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The Naked Sun (Robot #2)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 13,104 ratings · 340 reviews

A millennium into the future, two advancements have altered the course of human history:the colonization of the Galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain.On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermit-like existence, their every need attended to by their faithful robot servants.To this strange and provocative planet comes D...more

Mass Market Paperback, 270 pages

Published October 12th 1986 by Del Rey (first published 1956)

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Dec 02, 2012 sologdin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, nerd-boiled, speculative

Nutshell: superstar earthling detective imported to dyslibertopian planet to investigate murder.

Libertarian dystopia is Solaria, a planet of 20,000 human persons who live on separate estates, worked by 200,000,000 robot slaves (28-29). The libertarian individualism is so complete that humans don't "see" each other, but merely "view" on television (63). Names are not used on more than one person (55). Their excess is sufficient "to devote a single room to a single purpose": library, music room, g...more Nutshell: superstar earthling detective imported to dyslibertopian planet to investigate murder.

Libertarian dystopia is Solaria, a planet of 20,000 human persons who live on separate estates, worked by 200,000,000 robot slaves (28-29). The libertarian individualism is so complete that humans don't "see" each other, but merely "view" on television (63). Names are not used on more than one person (55). Their excess is sufficient "to devote a single room to a single purpose": library, music room, gymnasium, kitchen, bakery, dining room, machine shop, &c. (37-38)--all for only one person per estate, even spouses live on separate parts of the estate and rarely "see" each other. The viewing proceeds through a baudriallardian hyperreality device, allowing the "mistaking for reality" (45). The only regulation of human affairs is that marriages and reproduction are arranged via careful genetic governance.

FTL magic: "It lasted an instant and Baley knew it was aa jump, that oddly incomprehensible, almost mystical, momentary transition through hyperspace" (16).

Some bad lay interpretation of law: Elijah notes that a robot is incompetent to testify on Earth (80), and Daneel suggests that "a footprint can" despite being much less human than a robot. Under our rules of evidence, however, a footprint is also incompetent to testify, and requires a sworn witness to authenticate it. Similarly, Elijah's investigation insists that "murder rests on three legs," the standard lay position regarding motive, means, opportunity (81). Criminal law requires none of that, technically, requiring only a killing with specific intent or during the course of a felony, or whatever.

Cool foreshadowing of the zeroth law in Elijah's "it is as much my job to prevent harm to mankind as a whole" (125).

Absolutely grand dialogue between Elijah and a sociologist regarding the parallels of the robot economy to Sparta (133-51). Asimov's at his most engaging in this type of scene. Nifty that the "human-robot ratio in any economy that has accepted robot labor tends continuously to increase despite any laws that are passed to prevent it. The increase is slowed, but never stopped. At first the human population increases, but the robot population increases much more quickloy. Then, after a critical point is reached [...] the human population beings actually to decline [...] approaches a true social stability [...] the humans are the leisure class only [...] the end of human history" (150). So, it's marxism's organic composition of capital argument regarding the falling rate of profit leading inexorably to the self-destruction of capitalism, but transformed into the robotic composition of capital, falling rate of human birthrate, leading inexorably to the self-destruction of human labor power, and Hegel's end of history in veblenic bliss. All based on robot slavery, of course. No wonder the robots in The Terminator, The Matrix, and Battlestar Galactica commit genocide against their former owers. It's Toussaint l'Ouverture up in this bitch.

We are into Brave New World territory when the investigation carries Elijah to a fetus farm (157-75).

The third great conversation of the novel is with a robotics theorist (187-99), especially with respect to creating violations of the three laws through carefully worded instructions.

Recommended for those who are logical but not reasonable, readers who feel neither sympathy nor patience for queasy robots, and persons for whom the distinction between seeing the person and viewing the person's image is all the difference there is.(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Amalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translations, mystery-horror-thriller, science-fiction

Here's from Wikipedia: Robot Series novels (The Caves of Steel (1953), The Naked Sun (1956), The Robots of Dawn (1983), and Robots and Empire(1985)) make up the Elijah Baley (sometimes "Lije Baley") series, and are mysteries starring the Terran Elijah Baley and his humaniform robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw.

The stories were not initially conceived as a set, but rather all feature his positronic robots — indeed, there are some inconsistencies among them, especially between the short stories and...more

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May 12, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction, mystery, crime

I can't remember if I've read The Naked Sun before. I think I did, because I had a vague idea about the end. Anyway. This time, it took me ages to read, and I'm not sure why -- when I finally settled down to it, I read over half of it in pretty much one sitting. Elijah Baley, an earth detective who was introduced in The Caves of Steel, is sent to an Outer World planet to investigate something unheard of there: a murder. And Daneel, the robot who assists him in the first book, meets him there as...more

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Jun 14, 2007 Punk rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

SF. Baley's called to investigate another murder, this one off planet. R. Daneel provides back up. Sherlock Holmes could have solved this case in his sleep, but, again, the book's really just an excuse to play with different sociological perspectives. This one's set on a planet where the people are so isolated that personal interaction has become taboo. This makes the inseparable Daneel and Elijah raise some eyebrows. Witness the scene where they're conducting an interview over the 3-D viewer-th...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Parallel Worlds rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intended Audience: Adult
Sexual content: N
Ace/Genderqueer characters: Y
Rating: PG
Writing style: 4/5
Likable characters: 4/5

At the end of The Caves of Steel, Daneel and Lije went their separate ways, the murder solved and the shaky peace between Earth and the Spacers salvaged. In The Naked Sun, a few years have passed and things are going pretty well for Lije, until he is shipped off to the planet Solaria with very little explanation other than the fact that another murder requires solving. Luckily...more Intended Audience: Adult
Sexual content: N
Ace/Genderqueer characters: Y
Rating: PG
Writing style: 4/5
Likable characters: 4/5

At the end of The Caves of Steel, Daneel and Lije went their separate ways, the murder solved and the shaky peace between Earth and the Spacers salvaged. In The Naked Sun, a few years have passed and things are going pretty well for Lije, until he is shipped off to the planet Solaria with very little explanation other than the fact that another murder requires solving. Luckily, he is reunited with Daneel, who happens to be familiar with Solarian society.

As far as entertainment value goes, this book is just as strong as The Caves of Steel. I had forgotten until I leafed through it today just how much is going on aside from the murder mystery. Not only are Lije’s exasperated reactions to Solarian culture amusing, but his reunion with Daneel leaves him a bit puzzled about how he managed to develop such fondness for a robot. As partners they work in close tandem through most of the book, although they are also set at odds due to Daneel’s overprotective nature. It’s hard enough for Lije to conquer his agoraphobia without Daneel hovering over him and asking if he’s alright every few minutes, but Lije is determined to not let his fear interfere with the investigation.

I say there is no sexual content in this book. Well, there are some awkward moments… for example, the new female character, Gladia, answers a video call in the nude. But the narrative doesn’t go into detail and Lije quickly shrugs off any attraction he feels. It’s not a central element of the story. Gladia excuses herself because in Solarian society, “viewing” (holographic video-calls), and “seeing” are quite different; what is acceptable in one instance is inconceivable in the other. Solarian society could almost be interpreted as asexual, since Solarians rarely have sex unless they want to produce children, but the sweeping of sexuality under the rug is more a symptom of Solarian phobia toward being in the same physical space in general. So, while it is interesting to see the tables turned for once—a character feeling broken for being sexually attracted to another person at all—Solarian culture doesn’t really count as representation. We still have to look to the robots for ace characters.

As far as interesting humans go, Lije is still far and away the best, but the little side characters in this book have some life to them, and Lije and Daneel’s interactions are particularly entertaining, which is why I upped the rating to 4/5.

Overall, The Naked Sun is a very close second to The Caves of Steel when it comes to character development, pacing and engaging descriptions. There is a bit less info-dumping in the narrative in this one—instead, aspects of the world are revealed through dialogue as Lije asks questions in the course of the investigation. However there are one or two moments where characters react unrealistically, and that is what keeps this from surpassing its predecessor.
(less)

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Dec 21, 2012 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This second novel in the "Lije Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw Trilogy/Series" is good, very very good, but weaker than its predecessor. (WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE CAVES OF STEEL AHEAD) Elijah travels to Solaria, a Spacer planet, to investigate the murder of a man via robotic means in a isolationist society. Again, Asimov's prose is informational and muted with streaks of violet in it, and it works just as well as the other's prose. The mystery again is engrossing but not wholly unsolvable by...more

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Nov 15, 2012 J Austill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I seem to disagree with the consensus on this book, as I think that this one is far improved from the first.

The concept of this series, as you all likely know, was to combine the detective novel and scifi novel genres. However, in the first book, the protagonist did everything he could to not investigate the crime until the very end when he guessed correctly.

This time we get a true, if not textbook, detective novel. There are certainly robots and a new world and culture to explore, but the main...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Willis added it · review of another edition

This is the second of Asimov's robot novels. The detective protagonist of The Caves of Steel is brought back to investigate a murder off-world. He travels to a far-off planet where a small number of humans live among a large number of robots. Asimov tries to show the advantages and disadvantages of a society where robots perform all the work and humans have the leisure to do whatever they enjoy doing most. The contrasts of this world and the Earth with its billions of inhabitants and distrust of...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Alexa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brillante segunda novela de la trilogía de ciencia ficción/policiaca de la llamada "serie de los robots". Está vez Lijah Baley y Daneel Olivaw están en la investigación de un asesinato que, contra toda lógica de las leyes, parece haber sido cometido por un robot. Los protagonistas deben viajar al planeta Solaria, el cual cuenta con un alto nivel tecnológico dentro de una extraña sociedad en la que los idividuos son tan autónomos que ya no soportan la presencia de sus congéneres (ni por unos minu...more

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Jul 07, 2011 ***Dave Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: text

Like The Caves of Steel, this is a favorite from my youth, and for the most part it holds up well. Lije Baley returns as the NYC cop in a future where agoraphobic Earthers live in massive, covered-over arcologies, while their Spacer descendants live on a variety of Outer Worlds, both groups viewing the other with contempt and fear.

Unlike the first novel, set on Baley's home turf of NYC, in this novel Baley's sent to the Outer World of Solaria, populated by only 20,000 humans and many millions of...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century-fiction, books-from-1957, sci-fi

This is the sequel to The Caves of Steel, again featuring Detective Lige Baley and his robot assistant R Daneel Olivaw. They go offworld to investigate a murder on Solaria, one of the 50 Outer Worlds inhabited by humans.

Solaria's most eminent scientist has been found dead and it appears that he was done in by his wife. The planet has something like 200 robots for every human, similar to the slave/master populations of certain ancient civilizations. These robots are all under the Three Laws of...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 1954-1969, metal-men, mystery, humans-rule-the-galaxy, good-guys, the-worlds-the-thing, sff-detectives, science-fiction

4.5 stars. I just re-read this story after first reading it years ago. This is the second book of the Robot series taking place shortly after the excellent The Caves of Steel. Like The Caves of Steel, this story is structured as a murder mystery though this one is set on the Spacer world of Solaria. Again, Elijah Bailey is reunited with his robot partner Daneel Olivaw to investigate the murder, thus time of a Solarian scientist.

Asimov continues his exploration of the contrast between Earth cult...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Raj rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, whodunnit

The sequel to The Caves of Steel, this time instead of a murder of a Spacer on Earth, there's a murder on the planet Solaria -- an unheard of event -- so they ask for Plainclothesman Bailey to come out to investigate, once again being teamed up with R. Daneel Olivaw.

Asimov has used these books to compare and contrast two very different societies: the huge underground cities of Earth, teeming with people who never see the outside world; and Solaria, a planet with a rigidly controlled population,...more

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Mar 03, 2010 Thermalsatsuma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

The society of the planet Solaria is the polar opposite of that of Earth. There are a mere twenty thousand spacers living there, and they in turn are outnumbered by robots by a factor of ten thousand to one. This wealth of resources and space allows the Solarians to live lives of splendid isolation on their large estates, communicating with each other solely by remote holographic viewing and devoting their time to the pursuit of academic studies or art rather than physical labour which is the pu...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*4.85
It's every bit as good as its predecessor. Actually, better. Asimov does a wonderful job of incorporating backstory without anything becoming repetitive, and I do not for a moment lose interest in the subject matter. The only complaint I'd have is the slightly - well, okay, very - predictable character development. But of course it is of a necessary sort, just like any hero-protagonist like Frodo or Ender, they learn the same lessons but it's important and touching and inspiring all the sam...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Joe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third in the robot series from Asimov and continues his study of how human society would react to the introduction of robots. This story revolves around a murder on a highly roboticized world where the murder is highly improbably, and in this instance, not supposed to be possible. Asimov, as usual, lays out a great story with characters (including robots) who motivations and desires are clearly understood and believable.

Of more interest is how Asimov sees human society developing as...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Harv Griffin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: old-school Sci-Fi lovers

Shelves: science-fiction, reviewed, own

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for Asimov's I ROBOT short story collection and his THE REST OF THE ROBOTS short story collection. But this is my favorite Asimov novel; it is also one of my all-time favorite detective novels, SF or non-SF. It is sort of a sequel to an earlier novel of his: The Caves of Steel. But I like this one a lot better. You don't need to read them both, or read them in order; but it is true that the two novels enrich each other in defining a future allegorical...more There will always be a soft spot in my heart for Asimov's I ROBOT short story collection and his THE REST OF THE ROBOTS short story collection. But this is my favorite Asimov novel; it is also one of my all-time favorite detective novels, SF or non-SF. It is sort of a sequel to an earlier novel of his: The Caves of Steel. But I like this one a lot better. You don't need to read them both, or read them in order; but it is true that the two novels enrich each other in defining a future allegorical world view, and in highlighting the relationship between the two detectives.

If you are one of those people who absolutely must read things in order, I would start with the Positronic Robot short story collections, then take on the novels in order, finishing with the final short story: I ROBOT; THE REST OF THE ROBOTS; THE CAVES OF STEEL; THE NAKED SUN; THE ROBOTS OF DAWN; MIRROR IMAGE. I have not read Mirror Image. I consider The Robots of Dawn the weakest novel in the series. I think Asimov got bored with the series toward the end (while writing Robots of Dawn?) and went on to other projects. When fans wanted more, all he could deliver was a final short story.

A human detective: Elijah. His partner Daneel is a robot so perfectly humanoid that other humans, and other robots, think it is human.

What keeps me coming back to re-read The Naked Sun is the strongly allegorical presentation, the "male bonding" between the human detective and the robot detective, the robots (yes, I'm a robot freak), and the awesome detective "who-done-it" at the center of it all. The detective aspects are not as lyrical as Raymond Chandler nor as breezy as Robert B. Parker, but they are vintage Asimov at the absolute top of his game.

In this series Asimov takes neurotic mental quirks, pushes them to their logical extremes, and elegantly builds a future out of them. Elijah has lived his entire life enclosed in tiny habitation boxes of overcrowded Earth; a mob of people pressing in upon him is comforting, while a free open space cripples him with terror. On Solaria, where the detectives go to solve a murder, humans rarely come into actual physical contact; almost all human intercourse is done by "viewing" which is so "lifelike" that Elijah at first mistakes it for actually being with another person. On Solaria, with each human residing on a separate estate cared for by an army of robots, the idea of actually being in physical proximity with another person is disgusting.

The copyright on this puppy is 1956. Nature versus Nurture. In this future Asimov pushes the limits of Nurture: the people in these novels are the product of their environment. Powerful Spacers versus powerless Earthers. This was state-of-the-art Science Fiction in the Fifties, and it still kicks ass and takes names in 2012. I almost wish another writer would take on this future with a few more "authorized" sequels. If someone paid me to write one, the moment I came up with a default-plot I would jump in, full-tilt boogie! @hg47

Oops!
P.S. - that would be Postscript.
P.R. - that would be Post Review.

On GoodReads I just learned about a 4th novel in this series I was not aware of: Robots and Empire. Asimov's fans demanded, and the dude did deliver. My mistake. @hg47 (less)

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May 31, 2012 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Great book. This is a murder mystery set far in the future. A distant planet endures the first murder in its history. On Earth, plainclothesman detective Elijah Baley is summoned to help solve the crime
Once on the planet Solaria, he teams up with his partner from the prior book in the robot series, R Daneel Olivaw. As they learn to maneuver Solaria, they uncover the alien culture and underlying social issues that drive one to murder.
Although set in a very different future, Asimov again built...more

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Aug 15, 2011 melydia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This time around, Lije Baley is sent to solve a murder case on another planet. I just want to note that sometimes dated SF can be really amusing. In this case, I was entertained by the notion that the “expressway” between DC and NYC takes ten hours. But that’s neither here nor there. As an Earthman, Baley is used to crowded underground cities and always being surrounded by people, be it in the cafeterias for meals or in the public restrooms. The planet Solaria is the opposite: the planet is home...more

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Mar 08, 2008 Zen Cho rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, dudebooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 03, 2012 Saretta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: language-eng, crime, sf-robot, crime-detective-story, sf, all-time-favourites

Il ciclo dei robot per me è quello più riuscito di Asimov (meglio anche di quello della Fondazione, ebbene sì) perchè ha ancora dei legami con la storia della Terra.
Mentre il primo volume descriveva la vita negli abissi d'acciaio sovrapopolati questo romanzo si svolge su uno dei pianeti degli spaziali: Solaria.
La vita su Solaria è completamente opposta a quella della Terra: pochissimi abitanti che vivono su appezzamenti enormi circondati da robot al loro servizio.
Mentre sulla Terra il contatto u...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"c1956. Your classic ""murder in a locked room"" given a futuristic twist. I enjoyed the style of writing which was not overloaded with descriptions but the background and world was subtlely drawn. Characterisation gave me enough info to like the 2 main characters. To me, the story has not dated at all with no reference to timeline at all other than in general terms. A lot of emphasis based on the difference between viewing and seeing - an interesting and thought provoking concept. ""It's such a...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Ché-Dermont rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll start by saying that this book touched me in a way I didn't expect. In all honesty, I didn't expect it to be what it was (to me). Most would see it as a simple sci-fi murder mystery sort of thing. I saw it as a social commentary of sorts. As a person very much in love with the subject of Sociology, and to some extent, History, I could not help but draw to this conclusion. People familiar with the subjects may derive the same if they read this.

I find it hard to write a structured review abou...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Gergely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, fiction, 20th-century

Following up on The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov changes the setting completely, to throw his detective into a difficult situation. If you have ever visited a country that you didn't know at all, I'm sure you'll find the description of the detective's experience most familiar.

Besides the mystery that is interesting on its own right, this book also opens the discussion to what is the direction humanity is changing? What are the disadvantages of certain changes. If The Caves of Steel show's one fa...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Dilyana Georgieva rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: Англоезично-english

Аз друго помня от тази книга - не неразплетимите роботически закони, които Азимов - сам техен създател - майсторски атакува многократно.
Това, което се е забило толкова дълбоко в съзнанието ми (все пак романсът ми с Айзък бе на петнайсет), беше идеята му за едно цяло общество, страдащо от агорафобия. Представете си свят, в който хората се ужасяват да стоят в една стая с други хора. Тогава това ми се видя доста реално като бъдеща проекция. А и сам Азимов беше казал, че фантастиката е за това - не...more

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May 07, 2010 Michael Tildsley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not "life-changing," but still a very good read. I really enjoy reading this series as a precursor to the Foundation series, while reading it also to enjoy its own individual merit. The character juxtapositions of Baley to the inhabitants of Solaria really make this one work. As a reader, I relate to Baley's frustration while also instinctively feeling that he is also alien to our present humanity.

I don't see why they call this series the "Robot Series," though. True, robots are a part of the s...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Cassandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: secular-fiction

A quick read. Another interesting look at the interactions between humanoid robots and humans. I think the best part of Asimov's writing is the quick wit in the dialogue. Some of the lines are hilarious. My favorite conversation from The Naked Sun:

"You know, there is a phrase I once picked up; I don't know where it comes from; something about the pursuit of happiness."

Baley said thoughtfully, "All men are 'endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights... among these are life, liberty...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Silvio Curtis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Naked Sun is the sequel to The Caves of Steel, and I'm not sure why I didn't read it before now. The Earthman detective Elijah Baley and Robot Daneel Olivaw are called on to investigate another Spacer murder. But this time the murder is on the planet Solaria instead of on Earth. Elijah lands on the planet knowing absolutely nothing about Solarian culture, and so he has to figure out its puzzles - such as why they sent for a detective from another planet instead of dealing with the situation...more

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Dec 14, 2008 Reinhold rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Gelungener Science Fiction Krimi

Die nackte Sonne ist absolut gelungen. Es ist wunderbar wie sich Asimov in eine neue Welt hineindenkt. Er beschreibt eben auch eine Weiterentwicklung auf sozialer Ebene.

Auf dem Planeten Solaria wurde jemand ermordet. Naja könnte man nun denken, warum soll das in einer Zukunft nicht auch möglich sein, dass die Menschen sich nicht zur Perfektion gewandelt haben. Das besondere daran ist allerdings, dass sich auf dieser Welt Menschen nicht begegnen, zumindest nicht ph...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love

I read The Naked Sun as a teenager and I loved it. I read it again being adult and I loved it even more if that's possible.

It's a kind of "comfort book", easy to read (can be completed in a few hours) and like any good detective novel, interesting to the end. Even more interesting than the previous "The Caves of Steel".

This time we'll go with the detective Elijah Baley (a kind of spatial Poirot) to Solaria to solve a murder and the knowledge of this new world, the unusual traditions and culture...more

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About Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered the most prolific writer of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine of the te...more Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Professor Asimov is generally considered the most prolific writer of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He has works published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (lacking only an entry in the 100s category of Philosophy).

Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He penned numerous short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time, a title many still honor. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as a great amount of nonfiction. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.

Most of Asimov's popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, and Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs" He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, NY elementary school, and two different Isaac Asimov Awards are named in his honor.

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Isaac Asimov. (2007, November 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:50, November 29, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?t...(less)

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