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Los propios dioses (Solaris)

by Isaac Asimov

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 16,564 ratings · 431 reviews

-The Gods Themselves

Published October 30th 2007 by La Factiora De Ideas (first published 1972)

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Feb 22, 2013 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hugo-award-winners, nebula-award-winners, books-i-own, science-fiction, sf-road-trip-2012

What’s a man supposed to do? Here is a novel that is greatly revered by critics and fans alike. It received both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel (1972 and 1973 respectively). Asimov himself identified this as his favourite. And yet…

I normally really enjoy Asimov’s works. Foundation, especially, is one of my favourite SF novels. I am going to go against what appears to be the norm by not giving this novel four or five stars. It’s a novel I respected rather than enjoyed.

I can certainly r...more

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Apr 11, 2008 Jason Pettus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classic" books, then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label

Book #12: The Gods Themselves, by Isaac Asimov (1972)

The story in a nutshell:
Originally published as three interrelated novellas in magazine form, Isaac Asi...more

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Aug 19, 2007 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Science Fiction Fans; Newcomers and Old-timers

Shelves: read-at-least-twice, favorites

Isaac Asimov rarely wrote about either aliens or sex. In response to critics who complained about these omissions, he wrote a book about alien sex. Rather, a book whose middle third is mostly about alien sex. (Mostly.) The other two thirds of the book tell one of the "purest" and "hardest" science fiction stories I've ever read.

By pure, I mean that there's a single, science-related "what-if," and that the story hinges upon that. (In contrast to, for example, a space opera such as Star Trek, in w...more

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May 06, 2012 sologdin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative, geocentric-aliens

Read this as a kid, and didn't get it. Upon rereading, it's kickass.

The first section belabors very well a nice joke from Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions, proposing a change to the physics of the universe, building an elaborate Tesla-style economics on them, and then exposing how no one wants to alter the physics, even when faced with certain death, because that would require alteration of the economics.

The middle section switches to some weird aliens with trilateral sex lives, simila...more

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May 14, 2008 Marcel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chosen as my leadership institute award-winning novel in the genre sci-fi. The Gods Themselves is a 1972 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972 and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973.

This book is a real page turner! I seem to have put aside all of my other books to fully engage this one. The plot is imaginative, especially when one considers that it was written before computers. The character development is excellent!

After finishing the...more

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Mar 13, 2008 rgb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just reread this book for the umptieth time over many years, and was struck once again by what a fine piece of work it is. This is one of the best pieces of pure science fiction every written. It isn't the best STORY, of course -- Asimov himself has better ones, as do many other science fiction authors from the post WWII era. But only a handful of other stories such as Forward's Dragon's Egg come to mind as being such excellent science fiction.

I am a physicist, mind you. The amazing thing abou...more I just reread this book for the umptieth time over many years, and was struck once again by what a fine piece of work it is. This is one of the best pieces of pure science fiction every written. It isn't the best STORY, of course -- Asimov himself has better ones, as do many other science fiction authors from the post WWII era. But only a handful of other stories such as Forward's Dragon's Egg come to mind as being such excellent science fiction.

I am a physicist, mind you. The amazing thing about this book is that it was written decades ago and yet STILL I find the underlying physical premise plausible. This is one of the earliest, and best, multiple universe theory books out there, and actually implicitly postulates physics that explains e.g. the big bang by means of a directed coupling across those Universes. They are differentiated, for example, by the strength of the strong nuclear interaction. Places where it is weak do not experience a big bang, but as they couple to universes with a stronger one, the strong interaction "bleeds through" and eventually tips a pre-bang state over to where it explodes.

The story itself isn't bad. Some of the characters are overdrawn -- the bad-guy physicist is a bit too petty, the rest of the world's scientists a bit too pusillanimous to be strictly believable, and yet we all know at least SOME people who are actually like the caricatures. The inhabitants of the second universe who make up the middle third of the book are almost as spectacular as the underlying physical theory -- very, very different and yet not entirely implausible. Again, just as much fun as the cheela in Dragon's Egg.

At this point, some of it is period piece. Nudity on Luna, the Heinleinian, slightly repressed sexual tension that is taken to an entirely romantic conclusion, the politics. At the time, perhaps, daring -- now merely quaint. Still, this is a book I'd definitely recommend to people wanting to explore the roots of science fiction as portrayed by one of its Grand Masters.

rgb(less)

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Sep 28, 2007 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Another "one off" from a major sci-fi master. Totally unrelated to any of his other stories, this one is a mind-bender. A trans-universal thriller in which everything depends upon a near-impossible cooperation between physicists here on earth, and beings in another existence so alien and bizarre it disrupts your basic understanding of what it might mean to be alive and conscious.

Bonus: alien "marriage" and reproduction so inventive it's not even sexy. But it is kind of sweet, and romantic in its...more

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Jan 18, 2008 Spiro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Who knew that a novel written in 1972 could touch on global warming, woman empowerment, lax views on different sexual orientations, and foreign policy...all with very pristine and at times technically beautiful scientific writing.

Some of my favorite quotes from this year come from this book:

"Now then, young man, don't ask me to stop the Pumping. The economy and comfort of the entire planet depend on it. Tell me, instead, how to keep the Pumping from exploding the Sun."

"There are no happy endings...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Tancredi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, statunitensi

- Possibile che uno debba credere solo a quello che desidera?
- Sì, finché gli è possibile. E talvolta anche oltre.

La mia prima volta con Asimov: e non poteva andare meglio!
Volendo iniziare con questo mostro sacro della letteratura fantascientifica ho preferito cominciare da un romanzo singolo, anche se peculiare e un po' differente dalla produzione mainstream. E in effetti è stata una buona idea.
Neanche gli dèi è un capolavoro di una certa e ormai vecchia parte della fantascienza. In questo ro...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Giacomo Boccardo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

L'originalità di questo romanzo, che va di pari passo con la sua atipicità nell'ambito della produzione di Asimov, è la descrizione compiuta e particolareggiata di una razza aliena non filtrata attraverso i paradigmi degli esseri umani. Una descrizione che deve essere affrontata senza alcun pregiudizio, come per il romanzo Flatlandia di Edwin Abbott Abbott, in quanto in entrambi gli esseri mostrati sono così distanti dalle nostre concezioni da non consentire paragoni efficaci.

Come elementi class

...more

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May 11, 2013 Chiaruccia Bella rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prima di iniziare a leggerlo mi ero imbattuta in qualche recensione su anobii che lo definiva quasi un romanzo con a base l'amore (?) mentre la recensione sul retrocopertina lo presentava come un romanzo di fantascienza misteriosa (e mi aveva molto incuriosita): probabilmente mi ero creata delle false aspettative. Alla fine ho appurato che d'amore non ce n'è nemmeno l'ombra e che quanto detto sul retrocopertina era vero solo in parte. Il primo capitolo mi ha appassionata, tanto che mentre leggev...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm still chewing this one over. While I liked the story and the underlying physics problem - there were a few things that bothered me. One was the seemingly abrupt conclusion of the alien story-line. While there were hints as to what they might do, there was no final indication of their fate and that was a bit frustrating. This was probably my biggest complaint. The second was much smaller and really just a minor plot-point, but Asimov suggested that moving the Moon out of orbit wouldn't have a...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: src_nook, type_scifi

SUMMARY: A parallel universe initiates a method of transferring free unlimited energy between our universe and theirs. But a few people think the transfer could result in the ultimate destruction of our star.

COMMENT: The story is divided into three sections. The way they're put together they could have been released as three separate short stories. I'm pretty sure I read the first section as a kid, but it was so long ago I didn't remember much about it so it was new to me.

The story has aged very...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Tiaraju Andreazza rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Como já há muitos reviews em inglês e eu não tenho nada de original para dizer (e também para manter a língua portuguesa ativa nesse site), escreverei em português.

Considero The Gods Themselves um bom livro. Independentemente de qualquer outra característica, foi um livro eu li em dois dias em duas ou três maratonas agradáveis de leitura. Asimov consegue manter o leitor sempre interessado, sempre querendo a página seguinte. Quantos livros conseguem isso?

Mas qual é o ponto do livro?

Há a objetivid...more Como já há muitos reviews em inglês e eu não tenho nada de original para dizer (e também para manter a língua portuguesa ativa nesse site), escreverei em português.

Considero The Gods Themselves um bom livro. Independentemente de qualquer outra característica, foi um livro eu li em dois dias em duas ou três maratonas agradáveis de leitura. Asimov consegue manter o leitor sempre interessado, sempre querendo a página seguinte. Quantos livros conseguem isso?

Mas qual é o ponto do livro?

Há a objetividade científica sendo posta em questão. Tanto quanto posso ver, na primeira parte Asimov enfatiza como o conhecimento científico, antes que moldado pelas evidências factuais, frias e impessoais, é o resultado de uma mistura em que os fatos nus e crus são interpretados por cientistas com interesses, desejos, aspirações e valores diferentes. Esse é o caso de Hallam: ele sequer analisa as evidências empíricas e as provas matemáticas que Lamont insiste provarem a perniciosidade da bomba. Ele não quer acreditar na evidência, presumivelmente porque a bomba lhe traz prestígio e poder, coisas que ele, um cientista limitado, não poderia obter de outra forma. Lamont, por sua vez, primeiro parte do que ele quer acreditar e só então busca evidências e fatos. Acabou que ele estava com a razão, mas de qualquer forma é uma atitude científica que põe a objetividade em bases frágeis. Quantos cientistas não passam a vida obcecados por descobrir uma verdade que, no fundo, não é mais do que uma construção psicológica sua? O conhecimento está sempre sujeito à estupidez humana. Essa parece ser a ideia da primeira parte, e ela parece retornar, com um papel menos central e misturada com outros elementos, na terceira parte.

A segunda parte é, de longe, a melhor. Asimov constrói não apenas um universo paralelo, mas a cultura, as regras sociais e a personalidade de cada um dos habitantes desse universo. Ele cria um universo crível e interessante: é possível acreditar que ele existe e é divertido imaginá-lo. Os melhores personagens e as interações sociais mais sofisticadas estão nessa segunda parte (a Dua é fantástica). Há também um plot twist incrível.

Essa segunda parte destoa muito da primeira. O problema da ciência está presente, mas muito reduzidamente, em um papel secundário. De fato, há nessa parte diversas ideias secundárias, sendo difícil precisar com exatidão o que Asimov está no fundo querendo destacar. Diferentes leitores a compreenderão diferentemente, e é por isso que ela é tão boa.

A terceira parte meio que mescla elementos das outras duas (o problema da ciência, de um lado, e as relações e desenvolvimento de personagens, de outro) e, no final, parece não manter a qualidade da segunda parte ao mesmo tempo em que não apresenta um desfecho interessante para toda a história. Não chega a ser ruim, mas parece claramente abaixo do restante do livro.

Creio que faltou uma certa constância no livro, assim como um desfecho mais inteligente. Em suma, eu diria que o problema científico é interessante e bem construído, mas o principal trunfo de Asimov é a segunda parte. É por ela que o livro vale a pena ser lido.

Qual o ponto do livro? Não estou certo de que sei, ou de que há. Em um palpite, eu diria que se trata da complexa relação interna entre a nossa capacidade racional e as idiossincrasias tipicamente humanas: o ciúme, o medo, a inveja, a paixão, a amizade, o orgulho, a felicidade. Asimov parece querer dizer que as nossas características humanas são um obstáculo para a nossa racionalidade (primeira parte), mas a nossa racionalidade sem o nosso sentimentalismo seria fria e até cruel (segunda parte). No fim, é possível combinar esses dois polos opostos para tirar o melhor de nós (terceira parte).(less)

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Dec 26, 2012 Tallise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of Asimov's must reads.
The story could be cut into 3 distinct parts, the FIRST part had very interesting mystery and conflict and drew his characters quite well. I enjoyed it.
The SECOND part made the book difficult to put down, a very unique/difficult type of character was portrayed here and Mr. Asimov did a wonderful job giving life to them. I strongly felt this was my favorite part and sympathized greatly. I also found my self betting the pages what would be the conflict resolution, and th...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Javier Atapuerca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Isaac Asimov es uno de los grandes escritores de ciencia ficción (y de muchísimas otras materias). Sus historias abarcan gran cantidad de temas, y es considerado uno de los padres de la robótica con sus tres leyes. Sin embargo, su obra fue criticada en algunos aspectos, como por ejemplo que no hubiera extraterrestres en sus historias, o que no tratara demasiado temas sociales, o que no tratara la sexualidad de sus personajes. Este libro fue la respuesta de Asimov a esas críticas. En él se pueden...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Michael Prenez-isbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's like everyone says. First section is great depiction of scientists behaving badly, second section is really great depiction of aliens and parallel universe, then he runs out of ideas in third section, turns into boring lookitthat lunar travelogue and smirky gaping at bare breasts, same weird 'gentlemanly ' thing that Heinlein could have patented. Ike had no idea how to end this book. And by the way -- what exactly happens to the dying para world when our universe decided not to blow itself...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Elli rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantascienza

Contro la stupidità umana neanche gi dèi possono nulla... forse
Pubblicato nel 1972, Neanche gli dèi rappresentò per Asimov il ritorno alla narrativa dopo un decennio dedicato esclusivamente alla saggistica e alla divulgazione scientifica. La storia è divisa in tre parti e ha una struttura piuttosto articolata. Le premesse sono queste: nell’anno 2070 un radiochimico non troppo brillante, Frederick Hallam, scopre per puro caso l’esistenza di una sostanza teoricamente “impossibile”, o almeno imposs...more Contro la stupidità umana neanche gi dèi possono nulla... forse
Pubblicato nel 1972, Neanche gli dèi rappresentò per Asimov il ritorno alla narrativa dopo un decennio dedicato esclusivamente alla saggistica e alla divulgazione scientifica. La storia è divisa in tre parti e ha una struttura piuttosto articolata. Le premesse sono queste: nell’anno 2070 un radiochimico non troppo brillante, Frederick Hallam, scopre per puro caso l’esistenza di una sostanza teoricamente “impossibile”, o almeno impossibile secondo le leggi fisiche del nostro universo: il plutonio 186. Fatto ancor più incredibile, questa sostanza è stabile, almeno in un primissimo momento, mentre diventa radioattiva in seguito. Spinto più dalla testardaggine che dall’amore per la scienza, Hallam decide di risolvere il mistero, e questo porterà la comunità scientifica prima a ipotizzare e poi a dimostrare l’esistenza di un universo parallelo, un para-universo con leggi fisiche diverse dal nostro, dal quale proviene la sostanza sconosciuta. Gli scambi col para-universo condurranno alla nascita della cosidetta Pompa Elettronica, e per l’umanità sarà l’inizio di un’epoca felice in cui tutti i fabbisogni energetici sono soddisfatti senza costi e senza inquinamento. Tutto bene? Non proprio. Perché, una ventina d’anni più tardi, un giovane studioso, Peter Lamont, comincerà a intuire che un enorme pericolo si cela dietro l’uso della Pompa Elettronica.
Considerando il Ciclo delle Fondazioni come un organismo unico, questo romanzo autoconclusivo è il mio secondo approccio ad Asimov, e devo dire che mi ha letteralmente rapita (anche se la prima parte è un pò ostica, specialmente senza un'infarinatura di base su certi concetti; per chi le avesse dimenticate, meglio rinfrescare un attimino le nozioni di "isotopo", "numero atomico" e così via).
E’ una storia che solleva inquietanti interrogativi sulla natura e la società umana e che meriterebbe le cinque stelle anche solo per il discorsetto che il politico di turno rifila a un indignato Peter Lamont: "- E’ un errore ritenere che l’uomo della strada voglia che l’ambiente sia protetto o che gli risparmino la vita, e che sia grato agli idealisti che lottano per lui a tale scopo. Quello che l’uomo della strada vuole è la sua personale comodità. L’abbiamo imparato anche troppo bene durante la crisi ecologica del ventesimo secolo. […] Quando fu evidente che il motore a combustione interna inquinava pericolosamente l’atmosfera, il rimedio più ovvio sarebbe stato quello di smettere di usare quel tipo di motore, mentre il rimedio desiderato era che s’inventasse un motore non inquinante. Perciò, giovanotto, non chiedetemi di fermare il Pompaggio. Da esso dipendono l’economia e la comodità del mondo intero. -"
Parole scritte quasi quarant’anni fa, ma che a sentirle oggi suonano sinistramente attuali. Il politico in questione pensa infatti prima di tutto a non scontentare i propri elettori. Poi, che la vita di miliardi di individui sia a rischio è una questione di secondaria importanza.
Arrivati alla seconda parte (quella che ho trovato più affascinante) si può restare spiazzati, ma continuate a leggere ugualmente. Asimov ha la capacità di sovvertire tutto all’ultimo secondo, e proprio quando penserete di aver capito tutto, scoprirete invece di non aver capito nulla.
I personaggi, come al solito, sono un po’ rarefatti, quasi sfuggenti. Rassomigliano più al prototipo di un certo tipo “umano” (o “para-umano”, in questo caso particolare) che a persone vere e proprie, ma proprio per questo funzionano alla grande: mettono a nudo tutta la meschinità, l’egoismo e la stupidità ricorrenti nel pensiero umano (e solo in pochi casi l’altruismo o la nobiltà di ideali; non perché assenti, ma proprio perché molto più rari); caratteristiche che spesso ci portano ad ammettere e a ritenere plausibili solo quelle verità che più ci fanno comodo, rendendoci al contempo ciechi verso tutte le altre. In altre parole, gli uomini vedono solo quello che vogliono vedere, e trovano solo quelle verità di cui sono già convinti o che desiderano trovare. Una grande lezione, specialmente di questi tempi. Da leggere.(less)

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May 29, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

The title of this book is a part of a longer title, which is used to split up the three sections of the book, being 'against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain'. I believe that that is actually an Ancient Greek saying, who to me is not surprising at all. Nope, as it turns out I am incorrect, it was in fact a saying of a German Poet named Friedrich von Schiller, but it is not the saying or the meaning of the saying that I really want to write about here, though I must admit that it is...more The title of this book is a part of a longer title, which is used to split up the three sections of the book, being 'against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain'. I believe that that is actually an Ancient Greek saying, who to me is not surprising at all. Nope, as it turns out I am incorrect, it was in fact a saying of a German Poet named Friedrich von Schiller, but it is not the saying or the meaning of the saying that I really want to write about here, though I must admit that it is something that I can relate to because, in a way, it is true, for even the gods themselves cannot deal with stupidity.
This is the first Asimov book that I have read that deals with aliens, but then again Asimov never really wrote about aliens, and I suspect it is because he never really saw a need to. His science-fiction explores ideas and concepts, ones that could be theoretically possible (such as the positronic brain, which is a device that allows robots to think, learn, and to grow) and it is quite possible that he saw aliens as being a little too speculative for his tastes. However, in this book we do have a taste of a non-human culture, and one cannot get more non-human than these aliens because they exist as three parts that at maturity come together to form a new entity. It is interesting because the middle part of the book, which deals with the aliens, has us follow one particular trinity to the point where they metamoph into the new form.
The other interesting aspect of this book is about energy. Earth has discovered an infinite source of energy from a device known as an electron pump, and it appears to be cheap, clean, and unlimited. However a scientist has discovered a flaw in the pump, in that quite subtly it is destroying the sun. However people either do not care, or simply write him off as a quack. The middle part is important though because it also deals with the electron pump, and suggests that not only is the pump subtly destroying our universe, but it is destroying this second universe as well, and there is no way for them to be able to communicate between the two universes.
As I look back at this book now I notice that the timing of the book is quite impeccable simply because it appears at the beginning of the 70s, which was seen as the end of the twenty year bull market that began at the end of World War II, and the main reason for the end of this particular market was an event known as the oil shock. Up until this time, the United States believed that they had enough oil to last them for a very long time, when suddenly the tap was turned off by the Arabs (and that was namely due to the Israel problem). Suddenly they discovered that their almost unlimited supply was not as unlimited as they expected, and this sent shockwaves across the world.
Yet in another was it is very prescient. Oil is our electron pump. It allows our society to function, and without oil we are in a lot of trouble. However, there are concerns being raised as to the effect our dependence on oil is, and there are debates in the scientific community as to whether our over use of oil is destroying the planet (and I fall on the side of the argument saying that it is). In a way we are seeing the events in this novel being played out on the world stage as we speak. We are so dependant on oil that to suddenly stop using it would pretty much destroy our society however we cannot help but use it because he want our luxuries, and there is no alternative. Further, we consider that the problem is not ours and leave it for our children and our grandchildren to solve. One thing we should remember though, we have only one Earth, and if we don't look after it, then it does not matter how rich we are, we are all in the same boat.(less)

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May 12, 2012 Perry Whitford rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Are you kidding me!

An interesting idea from Asimov about an energy transfer between ourselves and a parallel universe of very different beings who exist under completely different universal laws. This "energy pump" could result in our starts becoming swiftly heated up, resulting in a succession of super-novas and the Milky Way turning into a quasar.
The consequences of this are investigated across three defined sections: the first on earth; the second (and most interesting) on the papa-planet, where a hierarchical...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel tells the story of two parallel universes with different basic physical laws. The two universes can draw an apparently limitless amount of power from each other -- but a few people on either side believe there is a potentially catastrophic risk from doing so.

This novel didn't work so well for me, I think mostly because I just wasn't that interested in details of the society and inhabitants of the other universe, and the book spends a lot of real estate on describing it. It's really to...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Julien M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apart from Digital Fortress and Deception Point, Dan Brown's first and third novels, this is the first contact I've had with science fiction literature, and I am glad I decided to start with this one. I might have enjoyed it more if I knew a lot more about physics and other sciences, but don't think that can stop you from enjoying this book - I can say for sure that didn't stop me at all, but it may be a better read for those that understand the technical parts as well.

I really recommend this bo...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

“God’s Themselves” kept me interested clear through. After reading the dedication, I was hooked – Asimov accosts Robert Silverberg at a sci-fi convention for referring to a radioactive isotope (plutonium-186) that could not exist. He then tells Silverberg that to show him real ingenuity, he would write a story about it (leave it to a biochemist!). This story ended up as “The God’s Themselves.”

Not only was Gods Themselves great sci-fi but Asimov gave some great commentary on our times as reflect...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Petr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Isaac Asimov má klan věrných fandů a já do něj nepatřím. Přesto jsem postupem času přelouskal větší část jeho románové tvorby. Roboti mě nudili hodně, Nadace o něco míň. Tahle knížka, pojmenovaná citátem ze Schillera (Proti hlouposti ani sami bohové nic nezmohou), mě mile překvapila. Z mého hlediska je tím nejzajímavějším, co jsem od Asimova četl. Skládá se ze tří nesourodých částí, zdaleka nejlepší je prostřední. Popisuje svět těžko představitelných inteligentních tvorů v „paravesmíru“, který s...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, futurity, mystery, sci-fi, sciences-and-maths, society

I read this when I was a boy, back before I shifted from sci-fi to fantasy and when I was still high on my parents' enthusiasm for Asimov. I still consider it a classic and one of Asimov's finer novels, largely because, as one reviewer noted, it's one of his few books that can be read as a stand-alone. I liked the idea of a scientist desperately trying to appear knowledgeable about a subject he couldn't truly understand or explain (especially after encountering SO DANG MANY scientists who do exa...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Michaelbert Humperdink rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yawn...This is a Star-Trek style SF parable about our own problems with energy and the environment. While the notion of physical laws diffusing from one universe to the another is an interesting thought, Asimov fails to run with this interesting idea. Instead, he gives us a tedious 1/3 of the book told from a bizarre (and not so well thought-out) alien perspective. This large part of the book strikes me as filler. Asimov says in the introduction that this novel grew out of a short story which wa...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Tobinsfavorite rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought I'd be reading this into the recycling bin, but despite 92 pages falling out one night, I still have them all, so they're going on to someone else... who knows how many will be able to read it before it is too far gone to read?

I haven't read so very much Asimov, fewer than ten novels, but this is my favorite so far. I liked this book quite a bit, right from the first paragraph. There came a point near the end where I was almost hoping it would end in catastrophe; even though no charact...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Jonathan Cullen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: meh

I read Issac Asimov's The Gods Themselves a few years ago while lying in the sun on a beach so I'm not sure if any positive feelings I have are linked to the quality of the novel or my tan.

The novel is divided into three parts. The overall story revolves around aliens from a parallel universe (the para-Universe) who exploit a difference between the physical laws in their para-Universe and our Universe: in our Universe plutonium 186 decays into tungsten 186 and in the para-Universe tungsten 186...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Felix Dance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’d been looking forward to this book ever since I bought it in exchange for Ark in Phuket Town, being a big fan of Isaac Asimov and having read a good percentage of his total output during the endless summers of my school days. The central concept of this sci-fi is that a new method of power generation has been discovered by exchanging material from this universe with another governed by differing physical laws. Unfortunately, this exchange leaks the laws of each universe into the other, weaken...more

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Jun 04, 2009 Mariecato rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

sometimes i love a good ol' sci-fi book. this one was pretty good! in the future, mankind finds a source of infinite clean power. not only was it basically an accident, but it's also coming from a parallel universe. the man who "discovered" this source is hailed as a hero by the world, with the exception of two men who figure out that this power will ultimately destroy us.
i really enjoyed the 3 sections of the book. it's told from the men on earth's side, the para-men's side, and then finally t...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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The Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, #1-3)

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Quotes from Los Propios Dioses

“Author's Notes: This story starts with section 6. This is not a mistake. I have my own subtle reasoning. So, just read, and enjoy.” — 12 people liked it

“There are no happy endings in history, only crisis points that pass.” — 11 people liked it

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