Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction (Revised Edition) (34 page)
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Authors: James Gunn
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Up to now, no one has been able to predict novas. Junz points out, however, that one of the two stellar nuclear transformations uses carbon as an intermediate stage, or catalyst, in the process of changing hydrogen into helium. He speculates that Rik has traced a carbon current in space and that a star passing through a current containing unusual concentrations of carbon becomes unstable, the star's radiation is boosted tremendously, and the outer layers explode into a nova.
Both Fife and Abel raise doubts about the evacuation of Florina on the basis of such an unsubstantiated theory. Junz points out, however, that the matter concerns the whole Galaxy, since twenty full novas occur every year and another two thousand stars shift their radiation characteristics sufficiently to render their planets uninhabitable. Every fifty years, then, an inhabited planet becomes too hot for life, and every five thousand years some inhabited planet has a fifty-fifty chance of being puffed to gas by a nova. If Trantor does nothing for Florina, the other people in the Galaxy will feel that nothing will be done for them either if help is in the way of the economic convenience of a few powerful men.
Abel still is not convinced until Junz points out that Florina produces kyrt because its sun is in the pre-nova stage. With this information, it will be possible to produce kyrt anywhere. Junz suggests that Trantor buy Florina from Sark and evacuate it. Terens is put in charge of the evacuation.
In an Epilog, a year later, Florina has been almost completely evacuated. Rik and Valona are married, and Rik is content to go back to Earth and work there, unfit any longer to be a Spatio-analyst because the anxiety that made him one is gone but able to live once more on the radioactive Earth that had made him anxious. Terens, going down with his planet, has been granted permission to stay on Florina until the end.
In spite of the obvious improvements in
The Currents of Space
over
The Stars, Like Dust,
the book also has some clear weaknesses. The apparent hero and heroine, Rik and Valona, are more acted upon than actors, and they develop little during the progress of the novel. The role of the real hero, Terens, who precipitates the events of the novel out of his rage at the Squires and love for Florina, is obscured because of plot necessities.
The Currents of Space
over
The Stars, Like Dust,
the book also has some clear weaknesses. The apparent hero and heroine, Rik and Valona, are more acted upon than actors, and they develop little during the progress of the novel. The role of the real hero, Terens, who precipitates the events of the novel out of his rage at the Squires and love for Florina, is obscured because of plot necessities.
Shifts between actors in the complex situation artificially conceal information from the reader that might naturally be revealed, from the Prolog almost to the end. This is particularly artificial when the view-point is Terens's and reveals some of his thoughts and memories but not all. Asimov's best novels the robot novels and
The End of Eternity
follow a single character throughout. The reader learns only what the character learns in search of a solution to a mystery. At this relatively early period in his experience as a writer of novels, Asimov may have felt uneasy about his ability to sustain a prolonged narrative while focusing on a single character. Shifting to other characters and other actions allowed him to put the novel together like a series of alternating stories.
The End of Eternity
follow a single character throughout. The reader learns only what the character learns in search of a solution to a mystery. At this relatively early period in his experience as a writer of novels, Asimov may have felt uneasy about his ability to sustain a prolonged narrative while focusing on a single character. Shifting to other characters and other actions allowed him to put the novel together like a series of alternating stories.
The sequence of flashbacks required by the concern about events of the previous year seems both a weakness and a strength. The continual shifts in time create a certain amount of confusion and a grasping for tenses, but the relationship between past and present, once the rhythm has been established, creates effective juxtapositions that have relevance to the theme.
The characterizations are a strength of the novel. Unlike
The Stars, Like Dust,
the characters in
The Currents of Space
are less stereotyped and more lifelike, from the memory-damaged Rik and the loyal Valona to the angry Terens, the pragmatic Abel, and the powerful dwarf, Fife. They are better drawn, no doubt, because they are better motivated. In addition, Asimov's language is groping its way toward the economy of the robot novels. The social commentary on racial prejudice, developed through the counterpoint of the white-skinned cotton-pickers of Florina, makes the statements that slavery is economic, not racial, and that racial prejudice can be applied to any color of skin and be equally reprehensible and repugnant.
The Stars, Like Dust,
the characters in
The Currents of Space
are less stereotyped and more lifelike, from the memory-damaged Rik and the loyal Valona to the angry Terens, the pragmatic Abel, and the powerful dwarf, Fife. They are better drawn, no doubt, because they are better motivated. In addition, Asimov's language is groping its way toward the economy of the robot novels. The social commentary on racial prejudice, developed through the counterpoint of the white-skinned cotton-pickers of Florina, makes the statements that slavery is economic, not racial, and that racial prejudice can be applied to any color of skin and be equally reprehensible and repugnant.
Most important, the subject of the novels, the coming destruction of a planet and ultimately the discovery of a process for identifying incipient novas, is momentous. Readers feel that the twists and turns of the plot are not simply manipulations. The suspense is not built artificially, in spite of the withholding of the psycho-prober's identity, but has a natural momentum. Events finally justify themselves. The novel also shows another stage in the development of the Galactic Empire, an empire which the Asimov reader has seen fall in
The Foundation Trilogy.
The Foundation Trilogy.
Moreover, the novel unfolds as a mystery. It offers three important questions to be answered. At one point Lady Samia lists them:
The three points were therefore these. (1) What was the danger that threatened Florina, or, rather, the entire Galaxy? (2) Who was the person
who had psycho-probed the Earthman? (3) Why had the person used the psycho-probe?
who had psycho-probed the Earthman? (3) Why had the person used the psycho-probe?
Asimov's method works best when he offers a mystery to be solved, questions to be answered that clearly must be answered and whose answers justify the concern raised about them
In 1961
The Currents of Space, Pebble in the Sky,
and
The Stars, Like Dust
were reprinted in an omnibus volume under the title
Triangle.
The Currents of Space, Pebble in the Sky,
and
The Stars, Like Dust
were reprinted in an omnibus volume under the title
Triangle.
The Asimov juveniles originated March 22, 1951, at lunch with Bradbury and Pohl. Asimov considered the suggestion that he write a juvenile science-fiction novel modeled after radio's long-running series,
The Lone Ranger.
It might lead to a television series featuring a Space Ranger that would make millions for all concerned. No one present science-fiction editor, agent, or writer dreamed that television, then in its early years, would have few series that would run as long as
The Lone Ranger.
Asimov speculated in his autobiography that the reason for this was that "the addition of the sense of vision enormously hastened a sense of satiation." No one knew, either, that a juvenile television series,
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger,
already was in the works.
The Lone Ranger.
It might lead to a television series featuring a Space Ranger that would make millions for all concerned. No one present science-fiction editor, agent, or writer dreamed that television, then in its early years, would have few series that would run as long as
The Lone Ranger.
Asimov speculated in his autobiography that the reason for this was that "the addition of the sense of vision enormously hastened a sense of satiation." No one knew, either, that a juvenile television series,
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger,
already was in the works.
What bothered Asimov, rather, was the uniform awfulness of everything on television (with the single exception of the Sid Caesar-Imogene Coca
Your Show of Shows
). He did not want his name associated with the medium. (Television people, if they had known Asimov's opinion, might well have smiled at the veteran of pulps with garish covers and untrimmed edges, but Asimov would have defended the intrinsic value of the contents.) Bradbury said, "Use a pseudonym," and Asimov agreed to do it. Following the example of Cornell Woolrich, who chose a nationality for his pseudonym William Irish, Asimov selected the name "Paul French." When it became apparent that the Space Ranger would not end up on television, Asimov dropped the Space Ranger paraphernalia and put the juveniles under his real name as soon as possible.
Your Show of Shows
). He did not want his name associated with the medium. (Television people, if they had known Asimov's opinion, might well have smiled at the veteran of pulps with garish covers and untrimmed edges, but Asimov would have defended the intrinsic value of the contents.) Bradbury said, "Use a pseudonym," and Asimov agreed to do it. Following the example of Cornell Woolrich, who chose a nationality for his pseudonym William Irish, Asimov selected the name "Paul French." When it became apparent that the Space Ranger would not end up on television, Asimov dropped the Space Ranger paraphernalia and put the juveniles under his real name as soon as possible.
He wrote
David Starr: Space Ranger
quickly; it was completed on July 29. (His juveniles are no longer than 50,000 words compared to the 60,000 to 70,000 of his adult novels up to the bestsellers of the 1980s.) Doubleday got it into print in near-record time, and Asimov had an advance copy by January 15, 1952. By the time it was published, Asimov's relationship with Doubleday had changed. He had only to say he would do another and Doubleday produced a contract and advance. The second juvenile,
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids,
was
written between July 5 and October 24, 1952. (Starr had been named David, after his son, and was nicknamed Lucky in the second and subsequent books because Asimov decided David was too pedestrian for a space adventurer.) Within little more than a month Asimov began work on
The Caves of Steel.
David Starr: Space Ranger
quickly; it was completed on July 29. (His juveniles are no longer than 50,000 words compared to the 60,000 to 70,000 of his adult novels up to the bestsellers of the 1980s.) Doubleday got it into print in near-record time, and Asimov had an advance copy by January 15, 1952. By the time it was published, Asimov's relationship with Doubleday had changed. He had only to say he would do another and Doubleday produced a contract and advance. The second juvenile,
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids,
was
written between July 5 and October 24, 1952. (Starr had been named David, after his son, and was nicknamed Lucky in the second and subsequent books because Asimov decided David was too pedestrian for a space adventurer.) Within little more than a month Asimov began work on
The Caves of Steel.
The third novel in the juvenile series,
Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus,
required some revision that Asimov thought justified. (Doubleday objected to Starr's being so close-mouthed that his loyal partner thinks he is "an utter bastard.") The final manuscript was submitted on March 17, 1953, and published in 1954. A year went by without a Lucky Starr novel. Asimov was busy with
The End of Eternity
and a series of science books he had begun to write for Abelard-Schuman (
The Chemicals of Life,
1954;
Races and People,
1955; and
Inside the Atom,
1956) and for McGraw-Hill (
Chemistry and Human Health,
1956). He also was busy with short stories and with the cares of a homeowner, for he and his wife had bought their first house.
Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury
appeared in 1956,
Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter
in 1957, and
Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn
in 1958.
Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus,
required some revision that Asimov thought justified. (Doubleday objected to Starr's being so close-mouthed that his loyal partner thinks he is "an utter bastard.") The final manuscript was submitted on March 17, 1953, and published in 1954. A year went by without a Lucky Starr novel. Asimov was busy with
The End of Eternity
and a series of science books he had begun to write for Abelard-Schuman (
The Chemicals of Life,
1954;
Races and People,
1955; and
Inside the Atom,
1956) and for McGraw-Hill (
Chemistry and Human Health,
1956). He also was busy with short stories and with the cares of a homeowner, for he and his wife had bought their first house.
Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury
appeared in 1956,
Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter
in 1957, and
Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn
in 1958.
The juveniles were in the older style of the science-fiction adventure story that Jules Verne had pioneered, H.G. Wells had stooped to upon occasion (notably for a good part of
The First Men in the Moon
), and E. E. "Doc" Smith and John W. Campbell (in his earlier writing) had adapted to the new science-fiction magazines. The formula that evolved requires two (or sometimes more) continuing characters, usually a hero and his best friend. The hero usually is a scientist and the best friend does not understand much science but is loyal and good in a fight. A great deal of conversation takes place between the hero and his friend in which the science of the story is explained, and a certain amount of byplay is involved that substitutes for characterization and stage action, created by the difficulties the hero's friend gets into through his hot temper and rash actions. One might note a certain resemblance of the hero and his friend to the Lone Ranger and his loyal Indian sidekick, Tonto.
The First Men in the Moon
), and E. E. "Doc" Smith and John W. Campbell (in his earlier writing) had adapted to the new science-fiction magazines. The formula that evolved requires two (or sometimes more) continuing characters, usually a hero and his best friend. The hero usually is a scientist and the best friend does not understand much science but is loyal and good in a fight. A great deal of conversation takes place between the hero and his friend in which the science of the story is explained, and a certain amount of byplay is involved that substitutes for characterization and stage action, created by the difficulties the hero's friend gets into through his hot temper and rash actions. One might note a certain resemblance of the hero and his friend to the Lone Ranger and his loyal Indian sidekick, Tonto.
In the Asimov juveniles, the scientist hero is David "Lucky" Starr, a member of Earth's Council of Science at an astonishingly youthful age. The friend is John "Bigman" Jones, who is five feet two but strong and sensitive about his height. In the first book, Starr picks up Jones on Mars. With humanity flying about among the planets and even among the stars, science has become of constantly increasing importance, for solving both internal problems of health and energy and external problems of scientific and alien threats to Earth. So the Council of
Science has become a major political force on Earth, and Starr is its best roving investigator.
Science has become a major political force on Earth, and Starr is its best roving investigator.
He roves first to Mars, then to the Asteroids, third to Venus, fourth to Mercury, fifth to Jupiter, and sixth to Saturn. It is clear that Asimov intended to visit each of the planets
1
and possibly expand his arena to other star systems, but Starr (and Asimov) ran out of gas at Saturn, with Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto still to go.
1
and possibly expand his arena to other star systems, but Starr (and Asimov) ran out of gas at Saturn, with Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto still to go.
Asimov's juvenile novels added little to the development of science fiction, or to Asimov's reputation, or even to the development of the science-fiction juvenile. They were largely scientific exposition with a frosting of narrative to keep the youthful reader involved between discussions. In contrast, Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles, once he developed his skills at the genre beginning with
Red Planet
in 1949, were so thoroughly science-fiction novels that most were serialized in adult magazines. One might speculate that the Heinlein juveniles led young readers to read more science fiction; those by Asimov, to read more science. Nevertheless, the Lucky Starr books were successful juveniles and have remained in print.
Red Planet
in 1949, were so thoroughly science-fiction novels that most were serialized in adult magazines. One might speculate that the Heinlein juveniles led young readers to read more science fiction; those by Asimov, to read more science. Nevertheless, the Lucky Starr books were successful juveniles and have remained in print.
The typical Asimov juvenile opened with a scientific mystery that Starr and Jones are sent to investigate. At their best the novels develop with the skill of Asimov's mysteries: the puzzles are fascinating and the solutions are ingenious. In between, the reader is presented with a great deal of information about the nature of the universe and the laws that govern its behavior. It is ironic that the facts known about several of the planets have changed since the novels were written. In
Opus 100
(1969) Asimov noted this fact with embarrassment and speculated that the novels, then out of print, might have to stay out of print. The Mars book might be reprinted (all that had then been discovered was that Mars was cratered, and craters were not difficult to insert), but the Venus and Mercury books "cannot be patched; they can only be scrapped." Nevertheless, they all were put back into print with Asimov forewords explaining the current state of scientific knowledge, that Venus has no oceans, for instance, and that Mercury does not keep one side perpetually toward the sun so that there is a bright side and a dark side. Typically, Asimov used the forewords to explain how the new information was obtained and what the new understanding revealed.
Opus 100
(1969) Asimov noted this fact with embarrassment and speculated that the novels, then out of print, might have to stay out of print. The Mars book might be reprinted (all that had then been discovered was that Mars was cratered, and craters were not difficult to insert), but the Venus and Mercury books "cannot be patched; they can only be scrapped." Nevertheless, they all were put back into print with Asimov forewords explaining the current state of scientific knowledge, that Venus has no oceans, for instance, and that Mercury does not keep one side perpetually toward the sun so that there is a bright side and a dark side. Typically, Asimov used the forewords to explain how the new information was obtained and what the new understanding revealed.
The novels probably did for their young readers what they were intended to do: they made the readers think and value the intellectual
1. In Volume Two of his autobiography Asimov wrote that the next book, if he had written it, would have been
Lucky Starr and the Snows of Pluto.
process and sometimes made them marvel at the wonders of the universe, and even sometimes experience what is still beyond our abilities to experience. Those things all were important to Asimov. In
Opus 100
he recounted how some people teased him about his refusal to get into an airplane and told him, "You don't know what you're missing." "Hah!" he wrote. ''I've floated in Saturn's rings. They don't know what they're missing."
Lucky Starr and the Snows of Pluto.
process and sometimes made them marvel at the wonders of the universe, and even sometimes experience what is still beyond our abilities to experience. Those things all were important to Asimov. In
Opus 100
he recounted how some people teased him about his refusal to get into an airplane and told him, "You don't know what you're missing." "Hah!" he wrote. ''I've floated in Saturn's rings. They don't know what they're missing."
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