Kid Stuff

by Isaac Asimov

"Kid Stuff" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the September 1953 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough. Asimov wrote the story in January 1953, intending it for a new magazine called Fantastic, but it was rejected by its editor, Harold Browne. Asimov then submitted it to H. L. Gold, who accepted it for a new sister magazine of Galaxy Science Fiction called Beyond Fantasy Fiction.

Jan Prentiss, a fantasy writer is busy at work, when a foot-long talking insect materialises before him. He declares that he is an elf, and is in fact a mutant—a "super-elf"—with new powers that he is still experimenting with. Most of his kind are telepathic. During the last ice age, they used human brains as "psychic amplifiers" to augment their own abilities. However, since the Industrial Revolution, the elves and other related beings have avoided mankind, since they are unable to manipulate electricity, and have retreated to Avalon; an island in the Atlantic ocean cloaked in a psychic shield.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Humor

ebook

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

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...

Reviews

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collected in Earth Is Room Enough, Prentiss has been confronted by an Elf Fairy, who wants to kidnap him and use his brain to prove his superiority over other Fairies, as this elf can channel electricity. There's a funny mention in there about how their species has been hiding on Avalon for ages, one that I could not help laughing at.

"Of course, incidents will take place. Once a huge, barbaric vessel hit us dead center and it took all the psychic energy of the entire population to give the island the appearance of an iceberg. The Titanic, I believe, was the name printed on the vessel. And nowadays there are planes flying overhead all the time and sometimes there are crashes. We picked up cases of canned milk once. That's when I tasted it."

Prentiss seems doomed, as the elf/fairy can control minds, however his son comes in and does the D&D equivalent of using Disbelief (to dispel illusions). Since the son doesn't believe in Fairies, he squashes the elf/Fairy who looks like a bug, and saves Prentiss. A clever conclusion.

[FrostCop · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very imaginative story but the end felt unsatisfying, why describe the story's world with so many details if it will be irrelevant because of how the story ends?

[Kareen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buena historia sobre este elfo mutante, q quiere crear una nueva civilización de elfos, que bueno que acabó bien.

[Justin Drown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst Asimov short story I’ve read. Changes gears from the whimsical to a thriller in a way that doesn’t pay off.

[Sergio Tapia · Rating 4 out of 5]

El final fue genial..... debe haber traído muchos libros el niño.... Jajajaja

[Dyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asimov always has some cracker opening lines - but the rest of this story left much to be desired.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Asimov in the science-mystery aspect, which was fun. The twist at the end using the rules that were applied earlier on in this short story was neat. I liked the Edenic aspect of the story, where Avalon is a 'pure' place without industry being threatened by an outcast wishing to become its ruler. It was also such an odd choice to make a 'scientific' explanation of fairies by making them this primordial race that suffered from the ice age, that also look like cricket-like insects. I suppose it's much more unique than most other 'fantasy' stories that make other intelligent species very humanoid.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and entertaining fantasy story that is well composed, with interesting details and a neat but not shocking twist.