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Lucky Starr #1-6 omnibus
The Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr
Dehvid Starr ezche v detstve lishilsja roditelejj, stavshih zhertvami kosmicheskih piratov. On ucelel i poluchil luchshee obrazovanie v Galaktike, stav strojjnym krasavcem-sportsmenom so stal`nymi myshcami i analiticheskim umom pervoklassnogo uchenogo. K tomu zhe Dehvid stal samym molodym chlenom Soveta Nauki, organizacii, obladajuzchejj neogranichennymi polnomochijami...
701 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
8 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Paul French
14 books13 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Pen name of Isaac Asimov for the Lucky Starr books.
Pen name of Isaac Asimov for the Lucky Starr books.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 25, 2010
Written as tales for children under the name Paul French, this is a compilation of all six stories in one novel. If only someone had handed me this when I was younger, instead of Nancy Drew, by foray in to SF would have started much sooner. Sadly the stories are mostly out of print or horribly difficult to get at libraries. Good stuff!
November 2, 2016
I mentioned that I had read one Lucky Starr story that my system had as Juvenile and that the classification did not seem correct to me. After reading the complete adventures I can report that Lucky Starr is 29 years old, so I was correct: this is adult literature, not juvenile. These were written early in his career but three years after he wrote Nightfall, the title that brought him fame.
Apparently Doubleday was hoping that this might become a TV series and asked Asimov to write it. Since he already had a suspicion that TV would be mostly trash, he didn't want the Asimov name on it so took a pseudonym. Later on, after it was definitely not going to be a TV series, he started to bring it more in line with other titles he had written, which would be the robotic series, since Foundation had not yet been written. At that point, he really wanted his name on it, not Paul French, and when paperback requests were made he specified that his name had to be on it. The jacket and title page state Isaac Asimov writing as Paul French.
The stories were fun but not particularly great writing. However, the last story was very good. In it, Asimov looks beyond the current adventure story to what could be happening in the larger picture. You can see some themes that become standard in his later stories with the Foundation series. He is concerned with what perspective will shape the expansion of the galaxy: the spacers' attempt to make a perfect person, genetically, or the Earthmen's attempt to bring genetic variety to the universe. I enjoyed all the stories, if most were rather light, but the last one was excellent.
Apparently Doubleday was hoping that this might become a TV series and asked Asimov to write it. Since he already had a suspicion that TV would be mostly trash, he didn't want the Asimov name on it so took a pseudonym. Later on, after it was definitely not going to be a TV series, he started to bring it more in line with other titles he had written, which would be the robotic series, since Foundation had not yet been written. At that point, he really wanted his name on it, not Paul French, and when paperback requests were made he specified that his name had to be on it. The jacket and title page state Isaac Asimov writing as Paul French.
The stories were fun but not particularly great writing. However, the last story was very good. In it, Asimov looks beyond the current adventure story to what could be happening in the larger picture. You can see some themes that become standard in his later stories with the Foundation series. He is concerned with what perspective will shape the expansion of the galaxy: the spacers' attempt to make a perfect person, genetically, or the Earthmen's attempt to bring genetic variety to the universe. I enjoyed all the stories, if most were rather light, but the last one was excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2025
Sort of a deductive sleuth goes to space for young adults. A bit too formulaic for my taste. although some creativity evident set in a time when men were men and women didn't exist. The first reaction in any situation is to is to fight, but fighting of course is never the solution.
December 6, 2018
A bit dry, but with a charm of th old like most of Asimovs books. Crime stories in SFiFi. Should be read as a series and not alone (too short).
December 9, 2012
If you like the nostalgic feel of Buck Rogers, the adventurer in space righting wrongs, you'll love the Lucky Starr adventures. Lucky Starr, space ranger and his side kick the diminutive Bigman solve mysteries with science and fists. Each adventure takes place on the planets in this solar system. While the science is dated – Venus isn’t covered by an ocean, Mercury doesn’t keep one side to the sun and the other always in the dark, I enjoyed the hard science approach. Earthmen don’t land on a planet and breathe the atmosphere and enjoy comfortable temperatures. They do speak the same language as the planets have been colonized by earthmen and apparently English speaking ones. The adventures connect and build on each other. The robots act within Asimov’s laws. Written for adolescents as a possible televisions series it’s a fun, fast read. And Asimov too!
February 26, 2017
A fun series. I enjoyed the introduction by Isaac Asimov-it was amusing and the background information he gave was interesting. One thing-this story was supposed to be a counterpart to the Lone Ranger but Lucky Starr was only the "Space Ranger" in the first two stories. I kept expecting him to pull out his force field/mask and it never happened. I still enjoyed the stories though-they are well written and a great choice for Sci-Fi fans looking for a light, entertaining read.
December 27, 2012
Asimov gilt als eher schwere Kost im SciFi Bereich. Als Begründer der Robotergesetze hat er einen sehr guten und meist auch begründeten Ruf HardSF zu schreiben. Mit Lucky Starr zeigt er das er auch in der Lage ist einfach nur SciFi zu Unterhaltungszwecken zu schreiben. Ließt sich leicht und entspannt, ist und bleibt kreativ und spannend.
November 10, 2017
Fun yarns, but not Asimov's best work. These read as they were intended, like radio-fashioned radio serials, each chapter is a small cliff-hanger. The sixth is not to par with the others - not nearly as "rousing."
Asimov's introduction apologizes for the science which later years showed to be inaccurate. I thought it odd until I read the stories. His apology is there, I think, because he makes so much of throwing the science in your face. Can you, as a reader, really picture the brightness of the sun as 1/27th of what you typically see? I doubt it, though Dr. Asimov gives us credit for that ability, instead of just "a small fraction." I did accept his apology for where he was wrong because we just didn't know though. On the other hand, I did mutter a "tsk,tsk" when he mentioned the tides on Venus. Not because he has Venus covered by an ocean of seltzer, which was just a guess based on then-current knowledge, but because Venus was already known not to have a moon, which would be required to have tides.
At any rate, if you're looking for some fun, return to the thrilling world of yesteryear's space opera, and give them a try.
Asimov's introduction apologizes for the science which later years showed to be inaccurate. I thought it odd until I read the stories. His apology is there, I think, because he makes so much of throwing the science in your face. Can you, as a reader, really picture the brightness of the sun as 1/27th of what you typically see? I doubt it, though Dr. Asimov gives us credit for that ability, instead of just "a small fraction." I did accept his apology for where he was wrong because we just didn't know though. On the other hand, I did mutter a "tsk,tsk" when he mentioned the tides on Venus. Not because he has Venus covered by an ocean of seltzer, which was just a guess based on then-current knowledge, but because Venus was already known not to have a moon, which would be required to have tides.
At any rate, if you're looking for some fun, return to the thrilling world of yesteryear's space opera, and give them a try.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews