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The Backward Look

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Paperback

First published May 5, 1993

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About the author

Isaac Asimov

4,341 books27.9k followers
Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

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

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
779 reviews10 followers
January 26, 2019
It's a fun idea for a story, but it's mostly pompous science geek stuff and less fun than it thinks it is. Still, a mystery story that's all science is a fun bit of writing.
Profile Image for P.H. Wilson.
Author 2 books33 followers
July 16, 2015
Real rating: 1/10
Self-aggrandizing meta-fiction with such a heavy hand that a learning disabled sloth would feel patronized.
With lines like "He's no Isaac Asimov" one simply looks at this tale, of fastidious men debating the accuracy of one of the most boring story plots ever imagined, and sighs. The only saving grace is that you hope this work is meant as tongue cheek because if not it only serves to lower Asimov's pedestal.
Simply put boring and a waste of time even for fans of the writer.
Profile Image for A.B. B. Lucian.
Author 2 books4 followers
June 16, 2016
This is an amazing short story!
It made me remember why Asimov is a total BAD-ASS!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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