holds its place to this day, and I even risk not being able to compete with it in many themes to date. After years of being fed up with the impossibilities and paradoxes of time travel, one runs into such a book and rightly wonders why they cannot write stories of this magnitude and complexity today. A compelling read for anyone who has ever been a little preoccupied with the idea of time travel! It's still a good book.
NB: What matters is that once you get to 80+ waking up every morning feels like an act of time travel. Unfortunately the joys of advanced technology are accompanied by infirmity and the approach of a life-changing event that no time machine can avert.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pgiunta
When time travel was discovered in the 24th century, it became apparent that events could be manipulated both in the past and the future. The responsibility to make corrections and alter time fell under the purview of the Eternals, a group comprised of Computers, Life-Plotters, Technicians,
The eldest among them, Computer Twissell, takes under his wing a prodigy named Andrew Harlan and promotes him from Cub to Technician, to the chagrin of certain others such as Computer Finge, who targets Harlan and attempts to thwart him whenever possible. At the same time, Finge takes a young, gorgeous woman named Noÿs from the 482nd century as his personal assistant, but Harlan suspects there is more to their relationship.
Meanwhile, Harlan is assigned a cub named Cooper and is tasked with training him on Earth history during the “Primitive” age just before time travel. Neither Harlan nor Cooper is immediately certain why the cub was directed by Computer Twissell to study under Harlan.
Despite his attempts to avoid Noÿs, Harlan begins to fall for her and attempts to save her from a change that the Allwhen Council has approved for her century—a change that threatens to remove Noÿs from history and replace her with an analogous version of herself that could be a completely different woman, one with no feelings at all for Harlan.
Desperate, Harlan begins to break the rules of Eternity by smuggling Noÿs to the 100,000th century, a time that the Eternals have barely explored and mankind seems to be mostly absent from Earth. Knowing that Finge and the council have probably discovered his plan, Harlan sets out to destroy the original discovery of time travel and the formation of Eternity before escaping into the future to be with Noÿs forever.
However, Twissell reveals a secret about Cooper that threatens to undermine Harlan’s machinations. Twissell convinces Harlan to help him undo the damage Harlan caused—until Noÿs reveals an even deeper plot that shakes the foundation of Harlan’s existence…
The End of Eternity is yet another splendid exhibit of Asimov’s remarkable worldbuilding talents. The detail involved in manipulating time and its effects were impressive.
While most of Asimov’s characters in general are afforded little in the way of development and background, at least Twissell reveals a tarnished past that puts him on common ground with Harlan. The tension and pace remain fairly tight once Harlan begins plotting and scheming against Finge and the plot contains sufficient twists to maintain suspense.
Show More
Maintenance, Timers, and Cubs. The Computers are the highest-ranking members of Eternity and form the Allwhen Council.The eldest among them, Computer Twissell, takes under his wing a prodigy named Andrew Harlan and promotes him from Cub to Technician, to the chagrin of certain others such as Computer Finge, who targets Harlan and attempts to thwart him whenever possible. At the same time, Finge takes a young, gorgeous woman named Noÿs from the 482nd century as his personal assistant, but Harlan suspects there is more to their relationship.
Meanwhile, Harlan is assigned a cub named Cooper and is tasked with training him on Earth history during the “Primitive” age just before time travel. Neither Harlan nor Cooper is immediately certain why the cub was directed by Computer Twissell to study under Harlan.
Despite his attempts to avoid Noÿs, Harlan begins to fall for her and attempts to save her from a change that the Allwhen Council has approved for her century—a change that threatens to remove Noÿs from history and replace her with an analogous version of herself that could be a completely different woman, one with no feelings at all for Harlan.
Desperate, Harlan begins to break the rules of Eternity by smuggling Noÿs to the 100,000th century, a time that the Eternals have barely explored and mankind seems to be mostly absent from Earth. Knowing that Finge and the council have probably discovered his plan, Harlan sets out to destroy the original discovery of time travel and the formation of Eternity before escaping into the future to be with Noÿs forever.
However, Twissell reveals a secret about Cooper that threatens to undermine Harlan’s machinations. Twissell convinces Harlan to help him undo the damage Harlan caused—until Noÿs reveals an even deeper plot that shakes the foundation of Harlan’s existence…
The End of Eternity is yet another splendid exhibit of Asimov’s remarkable worldbuilding talents. The detail involved in manipulating time and its effects were impressive.
While most of Asimov’s characters in general are afforded little in the way of development and background, at least Twissell reveals a tarnished past that puts him on common ground with Harlan. The tension and pace remain fairly tight once Harlan begins plotting and scheming against Finge and the plot contains sufficient twists to maintain suspense.
Show Less
LibraryThing member StormRaven
Asimov is most famous for writing his Robot books and the Foundation series, but I think his stand alone novels are among his best works. This is one of his best - a time travel story that avoids creating a situation in which time paradoxes weigh the story down while pointing out some of the
Asimov liked time travel stories. His catalogue of short stories is full of them, but this appears to be his only time travel novel. The central character works for an organization that controls time travel technology, and as a result, controls history. The organization is run for generally benevolent purposes, and seeks to protect humanity from danger. Unfortunately, as the plot develops, it turns out that this benevolence comes at a cost, and protecting humanity from danger also means protecting it from opportunity, leading to stagnation and death.
Though Asimov's characters are generally seen as somewhat one-dimensional, the character of the protagonist in this novel makes sense (even if he is a bit wooden). What truly drives this book is its examination of the implications of time travel, even if it were to be used wisely (and not, for example, to go back and create a time paradox by killing your own grandfather before he sired your father). This is one of Asimov's best works, and one of the reasons he is considered to be one of the "Big Three" of the genre.
Show More
troubles time travel might cause, even if applied for apparently benevolent purposes.Asimov liked time travel stories. His catalogue of short stories is full of them, but this appears to be his only time travel novel. The central character works for an organization that controls time travel technology, and as a result, controls history. The organization is run for generally benevolent purposes, and seeks to protect humanity from danger. Unfortunately, as the plot develops, it turns out that this benevolence comes at a cost, and protecting humanity from danger also means protecting it from opportunity, leading to stagnation and death.
Though Asimov's characters are generally seen as somewhat one-dimensional, the character of the protagonist in this novel makes sense (even if he is a bit wooden). What truly drives this book is its examination of the implications of time travel, even if it were to be used wisely (and not, for example, to go back and create a time paradox by killing your own grandfather before he sired your father). This is one of Asimov's best works, and one of the reasons he is considered to be one of the "Big Three" of the genre.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Zumbanista
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov was a reread from my teenage years when the author was a favourite of mine.
I've always found the subject of time travel compelling and here, Asimov creates a lot of tension in this sparse 1955 novel that has become a classic of its genre.
I won't retell the story
The characters are rather one dimensional and definitely take second place to the thought provoking description of the future society and its role in controlling human destiny.
Not your average time travel novel. Recommended.
I've always found the subject of time travel compelling and here, Asimov creates a lot of tension in this sparse 1955 novel that has become a classic of its genre.
I won't retell the story
Show More
here, but rather share my opinion that the mechanics of time travel are well thought out, as are the social constructs. Our "hero" is rather vapid throughout and I enjoyed the nicely conceived twist that puts the whole plot in place. The characters are rather one dimensional and definitely take second place to the thought provoking description of the future society and its role in controlling human destiny.
Not your average time travel novel. Recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jefware
This is a prequel to the galactic empire novels. Presents the idea that a benevolent powerful state would stiffle our future. Here the state is eternity, an all-powerful band that exists outside of time. They set themselves up as guardians of time, eliminating suffering. But in this world we are at
Show More
our best when we don't monitor ourselves. Bah, I say. We are at our best when we do monitor ourselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member comfypants
There's not much in the way of story, characters, or prose. But the set up and the science fiction ideas are excellent - strong enough to keep me awake at night thinking about them.
LibraryThing member scottcholstad
I’m just going to say it: aside from a few select novels and stories, Asimov annoys the hell out of me and is, I think, one of science fiction’s most overrated authors ever. There! Start stoning me now. I’m prepared. I know I have blasphemed. I have read a hell of a lot of Asimov, including
All that said, I’m going to skip the main synopsis of this book, other than to say it’s about time travel and is fairly innovative, especially for such an early time travel book, having been published in 1955. Pretty original, and I appreciated that. What I want to point out instead is something that I’ve pointed out for some previous books and something that several other reviewers have pointed out for this book, although to my total shock, not very many people at all. Asimov, the total misogynistic pig, is in top form in creating one female character in this book whose primary purpose is to be the sexual crush and ultimate seducer (because, after all, she IS a female, and that’s what they do to good men, right?) of our brave and good protagonist, Andrew Harlan, the Eternal. The beautiful, non-Eternal, Noys Lambent, a secretary or assistant of some sort, because after all, that’s what women do, aside from the scientist in I, Robot, creates a conflict with Andrew because women aren’t supposed to be part of the good old boy’s club in Eternity, his world, meaning he’s never gotten laid, I guess, so when she makes herself available on her world to him, he goes for it, initially feeling a little guilty, then goes for it with gusto and is drawn into her sinful female web, allowing Eternity to possibly be destroyed. Nice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Asimov write entire novels with either no female characters or just one or two minor background characters who comb their hair in their bedrooms (Foundation, anyone?). Sometimes there’s a more major female character, but they’re either helpless and dependent on a strong male lead (robot novels) or are seductresses (robot novels). To Asimov, women are evil and/or dangerous. Yet somehow he was married. Was he merely a product of his times, was he secretly gay, or was he a stereotypical engineering/science nerd who was an academic social misfit, scared to death of females, yet strangely married to one? Or none of the above? Why did he hate women so much? Yet why in his later books, like the Prelude to Foundation books, did he write in strong female characters? Did he actually grow with the times? Did his attitudes actually change? Maybe they did. Maybe there was hope. Maybe he was a 1940s/50s-era misogynistic product of his time who didn’t know any better than the Nuclear Era Virgin/Whore Syndrome and who wrote that into his novels. If so, fairly pathetic and that goes to show what a weak writer he truly was, backing up my original claim. But then, he wouldn’t have been the only one, so fair’s fair, I suppose.
In any event, I’m one of the very few to level this accusation against him regarding this or any book. The critics seem evenly split between genders, while the five star fans also seem evenly split between genders. In other words, just as many women love this book as men and apparently most women have no problems with him writing his only female character into the book as a stereotypical seductress whore intent upon making a male protagonist trip up and destroy Eternity. Apparently, women readers have no problems with this. While I find that astonishing, again, I am in the vast minority. I want to give this book a low rating, but at the same time, it was highly original, so that deserves a higher rating, so in fairness, I’m going to compromise and give it three stars. I think that’s a fair rating, given my criticisms versus its originality. Recommended for early sci fi time travel originality. Not recommended for fine quality literature.
Show More
all of the Foundation novels and all of the Robot novels, including the extra Robot-inspired books, as well as other books, and I’m always astonished – and always mentioning in my reviews – at what a below average writer I think Asimov was, particularly as a young writer. He barely knew grammatical rules, such as how to use transitions. He knew practically nothing about character development, little about plot development, and wrote the absolute worst dialogue of any type of literature of any author I have ever read anywhere, and I have read tens of thousands of books over the course of my life! The WORST dialogue ever! I’m not joking. The most wooden, stilted, unconvincing, academic, formal, boring, inauthentic excuse for dialogue I’ve ever seen in any novel form anywhere. I have three college degrees and have 13 years of university study. I’ve published 15 books of my own. My own poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and criticism have appeared in magazines, newspapers, zines, peer reviewed journals, online magazines and journals, and elsewhere in hundreds and hundreds of sources in dozens of countries in numerous languages and one of my books was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. I have taught literature and writing at three universities and colleges. I feel like I have some credentials. I feel confident when I say that I feel that there are literally dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of science fiction writers who are better writers and perhaps even scientifically superior to Asimov. His legacy is vastly inflated. But that’s my opinion, and as has been pointed out regularly in my negative reviews of his books, my opinion is worth shit regarding his books.All that said, I’m going to skip the main synopsis of this book, other than to say it’s about time travel and is fairly innovative, especially for such an early time travel book, having been published in 1955. Pretty original, and I appreciated that. What I want to point out instead is something that I’ve pointed out for some previous books and something that several other reviewers have pointed out for this book, although to my total shock, not very many people at all. Asimov, the total misogynistic pig, is in top form in creating one female character in this book whose primary purpose is to be the sexual crush and ultimate seducer (because, after all, she IS a female, and that’s what they do to good men, right?) of our brave and good protagonist, Andrew Harlan, the Eternal. The beautiful, non-Eternal, Noys Lambent, a secretary or assistant of some sort, because after all, that’s what women do, aside from the scientist in I, Robot, creates a conflict with Andrew because women aren’t supposed to be part of the good old boy’s club in Eternity, his world, meaning he’s never gotten laid, I guess, so when she makes herself available on her world to him, he goes for it, initially feeling a little guilty, then goes for it with gusto and is drawn into her sinful female web, allowing Eternity to possibly be destroyed. Nice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Asimov write entire novels with either no female characters or just one or two minor background characters who comb their hair in their bedrooms (Foundation, anyone?). Sometimes there’s a more major female character, but they’re either helpless and dependent on a strong male lead (robot novels) or are seductresses (robot novels). To Asimov, women are evil and/or dangerous. Yet somehow he was married. Was he merely a product of his times, was he secretly gay, or was he a stereotypical engineering/science nerd who was an academic social misfit, scared to death of females, yet strangely married to one? Or none of the above? Why did he hate women so much? Yet why in his later books, like the Prelude to Foundation books, did he write in strong female characters? Did he actually grow with the times? Did his attitudes actually change? Maybe they did. Maybe there was hope. Maybe he was a 1940s/50s-era misogynistic product of his time who didn’t know any better than the Nuclear Era Virgin/Whore Syndrome and who wrote that into his novels. If so, fairly pathetic and that goes to show what a weak writer he truly was, backing up my original claim. But then, he wouldn’t have been the only one, so fair’s fair, I suppose.
In any event, I’m one of the very few to level this accusation against him regarding this or any book. The critics seem evenly split between genders, while the five star fans also seem evenly split between genders. In other words, just as many women love this book as men and apparently most women have no problems with him writing his only female character into the book as a stereotypical seductress whore intent upon making a male protagonist trip up and destroy Eternity. Apparently, women readers have no problems with this. While I find that astonishing, again, I am in the vast minority. I want to give this book a low rating, but at the same time, it was highly original, so that deserves a higher rating, so in fairness, I’m going to compromise and give it three stars. I think that’s a fair rating, given my criticisms versus its originality. Recommended for early sci fi time travel originality. Not recommended for fine quality literature.
Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
If there was a flaw in Eternity, it involved women. He had known the flaw for what it was from almost his first entrance in to Eternity, but he felt it personally only that day he had first met Noÿs. From that moment it had been an easy path to this one, in which he stood false to his oath as an
An interesting take on time travel, in which the Eternals who change time for the greater good of humanity can never go home once they are recruited into Eternity, since subsequent changes affecting home century could have resulted in them never having existed. The annoying protagonist Anderw Harlan behaves nonsensically, but it more or less makes sense in the end.
Show More
Eternal and to everything in which he had believed.An interesting take on time travel, in which the Eternals who change time for the greater good of humanity can never go home once they are recruited into Eternity, since subsequent changes affecting home century could have resulted in them never having existed. The annoying protagonist Anderw Harlan behaves nonsensically, but it more or less makes sense in the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LordGro
This may be the book that created the idea of Time Police.
LibraryThing member mostlyharmless
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
This book ,of course, made its presence felt in the Golden age of Science Fiction. Issac Asimov,Arthur C.Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and many more competed with each other in dreaming in a glorious new era into a market of whodunnits and biographies.
The book
This book ,of course, made its presence felt in the Golden age of Science Fiction. Issac Asimov,Arthur C.Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and many more competed with each other in dreaming in a glorious new era into a market of whodunnits and biographies.
The book
Show More
wasn't a top-down product. Issac Asimov is said to have conceived of the story when he saw a mushroom cloud in a thirties periodical.The public in his time were brought up on the dream of the Scientific Revolution being just around the corner - 2001: A Space Odyssey was hardly an optimistic title in those days. Somehow, that optimism filtered into most of the Science Fiction that made its presence felt then.This book, one of the crest jewels,is surely a universal favourite for ages. Show Less
LibraryThing member pheelowesq
Absolute genius. Asimov takes you along one path with hints towards a greater truth and ties it all together in a way that makes you think. A pleasure to read (multiple times).
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Eternity runs through all time. The people behind it, the Eternals, have the mission of developing the best outcome for all humanity. They do this by making subtle tweaks in each century and sitting back and watching the changes happen. They keep themselves separated from the fabric of reality, as
A newcomer with a penchant for 20th century pop culture enters the worlds of the Eternals, but there are special plans for him. He is to travel back in time (before the founding of Eternity) and train the inventor of Eternity to invent it. Unfortunately, things don't go so well for him, as a disgruntled Eternal fiddles with the dials on the time machine before they send the man back. The Eternals must now scramble to figure out his temporal location, or else it spells the end of Eternity.
This is a good book for fans of Asimov as well as time travel enthusiasts.
Show More
they don't want to be biased with the actions they take.A newcomer with a penchant for 20th century pop culture enters the worlds of the Eternals, but there are special plans for him. He is to travel back in time (before the founding of Eternity) and train the inventor of Eternity to invent it. Unfortunately, things don't go so well for him, as a disgruntled Eternal fiddles with the dials on the time machine before they send the man back. The Eternals must now scramble to figure out his temporal location, or else it spells the end of Eternity.
This is a good book for fans of Asimov as well as time travel enthusiasts.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
A novel along the lines of Anderson's Time Patrol. What happens when an Eternal, outside of the stream of time and in charge of keeping the future going smoothly, gets caught up in his own personal interests? A bit of a departure from Asimov's usual.
LibraryThing member stpnwlf
Unique Asimov novel about time travel/trade.
LibraryThing member StephenBarkley
Reading 50 year old science fiction is an entertaining experience. Not only do you have to envision the future with the author, you have to view it through a dated lens.
Asimov's The End of Eternity is a great example of classic science fiction. You get an archetypal mystery/love story mix set in a
Asimov's science-fiction creativity is superb. How, for example, did he think up a time-travel system energized by the power of our sun in the distant future as it goes nova? The paradoxes that are always explored in time-travel books are well worked into the mystery.
Unfortunately, the character development is as bad as the science-fiction is good. These people feel like little more than artificial devices invented to carry the plot forward—which, of course, they are.
If you're feeling nostalgic, this book provides a few interesting hours of escape.
Asimov's The End of Eternity is a great example of classic science fiction. You get an archetypal mystery/love story mix set in a
Show More
world of time-travel.Asimov's science-fiction creativity is superb. How, for example, did he think up a time-travel system energized by the power of our sun in the distant future as it goes nova? The paradoxes that are always explored in time-travel books are well worked into the mystery.
Unfortunately, the character development is as bad as the science-fiction is good. These people feel like little more than artificial devices invented to carry the plot forward—which, of course, they are.
If you're feeling nostalgic, this book provides a few interesting hours of escape.
Show Less
LibraryThing member coffyman
Awesome Assimov tale regarding time travel. Loved the book, and a movie is in the works!
LibraryThing member elenchus
A solid time travel story. Asimov lives up to his reputation as a journeyman writer propelled by ideas more than plot or character. I was surprised to find Asimov does have a knack for the emotionally resonant situation, though his prose remains wooden and his characters flat. I accepted these
The End of Eternity largely avoids the genre's trope of paradox or logical contradiction: individuals meeting themselves in a past incarnation, killing an ancestor, and so forth. Asimov does address it obliquely as part of the logic or method of the Eternals, who strive to perfect civilization by pruning out undesirable inventions (Asimov refers to nuclear energy, but mostly interstellar travel) or macro social behavior (war, disease, some caste developments). There is also a very deliberate near-miss encounter between two incarnations of Andrew Harlan, but Asimov uses this to evoke the horror in Harlan more than to explore the contradictions, and the impression is that Asimov wasn't here interested in that aspect of time travel. Instead, he neatly ties together various ideas related to time travel and (less interestingly) the unintended consequences of social engineering.
Concepts and developments linked to the Eternals and the mechanics of time travel:
* Eternals are humans who live outside of Reality, insulated from the regular flow of time and cause / effect through the working of temporal fields. These fields constitute both a location and a time, and leave the impression of sterile hallways / bureaucracy from which the Eternals work their social engineering. There is a central logical contradiction or implication here which ends up being central to the denouement, Asimov neatly leaves it unaddressed though not hidden, the reader can figure it out or not.
* Eternals fall into a caste system: Maintenance, Observers, Technicians, Computers. They are all men. Technicians, because they directly intervene in other time realities with the express purpose of changing them (which necessarily involves altering or even eliminating hundreds if not thousands of individuals affected by the change), are reviled and outcaste by other Eternals. An example of Asimov fixing upon an emotionally resonant truth though conveyed in melodramatic prose, and one which proves central to both his character Harlan and the plot.
* The science of time engineering is finding the smallest change necessary (Minimum Necessary Change) to effect the desired downstream reality. Time is thought to be characterized by inertia, just as energy is. The familiar concept of a time circle, which is linked to paradox but which Asimov uses to imagine the science or probability of time engineering. Overall, clear links to the Foundation's concept of Future History and probability. Interestingly Asimov speculates that changes to women are more likely to have larger or more serious downstream consquences, primarily as they bear children and so are linked directly to more individuals.
* Eternity (the temporal fields in which the Eternals insulate themselves) extend from the 28th Century and beyond. Prior to the 28th is Primitive Time: Eternals do no social engineering in these times / realities. The Hidden Centuries begin at 100,000th, times for which the Eternals have established temporal fields in which to operate, but are unable to enter / manipulate the "realities" corresponding to those sections of Eternity. These concepts end up having a role in the plot, but it is perhaps most interesting that such things are postulated at all. Is Primitive Time logically unavoidable? Is it a factor of energy needed for the Eternals to establish sections of Eternity? And eventually, Harlan is actually "blocked" (by whom or what influence is part of the resolution of the story) from visiting the Hidden Centuries, whereas previously those sections of Eternity linked to the Hidden Centuries were accessible.
* Intertemporal trade: exchange of goods and raw materials between centuries (supervised by the Eternals).
* Executions of Eternals by other Eternals are effected by placing them into realities which would kill them but leave no evidence for anyone in that reality, e.g. a crashing airliner.
* Nova Sol as energy source: temporal fields are stipulated as requiring vast amounts of energy, and Asimov imagines the Eternals tapping into Earth's sun as it goes nova. Essentially borrowing energy from the future.
* When interacting with people in a specific time, Eternals should not speak the word "reality" for fear of instigating unintended consequences across time and history. Somewhat at odds with the concept of intertemporal trade: with whom in each time do the Eternals liaison, and how are these interactions insulated from the same effects as are feared by simply referring explicitly to the fact any given decade may end up being altered or even pruned at some "later" point?
A fine example of Golden Age science fiction.
Show More
emotionally key scenes as fact, rather than rejecting them as unpersuasive or not ringing true, as I might with another author. Asimov doesn't persuade me of the emotional truth he attempts to portray, or explore the nuanced thoughts and behaviors attending such situations. Rather, he identifies an important emotional fact tied to his premise, and depicts a simple scene or interaction between characters to capture that emotional truth. In this way he leaves to the reader the work of filling out the scene with emotionally believable detail.The End of Eternity largely avoids the genre's trope of paradox or logical contradiction: individuals meeting themselves in a past incarnation, killing an ancestor, and so forth. Asimov does address it obliquely as part of the logic or method of the Eternals, who strive to perfect civilization by pruning out undesirable inventions (Asimov refers to nuclear energy, but mostly interstellar travel) or macro social behavior (war, disease, some caste developments). There is also a very deliberate near-miss encounter between two incarnations of Andrew Harlan, but Asimov uses this to evoke the horror in Harlan more than to explore the contradictions, and the impression is that Asimov wasn't here interested in that aspect of time travel. Instead, he neatly ties together various ideas related to time travel and (less interestingly) the unintended consequences of social engineering.
Concepts and developments linked to the Eternals and the mechanics of time travel:
* Eternals are humans who live outside of Reality, insulated from the regular flow of time and cause / effect through the working of temporal fields. These fields constitute both a location and a time, and leave the impression of sterile hallways / bureaucracy from which the Eternals work their social engineering. There is a central logical contradiction or implication here which ends up being central to the denouement, Asimov neatly leaves it unaddressed though not hidden, the reader can figure it out or not.
* Eternals fall into a caste system: Maintenance, Observers, Technicians, Computers. They are all men. Technicians, because they directly intervene in other time realities with the express purpose of changing them (which necessarily involves altering or even eliminating hundreds if not thousands of individuals affected by the change), are reviled and outcaste by other Eternals. An example of Asimov fixing upon an emotionally resonant truth though conveyed in melodramatic prose, and one which proves central to both his character Harlan and the plot.
* The science of time engineering is finding the smallest change necessary (Minimum Necessary Change) to effect the desired downstream reality. Time is thought to be characterized by inertia, just as energy is. The familiar concept of a time circle, which is linked to paradox but which Asimov uses to imagine the science or probability of time engineering. Overall, clear links to the Foundation's concept of Future History and probability. Interestingly Asimov speculates that changes to women are more likely to have larger or more serious downstream consquences, primarily as they bear children and so are linked directly to more individuals.
* Eternity (the temporal fields in which the Eternals insulate themselves) extend from the 28th Century and beyond. Prior to the 28th is Primitive Time: Eternals do no social engineering in these times / realities. The Hidden Centuries begin at 100,000th, times for which the Eternals have established temporal fields in which to operate, but are unable to enter / manipulate the "realities" corresponding to those sections of Eternity. These concepts end up having a role in the plot, but it is perhaps most interesting that such things are postulated at all. Is Primitive Time logically unavoidable? Is it a factor of energy needed for the Eternals to establish sections of Eternity? And eventually, Harlan is actually "blocked" (by whom or what influence is part of the resolution of the story) from visiting the Hidden Centuries, whereas previously those sections of Eternity linked to the Hidden Centuries were accessible.
* Intertemporal trade: exchange of goods and raw materials between centuries (supervised by the Eternals).
* Executions of Eternals by other Eternals are effected by placing them into realities which would kill them but leave no evidence for anyone in that reality, e.g. a crashing airliner.
* Nova Sol as energy source: temporal fields are stipulated as requiring vast amounts of energy, and Asimov imagines the Eternals tapping into Earth's sun as it goes nova. Essentially borrowing energy from the future.
* When interacting with people in a specific time, Eternals should not speak the word "reality" for fear of instigating unintended consequences across time and history. Somewhat at odds with the concept of intertemporal trade: with whom in each time do the Eternals liaison, and how are these interactions insulated from the same effects as are feared by simply referring explicitly to the fact any given decade may end up being altered or even pruned at some "later" point?
A fine example of Golden Age science fiction.
Show Less
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1956)
Language
Original publication date
1955
ISBN
8476340354 / 9788476340356
Other editions
El fin de la eternidad by Isaac Asimov (Paper Book)