The Gods Themselves

by Isaac Asimov

book data

1,469 ratings, 3.85 average rating, 85 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		27%
4		37%
3		27%
2		6%
1		0%

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published

February 10th 2000 (first published 1972) by Gollancz

binding

Paperback, 288 pages

url

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Th...

characters

Frederick Hallam, Selene Lindstrom, Dua, Odeen, ...more

literary awards

Hugo Award for Best Novel (1973), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1972)

isbn

1857989341 (isbn13: 9781857989342)

description

For 14 years of a career stretching from 1939 to his death in '92, Isaac Asimov wrote little SF & instead produced popular non-fiction in enormous qu...more

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04/11/08

Jason Pettus rated it:

(review of isbn 0553288105)

Read in April, 2008

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 thr...more

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12/30/07

D_Davis rated it:

(review of isbn 0449018296)

bookshelves: science-speculative-fiction

Read in November, 2007

Science fiction often deals with allegory, postulating “what if?” questions concerning present day Earth, with the possible solutions and outcomes beaming from a mirror image reflected from a familiar yet altogether different reality. By examining real problems under the light of imaginary technology, far fetched ideas, and otherworldly beings, the science fiction author affords himself a unique perspective into the inner workings of humanity.

Written in 1972, Isaac Asimov's The G...more Science fiction often deals with allegory, postulating “what if?” questions concerning present day Earth, with the possible solutions and outcomes beaming from a mirror image reflected from a familiar yet altogether different reality. By examining real problems under the light of imaginary technology, far fetched ideas, and otherworldly beings, the science fiction author affords himself a unique perspective into the inner workings of humanity.

Written in 1972, Isaac Asimov's The Gods Themselves (winner of the Hugo for best novel in 1973), examines three important aspects of its time. The novel is broken up into three interconnected novellas: Part One, “Against stupidity...”, Part Two, “...the gods themselves...”, and Part Three, “...contend in vain?”. Each of these parts can be read as a stand alone story, and each one focuses on a different topic. While there are some connections between the three parts, certain characters and events are mentioned throughout, an attempt is never made to weave them together in an elaborate fashion. That is to say, there is never an “ah ha!” moment where Asimov reveals some grander meta-narrative bubbling away beneath the novel's surface; each part relies solely on its own strengths as a self-contained story.

...

Part three returns us to our own universe, and takes place on the moon. For many years now the Earth has benefited from the Electron Pump, and is enjoying pollution-free energy and cleaner living. But at what cost? There are still those who believe that the Electron Pump will eventually destroy the entire universe, but convincing people to change their ways is, as we all know, an almost impossible task. Ben Denison is a scientist who believes in the dangers of the pump, and he has recently immigrated to the moon. While on the moon he deals with problems of racism and nationalism: the natural Lunites don't much care for the Earthmen. Except for Selene, a native Lunite and an Intuitionist who helps Denison in his studies, the other “Lunies” want as little to do with the “Earthies” as possible. Here, Asimov combines the hard scientific elements of the first part with the sociological elements of the second part into a brilliantly paced and poignant conclusion.

While there may not be a cohesive, driving narrative running throughout Asimov's novel, there really isn't a central conflict and hardly anything gets resolved, it is none-the-less a work of brilliance. Science fiction is all about the ideas, and the ideas on display here are both topical and timeless, entertaining and insightful. That Asimov is able to entertain the us while simultaneously asking us tough, important questions is an extraordinary accomplishment. There were many moments when I set the book aside simply to contemplate the meaning of what I had just read. This is a book to mull over, and not a book to plow through anticipating the next plot-point. The story unfolds like a rich tapestry of ideas and of thought, expertly woven by a man filled with passion for its subject and characters.

full review @ www.genrebusters.com (less)

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03/09/08

Marcel rated it:

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!
...more

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10/14/07

rgb rated it:

Read in January, 2008

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 a...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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07/29/07

Rick rated it:

recommends it for: Science Fiction Fans; Newcomers and Old-timers

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 exam...more

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09/25/07

Brian rated it:

(review of isbn 0553288105)

bookshelves: 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...more

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12/10/07

Spiro rated it:

Read in January, 2008

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 S...more

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06/04/09

Mariecato rated it:

Read in May, 2009

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, an...more

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05/18/09

Carlos Olivera rated it:

Read in May, 2009

Overall, I'd say that this book is quite an engrossing story, though I found the last third to be a touch warying. While definitely a more personal touch for an Asimov novel than might be expected, I honestly found the romance to be a bit forced, though I think it was the sort of failure until the last few pages to give the woman as much character as she deserved. Still, especially for its time, it was fairly daring. I also admit that it's a touch of a letdown after the truly astounding second s...more

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06/23/09

Migdalia rated it:

bookshelves: sci-fi

Read in June, 2009

This is a great book. For one thing, Asimov has written a very entertaining story, and he fleshed out each character. It was simple to read, for the most part, but for those non-hard science types you will find it difficult to follow the theory. He does explain the physics well (so much so that I wish he had been my physics teacher), but some will still have a hard time. Regardless, this does not detract from the story.

Long and short: A chemist becomes famous for "discoveri...more

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04/03/09

Kevin Slater rated it:

Read in August, 2008

For science fiction this one's a great work by Asimov. One complaint I have about all his writing is that it gets hyper technical and doesn't have much to say beyond, let's have fun with technology and when it breaks fix it. Not on the level of his Foundation series but I can't give Asimov anything less than four stars and feel good about myself, so four stars it is. My favorite of his stand alone books and the only one I know of that includes sex of any kind (between an alien race with 3 gen...more

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09/27/07

Ryan rated it:

I think I enjoyed the many interesting ideas that fueled this book better than the actual read of it, though I did enjoy the format in which it was written.

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06/20/09

Enrique Santos rated it:

Probably the strangest book on alien sex you'll read.
If you're like most people, probably the only book on alien sex you'll read. To be fair, it was only the middle third of the book that dealt with the topic.

Alien sex aside, Asimov had a pretty good plot and a story that kept me going. The story spans two universes and details the politics and struggles of the scientists involved in discovering an endless source of energy, and later finding out just how much trouble they lande...more

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11/03/08

Liza rated it:

bookshelves: si-fi-and-fantasy

I have just found the chance to re-read this book. And in English for the first time.

I must note, that I read this book about 20 times before, it was an absolute favourite of mine back in nerdy teenage years. I thought that reading it in the original language might give it someting extra.

I was surprised to find that it was not the language that made all the difference, it was the damned Soviet cersorship. I realised that the book I read and loved was terribly sanitised ...more

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07/29/08

Edward rated it:

bookshelves: science-fiction

Read in August, 2008

As always, Asimov was a delight to read. I tend to savor his books because one day I'll have read them all.

The premise of the novel is relative to our time - that of energy and man's seeming habitual tendency to ignore growing ills and ultimately deny them. Asimov makes no qualms about this as he dedicates the book "To mankind, and the hope that the war against folly may someday be won after all." It seems like something Al Gore would quote when arguing against Global Warm...more

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01/30/08

Maurean rated it:

(review of isbn 038502701X)

Read in February, 2008

The book tells of scientists in the distant future who try to solve the world's energy problems by tapping energy from a parallel universe, and tells the tale of human hubris as it tries to take advantage of a science that it doesn't understand. The story is divided into three parts; The first part is the story of physicist Dr. Peter Lamont, and describes to the reader how the "Electron Pump", a device which enables receiving a near-infinite amount of energy as a result of matter trans...more The book tells of scientists in the distant future who try to solve the world's energy problems by tapping energy from a parallel universe, and tells the tale of human hubris as it tries to take advantage of a science that it doesn't understand. The story is divided into three parts; The first part is the story of physicist Dr. Peter Lamont, and describes to the reader how the "Electron Pump", a device which enables receiving a near-infinite amount of energy as a result of matter transference between our universe and another, might destroy our solar system, and this section depicts Lamonts attempt to stop the pump; The second section is the tale of the aliens in the other universe, a ‘triad’ (family) of beings (interestingly, Asimov took the names of the immature aliens — Odeen, Dua, and Tritt — from the words One, Two, and Three in the language of his native Russia), and how “the pump” is being utilized on their side of the transference; The third and final part, tells the story of Dr. Benjamin Denison, a scientist who, as a result of events which occur in the first section, moved to the moon to reestablish himself and his credentials.

I did enjoy the reading of this tale; the first part engaged me completely, as I found the writing to be witty, intelligent and entertaining; the second section put me off a bit, as I found the sexual innuendoes to be frequent and repetitive, however this is the section where Asimov’s brilliance shine through most brightly, in his ability to create such a totally alien collection of beings (a triple-gender species that develops in terms of archetypes) yet keeps the reader interested and sympathetic; the third and final section concludes the story and posits hope for the future.

While I completely enjoyed the storyline, and even satisfied with the three-stories-in-one format, I felt the characters and the presentation somewhat lacking. Overall, I would say I’m glad to have given it a read, but it’s not going to make my list of favorites for the year.
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11/18/08

Tony rated it:

Very disappointed by the ending (in the third 'part') which kind of fizzles out after the promise of the first two parts.

All that effort to describe an alien, parallel universe race to then ignore them?

Someone one told me that it was generally agreed Asimov couldn't write novels...short stories, oh yes! But stretch it out and it all falls to pieces...

On this evidence, I would agree...lots of ideas, lots of plausible science, but lots of filler too...

...more

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02/22/09

Brandon rated it:

(review of isbn 0449228835)

Read in February, 2009

This is another Fawcett first edition - great artwork.
The second part of this book doesn't read as smoothly as the rest of it; but the concept becomes clearer as you plug along. The First and third parts are a bit more ...erm... human.

Naturally, and to my complete satisfaction, environmental and social issues drive the story. The characters are very well developed and the science is adequately explained and used to keep you guessing one step ahead of the plot. A definite must r...more

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03/25/09

Chris Woods rated it:

Isaac Asimovs The Gods Themselves is a wonderful novel a science fiction wonder. If you like science and fiction look no further this book will hold you down to the very end. Once you meet Dua, Trit, and the hard ones you will have visited Isaacs genius. This book I can just read over and over. Go find a copy at your local library and read it you shouldn't be disappointed.

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06/05/08

Jay rated it:

A great basis for a scifi novel is the "what-if" - in this one Asimov begins with the mysterious appearance of an "impossible" isotope which begins investigation into an alternate spacetime with intelligent beings living in a universe where the balance of the physical forces is sufficiently different from ours that, for example, a star operating on fission instead of fusion would be possible. The discovery leads to the development of a symbiotic relationship with humanity us...more

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