Intergalactic Empires

Isaac Asimov's Wonderful Worlds of Science Fiction #1

by Isaac Asimov (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Charles G. Waugh (Editor)

Stories deal with the rise and fall, government, exploration missions, incorporation, and defense of interstellar empires

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 6, 1983

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

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this not long after it was published in 1983. I was interested in the idea of "galactic empires" although, when you think about it, it's a ludicrous idea! But it was worked out well in Asimov's classic Foundation trilogy, based on, as Asimov said, the Roman Empire and its cycle of rise, decline and fall.
In this collection of stories relating to empires in space, there is a good story by Asimov and set in the galactic empire of his Foundation universe. It's "Blind Alley" (1945) about the humans' first encounter with aliens. If you recall the Foundation series, it's an all-human universe! But in this story, there are aliens ... Actually, the best story of all ( I think) is the one by Cordwainer Smith ( Paul Linebarger, 1913-1966), "A Planet Named Shayol" (1961). Shayol is a prison planet set in a galaxy ruled by "the Lords of the Instrumentality." Smith brought a rather unique vision of the future to his stories, which is the reason I like it. Another good story is "Ministry of Disturbance" (1958) by H. Beam Piper.
But I thought all nine stories were at least above average and worthwhile. 4 stars

[David C. Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology contains one of my favorite science fiction stories of all time, "Fighting Philosopher" by Everett B. Cole. This story describes an enlightened galactic federation that takes a different tact than "Star Trek" when interacting with cultures not yet capable of space travel. Education about cycles of history inspired by British historian Arnold Toynbee are employed in the story as the core of preparation for eventual galactic citizenship. An interstellar defense force called the Stellar Guard and a branch of that organization called the Philosophical Corps are mentioned. Cole later expanded "Fighting Philosopher" into a novel length story called "The Philosophical Corps."

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earth rules the waves
Some of the stories are not at all badly written. Panshin, Down to the worlds of men. I liked Silverberg, Chalice of Death, although it was fascistoid rubbish. Really good none, not even the Asimov story.

[Tell Tale Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Gregory Kerkman

[Old Man Aries · Rating 3 out of 5]

IL CALICE DELLA MORTE di Robert Silverberg. La promessa di una vita eterna per alcuni, e la morte istantanea invece per altri: può qualcuno, addirittura un Terrestre, disporre di un segreto così terribile ed al tempo stesso cosi affascinante?
GIU’ NEI MONDI DELL’UOMO di Alexei Panshin. Era giunto per loro il momento della prova decisiva: strappati dal rifugio sicuro costituito dalle Navi, e sbarcati su un mondo primitivo ed ostile, ciascuno dei prescelti doveva trovare un differente patto che gli consentisse di sopravvivere...
VICOLO CIECO di lsaac Asimov. Era un momento unico ed irripetibile nella Storia della Galassia: il primo e solo incontro con una razza intelligente di alieni. Ma ora che erano stati trovati, quale sarebbe stato il comportamento dell’Impero nei loro confronti?
Da un tempo che si perde nella leggenda quando la Terra dominava le vie delle stelle ad un pianeta isolato dove gli uomini e le donne divennero qualcosa di più – o di meno – degli esseri umani, fino ad un sottile gioco di diplomazia interstellare il cui scopo e il destino di interi Imperi Galattici, questo libro vi mostra delle immagini del lontano futuro, conquistatori e vinti, politici, scienziati, guerrieri, avventurieri e sognatori che si muovono tutti nei Magici Mondi di Asimov.

[Mario · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are fine, none are especially memorable (although I kind of liked Blind Alley). I wanted to like this because of the theme, but each seems to have an idea of "Empire" that is more or less the same, tired, old, enormous, nothing dynamic. But, while all are so similar, they are also all in different realities, creating a problem where the stories are both too close in setting but get none of the benefits of a shared universe.