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44th out of 62 books
—
26 voters
Asimov's Mysteries
by
Isaac Asimov
This collection contains: The Singing Bell; The Talking Stone; What's in a Name; The Dying Night; Pate de Fois Gras; The Dust of Death; A Loint of Paw; I'm in Marsport Without Hilda; Marooned Off Vesta; Anniversary; Obituary; Star Light; The Key; and The Billiard Ball.
Mass Market Paperback, 228 pages
Published
May 12th 1986
by Fawcett
(first published 1968)
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A very recent review on this site by Nandakishore on a work by Agatha Christie explains the dilemma in trying to review mysteries. It is something like trying to explain how an ingenious magic trick works for once the explanation is done, the audience feels oh, so was that just it ? and countless hours of practice on the magician's part goes to waste in a breath. This is also the reason why I love mysteries for you never know what awaits you at the end of the tale. Asimov in this slim volume o...more
This was my first encounter with Asimov's writing. Isaac Asimov is considered to be a master in Science Fiction story telling, in this book he combines Science fiction with mystery and in my opinion does it commendably.
'Asimov's Mysteries' is a collection of 13 short stories written by Isaac Asimov which are a blend of the two genres- Sci-Fi and Mystery. Almost all the stories in the collection are cleverly plotted and tease the reader, however, the doze of mystery and science vary in each. The...more
'Asimov's Mysteries' is a collection of 13 short stories written by Isaac Asimov which are a blend of the two genres- Sci-Fi and Mystery. Almost all the stories in the collection are cleverly plotted and tease the reader, however, the doze of mystery and science vary in each. The...more
I like mysteries, I like science fiction, and I have always had a soft spot for Asimov, since he was one of the authors whose work my mother checked out of the adult section for me, when I was about nine or ten. (Yes, I know I only learned to read at seven. I worked up fast.)
In any case, Asimov's mysteries are fairly easy to guess. It kind of reminds me of one of the characters of one of the stories from this volume, who is really obvious with his puns. Asimov's mysteries were quite obvious. The...more
In any case, Asimov's mysteries are fairly easy to guess. It kind of reminds me of one of the characters of one of the stories from this volume, who is really obvious with his puns. Asimov's mysteries were quite obvious. The...more
This collection contains: The Singing Bell; The Talking Stone; What's in a Name; The Dying Night; Pate de Fois Gras; The Dust of Death; A Loint of Paw; I'm in Marsport Without Hilda; Marooned Off Vesta; Anniversary; Obituary; Star Light; The Key; and The Billiard Ball.
In some ways the first short story in this collection, The Singing Bell,is the best. That's because some thought has gone into the plot to make the murderer cunning. Or maybe I just like the style? It reminds me of Nightfall and Ot...more
In some ways the first short story in this collection, The Singing Bell,is the best. That's because some thought has gone into the plot to make the murderer cunning. Or maybe I just like the style? It reminds me of Nightfall and Ot...more
Asimov enjoyed showing off his versatility, and even though he's best known for his SF and popular science, he could do other things too. In particular, he was surprisingly competent at mysteries. Maybe he should have written more of them.
This book collects together his best mystery short stories, the greater part of which have an SF theme. They often hinge on a clever piece of word-play. Asimov loved jeux de mots, and had a tendency to be a little too silly with them, but here he gets it right;...more
This book collects together his best mystery short stories, the greater part of which have an SF theme. They often hinge on a clever piece of word-play. Asimov loved jeux de mots, and had a tendency to be a little too silly with them, but here he gets it right;...more
Mysteries is a fun collection of science fiction short stories by genre master Isaac Asimov. His characters are not memorable, that´s for sure, but the plot is always interesting and really smart. I do prefer Asiomov novels and big sagas, The Foundation Trilogy is my favorite, but his short fiction is very good too. In this book, most os the stories are like detective tales in the future, involving time travel, space voyages os chemical knowledge,but there is also some romance and humor there to...more
http://tinyurl.com/2fxwn4m
A Goodreads friend reviewed this, and it immediately piqued my interest because it is sci-fi and it is mystery and the two together are really hard to do. Up to this point, I had only read Larry Niven's attempts at this (best compilation of these: The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton) and was quite satisfied with his results. I figured it was time to try another sci-fi grand master and see what I got.
1. Asimov is not Niven. He did not write at the same time, and while they both...more
A Goodreads friend reviewed this, and it immediately piqued my interest because it is sci-fi and it is mystery and the two together are really hard to do. Up to this point, I had only read Larry Niven's attempts at this (best compilation of these: The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton) and was quite satisfied with his results. I figured it was time to try another sci-fi grand master and see what I got.
1. Asimov is not Niven. He did not write at the same time, and while they both...more
Jul 23, 2009
Simon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-story-collections,
sf
This collection ends with a few really good stories but quite a few are mediocre which drags down my rating of this book.
"Orbituary" and "The Billiard Ball" are the stand out stories in my opinion. Anyone who says Asimov can't write should give these a go and it might change their mind.
Of the stories contained herein, only a few are of the kind that you, as the reader, try to guess "who done it" before it's revealed at the end. Doing so will require quite a deep knowledge of scientific and ast...more
"Orbituary" and "The Billiard Ball" are the stand out stories in my opinion. Anyone who says Asimov can't write should give these a go and it might change their mind.
Of the stories contained herein, only a few are of the kind that you, as the reader, try to guess "who done it" before it's revealed at the end. Doing so will require quite a deep knowledge of scientific and ast...more
I had read some of the fourteen stories in this collection previously, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of them. The mysteries are not as engrossing as some by other authors, for instead of focusing on personality, Asimov sets up his mysteries as puzzles, a la Encyclopedia Brown (though not anywhere near as contrived or cutesy, thank God). These all have a strong scientific bent. In several, for example, the crime is solved by some quirk of the planet the suspect has recently been on -...more
Isaac Asimov was a fine science fiction writer and an author of many popular books on science and other subjects. Here, he tries his hand on science fiction mysteries. The end result is positive. He teases the reader. He is not so good at developing living and breathing characters. But he has provocative ideas. Worth a read for those who enjoy sci-fi mystery.
The reason Asimov wrote these stories - according to the introduction - was to prove that an SF mystery can be written without cheating the reader. This book proves it brilliantly. The SF background is thoroughly explained to the reader at the beginning and the author then sets up a classic mystery.
Isaac Asimov may be best known as a science fiction and popular science writer, but he liked to wander out into other literary fields from time to time–often ones that he wasn't very good at.
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Reviewed at Mama Kucing Meow : Asimov's Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
I love his books. He almost always add foreword or afterword in the stories to let readers know how the story came to be.
I love his books. He almost always add foreword or afterword in the stories to let readers know how the story came to be.
My parents used to read these to me as "bed-time stories", so I guess that's where I get my attitude to SF from. Love the stories then, still love them now :) Not the most complicated of mysteries, but all embedded in some hard science. Classic stuff!
A combination of two of my favorite genres by one of my favorite authors. Here, Asimov attempts to marry the intrigue of modern mystery with his mastery of science fiction, and the result is a collection of 14 stories that are sure to entertain lovers of both genres.
While not particularly life changing, there are more than a few short stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt that the stories got better as I got farther in the book, reaching the climax with "The Obituary," "The Key," and my favo...more
While not particularly life changing, there are more than a few short stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt that the stories got better as I got farther in the book, reaching the climax with "The Obituary," "The Key," and my favo...more
Ok, another short story collection. I'm a fan of Asimov, for the most part, but not of mysteries, at all - so all-in-all all I can say is ok.
I got this book more because of some research I'm doing but also because I like mysteries and sci-fi. Put the two together and it should be great right? Sometimes. Some of the stories are good and others are not so good. They started to get a bit repetitive by reusing plot devices. Most of the stories lacked action and were written in a style that is a bit clinical. The twists and payoffs at the conclusion of the mystery were not all that compelling either. It was fun to read a set of short stor...more
Listened to "The Singing Bell".
SF MYSTERIES. NO ISBN ON THIS ONE.
LOVE these. Must reread.
Grade A+. Short stories.
This one's a nice collection of science fiction mysteries, written by Dr. Isaac Asimov. Well, mostly. One tale, "Marooned Off Vesta", isn't a mystery tale, but rather it's included because its sequel, "Anniversary", is one. Another tale, "A Loint of Paw", isn't a mystery either--it's a courtroom drama that is simply a set up for a pun. But since it's only two pages long, I don't feel cheated. All in all, this book is good, classic science fiction, well worth reading.
While certain (aspects) of Asimov's stories also show the sexism that marked Science Fiction for decades, he's nowhere near P. K. Dick, on the contrary, as stories like "Obituary" show. In this collection, I most enjoyed his For- and Afterwords, sometimes .. oh hell, usually reading like our own story notes for fanfiction. The mysteries are old-fashioned, as is the imagined future; I had a niggling fear that I had read them all before and (atypically) forgotten.
Good geeky fun. Details about the physics of and ramifications for life on other planets are crowbar-ed into a mystery format, with eccentric academic types as the sleuth. Different gravities, different lengths of days, different effects of sunlight, etc. are used to ferret out the criminals and murderers. Classic Asimov.
Re-read of an excellent collection of sci-fi mystery stories, with commentary by the author.
The Singing Bell
The Talking Stone
What's in a Name?
The Dying Night
Paté de Foie Gras
The Dust of Death
A Loint of Paw
I'm in Marsport without Hilda
Marooned off Vesta
Obituary
Star Light
The Key
The Billiard Ball
The Singing Bell
The Talking Stone
What's in a Name?
The Dying Night
Paté de Foie Gras
The Dust of Death
A Loint of Paw
I'm in Marsport without Hilda
Marooned off Vesta
Obituary
Star Light
The Key
The Billiard Ball
The mysteries in here are somewhat Sherlock-Holmes-ish, in that he gives you the clues, but you'd have to be so incredibly knowledgeable about the subject (other planets' / moon's gravities, the effect of gravity on muscles, etc) to know them. The writing itself is good.
A handful of memorable stories that work on the conceit of figuring out the who-dunnit before the characters do.
Great collection of short stoires by Asminov, full of mystery and excitment.
Good at the time
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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
More about Isaac Asimov...
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
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