Nine Tomorrows Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 224 pages

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Title	:	Nine Tomorrows
Author	:	Isaac Asimov
Book Format	:	Mass Market Paperback
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 224 pages
Published	:	August 12th 1975 by Del Rey (first published 1959)
Categories	:	Science Fiction. Fiction. Short Stories. Science Fiction Fantasy. Anthologies. Collections. Classics

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Isaac Asimov may very well be the most prolific author in modern history. With over 500 books to his credit (506, to be exact...go to asimovonline.com for the full list, if you don't believe me!), covering just about every subject in the Dewey Decimal System (except philosophy, I believe), the man was a real marvel. One of these 500 volumes, "Nine Tomorrows," is a collection of short stories that Doc Ike first had published in various magazines during the period July '56 to November '58. As the title suggests, all nine tales deal with possible futures that may face mankind, and all feature the wit, erudition and clarity that are the hallmarks of every Asimov story/novel that I've ever read.

The collection kicks off with the longest tale, "Profession," in which Asimov presents a 65th century when one's vocation is determined by a kind of computerized psychological profile, and in which youngsters compete in Olympics-style games for plum jobs on other planets. But what happens if it is deemed that you're cut out for nothing at all? That's what happens to young George Platen, in this consistently interesting tale. (Asimov does make one rare goof in this story: George should be 20, not 19, by the story's end. Has anyone else noticed this?)

In "The Feeling of Power," Asimov tells us of a scientist who is actually capable of doing simple math problems on paper (gasp!), without the aid of a computer (!), and how the military minds of that distant century make use of these newfound skills. But the old ways of doing things lead to nothing but trouble, in this brilliantly cynical tale.

Asimov has been called "the Agatha Christie of Science Fiction," and in "The Dying Night," a murder mystery of sorts, we see an early example of how he earned that title. A scientist lies dead, his papers on mass transference stolen, and three of his old school chums are suspect. This somewhat contrived story nonetheless leads to a satisfactory conclusion that most readers will never foresee. (The 1965 observations of Mercury, by the way, have dated the science in the tale, but this is certainly nothing that Asimov could have foreseen in July '56.)

What is certainly the most humorous tale in the bunch comes next: "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda." Written in Heinlein-like, tough-guy prose, this tale concerns a Galactic Service agent who must determine which of three men is attempting to smuggle a powerful drug out of the eponymous port. This one really had me chuckling out loud, and winds up very amusingly indeed. A most entertaining tale.

In "The Gentle Vultures," the author tells us that an alien race has been living on the Moon's far side for several decades, waiting for Earth's Cold War to blow up so that they might come to our aid...for a fee, of course. Asimov would have us believe that these folks are the source of the 1940s' and '50s' UFO's, and who knows...maybe he's right! Anyway, the interaction between the chimplike aliens and their kidnapped Earthling is very well done in this unique tale.

In "All the Troubles of the World," a computer is responsible for not only caring for everyone on Earth, but also for predicting and preventing crimes. Is it possible that this 1958 story was inspired in part by P.K. Dick's "Minority Report," published two years before? Who knows? The story is very clever, though, and has a most touching ending.

"Spell My Name With an S" shows how the smallest alteration in one's life can occasionally lead to great worldwide changes. A way-out surprise ending caps off another very clever Asimov short story.

And then there's "The Last Question," in which Asimov theorizes on nothing less than the end of the universe 10 trillion years in the future...and what might happen after that. This is a truly mind-expanding short story that offers much food for thought in its 12 pages.

The collection wraps up with perhaps my favorite story of the bunch, "The Ugly Little Boy." Here, a nurse is hired to take care of a 4-year-old Neanderthal tyke who has been plucked from the past by a scientific institute. The tale should be instructive to all those critics who have accused Asimov of being unable to depict convincing female characters. Nurse Fellowes is VERY well drawn, I think, with some psychological complexity and surprising maternal tendencies. The ending of this tale is nicely sentimental, and lingers long in the memory. Thus ends a really fine collection of stories from one of sci-fi's true masters. Trust me, you'll wish there were 20 tomorrows here, instead of just nine!

Identify Books As Nine Tomorrows

ISBN:	0345346041 (ISBN13: 9780345346049)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	Multivac

Rating Out Of Books Nine Tomorrows

Ratings: 4.15 From 4729 Users | 158 Reviews

Judgment Out Of Books Nine Tomorrows

Didn't put a lot of stock into this book simply because they were short stories - but I have never been more wrong. These are by far my favorite writings by Asimov. Could. NOT. Put. The. Book. Down. Asimov, god of scifi, managed to remain thought provoking in a limited amount of space and really raised a ton of valid questions about out actions today. Since he wrote this around the Cold War time, it is a little out of date with current events, but the main idea about mathematical theory still

I was surprised to realize although I knew a great deal about Isaac Asimov, I had never actually read a book by him. So I took this one off my shelf and was not disappointed. I ended each story with a smile on my face, and only in one did I have some trouble getting into the story. Once I realized they were talking about Earth, it made sense and proved to be equally enjoyable. Asimov was right that computers would be a key player in the world (copyright 1959), but did not foresee how quickly

"Two nights ago I really wanted to read a book before bed, but it was late, and I knew that I would end up reading until all hours of the morning and regret it the next day. So, I scoured the mass market Mt. TBR and found a thin book, which also happened to be a collection of short stories. Yay! Last night I finished reading this book, and as can be expected, it was an engaging read, with each short story providing a different insight into how (in some cases, minor and insignificant) actions and

A collection of nine short-stories, TALES OF THE NEAR FUTURE , by Isaac Asimov the prolific writer/editor of more than 500 books and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. As one of the "Big Three" SF writers of his time he was published in 9 of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification. Has with many writer this collection is made up of stories that were all originally published in science fiction magazine between 1956 and 1958.Profession (1957) - 4 STARS: Earth of

if you've ever held a girl in your arms at 0.4 gees, you need no explanation. If you haven't, explanations will do no good. I'm also sorry for you.THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWERAnd Stasis was punctured and the room was empty.

The nine stories in this collection are simply gems. Each story is enjoyable. Each story moves quickly, and each has a theme that resonants in the imagination and continues to provide food for thought today as much as it did when these stories where written in the 1950s. One aspect of these stories that I liked is that the stories do not involve war or violent conflict that we have come accustomed to in the majority of contemporary scifi & fantasy movies and stories. The crux of the stories

Part two of "The Complete Stories, Volume 1." I was disheartened after the strange stories in the first part of that collection, but that all changed the moment I read "Profession." That might be favorite short story ever, right up there with the I, Robot stories. Such an interesting idea about education and creativity--I think I might use it in teacher workshops someday. "The Feeling of Power" is similar and just as through-provoking. "All the Troubles of the World" is the first Multivac story