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From backyard miracles to cosmic conundrums, enter the incredible world of Isaac Asimov. Spanning twenty-three years of Asimov's amazing career, these stories display to the full the exhilarating power of one of science fiction's most astonishing writers. Each tale is accompanied by Asimov's own intriguing account of how and why it came to be written.

Contents:
• Darwinian Pool Room • (1950)
• Day of the Hunters • (1950)
• Shah Guido G. • (1951)
• Button, Button • (1953)
• The Monkey's Finger • (1953)
• Everest • (1953)
• The Pause • (1954)
• Let's Not • (1954)
• Each an Explorer • (1956)
• Blank! • (1957)
• Does a Bee Care? • (1957)
• Silly Asses • (1958)
• Buy Jupiter • (1976)
• A Statue for Father • (1959)
• Rain, Rain, Go Away • (1959)
• Founding Father • (1965)
• Exile to Hell • (1968)
• Key Item • [Multivac] • (1968)
• The Proper Study • (1968)
• 2430 A.D. • (1970)
• The Greatest Asset • (1972)
• Take a Match • (1972)
• Thiotimoline to the Stars • [Thiotimoline 4] • (1973)
• Light Verse • (1973)

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

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About the author

Isaac Asimov

4,414 books24.9k 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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5 stars
1,211 (31%)
4 stars
1,551 (39%)
3 stars
992 (25%)
2 stars
125 (3%)
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21 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
Profile Image for رزی - Woman, Life, Liberty.
235 reviews104 followers
September 24, 2021
مجموعه‌ای از داستان‌های کوتاه آیزاک آسیموف، به اضافه‌ی توضیحات خودش درباره‌ی داستان‌ها، مثلا این‌که داستان چرا و برای کی و کجا نوشته شده.

به نظر من، این داستان‌هاش بیشتر از این‌که داستان باشن، قصه بگن و از الگوهای کهن و جهانی پیروی کنن، می‌خوان برات ایده‌ای، تئوری‌ای چیزی بیان کنن. چی می‌شد اگه فلان تئوری اجرا بشه، چی می‌شد اگه بهمان فناوری وجود داشت. فکر می‌کنم برای همینه که آسیموف از علمی‌تخیلی-سخت‌نویسان شمرده می‌شه؛ من هم بیشتر علمی‌تخیلی نرم دوست دارم.
دوتا از داستان‌هاش بیشتر از بقیه برام جالب بودن و مطمئنم گوشه‌ای از ذهنم رو مال خودشون می‌کنن و تا مدت‌ها توش لم می‌دن. داستان «هرکدام یک کاشف» و داستان «احمق‌های بی‌شعور». مخصوصا دومی، با وجود خیلی کوتاه بودنش {کلا دو صفحه‌ست} خیلی جالب بود. انگاری آسیموف دل پُری از انرژی هسته‌ای داره.
اینجا خلاصه می‌نویسمش، دیگه اسپویل و اینا رو حواس‌تون باشه:
داستان گویا در محیطی رخ می‌ده که سازمانی کهکشانی گونه‌های مختلف رو بررسی می‌کنه که آیا به هوشمندی کافی رسیدند یا خیر. کسی که سوابق کهکشانی رو نگهداری می‌کنه گفت‌وگویی با کسِ دیگه‌ای داره، درباره‌ی زمین؛ و متوجه می‌شن که زمینی‌ها به انرژی هسته‌ای دست پیدا کردن. در واقع ملاک‌شون برای سنجیدن هوش گونه‌ها همینه که آیا به انرژی هسته‌ای دسترسی پیدا می‌کنند یا خیر.
اما بعد معلوم می‌شه که زمینی‌ها انرژی هسته‌ای رو روی سیاره‌ی خودشون استفاده می‌کنن، نه فضا! اون مامور به سرعت اسم زمینی‌ها رو از گونه‌های هوشمند خط می‌زنه و می‌گه، «احمق‌های بی‌شعور!» :)))؛
Profile Image for Tom Quinn.
578 reviews190 followers
December 18, 2022
Hello, I'm Isaac Asimov and I wrote so many stories that this entire anthology is stories not already anthologized in one of my other story anthologies.

3.5 stars. If you're reading this one odds are you're a fan already.
Profile Image for Ivana Books Are Magic.
523 reviews241 followers
September 8, 2019
Buy Jupiter is a collection of short stories that vary both in style and quality. The book contains quite a few stories (24 in total), covering around 20 years of Asimov's short story writing (1950-1972). Moreover, this edition contains some autobiographical writing. Every short story is followed by a short essay (commentary) that has Asimov reflecting on his life, writing, publishing and relationship with editors. I quite enjoyed his autobiographical writing. It made me realize some of the things that might have influenced his Foundation and Robot series (fantastic series both of them, I was happy to make some connection with these stories). As for these short stories, their quality varied. Simply said, I enjoyed his earlier stories the least and his later stories the most. I found some of these stories excellent, most of them fairly good and only some of them not that good. All in all, this is still a great edition. I highly recommend it to fans of Asimov. I will grade all stories separately bellow:

1. "Darwinian Pool Room" (1950) 2/5
2."Day of the Hunters" (1950) 3/5
3."Shah Guido G." (1951) 3/5
4. "Button, Button" (1953) 2/5
"The Monkey's Finger" (1953) 3/5
"Everest" (1953)2/5
"The Pause" (1954) 3/5
"Let's Not" (1954) 3/5
"Each an Explorer" (1956) 3/5
"Blank!" (1957) 3/5
"Does a Bee Care?" (1957) 4/5
"Silly Asses" (1958) 4/5
"Buy Jupiter" (1958) 4/5
"A Statue for Father" (1959) 3/5
"Rain, Rain, Go Away" (1959) 3/5
"Founding Father" (1965) 4/5
"Exile to Hell" (1968) 3/5
"Key Item" (1968) 3/5
"The Proper Study" (1968) 3/5
"2430 A.D." (1970) 5/5
"The Greatest Asset" (1972) 5/5
"Take a Match" (1972) 3/5
"Thiotimoline to the Stars" (1973) 5/5
"Light Verse" (1973) 5/5
Profile Image for Craig.
5,373 reviews130 followers
March 21, 2023
This book is an expansion of an earlier Asimov collection, Have You See These?, which was a small-press book in a limited edition. It's a warm and fuzzy group of whimsical stories (the title of one of them is Shah Guido G) which had never before been collected in a previous Asimov volume, presumably because the stories weren't as good or as serious and thoughtful as the ones that were better known. They are, however, light and amusing entertainments, and Asimov contributes considerable autobiographical minutiae and humor throughout. His persona of egotist and womanizer and genius is on full display; those who find him offensive should avoid this one, but I always thought he was funny and charming. Nothing too memorable, but still fun.
Profile Image for Gypsy.
425 reviews582 followers
April 8, 2023
خیلی طول کشید بخونم، چون برخلاف انتظارم دوستش نداشتم. بدمم نیومد ها، ولی اصلاً چیزی نبود که فکر می‌کردم. حتی می‌تونم بگم یادداشت‌های آسیموف بین داستان‌ها برام خیلی جذاب‌تر و بامزه‌تر بودن. اوه، گفتم داستان؛ به نظرم بعضی‌هاشون، دروغ نگم بیشترشون، داستان نبودن. شرح یه چیزی بودن. شبیه یه جوک بودن، یا انگار دوست دانشمندت نشسته ایده‌های توی سرش رو برات تعریف می‌کنه. سه دادم با اغماض.
Profile Image for aLirEza nEjaTi.
284 reviews
December 30, 2020
چند وقت پیش شروعش کرده بودم و چندتا داستان خونده بودم ولی به‌دلایلی گذاشتمش کنار. ولی این‌بار کامل خوندمش :)
از داستان‌گویی آسیموف خوشم می‌اد. چاشنی طنز خاصی که به متن‌هاش اضافه می‌کنه جالب و قابل تأمله
به‌طور کلی اگر داستان‌های کوتاه علاقه دارین امتحان کنین این کتاب رو : دی
Profile Image for Mohsen M.B.
226 reviews33 followers
May 23, 2017
داستان هاي جالب و متفاوتي داره و يادداشت هاي نويسنده در بين داستان ها به جذابيت كتاب اضافه كرده .
از بين ٢٤ داستان "بزرگترين دارايي" و "شاه گوييدو جي" برام جالبتر بودن
Profile Image for Ebru Çökmez.
226 reviews37 followers
June 21, 2019
Ben, İnsan ve Jüpiter'i Satıyorum, Asimov'un dehasına paralel öyküler.

Diğerleri için aynı şeyi söyleyemeyecegim.
Profile Image for David (דוד) .
302 reviews163 followers
December 21, 2019
Average rating: 3.9

This was my first reading of Asimov's general science-fiction short stories (the earlier being his book of crime-mysteries based in an SF setting, which was unique, in the book Asimov's Mysteries). And..., they have been amazing in their own way; although I still love Arthur C. Clarke's short stories more.

This book contains 24 all-satisfying stories. There was no disappointment at all. Recommended!
5-stars: 5 stories stood out for me: Day of the Hunters; Each an Explorer; Founding Father; 2430 A.D.; Light Verse
4-stars: 11 other stories
3-stars: 8 stories
Profile Image for Lisa (Harmonybites).
1,834 reviews361 followers
March 13, 2013
The best of Isaac Asimov's science fiction stories are amazing. The first volume of his Complete Stories earned five stars from me. Just running my eye down the table of contents I often could remember the stories just from the titles, even though it had been decades since I first read them--that's how much of an impression they made upon me. These stories? Not so amazing. These are all lesser known stories--Asimov himself said they were chosen because as of the date this book appeared they were his least anthologized. They're arranged in order of original publication from 1950 to 1973, and most are very short--he says in the introduction they average around 2,500 words.

I'd read this book before, years and years ago, but I only remembered two of the 24: "The Monkey's Finger," a humor piece about writing and the creative process, and "2430 AD," among the saddest works I've ever read by Asimov, about the last zoo on Earth. I tend to think of Asimov as a fairly sunny writer, optimistic about the future. Not as much as Arthur C. Clarke perhaps, or even Heinlein, but it's striking actually how many of these stories reveal a very gloomy outlook. Several stories involved a nuclear doom and are pretty heavy-handed in its message. Asimov himself in the introductions to the stories says so--he said at the time watching the nuclear arms race between America and Soviet Union he felt bitter and hopeless about humanity's future. He said of the date of this anthology, he still felt pessimistic but for different reasons. He doesn't say what those reasons are, but given what's represented in this anthology and elsewhere I'd guess he was worried about overpopulation and the environment.

Otherwise the stories are the usual stuff of science fiction: dinosaurs, supercomputers, robots, space travel, time travel. Besides the two stories mentioned above, I especially liked "Each One an Explorer" with among the most unusual aliens I've ever read. The title story is pretty cute too. There were only a couple of stories I found complete clunkers--notably "Shah Guido G" with it's groaner of a pun. I also did love the little biographical asides that followed each story, so for an Asimov fan I do think this book is worth the read. But this isn't what I'd recommend as an introduction.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
10.5k reviews448 followers
December 18, 2022
Ok, found a copy at the univ. library... no dustcover so no cover art, of course. Skimming the notes, and in fact reading the stories lightly as they are indeed rather simplistic, even juvenile.

Old science: saurians did *not* need to stand in water to support their bodies, and were *not* cold-blooded. Sexist: "Women were more single-minded, more fanatic, less given to doubts and remorse than ever men could be." (I don't know if that insults men or women more, and in any case ignores that fact that individual members of a group vary more than the groups themselves do.)

The newer stories are somewhat better written. I think that his move to do most of his work as non-fiction may have helped, actually. I found it disconcerting though that he admits he didn't develop a library until he started writing NF... as if he didn't do research to make his science accurate in his fiction.

This collection valuable to see all the ideas he flashed out, that other writers have fleshed out into entire novels. A few have not yet been used (afaik) and might be available to you & your writing, as loose inspiration only, of course. Also interesting is a pair of stories both inspired by a quote from J.B. Priestly about an ultimate solution to the overpopulation problem, 2430 A.D. and The Greatest Asset.

But imo, just about the only works of Asimov's that've held up on their own merits are the Robot stories (and not even all of those).
Profile Image for Andrew.
2,284 reviews
December 12, 2014
This is what I remember Asimov most for - his short stories. I know that Asimov would go to great lengths to explain the merits and challenges of short stories and how the craft of writing them was if anything harder than writing a novel - now I will not challenge this being no writer myself and I will not challenge his words since he wrote so many pieces in his life time but I must admit this collection of short stories for me at least proves how amazing a story teller he was and varied and diverse his imagination must have been.

The stories cover a wide variety of topics here covering a period of the 50s to the 70s including entries in his positronic robot series .However the book itself has been in print ever since and as such can be seen as a bit of an autobiography through his work. Some of the stories do not seem rather dated in their social attitudes and dialogue and if you want to nit pick there are issues with technology too however you cannot really hold that against the stories considering they were written over half a century ago in some cases - hey I am sure I could not have foreseen some of the changes that have happened in the last 10 years that for sure.

So for me I think this is one of the lesser known Asimov short story collections and as such may not contain his most famous or influential works but it is an amazing testament to the mans creativity and skill
Profile Image for Gülsen Sırma.
47 reviews14 followers
July 11, 2018
Okuduğum Asimov kitaplarının içerisinde 3 yıldız verdiğim ilki oldu bu kitap. İçinde en beğendiğim öykü, daha önce filmini de izlediğim, (başrolde Robin Williams olan Bicennential Man) 'Ben, İnsan' adlı öyküydü. Filmi izlermiş gibi keyifle okudum. Film eski ama türü sevenlere filmi tavsiye ederim. Diğer hikayeleri biraz koparak okudum, yine de kötü diyemem. Hepsi de orijinal fikirli Asimov hikayeleriydi. Ve bir Asimov kitabı daha okuduğum için memnunum.
Profile Image for Pejman Shojaeion.
105 reviews12 followers
October 4, 2019
خب این کتاب با تمام آثار ترجمه شده «ایزاک آسیموف» متفاوت است ، «برجیس را بخر» یک مجموعه داستان کوتاه از آسیموف است که جذابیت آن به بازگویی خاطرات نویسنده توسط خودش در میان داستان‌هاست ، خاطرات ایزاک آنقدر جذاب است که داستان‌ها را بطور کامل تحت تاثیر خود قرار می‌دهد و شما هر داستان‌ را به سرعت می‌خوانید تا به خاطره مربوط به آن برسید و کلی تفریح کنید .خصوصا آنجا که آسیموف از مخ زدن سردبیر جیگر و زیبای مجله «یونیورس ساینس فیکشن» «بئا مهفی» می‌گوید که اوج شیطنت رفتاری و کلامی ‌آسیموف و صداقتش در نوشتن احساسات شخصی‌اش است ، گاهی فکر می‌کنم که می‌توانست رمان نویس بی‌نظیری شود.

مترجم «سعید سیمرغ» که خودش هم از طرفداران آسیموف است کتاب را به کمال به فارسی برگردانده و نشر کتابسرای تندیس هم آن را به چاپ رسانده. خواندنش غنیمتیست برای دوست داران داستانهای آسیموف و علاقمندان به زندگی این نویسنده و دانشمند شوخ طبع.

آگاهی نوری واحد است ، اگر آنرا هرجایی روشن کنید مثل آن است که همه جا را نورانی کرده اید./ایزاک آسیموف
Profile Image for Geoff.
664 reviews39 followers
June 18, 2016
A good variety of stories from Asimov. I really liked the autobiographical interludes where Asimov talks about his life at the time of writing the story, as well as, how the story came to be.

Favourite stories:

Silly Asses
Buy Jupiter
Founding Fathers
2430 AD
Greatest Asset
Each An Explorer
A Statue for Father
Thiotimoline to the Stars
Profile Image for Jerry.
Author 8 books25 followers
June 12, 2019
A series of short stories, mostly very short, as well as the circumstances which led to writing each story. It started as a collection of never-reprinted stories (mostly magazines, at least one anthology) for Boskone XI, and was expanded for general publication. Many are practically shaggy-dog stories (one explicitly so) in which the point of the story is the final line.

A lot of the stories are rooted in the crisis fevers of the time, such as the imminent threat of overpopulation. IBM Magazine’s editor in 1970 asked for a story based on a J.B. Priestley quote,


Between midnight and dawn, when sleep will not come and all the old wounds begin to ache, I often have a nightmare vision of a future world in which there are billions of people, all numbered and registered, with not a gleam of genius anywhere, not an original mind, a rich personality, on the whole packed globe.


Asimov came back with a (very good) story, “2430 A.D.”, about the last zookeeper in a world where everyone’s worth is weighed and counted by brain mass. The magazine sent it back.


They said they didn’t want a story that backs the quotation, they wanted one that refuted the quotation.


So Asimov wrote another story, “The Greatest Asset”, about a man who wants permission to run experiments that have no obvious benefit. The magazine, on reading it, chose to use the story they’d originally rejected.


It was utterly confusing. Was my second story so bad that it made the first look good? Or had they changed their mind?… I suspect the latter.


My own suspicion is that when they said they wanted a story that refuted Priestley’s nightmare, they meant they wanted one where humanity flourished; neither story provided that, but the first story did provide a world where choices were allowed and where a man could heroically make the ultimate sacrifice. The second story was a world run by computers and the computers could only be overridden by the bureaucracy in charge. Worse, there is one faceless bureaucrat who maintains near total power over everyone and is, in the end, the hero of the story not by making a dangerous choice or sacrifice, but merely by following a bureaucrat’s whim. He’s a vaguely Hari Seldon-like character.

The second story was far more the bureaucratic boot on the face of humanity than the first one was. The first, while it does not in any sense predict social media, relied more on social pressures for its boot to the human face. Both worlds are dystopian, and neither refutes Priestley’s nightmare, but the first at least opens the possibility.

The second story was later accepted by John Campbell.

This kind of background makes this book far more fascinating than the stories alone would, and the stories are well worth reading. Each story is preceded by a description of how it came about, and then followed by even more about it, that would have given away the ending. Such as how “Everest” was written before but published after Everest was finally climbed.


Since I am frequently called on to discuss the future of man, I can’t help using EVEREST to point out what an expert futurist I am. After all, I predicted that Mount Everest would never be climbed, five months after it was climbed.


According to the acknowledgements, the stories were published between 1950 and 1973; they are presented in chronological order by when they were published. It’s been a long time since I’ve read Isaac Asimov, and I need to read more.
Profile Image for Alex Memus.
402 reviews34 followers
January 21, 2021
Меж полуночью и восходом, когда сон не приходит и все старые раны начинают ныть, мне нередко является кошмарное видение будущего мира, где живут миллиарды людей и каждый из них пересчитан и перенумерован, где нельзя обрести ни искры гениальности, ни одного неординарного ума, ни единой яркой личности на всем битком набитом земном шарике.
Дж. Б. Пристли

Я прочитал только рассказ "В лето 2430 от Р. X." (и его positive двойника The Greatest Asset) по рекомендации Маргариты Владимировны (она организует Азимовские чтения в Шумячах недалеко от деревни Петровичи, где родился сам Азимов).

Коротко
Прикольный заход Азимова на то, как люди постепенно истребляют все другие виды животных. Такой почти пересказ первой половины книги Sapiens в виде короткого рассказа.

Чуть подробнее
* Сильный момент про то, что
* При этом интересно, что случился некий гомеостаз, равновесие. А не просто пост-апокалипсис с умиранием всех.
В этом году мы достигли поставленной цели. Рождаемость теперь точно соответствует смертности; численность населения полностью стабилизирована

* Ну и то, что умерших людей перерабатывают на удобрения — это прям как Waterworld.
* Ламповая фантастика: в 2430 есть двигающиеся дороги :)

The Greatest Asset
* Его Азимов написал как позитивное отражение первого рассказа, когда сначала журнал Think не хотел его покупать. Но Think согласился на первый, и тогда Азимов продал его Кэмпбеллу. И это был последний рассказ, который он продал Кэмпбеллу.
Asimov: “Alas, that was my last sale to John. The check arrived on August 18, 1970, and less than a year later he was dead.”
* Там есть такая легкая отсылка к последнему рассказу из "Я, Робот":
* И еще немножнечко предвкушения Sapiens Харари:
Profile Image for Rebekah.
725 reviews9 followers
January 4, 2010
Isaac Asimov wrote more than a multitude of stories, I read through all his fiction relating to and from the Robot tales with the dawn of I, Robot. (Though tracking down all the novels made the Inter-Library Loan program in Germany work overtime.) So after a year or so. I find Buy Jupiter and Other Stories in a used shop and jump on it. This collection unlike his more robot centric ones delved into many versions of the science fiction and fantasy realm. There were some that focused on time travel and how it works or doesn’t work for various characters. There were some stories of future dystopias, two of which were supposed to be opposite views based on a single quote, but I didn’t really see the difference in the future, except one had a barren cement covered world and one had humans living underground leaving a wild trees and grasses world. Both had humans taking over the entire fauna mass. Bio-diversity, who needs bio-diversity?
Most interesting about his story collection is that, and he implies this is common in his collections, he writes a snippet of what was going on and where the story comes from. This allows the reader to learn and understand something about Asimov’s writing process and biography. The stories are not long. Some as just about 2 pages, but each provides the reader with a new and exciting world.
Profile Image for Laura L. Van Dam.
Author 2 books147 followers
March 25, 2017
Mi primer contacto con Asimov en los años de secundaria. Los cuentos son de muy buen nivel y además entre cuento y cuento Asimov mecha el libro con anécdotas y curiosidades que son casi tan interesantes como los cuentos en sí.
Profile Image for hara.
94 reviews3 followers
June 23, 2019
همشون محشر بودن!
با اختلاف نامحسوسی داستان‌های《وقفه》و《شاه گوییدوچی》رو بیشتر دوست داشتم.
و ترجمه‌‌ هم که عالی بود.
Profile Image for Riju Ganguly.
Author 33 books1,582 followers
September 6, 2023
This beautifully produced (and sadly out of print) collection contains twenty-four short stories and associated anecdotal as well as autobiographical material.
Almost all of these tales are shining examples of Asimovian wit and wordplay— which used to characterise his early works. But there are gentle, nuanced and thoughtful works as well, which compel readers to think about the past, present and future of society and mankind.
My favourites, all types included, were~
1. Day of the Hunters;
2. Shah Guido G;
3. Each An Explorer;
4. Buy Jupiter;
5. Rain, Rain, Go Away;
6. Founding Father;
7. 2430 AD;
8. Take A Match;
9. Light Verse.
Several of these tales have been anthologised so many times that I had practically memorised them. But there were less printed and almost forgotten tales as well— which acted as a precursor or follower to more famous works.
Overall, if you can get hold of this volume, it would undoubtedly act as an entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Nasim.
28 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2022
Isaac Asimov’s creativity, wit and humor makes me happy and truly refreshed. I could not put it in a more simple and effective way, I just know I would be reading whatever I could get my hands on written by him.

PS. I did read the Farsi translation of this book. A great job by Saeed Simorq.
Profile Image for Víctor Cid.
97 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2021
Es mi primer contacto con Isaac Asimov, y me temo que he empezado con una colección de cuentos que no le hacen justicia. Algunos entretienen sin más, otros son un completo aburrimiento, y de verdad agradeces que sean cortos. La temática de los mismos es muy repetitiva, viajes en el tiempo, guerras nucleares, la conquista del espacio... lo cual refleja un poco los miedos y las inquietudes de los años cincuenta.
Hace falta ser valiente para criticar tan duramente la obra de un escritor de tanto nombre, pero sinceramente es un libro bastante regulero.
Profile Image for Sara Bakhshiani.
180 reviews33 followers
October 8, 2022
فکر کنم توی این همه سال که از خدا سن گرفتم
این کتاب اولین جایی بود که اون مزخرفات داخل کتاب های درسی رو تونستم ازش استفاده ببرم
وگرنه بدون دونستن شیمی و فیزیک فهمیدن یه جاهایی از داستان مشکل بود
البته که شیمی و فیزیک در حد مبتدری طور
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یدونه ستاره ازش کم میکنم چون میدونم رمان های بلندش خیلی حرف بیشتری برای گفتن دارن
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همیشه از داستان های کوتاه یا اینچنین کتاب های مجموعه داستان بدم میومد
چرا؟
چون باعث میشه در حد سه چهار صفحه مغزتو هماهنگ کنی با داستان
و بری توی فضاش و غرقش شی یهو میبینی تموم شد
و باید مغزتو آماده کنی برای یه دنیای دیگ
این کتابم همینجوری بود
از نظر من بعضی داستانارو اگ ادامه میداد میشد ازش یه فیلم خفن در حد میان ستاره ای ساخت!!
البته اینکه خود جناب آسیموف بین داستان ها اومده
و یکم از خودش و چجوری نوشتن داستان و اتفاق های رخ داده گفته
باعث میشه یه وصل شدگی سطحی بین هر داستان بتونی پیدا کنی
به هرحال هرچی که باشه از خوندنش بسی زیاد لذت بردم.
مغزم اینقد سوال طرح کرد و اینقد گفتم بزار این بخش تموم شه بعد سرچ میکنم که
کلا یادم رفت چی بود و یسوال جدید طرح میشد:دی
Profile Image for Raj.
1,491 reviews35 followers
May 25, 2016
I enjoyed this collection of mid-period Asimov. The stories were pretty classic Asimov, short on character, but long on plot and action and I thought the forewords and afterwords where the Good Doctor talked both about the story and threw in autobiographical details of his own life were just as interesting. When talking directly to the reader, Asimov has a wonderfully chatty style; I'd have loved to have met him in person (although I can say that safely, as I'm not a young woman).

Of the stories themselves, partial as I am to a good shaggy dog story (I love Clarke's Tales from the White Hart, for example), Shah Guido G. was a good one, with a fabulous pun at the end of it. The title story, Buy Jupiter was a nice one too, with another neat sting in the tail. Does a Bee Care? is one that I've read before in another collection somewhere and still enjoyed on a reread, while Let's Not is one of several dystopic or post-apocalyptic stories in the collection, and the last line is a stinger.

So a strong collection, worthy of the established fan and the Asimov novice alike, but as noteworthy for the biographical detail from the author as the stories themselves.
22 reviews38 followers
October 9, 2018
I attempted to read this short story collection about four distinct times in August and I only ever got through the first story each time.

Then, just when I needed to start packing for school again, it hooked me.

Reading Buy Jupiter from start to finish in the car (whenver I wasn't driving or sleeping) was engrossing to a point where not many books have taken me. I was IN. The stories range from funny to slightly haunting, and all possess a little sparkle of Asimovian quirkiness. The man genuinely loved writing and his own joy shines through.

The whole book is supplemented by little autobiographical vignettes putting the context of Asimov's life while writing the story into place. It only lends to the feeling of unrestrained Asimov (if I can turn that into a feeling!) I experienced while reading this.

Altogether, I only ended up encountering this book by chance, but what a lucky break for me!
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
7,421 reviews244 followers
September 17, 2010
Buy Jupiter is a 1975 collection of 24 short stories by Isaac Asimov. Between each story Asimov explains the history of story. Sometimes he offers the reason behind the story and other times he explains the punchline.

Most of the stories are actually shorter than the attached commentary, coming in at two to five pages in length. They are too the point, usually aiming either for a quick moral or a funny pun.

My favorite of the set is Shah Guido G. (1951) which is also one of the longer of the stories. It is also probably the best of the pun stories.

Over all, though, I found Buy Jupiter hard to read at my usual pace. The stories tend to run right into the explanations. It reads like Asimov is sitting in the corner of the room giving a drunken monologue about his story writing process.
Profile Image for Boogi Lu.
78 reviews11 followers
June 6, 2018
خواندن این کتاب مثل ملاقات رودر روی دوباره با ایزاک آسیموف بزرگ و دوست داشتنیِ. خواندن چندین داستان کوتاه علمی تخیلی متوسط و خوب و عالی از نویسنده ای که بیش از هر نوع نوشتنی ، در این نوع نوشتن تبحر داره. اما اون چیزی که بیشترین لذت رو برای طرفداران تخیل علمی به همراه داره "خود نوشت" های خود آسیموف که صمیمانه و دوستانه با خوانندگانش در میون می گذاره. اینکه چطوری این داستان ها رو نوشته و و یکمی هم از زندگی خودش . این کتاب برای اونهاییِ که میخوان با علمی تخیلی آشنا بشن برای اونهاییِ که همیشه و برای همیشه آسیموف رو دوست دارند و خواهند داشت و برای اونهاییکه می خوان بفهمند چرا و چه جوری می شه سیاره مشتری رو خرید و یا فروخت!
Profile Image for James.
147 reviews2 followers
September 7, 2018
Isaac Asimov's sci-fi short stories are generally terrific and interesting. This collection doesn't represent his best work and some of the stories are a tad pedestrian. But this is actually an autobiography of sorts, as Asimov added essays to explain the origins of the stories and how they relate to his own life. The stories are also scarcer than his other work. If you like Asimov or indulge in sci-fi shorts - or want a view of what it was like being a sci-fi writer back in the 50s to 70s - it's worth giving this a read.
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