Rick's review
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
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 which there are many imaginary technologies, most of which serve as background, rather than as the impetus of the story. Not that there's anything at all wrong with a good space opera.) The motivator for The Gods Themselves is the question, "what if there were a parallel universe in which the laws of physics were a little different?"
By hard, I mean that the science is accurate. Which is not to suggest that this reads like a textbook at...more
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 which there are many imaginary technologies, most of which serve as background, rather than as the impetus of the story. Not that there's anything at all wrong with a good space opera.) The motivator for The Gods Themselves is the question, "what if there were a parallel universe in which the laws of physics were a little different?"
By hard, I mean that the science is accurate. Which is not to suggest that this reads like a textbook at...more
I was prepared to be highly offended by "Space Opera" (Star Trek? Blasphemy!) but was so distracted by the idea of alien sex that my rebuttal was lost. One to read - thanks.
