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Youth
by
Isaac Asimov
Short story by Isaac Asimov.
Audiobook
Published
(first published May 6th 1952)
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May 06, 2012
Norm Davis
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Golden era science fiction fanatics
Recommended to Norm by:
LibroVox.org
Youth, by Issac Asimov
What a pleasant surprise to be wandering about the LibroVox Short science fiction site (http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Li...) and come across an e-book of some long lost Issac Asimov story that somehow didn't renew its copyright (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/31547)
I gave it two stars (it was ok) rather than three stars (I liked it) because in his effort to hide story details in order to spring his surprise twist at the end simply left me, the reader, mildly confused d...more
What a pleasant surprise to be wandering about the LibroVox Short science fiction site (http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Li...) and come across an e-book of some long lost Issac Asimov story that somehow didn't renew its copyright (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/31547)
I gave it two stars (it was ok) rather than three stars (I liked it) because in his effort to hide story details in order to spring his surprise twist at the end simply left me, the reader, mildly confused d...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I chose this book, because I’ve read some short stories before by Isaac Asimov at school and I really enjoyed them, so I decided to find a novel by him that I haven’t read before. Youth is about two astronauts who come to an alien planet to establish trade with the native extraterrestrials. However, they crash and are taken in as pets by a pair of mischievous youths. My favorite quote from the story is when one of the astronauts says “We would not harm the young of an intelligent species.” He sa...more
One thing I like about Asimov’s narrative style is his use of POV (point of view). Just when you think you get the story and how it will end, he’d surprise you by turning POVs around and you end up re-thinking his stories. Youth is one example of this. The ending would disorient you, but when you go over the story again you’d find the twist holds and the ending plausible. This narrative device may be irritating to some, but to me it is quite effective. It tells us that appearance can say everyth...more
1 like · like · see review
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For a person who doesn't normally read or enjoy a lot of short stories, it seems to me that is becoming a year end habit for me. This year, not only was it a short story, but science fiction at that. In Youth, Red and his new friend Slim are hiding two strange creatures in the barn with plans to use them as their ticket into the circus. Slim is there visiting only due to his father's, an Astronomer, proposed business plan with Red's father, and Industrialist. It seems that some species from anot...more
This was my introduction to Asimov and I liked it quite a bit. It was enjoyable to read but kind of quaint and very predictable. It read very much like a Twilight Zone episode but with less sexism and no Mickey Rooney. Since it was written in the 1950s, I guess Asimov and Serling were contemporaries and you can sort of see it in these pages. Still, I plan on reading more Asimov to give him a fair shake.
A great story: classic Asimov. However, only 25 pages long. (I'm embarrassed to claim credit for reading a book.) You can see where it's going, even if the characters can't. Good writing.
That is a problem with some ebooks: I don't mind getting short stories from Project Gutenberg, but two "books" I paid for were truncated.
That is a problem with some ebooks: I don't mind getting short stories from Project Gutenberg, but two "books" I paid for were truncated.
I've read this book recently and I enjoyed every second reading it, even thought I have to admit the time flew so quickly I wanted to last longer. It's a perfect book: short, precise,exceptionally good written and above all the surreal imagination with which the author narrates is astonishing!!!
1 like · like · see review
It's a good short story, the twist in the end was expected.
You knew from the beginning that there would be a twist in the ending and you would guess it correctly what the twist is going to be.
nevertheless it is a good story to read the anticipation is great as well as the narration.
You knew from the beginning that there would be a twist in the ending and you would guess it correctly what the twist is going to be.
nevertheless it is a good story to read the anticipation is great as well as the narration.
Apr 05, 2010
Marts (Thinker)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Asimov fan, other sci-fi fans
Shelves:
sci-fi,
audio-books
This was quite enjoyable to listen to, just a little over an hour. It tells the tale of some aliens landing on another planet, starting out with two 'youth' Slim an astronomer's son and Red an industrialist's son.
Quite an interesting story with a strange twist to it...
Quite an interesting story with a strange twist to it...
This is an okay piece of sci fi - aliens landing and interacting with the locals. The reason for my low score is the twist and point of the whole thing was too obvious for my taste so I found myself impatient for the "discovery" which took away any impact.
Kind of nifty, but probably only if it's the first time you've seen a surprise ending like this in SF. I mean, since this was written, the theme has been done much better. Anyway, I still say Thank You! to librivox and the volunteer readers!
A nice short read. Two aliens get captured by young boys who mistake them to be strange animals and hide them and feed them. Good writing keeps you engaged, and the thickness, or lack of, keeps you motivated to finish it. Surprise towards the end.
What else is great about this, after being not too long, is that Asimov created a group of well realized characters who, in character specific ways, show the idea of youth without hammering on The Theme of the Future. And it's not too long.
It is one of Asimov's very early writings. It is story of two young boys and their fathers discussing about an alien visit. It is extremely funny as the young boys treat the aliens as pets and try to feed them. The small inter galatic travelers hold to their principles of not harming the young of any species. The book is from the perspective of these 4 characters and only in the final chapter does the point of view change to the aliens one and we find a nice surprised packed for the reader.
Een leuk tussendoorboekje met een goed gevonden twist op het einde. De illustratie waar het ebook mee begint verklapt het slot meteen. Gelukkig ben ik direct in het verhaal gesprongen en heb ik me zo toch nog laten verrassen.
A delightful short story from the golden age of science fiction from one of the masters. A fun read. I may be a bit naive but, even though I was expecting some kind of twist, the actual thing was unexpected.
Another free short story from Gutenburg etc. In many ways it's the stereotypical 50's Asimov, light and easy to read, with some interesting background and a plot that helps move it along. At times this one seems a little too much Leave It To Beaver, but that's often his style.
This is not my favorite Asimov story, but it is still well worth reading. It also has a great surprise ending - something Asimov did well in many of his stories. After finishing the story it was interesting to think through how he concealed the surprise until the very end. I did not see it coming. You can buy the Kindle version for only a dollar.
I can't say much for this book, aside from, it's a short & entertaining read. Since it is short, it unfortunately lacks any kind of depth and was kind of predictable.
Prototypical Asimov! But methinks I have watched too much Twilight Zone to ever be surprised by the plot twist at the end of anything written before about 1980.
At the end, an overall adorable story which offers an innocent perspective much rare and risky into the possibilities within the stellar systems! Fun read.
I tried to like this, but in the end, "no go." Perhaps, someone can recommend a better Asimov book for me to embrace all this is "Asimov."
Classic. If you don't like Asimov then you don't like science fiction. Which is fine. Just don't read Asimov then. But you should. It is amazing.
Here you can read my review in Swedish: http://jenny.jennytranslation.com/201...
Classic Asimov: a story filled with great ideas, executed in a competent - but not much better - fashion.
An interesting short story with what was for me a thought-provoking twist at the end. Very good
Short book, free in ibooks and an entertaining read. Perfect for quick times like on the subway.
I quite liked this short story. Finished it in one sitting. Engaging story the whole way through.
The problem with so many of Asimov's short stories is just that I want more!
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![Youth [Illustrated]](http://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png)
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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