Product Description

In the year 2100, mankind on Earth, settlers in a lunar colony and aliens from the para-universe, a strange universe parallel in time to our own, are faced with a race against time to prevent total destruction of the Earth. The invention of the Inter-Universe Electron Pump has threatened the rate of hydrogen fusion in the sun, leading, inevitably, to the possibilty of a vast explosion -- and the vapourisation of the Earth exactly eight minutes later . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67751 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
For 14 years of a career stretching from 1939 to his death in 1992, Isaac Asimov wrote little SF and instead produced popular non-fiction in enormous quantities. The Gods Themselves (1972) was his "comeback" SF novel, welcomed by both Hugo and Nebula awards.

It opens in the world of Big Science that Asimov knew well, full of in-fighting and the race to publish first. The Inter-Universe Electron Pump sucks unlimited energy from nothing, making all power stations obsolete and bringing a new golden age. No one--especially not the scientist who got the credit--wants to listen to the doomsayer Lamont who calculates that the pump's side effects may detonate the Sun. Worse, there's no kudos for him: "And no one on Earth will live to know I was right".

Part two moves to the dying parallel universe whose hyper-intelligent aliens actually invented the pump and don't care what happens to our Sun. Asimov cleverly focuses on three immature aliens whose intelligence is less daunting and who slowly learn--with very different personal reactions--about their race's weird analogue of sex, about the pump's moral implications, and eventually about the unexpected meaning of maturity. These are the most original, engaging aliens Asimov ever created.

Part three is set in a carefully worked-out Moon colony and grapples with the "para-physics" of inter-universe loopholes. Can a politically acceptable replacement for the pump be developed? Solid, workmanlike SF with far more talk than action: one of Asimov's rare standalone novels. --David Langford

About the Author
SALES POINTS * Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Award for Best Novel * 'He writes . . . with cleverness and vision' Literary Review * 'He never falls below a certain level of excellence' Martin Amis * 'Other SF books I pass on to friends -- the Asimovs I keep on my shelf' Evening Standard

Customer Reviews

In parts strange, in parts wonderful, in parts unfulfilling.
This is not one book, or rather it is one book but one that is made up of three separate books connected by a single strand.

If you've not been confused by that sentance then you are perfectly capable of understanding this book.

The three stories centre on a different group of people whose discoveries/ actions are all connected to one major event. This is the sort of thing that has been done many times before in movies/ books/ TV shows et al. and as usual there are some problems. Occasionally we find ourselves torn away from the characters before we can emote with them. This drive-thru syndrome effects the third book especially as we don't really feel part of what's happening.

The third book, while working in the context of the novel, isn't the stongest branch on the tree. I wished he could have gone back to the characters of the first book and developed them more thoroughly - but then that might be because I thought his early ccharacters were very well realised and allowed you to connect with the story to the point where you wanted to know more. Asimov has taken a different route and it does work, it just 'lacks' something.

If I have made the third book sound unappealing, let me assure you the first two are works of a gifted autor - the second showing a mind brimming with imagination and talent that provides a glorious environment and characters. I have always prided myself on being able to guess twists. I didn't guess Asimov's here. And it is not one of those twists where you think the author has just thrown in a twist at random to cheat you, this one works and makes you reconsider much of what comes before.

This is an excellent book, only slightly let down by a poorer third instalment. A must for any serious reader of fiction this surpasses much of Asimov's more famous work.

A wrongly neglected classic that deserves a wider audience.

Perhaps Asimov's best novel
I have been a fan of Asimov's fiction as well as his science essays since childhood. I've read his Foundation novels, Robot novels, and various unrelated fiction and factual material. While most of his works have usually appealed to me, I can say with little reservation that "The Gods Themselves" is my favorite Asimov novel - and certainly earns a prominent spot in my personal "Top 10".

One of the things I like about this novel is the way the Friedrich von Schiller quotation "Against stupidity, the [very] Gods themselves contend in vain" is worked into the story. The three phrases that make up this quote - "Against Stupidity...", "...The Gods Themselves...", and "...Contend In Vain?" are used as chapter titles - and, what's more, these titles are quite appropos to the theme of each chapter.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the novel is the second chapter, which portrays a most unusual, and wholly believable and consistent alien race. Science fiction authors often struggle with the difficulty of portraying an alien race that is different enough from humans to be believable as aliens, yet similar enough to make their motives and culture graspable by a human reader. Asimov succeeds brilliantly in this task, something I can say for only a few other SF titles.

At the risk of sounding PC, I was also pleased that Asimov introduced a strong female supporting character, something not usually found in most of his works. The "Selene" character introduced in the third chapter is reminescent of the strong female leads found in many Heinlien novels.

Any fan of Asimov's works - or, for that matter, any fan of good science fiction should add this book to their essential collection. There is a good reason why this novel was awarded both the Hugo and Nebula awards after it's initial publication. Unlike many modern winners of these awards, "The Gods Themselves" is both a good AND entertaining story. It's clever and stylish enough to appeal to the "artsy" types that issue such awards, while being entertaining enough to appeal to the meat-and-potatoes reader.

Intellegent and Solid Science Fiction
This was the first book by Asimov that I have read and I found it fairly impressive. It’s immediately clear from the beginning of the book, that this is a man who understands science and the professional world of scientist. The story is divided into three parts and centres on the invention of an “Inter-Universe-Electron-Pump”, which heralds a new era of limitless energy for humanity. The first section deals with the race between two scientists competing to publish the results that will lead to the creation of the pump and their differences in opinion on the possible future effects of the system. The basic functioning of the pump involves exchanging atomic particles between our universe and a parallel universe. In the middle section, we travel to this other universe, where we meet one of the most compelling and fascinating alien cultures imagined in Science Fiction. It was this portion of the book that convinced me of Asimov’s genius. The reader learns about these creatures through the eyes of a group of adolescents, who are also discovering for themselves the truth behind their existence and the reality of their civilization. It soon turns out, the pump that is giving us unlimited energy is rapidly destroying the universe of these creatures. They are understandably none too pleased about this and seek a way to reverse the effect of the pump, which would have devastating consequences on our solar system. I don’t want to give anything away from Part three, as that’s when the matter is resolved. I had an enjoyable time reading this book and recommend it to anyone interested in Isaac Asimov or Science fiction. It’s also easy to read, which may cause some readers to find the language monotonous, but the story-telling and interesting subject matter more than make up for it. I happen to later have found out that Asimov didn’t really write that many stand-alone novels and was more know for his Robot and Foundation series (which I highly recommend!), but that this counts as one of his best single novels. In short, if you are looking for an entry into Asimov’s world, without having to read several books before the story ends, or simply enjoy the genre of Hard SF, then you shouldn’t be disappointed with “The Gods Themselves”.