Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Doubleday Foundation (New York, 1989). Book club edition. 334 pages.
Description
"A totally new and original work that stretches his talents to their fullest . . . welcome back, champ!"--The Detroit News In the twenty-third century pioneers have escaped the crowded earth for life in self-sustaining orbital colonies. One of the colonies, Rotor, has broken away from the solar system to create its own renegade utopia around an unknown red star two light-years from Earth: a star named Nemesis. Now a fifteen-year-old Rotorian girl has learned of the dire threat that nemesis poses to Earth's people--but she is prevented from warning them. Soon she will realize that Nemesis endangers Rotor as well. And so it will be up to her alone to save both Earth and Rotor as--drawn inexorably by Nemesis, the death star--they hurtle toward certain disaster.… (more)
Media reviews
Nemesis is also written in Asimov's traditional plain style. Descriptions of people and places are perfunctory. It is astounding that a 364-page gas giant of a novel leaves you with so little idea what its main characters are actually like.
Compared with what Philip K. Dick was doing in the '60s
Compared with what Philip K. Dick was doing in the '60s
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this is unimaginative stuff.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member StormRaven
Nemesis posits that in the future, wealthy orbital colonies and a compratively impovershed Earth will be at loggerheads, constantly fighting with one another. Nemesis follows a breakaway orbital colony that leaves the solar system using "hyper assistance" (allowing them to travel at the speed of
At the same time, one of the young members of the breakaway colony discovers that the bacterial life that covers the planet forms a single collective intelligence. It is also discovered that Nemesis itself threatens all life in the solar system because it will disturb the orbits of the planets, killing everything. With the help of the collective intelligence, the threat is averted.
This is one of the few novels Asimov wrote in his later years that could work as a stand alone effort. There is a clumsy effort to tie it into the Foundation chronology, but that can be safely ignored as irrelevant (it is implied that the collective intelligence found in the book forms the basis for the Gaia of the Foundation sequels).
The book is slightly above average, better than most of the later Foundation-Robot prequels, sequels, and crossovers, but not as good as Asimov's earlier works.
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light) to a nearby red dwarf star (that is named Nemesis) and a marginally inhabitable planet. Internal politics of the colony make settling the planet less than a priority, and eventually humanity catches up with them - by developing superluminal flight.At the same time, one of the young members of the breakaway colony discovers that the bacterial life that covers the planet forms a single collective intelligence. It is also discovered that Nemesis itself threatens all life in the solar system because it will disturb the orbits of the planets, killing everything. With the help of the collective intelligence, the threat is averted.
This is one of the few novels Asimov wrote in his later years that could work as a stand alone effort. There is a clumsy effort to tie it into the Foundation chronology, but that can be safely ignored as irrelevant (it is implied that the collective intelligence found in the book forms the basis for the Gaia of the Foundation sequels).
The book is slightly above average, better than most of the later Foundation-Robot prequels, sequels, and crossovers, but not as good as Asimov's earlier works.
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LibraryThing member sdowswell
There's something entirely delicious about a well written piece of science fiction. It goes without saying that Isaac Asimov is a good name to look under for examples, but very often with Asimov you're looking at a minimum 3 book commitment. Not so in the case of Nemesis, a beautifully crafted and
Nemesis is set at a time when humans have, to a large extent, begun to colonize space. Not other planets, but rather the space between those planets in the solar system in large constructed settlements. One of these settlements, in a bid to create its own upstart civilization, abruptly leaves the solar system. Unknown to the rest of humanity, their destination is a well concealed neighbor star which has been christened "Nemesis." On board is a young and unusual girl who will ultimately learn that the star will truly live up to its name.
While Asimov does have a tendency to furnish his characters with flowery, if not enjoyable, dialogue, he does manage to keep this story entirely encapsulated within its own context. His customary depth of setting is not felt as it usually is, as he is clearly limiting his scope on purpose in this case. The upside is, however, that you really don't have to be a seasoned reader of his other more notable works in order to enjoy this singular story. You may miss out on a few sly references here and there, but you will certainly not be disappointed.
Nemesis is, at its core, a one shot wonder that delivers all that it aims to. It is insightful, entertaining, and doesn't require a long-term commitment from its readers. If you're looking for a quick escape, or a decent introduction to his style, Nemesis comes highly recommended.
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blissfully short jaunt into a future that not only seems possible, but invokes all the modern-day science documentaries we all love to watch but will rarely admit to enjoying. Nemesis is set at a time when humans have, to a large extent, begun to colonize space. Not other planets, but rather the space between those planets in the solar system in large constructed settlements. One of these settlements, in a bid to create its own upstart civilization, abruptly leaves the solar system. Unknown to the rest of humanity, their destination is a well concealed neighbor star which has been christened "Nemesis." On board is a young and unusual girl who will ultimately learn that the star will truly live up to its name.
While Asimov does have a tendency to furnish his characters with flowery, if not enjoyable, dialogue, he does manage to keep this story entirely encapsulated within its own context. His customary depth of setting is not felt as it usually is, as he is clearly limiting his scope on purpose in this case. The upside is, however, that you really don't have to be a seasoned reader of his other more notable works in order to enjoy this singular story. You may miss out on a few sly references here and there, but you will certainly not be disappointed.
Nemesis is, at its core, a one shot wonder that delivers all that it aims to. It is insightful, entertaining, and doesn't require a long-term commitment from its readers. If you're looking for a quick escape, or a decent introduction to his style, Nemesis comes highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member endersreads
This deals with a lovely girl named Marlene, who's beauty lies in her intellect. A memorable character is Marlene's "Uncle Siever". He is not the most intelligent of the group, but probably the wisest. I suppose what I most enjoyed about this book, as I have in many Sci Fi books, is watching the
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main character's intellect blossom, or rather watching the author show us how sharp his main character is. To sum the feeling of this book up, don't we all wish to be young, intelligent, and in telepathic communication with the sentient organism of a semi-habitable moon?Marlene's story and that of those people around her is quite fascinating given their unique circumstances. I was equally if not more fascinated by Asimov's invention of "Hyper-assistance" which in turn leads to superluminal flight. If only we could discover superluminal flight, if only we could discover the energies and will power to discover.... Show Less
LibraryThing member euang
A great read for anyone into science fiction.: This is a "stand alone" story, not related to Asimov's Foundation epic. It has been seriously suggested by astronomers that the sun could have a faint red dwarf companion. This story explores some of the consequences of this possibility, with
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faster-than-light travel and conscious planets thrown in for good measure. This is not great literature or even profound scientific speculation, but it's thoroughly entertaining and well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
When a new red dwarf star is discovered to have a somewhat habitable moon, several colonists migrate there from their home aboard an asteroid. The moon is not a true paradise, though, as strange things happen to those who are exposed to the indigenous bacteria abounding on this world.
After a more
Exploring where other dare not tread, she encounters the bacteria to discover that the world is more than meets the eye.
Though not necessarily set in the Foundation canon, it is mentioned in a later Foundation book as an old legend. This makes it one of Asimov's stand alone novels, and it certainly can stand alone.
If you're a fan of Asimov or even Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri, then this is the book for you.
After a more
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reliable method space travel is discovered, families are reunited on Erythro, the moon of the titular Nemesis. The daughter of the discoverer adjusts to life on this strange new world.Exploring where other dare not tread, she encounters the bacteria to discover that the world is more than meets the eye.
Though not necessarily set in the Foundation canon, it is mentioned in a later Foundation book as an old legend. This makes it one of Asimov's stand alone novels, and it certainly can stand alone.
If you're a fan of Asimov or even Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri, then this is the book for you.
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LibraryThing member Clara53
Quite a deviation from what I usually read, but a pleasant surprise: it made me realize that Asimov can be addictive. I liked the fact that this book was cautiously (not recklessly) optimistic about Earth people venturing out of the Solar System. A good read.
LibraryThing member nmele
I read this novel close to the same time I read one by Robert Charles Wilson, Bios, which started from a similar premise, that all life on a planet comprises an aware entity. Other than that, the two tales are very different, Asimov's focused on an improbably strange solar system approaching earth
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and how humanity deals with its approach. It's a satisfying read from one of the greats.. Show Less
LibraryThing member IAmAndyPieters
In this page turner, Earth is being threatened by an accidentally discovered nearby star system. The threat will take several thousands of years coming, but is it long enough? The people of Rotor are being told by their leader, Janus Pitt, to forget about Earth and start over alone in this new star
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system. Earth, however, is not going to go quietly into that good night and sets out to save itself. Show Less
LibraryThing member Frenzie
I already read this novel at least a decade ago in Dutch translation, although I didn't quite realize it until I'd read the first few chapters. At the time I was less familiar with Asimov's own corpus in particular and I remember I enjoyed it a lot. Perhaps it was the relative lack of novelty, but
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I didn't get the same sense of absorption in the plot as I did back then. Some concepts that are taken for granted in the Foundation series, such as superluminal travel, are explained in more detail, and give or take a few inconsistencies the universe it takes place in is at the very least very similar. If you generally like Asimov then you won't be disappointed, and if you're new to scifi or Asimov there could certainly be worse introductions. Show Less
LibraryThing member JohnFair
Pretty much a standalone for Isaac Asimov, this book takes place in a universe where the solar system is filling up rapidly with the Settlements of the space borns with Earth largely having given up on space concerned with its own ecological problems. One of these colonies,. Rotor, has developed a
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method of travelling almost as fast as light and their first luminal probe finds a rogue star travelling towards the sun. Rotor's Commissioner reckons that this rogue would be the best place for Rotor to go to to remake its society. But Earth hasn't lost all interest in its wayward colonies and throws its resources into working out true supraluminal travel as the growing nature of the threat to the solar system becomes clearer. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
Not my favorite Asimov by any means, this book still succeeds in taking us out to the stars and making us think. Asimov was a true visionary!
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
One of the later novels from the great Asimov. Not Foundation, but still fun!
LibraryThing member librisissimo
As usual, a clearly written, scientifically unimpeachable, exploration of life in different environments, and what it means to be "life" in the first place. Just not outstanding in any particular fashion.
It seems to me that Asimov has created more rounded characters than in earlier works (could
Asimov's experiment with time-shifted chapters that eventually catch up to each other actually works very well for this story.
NOTES: My primary interest is in how Asimov "invents" FTL travel.
It seems to me that Asimov has created more rounded characters than in earlier works (could
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just be because I read most of his books in the sixties and seventies, and few of the later ones until now), and the super-sensitivity of Marlene, the teen girl, is not improbable; the use of her abilities in the story is well done.Asimov's experiment with time-shifted chapters that eventually catch up to each other actually works very well for this story.
NOTES: My primary interest is in how Asimov "invents" FTL travel.
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LibraryThing member scottcholstad
This is one of Asimov’s later works, perhaps his last work, I can’t recall. Much of it is pretty interesting, but it has its weaknesses as well. To me, that sentence sums up Asimov as a writer and his career as well. At times brilliant, at times a total dud. You never know what you’re getting
Nemesis is the story of an Earth colony called Rotor that seeks to escape from the solar system, wanting to create its own upstart civilization free of Earth’s constraints, and even the other settlements’, and it somehow amazingly with Asimov’s amazingly spurious scientific mumbo jumbo moves the colony to a new area of a neighboring star system that is concealed from Earth by huge clouds (no, Hubble couldn’t see through that, thank you), and the star is called Nemesis by the woman who discovers it. The moon that orbits it (there’s an insignificant planet too) is called Erythro and Rotor comes to orbit all of it. And everyone in the solar system is amazed at Rotor’s disappearance and wonders how they did it and where they went. Earth finds the best scientists and puts them on it.
The main protagonist in this book is a fifteen-year-old girl named Marlene. At first, you kind of like her because she’s smart, individualistic, and has big dreams. You also feel sorry for her because she’s basically described by everyone as being ugly but smart. Then you start to realize she’s crazy and she started to get on my nerves in a big damn way. She pretty much ruined the book for me. She turned into a spoiled, dictatorial, tyrannical brat who literally physically made others do her bidding by her mind control, because yes, she has this bizarre ability to “read” other people’s body language, their movements and actions and reactions and facial expressions and other bullshit like that and be able to tell people to their face every thing that person has ever done, thought, is thinking, ever will think or do in their lifetime, etc. I’m slightly exaggerating, but you get the picture. It’s unnerving to everyone around her and doesn’t make her very popular. Indeed, the more she uses her power, which she does, the more eerie and creepy she becomes and the more power hungry she becomes.
And here’s the really weird thing about Marlene. She’s obsessed with Erythro. She wants to go visit it, so she engineers a way to get it done. When she’s there, she makes sure she gets out on the planet’s surface, which is very dangerous, since there are minute alien life forms and a plague. And you need a space suit, since the air is unbreathable. She then keeps finding ways to keep upping the ante. Her super scientist mother is with her on the planet and her only purpose is to wring her hands, act like the poor, helpless female she is, and seek the companionship of the big, strong male character from her past who of course is in love with her and has been his whole life. Eventually, Marlene is so obsessed with the place, she wants to become one with it and insists in going out alone and takes her space suit off, but survives somehow, and then encounters the planet’s major alien life form, who communicates with her. It frightens her at first, but she goes back for more and they establish a relationship. It’s freaking bizarre.
Meanwhile … that’s a lot … the person in charge of Rotor is a scheming man who thinks he’s the only person who can save the colony from disaster. Marlene’s father, her mother’s ex-husband who deserted them before Marlene turned two because Rotor was going to migrate out into space and he was an Earthman and didn’t want to go (also because he was a spy and wasn’t going anywhere with them), is on a secret trip out to where Earth’s government thinks Rotor is, with some government scientists and a super fast new ship. When they find Rotor, he is hoping to reunite with his daughter, even though it’s been nearly 15 years.
Asimov has never been strong at character development in many of his books, as I’ve noted in many previous reviews. I guess this book is as good as any in most of his books, which is to say barely passable for most authors, but not too bad for him. The dialogue, though, is fairly bad. God, her father, Crile, repeated the same crap over and over so many times, I kept hoping he would get blown out an airlock. Marlene kept repeating herself so many times, I kept hoping the alien(s) would melt her with acid or something cool like that. I hated her that much halfway through the book. And it’s not only the repetitions. It’s Asimov’s typical formal language, even for a fifteen-year-old girl. Not remotely believable. Did he ever talk to a teenager that age? I just have a hard time believing that in the late 1980s, when this book was published, girls in their mid-teens sounded that formal. Not remotely realistic. Hell, the rest of the gang sounded incredibly formal too. They all sounded like they came from, ta dah, the same author!
Another complaint along these lines is that a lot of text got bogged down in infodumps, showing off Asimov’s alleged scientific knowledge about how a colony like Rotor got into orbit around Nemesis to the point where no one cares anymore, and who discovered the star and why it was named that, etc, etc. It’s just too much.
Also, the ending was unbelievably anti-climactic and simply unbelievable. Not remotely believable at all. I couldn’t believe that Asimov would have his readers buy that as a legitimate ending. I was stunned. Seriously?
This is a book that had a good premise. Seriously. I was excited to begin reading it. And then I started hating the characters. A lot. The schemers, the weak female scientists who need a strong man in their lives, the father figure who’s been holding out for the (weak) female love of his life, the Earth spies and scientists, the obsessed former father, the increasingly powerful and nearly evil teenager and her alien love-fest, which seems incredibly unhealthy. Etc. Just too much. The scheming, the manipulating, the using, the alien(s), everything just started annoying me a lot. I thought about not finishing it, but by that time I was halfway through, so I kept reading. I partially enjoyed the book, although as I said, I thought the ending was seriously weak. I’m not sure whether to give this two or three stars. I think there are too many issues to give it three, so I’m giving it two stars. Not recommended. Sadly.
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with him until you start reading.Nemesis is the story of an Earth colony called Rotor that seeks to escape from the solar system, wanting to create its own upstart civilization free of Earth’s constraints, and even the other settlements’, and it somehow amazingly with Asimov’s amazingly spurious scientific mumbo jumbo moves the colony to a new area of a neighboring star system that is concealed from Earth by huge clouds (no, Hubble couldn’t see through that, thank you), and the star is called Nemesis by the woman who discovers it. The moon that orbits it (there’s an insignificant planet too) is called Erythro and Rotor comes to orbit all of it. And everyone in the solar system is amazed at Rotor’s disappearance and wonders how they did it and where they went. Earth finds the best scientists and puts them on it.
The main protagonist in this book is a fifteen-year-old girl named Marlene. At first, you kind of like her because she’s smart, individualistic, and has big dreams. You also feel sorry for her because she’s basically described by everyone as being ugly but smart. Then you start to realize she’s crazy and she started to get on my nerves in a big damn way. She pretty much ruined the book for me. She turned into a spoiled, dictatorial, tyrannical brat who literally physically made others do her bidding by her mind control, because yes, she has this bizarre ability to “read” other people’s body language, their movements and actions and reactions and facial expressions and other bullshit like that and be able to tell people to their face every thing that person has ever done, thought, is thinking, ever will think or do in their lifetime, etc. I’m slightly exaggerating, but you get the picture. It’s unnerving to everyone around her and doesn’t make her very popular. Indeed, the more she uses her power, which she does, the more eerie and creepy she becomes and the more power hungry she becomes.
And here’s the really weird thing about Marlene. She’s obsessed with Erythro. She wants to go visit it, so she engineers a way to get it done. When she’s there, she makes sure she gets out on the planet’s surface, which is very dangerous, since there are minute alien life forms and a plague. And you need a space suit, since the air is unbreathable. She then keeps finding ways to keep upping the ante. Her super scientist mother is with her on the planet and her only purpose is to wring her hands, act like the poor, helpless female she is, and seek the companionship of the big, strong male character from her past who of course is in love with her and has been his whole life. Eventually, Marlene is so obsessed with the place, she wants to become one with it and insists in going out alone and takes her space suit off, but survives somehow, and then encounters the planet’s major alien life form, who communicates with her. It frightens her at first, but she goes back for more and they establish a relationship. It’s freaking bizarre.
Meanwhile … that’s a lot … the person in charge of Rotor is a scheming man who thinks he’s the only person who can save the colony from disaster. Marlene’s father, her mother’s ex-husband who deserted them before Marlene turned two because Rotor was going to migrate out into space and he was an Earthman and didn’t want to go (also because he was a spy and wasn’t going anywhere with them), is on a secret trip out to where Earth’s government thinks Rotor is, with some government scientists and a super fast new ship. When they find Rotor, he is hoping to reunite with his daughter, even though it’s been nearly 15 years.
Asimov has never been strong at character development in many of his books, as I’ve noted in many previous reviews. I guess this book is as good as any in most of his books, which is to say barely passable for most authors, but not too bad for him. The dialogue, though, is fairly bad. God, her father, Crile, repeated the same crap over and over so many times, I kept hoping he would get blown out an airlock. Marlene kept repeating herself so many times, I kept hoping the alien(s) would melt her with acid or something cool like that. I hated her that much halfway through the book. And it’s not only the repetitions. It’s Asimov’s typical formal language, even for a fifteen-year-old girl. Not remotely believable. Did he ever talk to a teenager that age? I just have a hard time believing that in the late 1980s, when this book was published, girls in their mid-teens sounded that formal. Not remotely realistic. Hell, the rest of the gang sounded incredibly formal too. They all sounded like they came from, ta dah, the same author!
Another complaint along these lines is that a lot of text got bogged down in infodumps, showing off Asimov’s alleged scientific knowledge about how a colony like Rotor got into orbit around Nemesis to the point where no one cares anymore, and who discovered the star and why it was named that, etc, etc. It’s just too much.
Also, the ending was unbelievably anti-climactic and simply unbelievable. Not remotely believable at all. I couldn’t believe that Asimov would have his readers buy that as a legitimate ending. I was stunned. Seriously?
This is a book that had a good premise. Seriously. I was excited to begin reading it. And then I started hating the characters. A lot. The schemers, the weak female scientists who need a strong man in their lives, the father figure who’s been holding out for the (weak) female love of his life, the Earth spies and scientists, the obsessed former father, the increasingly powerful and nearly evil teenager and her alien love-fest, which seems incredibly unhealthy. Etc. Just too much. The scheming, the manipulating, the using, the alien(s), everything just started annoying me a lot. I thought about not finishing it, but by that time I was halfway through, so I kept reading. I partially enjoyed the book, although as I said, I thought the ending was seriously weak. I’m not sure whether to give this two or three stars. I think there are too many issues to give it three, so I’m giving it two stars. Not recommended. Sadly.
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LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
I am rather amazed. This book has several female characters that are as real (and important to the plot) as the males. This is not a brilliant book, but it reads easily and enjoyably.
LibraryThing member hskey
A bit disappointing, to be honest. I went in with sky-high expectations, I adore Asimov and this is the 20th book of his I've read so I know his style pretty well. A lot of the fundamentals are here; small cast, big ideas and stakes, a ton of exposition and scientific explanations, but it doesn't
I still enjoyed reading it and am glad I did, but compared to the Foundation/Robots/Empire series of his, along with The Gods Themselves and the End of Eternity, it's easily among his weakest.
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quite come together as his other books did. In addition, I may have been spoiled by the Three Body Problem and the Expanse - in terms of human exploration into space, colonization of planets, scientific discovery, global threats, etc. those have really set the bar and it feels low here. I still enjoyed reading it and am glad I did, but compared to the Foundation/Robots/Empire series of his, along with The Gods Themselves and the End of Eternity, it's easily among his weakest.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1989-10
Physical description
364 p.; 9.1 inches
ISBN
0385247923 / 9780385247924