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Available
Call number
Library's review
Indeholder "The Dead Past", "The Foundation of S. F. Success", "Franchise", "Gimmicks Three", "Kid Stuff", "The Watery Place", "Living Space", "The Message", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Hell-Fire", "The Last Trump", "The Fun They Had", "Jokester", "The Immortal Bard", "Someday", "The Author's
"The Dead Past" handler om at kunne se tilbage i tiden. Det viser sig desværre at være let på trods af regeringens forbud, der lige så beklageligt viser sig at have været velbegrundet.
"The Foundation of S. F. Success" handler om hvordan man får succes som sf-forfatter ved at plante Romerriget om til Galaktisk Forbund og bruge hyperfart til at komme omkring og have papfigurer som helte. Det hele sat på vers i samme stil som en W. S. Gilbert sang.
"Franchise" handler om valgprognoser, der er så gode at Multivac blot behøver at udspørge en enkelt person hvert fjerde år for at kunne udregne resultatet. Her i 2008 er det Norman Muller, der bliver interviewet.
"Gimmicks Three" handler om en pagt med en dæmon. Dæmonen taber.
"Kid Stuff" handler om Jan Prentiss, der får besøg af en stor insekt-agtig skabning fra Avalon. Den bruger psykisk energi og kan forstærke energien ved at bruge et menneske, hvis ellers mennesket tror på elvere. Jan tror på dem på en måde for han skriver fantasy-historier. Men hans søn på 10 år tror ikke på dem, så han banker livet ud af Avalon-skabningen, da den truer hans mor.
"The Watery Place" handler om en forveksling mellem Venus og Venice, der koster Jorden dyrt.
"Living Space" handler om en overbefolket Jord, hvor man har fundet ud af hvordan man kan skifte mellem forskellige mulige sandsynlighedsmønstre for Jorden, så man fx kan tage en Jord, der aldrig har udviklet liv og begynde at kolonialisere den med et enkelt hus og plads til en familie under en glasklokke. Det er så blevet ganget med mindst en milliard. Clarence Rimbro og familie klager over lyde, der tyder på at de ikke er alene på deres planet. Ching og Michnoff undersøger sagen og opdager at der også er tyskere på planeten. De taler tysk og kalder årstallet for 2364 efter Hitler. Tyskerne anerkender at Rimbro var der først og flytter væk. Men Michnoff har fået en grim forudanelse om at man risikerer at støde på værre ting end tyskere ved at benytte sandsynlighedsmønstrene. Og den forudanelse viser sig med det samme at holde stik.
"The Message" handler om en tidsrejsende, der er en ren observatør (men lige ridser Kilroy Was Here i et træ).
"Satisfaction Guaranteed" handler om robotten Tony (TN-3) som Susan Calvin får testet ved Larry Belmont og hans kone Claire, som fra starten er skeptisk, men bliver overbevist om robotters fortræffelighed. Vi er i 1995. Og Larry håber at Claire kan få Gladys Claffern til at støtte op om at få robotter tilladt i hjemmene. Tony hjælper Claire med at indrette hjemmet og hende selv efter nyeste mode, så de kan give Gladys kamp til stregen. Det lykkes i høj grad og Larry er også imponeret. Og måske utilfreds med at Claire er blevet meget friere og modigere. Og selv om en TN-3 ikke kan blive forelsket i en kvinde, så kan en kvinde godt blive forelsket i en TN-3.
"Hell-Fire" handler om at kigge på en atombombeeksplosion i slow motion og se ansigtet af Fanden selv.
"The Last Trump" handler om at Ærkeenglen Gabriel blæser i trompeten den 1 januar 1957, klokken 12.01 lokal tid. Folk begynder at myldre nøgne op fra gravene, men en meget yngre engel Etheriel får udskudt beslutningen til når alle på jorden er enige om tidsregningen. Modstanderen, også kaldet Ahriman, eller R. E. Mann må tænke over en ny plan.
"The Fun They Had" handler om undervisning i år 2157 og hvor sjovt børnene havde det i skolen i gamle dage.
"Jokester" handler om Noel Meyerhof, der er en stormester, dvs en der kan udtænke spørgsmål mere sære end Multivac selv kan finde på. En dag stiller han spørgsmålet om hvor vittigheder kommer fra og de viser sig at være af ekstraterrestisk oprindelse.
"The Immortal Bard" handler om Phineas Welch, der har opfundet en metode til at hente fortidens mennesker ind i vores tid. Han har fx haft hentet William Shakespeare og vist ham dagens Shakespeare-forskning. William fulgte endda (under et påtaget navn) et kursus i Shakespeare som Welch's ven Scott Robertson underviste på. Men Scott dumpede William.
"Someday" handler om Niccolo Mazzeti, der har en lille forældet fortællecomputer Bard, som hans ven Paul Loeb giver nogle nye data, så den kan fortælle eventyr om computere i stedet for om køer og heste. Paul har lige hørt en voksen fortælle om cifre og bogstaver, så det kan de bruge til at lave hemmelige beskeder med. Bard er stadig uinteressant, så den får en tur på gulvet, hvilket får den til at fortælle et eventyr om en stakkels computer, der vokser op ved onde mennesker, der slår den, men en dag ...
"The Author's Ordeal" handler om hvor hårdt det er at være forfatter. Det hele sat på vers i samme stil som en W. S. Gilbert sang.
"Dreaming Is a Private Thing" handler om Jess Weill, der er chef for Dreams Inc. Firmaet sælger drømme og må forholde sig til konkurrenter, pleje af nye talenter, trusler om censur og fastholdelse af gode talenter. Det sidste er det nemmeste, for Sherman Hillary og de andre drømmere kan jo ikke bare slukke for deres evne til at drømme. Som Jess siger: Det er jo det de gør. De gør andre lykkelige.
Ganske gode noveller. Noel Meyerhof træner MultiVac ved at læse vittigheder op for den. Det er jo næsten som at træne ChatGPT3 her i 2024. Historien om firmaer, der sælger drømme, er helt de samme problemstillinger, som computerspilindustrien skal tackle nu om dage.
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Ordeal", "Dreaming Is a Private Thing"."The Dead Past" handler om at kunne se tilbage i tiden. Det viser sig desværre at være let på trods af regeringens forbud, der lige så beklageligt viser sig at have været velbegrundet.
"The Foundation of S. F. Success" handler om hvordan man får succes som sf-forfatter ved at plante Romerriget om til Galaktisk Forbund og bruge hyperfart til at komme omkring og have papfigurer som helte. Det hele sat på vers i samme stil som en W. S. Gilbert sang.
"Franchise" handler om valgprognoser, der er så gode at Multivac blot behøver at udspørge en enkelt person hvert fjerde år for at kunne udregne resultatet. Her i 2008 er det Norman Muller, der bliver interviewet.
"Gimmicks Three" handler om en pagt med en dæmon. Dæmonen taber.
"Kid Stuff" handler om Jan Prentiss, der får besøg af en stor insekt-agtig skabning fra Avalon. Den bruger psykisk energi og kan forstærke energien ved at bruge et menneske, hvis ellers mennesket tror på elvere. Jan tror på dem på en måde for han skriver fantasy-historier. Men hans søn på 10 år tror ikke på dem, så han banker livet ud af Avalon-skabningen, da den truer hans mor.
"The Watery Place" handler om en forveksling mellem Venus og Venice, der koster Jorden dyrt.
"Living Space" handler om en overbefolket Jord, hvor man har fundet ud af hvordan man kan skifte mellem forskellige mulige sandsynlighedsmønstre for Jorden, så man fx kan tage en Jord, der aldrig har udviklet liv og begynde at kolonialisere den med et enkelt hus og plads til en familie under en glasklokke. Det er så blevet ganget med mindst en milliard. Clarence Rimbro og familie klager over lyde, der tyder på at de ikke er alene på deres planet. Ching og Michnoff undersøger sagen og opdager at der også er tyskere på planeten. De taler tysk og kalder årstallet for 2364 efter Hitler. Tyskerne anerkender at Rimbro var der først og flytter væk. Men Michnoff har fået en grim forudanelse om at man risikerer at støde på værre ting end tyskere ved at benytte sandsynlighedsmønstrene. Og den forudanelse viser sig med det samme at holde stik.
"The Message" handler om en tidsrejsende, der er en ren observatør (men lige ridser Kilroy Was Here i et træ).
"Satisfaction Guaranteed" handler om robotten Tony (TN-3) som Susan Calvin får testet ved Larry Belmont og hans kone Claire, som fra starten er skeptisk, men bliver overbevist om robotters fortræffelighed. Vi er i 1995. Og Larry håber at Claire kan få Gladys Claffern til at støtte op om at få robotter tilladt i hjemmene. Tony hjælper Claire med at indrette hjemmet og hende selv efter nyeste mode, så de kan give Gladys kamp til stregen. Det lykkes i høj grad og Larry er også imponeret. Og måske utilfreds med at Claire er blevet meget friere og modigere. Og selv om en TN-3 ikke kan blive forelsket i en kvinde, så kan en kvinde godt blive forelsket i en TN-3.
"Hell-Fire" handler om at kigge på en atombombeeksplosion i slow motion og se ansigtet af Fanden selv.
"The Last Trump" handler om at Ærkeenglen Gabriel blæser i trompeten den 1 januar 1957, klokken 12.01 lokal tid. Folk begynder at myldre nøgne op fra gravene, men en meget yngre engel Etheriel får udskudt beslutningen til når alle på jorden er enige om tidsregningen. Modstanderen, også kaldet Ahriman, eller R. E. Mann må tænke over en ny plan.
"The Fun They Had" handler om undervisning i år 2157 og hvor sjovt børnene havde det i skolen i gamle dage.
"Jokester" handler om Noel Meyerhof, der er en stormester, dvs en der kan udtænke spørgsmål mere sære end Multivac selv kan finde på. En dag stiller han spørgsmålet om hvor vittigheder kommer fra og de viser sig at være af ekstraterrestisk oprindelse.
"The Immortal Bard" handler om Phineas Welch, der har opfundet en metode til at hente fortidens mennesker ind i vores tid. Han har fx haft hentet William Shakespeare og vist ham dagens Shakespeare-forskning. William fulgte endda (under et påtaget navn) et kursus i Shakespeare som Welch's ven Scott Robertson underviste på. Men Scott dumpede William.
"Someday" handler om Niccolo Mazzeti, der har en lille forældet fortællecomputer Bard, som hans ven Paul Loeb giver nogle nye data, så den kan fortælle eventyr om computere i stedet for om køer og heste. Paul har lige hørt en voksen fortælle om cifre og bogstaver, så det kan de bruge til at lave hemmelige beskeder med. Bard er stadig uinteressant, så den får en tur på gulvet, hvilket får den til at fortælle et eventyr om en stakkels computer, der vokser op ved onde mennesker, der slår den, men en dag ...
"The Author's Ordeal" handler om hvor hårdt det er at være forfatter. Det hele sat på vers i samme stil som en W. S. Gilbert sang.
"Dreaming Is a Private Thing" handler om Jess Weill, der er chef for Dreams Inc. Firmaet sælger drømme og må forholde sig til konkurrenter, pleje af nye talenter, trusler om censur og fastholdelse af gode talenter. Det sidste er det nemmeste, for Sherman Hillary og de andre drømmere kan jo ikke bare slukke for deres evne til at drømme. Som Jess siger: Det er jo det de gør. De gør andre lykkelige.
Ganske gode noveller. Noel Meyerhof træner MultiVac ved at læse vittigheder op for den. Det er jo næsten som at træne ChatGPT3 her i 2024. Historien om firmaer, der sælger drømme, er helt de samme problemstillinger, som computerspilindustrien skal tackle nu om dage.
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Collection
Publication
Hamilton & Co (1960), Paperback, 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.; 17.6 cm
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en stor udflydende udgave af et lille a
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Side 89: In fifty years it would be two trillion.
Omslaget viser en stor udflydende udgave af et lille a
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Side 89: In fifty years it would be two trillion.
Other editions
Jorden er os nok by Isaac Asimov (Paperback)
Similar in this library
Pages
176
DDC/MDS
| 813.5 |