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Opus 100
Isaac Asimov needs no introduction. As the COLUMBUS DISPATCH declares, he is "the man who legitimized Science Fiction in the United States." But this is just part of the fabulous Asimov story. For this bestselling author has also explored virtually every branch of human knowledge in his mind-expanding writings. Now, in a blend of Science and Fiction that only he could achieve, Isaac Asimov takes you on a personally guided tour of the brightest adventures and delights in the Asimov galaxy.
280 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1969
9 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,337 books27.8k followersWorks 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...
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 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 21, 2021
This is a collection of excerpts, essays, and anecdotes that was assembled to celebrate the publication of Asimov's one-hundredth book. These are excerpts from the previous ninety-nine, and while I was sometimes annoyed by the excerpts from his fiction, I enjoyed sampling the very far-ranging topics of his non-fiction, as well as the autobiographical bits and anecdotes about his relations with editors and other writers. Asimov was always entertaining as well as educational.
March 2, 2013
A good collection of his various writings, along with a narration of how he came to write these works - the author's autobiographical journey as a writer, not only of sci-fi, but of all his books. Includes lovely stories.
Asimov wrote this as his 100th book, hence the title Opus 100. A memorable way to celebrate this awesome number of writings.
Asimov wrote this as his 100th book, hence the title Opus 100. A memorable way to celebrate this awesome number of writings.
March 31, 2015
Certainly there is no one who can match the breadth of Asimov’s writings, although there are a few who can match the volume. The man truly can be described as “the human writing machine.” This is a book about books, being a summary of the first 99 that he wrote. To be more precise, it is a collection of excerpts from several of those books interspersed with Asimov’s personal commentary concerning his writing and how he came to write about that particular topic.
I found the commentary to be more interesting than the excerpts. He writes in a very personal style that seems to be directed to you as you read it. His tactics and even occasional humility, a rare thing for Asimov and something he readily admits, gives you a great deal of insight into how he could be so prolific and broad. He sums up his career very well when he admits that the only thing that he is expert at is in sounding like an expert.
I confess that I learned more science from reading Asimov’s books than I did in satisfying the requirements for two majors in areas of science. He writes very well, making the complex understandable. If you are unfamiliar with his work, then this book is a good place to begin. If you have read nearly all of his over 300 books, then you can still read this for pleasure, something I just did for the third time.
This review appears on Amazon
I found the commentary to be more interesting than the excerpts. He writes in a very personal style that seems to be directed to you as you read it. His tactics and even occasional humility, a rare thing for Asimov and something he readily admits, gives you a great deal of insight into how he could be so prolific and broad. He sums up his career very well when he admits that the only thing that he is expert at is in sounding like an expert.
I confess that I learned more science from reading Asimov’s books than I did in satisfying the requirements for two majors in areas of science. He writes very well, making the complex understandable. If you are unfamiliar with his work, then this book is a good place to begin. If you have read nearly all of his over 300 books, then you can still read this for pleasure, something I just did for the third time.
This review appears on Amazon
September 24, 2009
In Opus 100, the prolific and versatile Isaac Asimov gives us a sampling from his first 99 books, interleaved with a mini-biography of the author's career in writing (as of 1969). Including both fact and fiction, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the world of Asimov. In addition to our tour of Asimov's works, we receive a tour of his ego, which is of galactic proportions; but we can forgive him for that, as his clear, informative writing will both inform and entertain. Even Asimov cognoscenti will find something of value in this volume: several of the nonfiction excerpts are taken from books that are nowadays nearly impossible to find. The jewel of the rare Asimoviana in this collection is his account of the discovery of fluorine, a feat that along the way claimed the lives of several prominent nineteenth-century chemists.
October 6, 2012
Amazing book, it's like having a conversation with Asimov and how his books (and writing methods) came to be. Its also slightly autobiographical as he talks about what he was doing at that time he wrote a certain books (and how he met his wife).
It does get wordy though but if you manage to make it all the way to the end the short story there is worth the effort.
It does get wordy though but if you manage to make it all the way to the end the short story there is worth the effort.
July 14, 2014
Particularly liked it because it focused on Asimov's writing process, relationships with editors, and the genesis of some of the key books within the first twenty years of his career. Delightful smorgasbord of ideas and subjects, including the evolution of the Three Laws of Robotics in fiction.
January 13, 2018
Quite the entertaining read of short essays and excerpts from Asimov's stories. The variety of topics covered was genuinely surprising. Personally, it took me back to my younger days when I really loved science.
August 21, 2009
The Good Doctor presents short introductory reviews of each of his first 100 books.
June 30, 2020
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Of course, some of the information (especially on astronomy) is outdated at this point, but overall, a nice overview of a lot of topics. But the most interesting part is the autobiographical elements of Asimov discussing his work. Also included are a few short stories in their entirety and most of them are decent. Unfortunately, the last story which rounds out the book was the worst (and seriously one of the worst things I've ever read by him). Otherwise, a decent collection of work.
May 4, 2017
This book doesn't have any right to be this good. Only being my 8th book of Asimov's that I've read, most of it was new to me and I can never read The Last Question too many times. One of my favorite things about Asimov is the breadth of topics he covers and this book really shows that by dividing into 11 chapters the different areas covered in his first 99 books along with a little anecdote about how that book came to be or what was going on in his life at the time of writing.
January 26, 2023
This is a very old book that was literally falling to pieces . I love Isaac Asimov and will read anything he’s written. He was approaching his goal of 100 books at this time. Unfortunately he’s no longer with us. I am however watching a tv series of FOUNDATION! As soon as I watch this I will again read the complete Foundation series again from prelude to the end. It’s still in the top 2 of my favorite books. I’ve read it at least 3 times so far. I miss waiting for his new book . 😢
June 7, 2021
This is a very mixed bag with a lot of highs and lows. If you've read a lot of Asimov already I wouldn't bother with this. If you haven't it makes for a compelling and tantalising introduction to his world.
September 17, 2022
I shall keep this short, for I abhor long reviews, and I am certain you have much else to do.
Opus 100 is perhaps my favorite of Asimov's works, comprising several of his other 99 books, and is sure to delight fans of both science and fictional science stories.
Opus 100 is perhaps my favorite of Asimov's works, comprising several of his other 99 books, and is sure to delight fans of both science and fictional science stories.
September 30, 2023
Issac Asimov, a prolific author, wrote this to celebrate his 100th book. It is filled with commentary on writing as well as some short stories. Very well written.
July 10, 2024
How did this man write 100 books in 19 years?! His passion, intellect, humor, and dedication will serve as my role model for decades to come.
May 2, 2016
Writing 100 books is a monumental achievement, especially given the range of genre and subject that Asimov tackled. Opus, his hundredth book, is however an exercise in self-indulgence. It's basically bits taken from a number of those books, cobbled together with anecdote for the purpose of pushing out another volume. This is one case where, I think, the individual pieces are often greater than the sum of the parts.
February 28, 2011
Grade C
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews