Azazel

This collection of stories is a series I think I would have preferred in the original setting of a magazine. The repetitive nature of the stories would have been more appreciated had I had some time in between them. After the fifth story in the book, I found myself grating my teeth at certain lines

I would have loved if I had had more than 20 minutes since I had last read it.

Asimov is a master of fantasy with morals behind it, though. I would start a story, knowing full well that a twist was coming, either to teach a lesson or to show that fulfilled desires do not equal happiness, and I would still be surprised at the spin.

Show Less

6 more

LibraryThing member Karlstar

Something a bit different from Asimov, a short story collection that is contemporary fantasy, not science fiction or science fact. All of these stories share a common theme - temptation by the imp Azazel.

LibraryThing member jessicariddoch

something very different from asimov, which shows that he is a great writer and is not restricted to a single field.
This is a collection of short stories all taken from magaizines about a man and a red imp who cannot help but try to help people. It is a contemporary setting although I almost feel

that the characters are a little behind the times, even for when it was written.
The stories apparently chaged from science fiction (the imp originally bine an alien) to more fantacy on request of the magazines (Asimov himself explanes this in the introduction) though having read the sotries I find it difficult to believe that they were ever different to what they are now.

The individual stories all follow the same formula with one man telling another the tale of what happened this time when the imp decided to involve itself in human affares. This imp owner being the type of man who borrows money and never repays it and sticks his guest with the bill for the meal, the suggestion always is that the hearer of the story is non to believing of this marvelours being.
It is a compforatble formula, with the story unfolding and then the twist in the tale. The interference for good never seems to work out and there is a moral that goes through them all.
each story is well worked out and there is progression throught the book of the development of the relationship between the two characters talking and with the imp.
an easy but satisfying read

Show Less

LibraryThing member g33kgrrl

I enjoyed the stories I got through, but they are pretty much all the same so I gave up on this pretty quickly. I skipped ahead and read the last two in case there was an overall arc I missed, but they were essentially the same as the first one. The serialized nature shows through pretty easily.

They aren't bad, just repetitive.

Show Less

LibraryThing member NickHowes

An amusing collection of stories told over dinner with insulting deadbeat George who tells Asimov entertaining stories about the two centimeter demon he calls up for good deeds named Azazel. Azazel only does good deeds but never directly for George. And they often usually backfire in an

entertaining way. George gets a little tiresome after awhile but Asimov claims he more than makes up for the loss in cadged meals and borrowed sawbucks with stories he sells. The book is just long enough to be entertaining without the formula being overly repetitious. Recommended light, amusing reading.

Show Less

LibraryThing member PhilipJHunt

Just think "P.G. Wodehouse". Here is SF writer, Isaac Asimov, showing off his writing talents by imitating Wodehouse in a series of short stories about a little demon whose good deeds turn bad. It's not science fiction, and it's the sort of book to read a chapter at a time when you're having a cup

of tea and cucumber sandwiches. Undemanding and lightweight, as Asimov intended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member teknognome

A nice collection of witty short stories, which is different from the usual Asimov fare. The stories, however all contain the same theme, of fulfilled wishes going awry, and would be much better read a couple at a time, than all in one day or two. Azazel is quite amusingly portrayed, the anecdotes

of how the wishes go wrong (and the peculiarity of some of the wishes) are entertaining, and the comments the author makes about himself are interesting. All in all, a fun read, even with the repetition

Show Less

Fewer