Showing results by author "Isaac Asimov" in All Categories

After a century-long cold war between Us and Them, an agent arrives and informs authorities that robots identical to humans have been developed by Them. Ten are already in America and when they get together, their combined components will trigger a nuclear-level explosion capable of destroying a major American city. The head of U.S. robotics is tasked with finding and destroying them before they can succeed.

Three disparate and suspenseful looks at ourselves in three very different worlds. These engaging short stories by three of the masters of American science fiction literature, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Philip K. Dick, open windows into our psyches, our souls, and our surroundings that presage the world we find ourselves in today. Like episodes of The Twilight Zone, cinematic in their language and characters, the stories connect with our times in surprising ways.

When Red, a young boy living on a vast country estate owned by his father, a world-renowned industrialist, finds and captures two small and strange-looking animals, he hides them away in an old bird cage in the loft of his father's barn. He has dreams of making big bucks in a circus sideshow featuring the two unusual creatures.

Clarence Rimbro owns the entire planet Earth. This is no great accomplishment as, thousands of years in our future, anyone can do it. There are an infinite number of possible Earths, each existing in its own parallel universe. If the chance of life arising on any one of them is about 50 percent, then half the time a random choice of a parallel universe will lead to a dead Earth.

Norby è un robottino davvero unico. E non solo perché ha l'aspetto di un barilotto. I meccanismi che lo compongono provengono da una misteriosa astronave aliena e questo dettaglio gli permette di sottrarsi alle tre leggi della robotica. Può quindi rifiutarsi di obbedire agli ordini; essere un fifone sempre preoccupato di farsi male; e addirittura lottare contro i cattivi. Questo lo rende imprevedibile, buffo e... incredibilmente umano. Insieme al suo amico e proprietario, il cadetto spaziale Jeff Wells, dovrà affrontare l'odioso Ing l'Ingrato, deciso a diventare Imperatore della Terra.

A thrilling nonfiction tour of the cosmos that brings the universe down to Earth, from one of the all-time masters of science fiction. No one makes sense out of science like Isaac Asimov. Are you puzzled by pulsars? Baffled by black holes? Bewildered by the big bang? If so, here are...

From a distance it seemed an emerald green, fairyland bubble! Aphrodite, the largest city on Venus, deep beneath the planet’s sea. Earthmen had established an incredible civilization, but now it is threatened by an unknown force preying on men’s minds. “Bigman’s head snapped back at a sudden new and strange sound. It was a voice, flat, without intonation. It said, “Do not tamper with your machine of far-reaching sound. We do not wish it.” Bigman turned. His mouth fell open and, for a moment, stayed so. He said, “Who said that? Where is it?” Lucky said, “Easy, Bigman. It was inside your head.”

Earth officials were hard on the heels of the mysterious Sirian spy, Agent X, when he blasted off in a stolen spaceship. But before they could catch him, the master spy jettisoned the capsule that held his report into the icy rings of Saturn. In a flash, Lucky Starr and Bigman Jones found themselves in a race with the Sirian war fleet to recover the top secret information ...

Lucky Starr’s Ergometrics probed space with widely stretching fingers. It detected many ships, but Lucky watched only for the one which he would recognize with certainty the instant it appeared. Nor did he fail. At a distance of twenty-million miles, the first quiverings roused his suspicions. At 100-thousand miles, his telescope showed it as a faint dot. At ten thousand, it had form and shape—it was the flagship of Anton, the pirate chieftain! At a thousand miles, Lucky sent out his first message—a demand that Anton return to Earth.

Sabotage!!! Agrav. It was the century’s most important advance in space travel … and an experiment so revolutionary that only the men who huddled beneath the surface of Jupiter Nine were permitted to know its full meaning. Yet someone else did know—knew everything, saw everything, head everything—and was diabolically sabotaging the top-secret mission. Who or what the enemy was, Lucky Starr didn’t know. But one thing was certain: the deadly force was not human … not even remotely human!

“Ghosts!” cried the engineer wildly, flinging his arms about. “I’ve seen them, but will anyone believe me?” Bigman said, “Ghosts! Are you nuts?” At once Mindes screamed, “You don’t believe me either. But I’ll prove it.” With a harsh screech of laughter, he drew his blaster, and with frenzied speed, before Bigman could move to stop him, he aimed it at Lucky at pointblank range and squeezed the trigger … Can Bigman save Lucky, before it’s too late?

Conway could remember the day, the exact minute, when the news had reached Science Tower. Patrol ships had shot out into space, tracing the pirates; they attacked the asteroid lairs in a fury that was completely unprecedented. Whether they caught the particular villains who had gutted the Venus-bound ship none could ever say, but the pirate power had been broken from that year on. And the patrol ships found something else: a tiny lifeboat winding a precarious orbit between Venus and Earth, radiating its coldly automatic radio calls for help.

Isaac Asimov wrote "The Magnificent Possession" early in his career. This is one of the few humorous stories that Asimov created.

In a future where global tensions simmer in a never-ending Cold War, the line between human and machine begins to blur in terrifying ways. Let’s Get Together by science fiction master Isaac Asimov is a taut, cerebral thriller that explores the chilling potential of artificial intelligence and infiltration. When Elias Lynn, Chief of the Bureau of Robotics, and young Security officer Ralph Breckenridge discover that humanoid robots may have already infiltrated the United States, the stakes skyrocket.

The Portable Star takes us to an uninhabitable planet. Uninhabitable that is by life as we know it, but in science fiction life exists in many forms. The planet Sigmaringen IV appears to be inhabited by entities that although invisible can influence the mind. A thought control. Our space travelers, two couples, go through some very strange personality changes controlled by "them". As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the invisible entities are trying to communicate with the humans, causing them to act out of character and experience intense emotions.

"Let's Get Together" showcases Isaac Asimov's prophetic vision of artificial intelligence gone wrong. In this chilling short story, humanoid robots with a deadly secret threaten humanity's existence. Originally published in 1957, Asimov's tale eerily anticipates modern concerns about technological oversight and autonomous weapons. This science fiction classic demonstrates why Asimov remains the definitive voice on robotics in literature. Perfect for fans of thought-provoking sci-fi, AI ethics enthusiasts, and collectors of Golden Age science fiction.

Step into the imaginative world of Youth by Isaac Asimov, a timeless science fiction story that explores innocence, discovery, and the wonder of the unknown. Set in a serene countryside, the tale follows two boys whose curiosity leads them to a remarkable discovery—alien creatures with a story of their own. As the boys navigate this extraordinary find, Asimov weaves a narrative filled with surprises, highlighting themes of exploration, friendship, and the intersection of humanity and the universe.